Member Reviews
Ciara is a social media/mommy influencer who is not a nice person. Her friend, Mishti, is an Indian woman in an arranged marriage who Ciara welcomes into her social circle. Ciara is out to get Lauren, her neighbor, who she is bullying. There are a lot of affairs happening and the characters are pretty awful. BUT, this ending is so, so, so good. This is not like all the mommy issues books out there. Plus, it is set in Ireland, which is fun
"Dirty Laundry" was a juicy, captivating read that perfectly satisfied my craving for a bit of drama and suspense. As someone who enjoys character-driven stories, I found myself quickly engrossed in the lives of these complex women and their tangled relationships.
The portrayal of female friendships and rivalries felt incredibly authentic, reminding me of the dynamics I've witnessed in my own life. The way Bose captured the subtle power struggles and unspoken tensions within the group was both fascinating and a little unsettling.
While the mystery surrounding Ciara's death was intriguing, it was the exploration of the characters' hidden secrets and motivations that truly kept me hooked. The unraveling of their carefully constructed facades felt like peeling back layers of an onion, revealing surprising vulnerabilities and hidden desires.
However, I did find myself wishing for a bit more depth in some of the characters' backstories and motivations. Some of the plot points felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped, leaving me wanting more. "Dirty Laundry" is a satisfyingly messy and addictive read that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you're looking for a book that explores the complexities of female friendships and the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface, then this one is definitely worth picking up.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can find yours here: https://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Laundry-Novel-Disha-Bose/dp/0593497384/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32VWEQQA4U3X3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HT9mTQHUBeBrObPcuRgh-g.FexZSYo0B_lx8NallG2rTOBXK60_SD3mu30A9ZvVR2Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=Dirty+Laundry+%28Hardcover%29+by+Disha+Bose&qid=1721597061&sprefix=the+corner+of+holly+and+ivy+by+debbie+mason%2Caps%2C323&sr=8-1
Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose is a debut domestic thriller that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. The book opens with the murder of Ciara Dunphy, the seemingly perfect wife and mother in a small Irish village. As the investigation progresses, it becomes clear that everyone in Ciara's life had something to gain from her death.
The story is told from the perspectives of three women: Ciara's best friend Mishti, her rival Lauren, and the detective investigating her murder, DI Murphy. Each woman has her own secrets and agendas, and as the layers of Ciara's life are peeled away, it becomes clear that she was not who she seemed.
Bose does a masterful job of building suspense and creating complex characters. The reader is constantly kept guessing about who killed Ciara and why. The book also explores themes of motherhood, friendship, and social media in a nuanced and thought-provoking way.
While some readers may find the characters unlikable, this is a deliberate choice by the author. Bose is not interested in creating perfect characters; instead, she wants to explore the dark side of human nature. And she does so with great skill.
Overall, Dirty Laundry is a well-written and suspenseful thriller that is sure to please fans of the genre. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a twisty mystery with complex characters and a thought-provoking plot.
I don't usually read Domestic thrillers but this had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end, Disha Bose did her best to keep you thinking you had it then bang! she threw you completely sideways I loved this one.
Ciarra Dunphy was in a loving relationship had three children married & had it all a beautiful e.
•house was
followed by thousands on instagram but inside she was falling apart.
Misti her best friend from Calcutta she had an arranged marriage Ciarra didn't have many friends so they suited each other.
Then Lauren who everyone hated as she used to pick on kids at school partner Shaun who was a devoted father.OR WAS HE!!
This was the most twisty domestic thriller that I have read the characters were unlikeable I didn't like any of them.
There is a murder of Cara found dead in her home who would do this & why?
What this means for Mishti, Lauren & Shaun turns their ideal world upside down highly recommended all the happy dance. 💃🏼
This wasn't a bad book but it wasn't great either. The storyline was long and drawnout in my opinion.
This was a great book! In some parts I even laughed.. It was a great story and felt for some of the characters. I would definitely recommend this book.
If you like a good book about neighbors and the mischief they can get up to this is the book for that. Wicked fun and a great read.
This was an overall ok read. I did not find the characters very likable though well developed. I think the biggest issue I have is with the ending. There just wasn’t one, it felt like the book just stopped. I needed at least a detailed epilogue! I was intrigued enough to want to read more from this author. I
Excellent drama. Horrible characters. Which to be fair, in this kind of novel you go in expecting a not so shiny cast of characters. But it's also nice to find a redeemable quality in them. In atleast one. Here you just had a whole cast of horrible people who were seemingly awful just because? I'm still unsure. Without having that redeemable character, it made for a truly hard to love and hard to get into novel for me. I always root for the underdog, but there wasn't one. If you love this kind of story, this is for you! I love domestic thrillers, I just need someone to root for so I don't hate absolutely everyone when I'm done. And I hated everyone.
I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Disha Bose. 🩷
3.5 Stars rounded to 4. Who doesn't love neighborhood tea, especially when it's not yours?! This was a fun read with well written complex characters and relationships. I enjoyed the mystery but this is more character than plot driven. I did find the pacing to be a bit inconsistent. I appreciate the opportunity to have read this and apologize for the feedback delay.
Unfortunately Dirty Laundry was not for me. I have tried three times to pick it up and try to power through but this will be the first DNF on NetGalley for me.
If the author was trying to make the characters unlikeable she did a superb job. Especially reading Ciara’s dialogue was like nails on a chalkboard in my brain. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Also, the writing was choppy and all over the place so I definitely feel like that is an excellent area for improvement. With these things combined, I was not interested in continuing to see how the story ended. The cover of the book is quite gorgeous though.
My profuse thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Random House for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dirty Laundry is a domestic thriller full of complicated people and messy relationships. Bose plays with point of view and perspective to tell this tale, and overall, does a good job in the process. It is a bit difficult to care, however, when no one in the book is really worth rooting for. No one at any point makes a decision that makes sense or benefits anyone, even themselves. It gets a bit frustrating after a while. I did enjoy seeing how it would all play out in the end, though, which pushed it up to a 3.5 rating for me.
Ciara Dunphy appears to have a story book or Instagram perfect life with an attentive husband, Gerry and 2 kids. Behind her online persona is a troubled woman who drinks too wine to avoid dealing with the stress in her life. She holds it together for her videos and in her Irish neighborhood but falls apart behind closed doors. Her husband suggests she hire a nanny or someone to help her maintain the messy house. Ciara is embarrassed and would rather keep her drinking and problems a secret.
The neighbors are made up of unlikely characters. Mishti Guha has an arranged marriage to her husband Parth, and have a daughter Malva. She feels trapped in a marriage with a demanding husband. She often feels jealous of Ciara and uncomfortable trying to adjust since immigrating from Calcutta. Then, there's Lauren Doyle and Sean O’Grady who are parents to Freya, Harry and Willow but never married. Sean enjoys his freedom and not interested in marriage.
Life in the neighborhood gets messy when Ciara threatens to stir up trouble and is then found dead. Since Ciara had so many people on edge the list of suspects is long.
This one was a bit challenging... It was a well written story about tangled up relationships. I can't say that I really liked any of the characters at all, but I was still drawn in enough to want to see how it ended. And for that it was worth it!
Felt like I was read one of those drama TV shows like the wives of NY, which basically this book was because I didn't like any of the characters, but I did like the drama that played out.
Ciara Dunphy seems to have it all! A social media influencer, Ciara is adored by her fans and all the ladies in her neighborhood for her amazingly curated posts. Ciara is the popular “IT” girl everyone around her aspires to be like, well almost every one. What everyone doesn’t realize is that Ciara’s life is a lie. Ciara is miserable in her marriage, and the stress of trying to keep up images on social media is daunting. Mishti Guha is Ciara’s best friend, a transplant from India, Mishti is just trying to get her footing in a new environment. Living in an arranged marriage Mishti feels unseen, unloved and is miserable. All Mishti wants is to go back home and to see her family, and for her daughter to see peopel who look like her, but her husband doesn’t seem to ever want to go back to India. Lauren hates Ciara. From the moment Ciara moved in the neighborhood Lauren has not been able to connect with her, if anything Ciara treats Lauren as if she’s less than everyone else. As much as Lauren tries to connect with the other women in the neighborhood they are all under Ciara’s spell and she just becomes more of a pariah the more she tries. Lauren is suffering, with her kids always running wild, a partner who never wants to work or help with the kids she’s at her wits end. Lauren is originally from the neighborhood, now living in her grandmothers old house all she wants to do is sell the home and move somewhere else, as they’re financially drowning by the day.
When Ciara is found dead her pristine facade comes crumbling down, and suddenly all her “loyalist” have things to say about Ciara and they aren’t positive. The enemies now love the opportunity to bear all of Ciara’s dirty laundry , and everyone is pointing fingers about who the killer could be.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC
For some reason I just couldn’t connect with or get into this book. It was definitely more of a neighborhood drama than a thriller in my opinion. I typically love both, however for some reason I found these characters lack luster.
I wanted to like this book. I thought it sounded similar to a Liane Moriarty or Sally Hepworth book. Unfortunately, this book is extremely shallow. All of the characters are so one-dimensional and not realistic. The dialogue and writing are very amateur. I read to the end to find out what happened, but was happy it was over. The ending was not that interesting.
DNF @ 33%
This book seems like a great domestic thriller. I’m sure it will work for many people. I ended up not finishing because I couldn’t get into it.
This book was a mixed bag for me. It’s hard to read domestic thrillers. But I ended up loving it! The characters were intriguing and I found myself thinking about it a long time after I read it. Highly recommended for your next thriller