This book was quite entertaining at the beginning, complete with unlikable characters that grated on my nerves in every way possible, but I quickly felt like it was dragging and taking forever to get to the point. The ending left much to be desired, and so much was left out. I never thought I was one that needed my stories to end all neat, tidy, and with a bow, but apparently, I am. I don't like feeling like I wasted my time. This is definitely one of those books for me.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the complimentary e-ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose is a darkly entertaining domestic thriller about three couples who live in the same neighborhood. When one of them turns up dead, all the dirty laundry of those closest to the victim emerges, and things will never be the same again.

Bullet Point Review:

I just loved all the spilled tea and aired dirty laundry. Is there anything better than that for an entertaining afternoon read?
All the lies, secrets, twists, turns, and immorality is thoroughly entertaining.
The whole cast of characters was equally despicable and so fun to hate.
This character-driven story focuses on the flaws of Ciara, the main character, and considering how many she has, it effectively adds to the entertainment.
The story is based on three couples and their children. One of them dies, but who did it? I loved all the possibilities that came out as the story unfolded.
Told using the third-person narration, it focuses on one couple per chapter.
Though it varied between medium and fast, the pacing was quick enough to be a one-afternoon read easily.
Ireland is the setting, but it didn't play a big part in the story. The story could have taken place anywhere.
I also loved the way the story was set up. It ends at precisely the moment before it begins. And that speaks volumes for the whole circular nature of the story.

Read, if you like
Entertaining domestic thrillers
Spilling the tea
Characters you love to hate

I love a good domestic thriller! I am very impressed this is Disha Bose's debut novel, and will definitely keep an eye out for future books. This story follows three women in a small Irish village, and they all have their flaws and baggage. When one of them ends up dead, it is hard to point the finger, when so many people have a motive. I personally like a story like this with unlikable characters, and it makes for a good mystery. The story sucks you in right at the beginning, but I will say for me it got a bit slow throughout the middle, before picking up again at the end for the big reveal that ties everything up in a bow. The ending was a little underwhelming for me as well, but all in all a fun and quick read! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced reader copy of this book!

Let me start by saying I don't mind unlikeable characters. I just want to feel something about a character and for them to interest me. It can be like or dislike.

This book is about a group of moms in an Irish town - the main ones are Mishti, Ciara, and Lauren. Ciara is the popular girl. The leader. The mean girl. She's an influencer and all around "perfect mom". I disliked her and felt we got a lot with her character. We know early on (and even in synopsis) that she gets killed and the dual timeline leads through the events.

Ciara has short of taken on Mishti as a bit of a minion. Mishti was so bland, I couldn't even like or dislike her. She wa a doormat. Then there is Lauren. She's a local, and has always been outcast from the "cool kids" and remains so.

I struggled to feel invested or to care, except for Ciara who was so unlikeable you get invested. And the ending felt rushed and was sad. I was left wanting something more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to read “Dirty Laundry” as domestic suspense and thrillers are right up my avenue. However, this story felt disjointed to me and it was never clear how all the main characters really fit together. I sometimes felt like I missed something that would have provided some more clarity on this, There were a lot of unlikeable characters which is not a fatal flaw for me, but the story just didn’t flow well in my opinion and I found myself surprisingly uninterested at the end. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

I read somewhere that this novel is a cross between Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives and I think that’s the perfect comparison. Three young mothers all in the same neighborhood, chock full of lies, secrets, cheating, and deceit. A murder is sprinkled in for good measure. Some characters were extremely appalling, but I think that was the intent. Ciara reminded me of Gabby from DH. A quick, easy, juicy read!

I really liked this book! I love drama between families and if they are set in a village or small town…even better!

The author did a great job with the flow of the story, I never felt bored while reading.

Highly recommend this book!

Fantastic debut novel! Dirty Laundry revolves around the lives of a group of women, with Ciara being the leader of the pack. Ciara has a successful social media following that revolves around her seemingly perfect life. Mishti is newer to the area, having moved from her home of India. And Lauren does not get along w/ Ciara, but is friends with Mishti. The story is told from multiple POV of these women and their significant others. The characters are very believable, and I loved that the author incorporated the culture of India in this novel, And the twists! Some small, some not so small throughout, all of them surprising. And when Ciara dies, the reader really has a handful of people to choose from who would want to hurt her. This book was fast paced and drew me in from the very first page of Ciara dealing with her daughter threatening to cut her brother's hair.

I'm torn on how to rate this book. Dirty Laundry was interesting ~ in the way that a bad reality show is interesting. Think Desperate Housewives or something like 90 Day Fiancee or similar. None of the characters seem to know their spouses in the way you'd think they would after being together or married for years. lIn the case of Mishti, who is an arranged marriage, that makes more sense, but not in the case of the other two relationships.

There wasn't one character that I liked. Not one. Even Mishti, while garnering sympathy from me, didn't rise to the levelof likeable. She was a doormat and just accepted whatever decree her husband handed down. Yes, she was raised in a different culture, but she just never even started thinking for herself. She was the closest there was to someone who wasn't a horrible person.

As for being a mystery or thriller, I wouldn't classify it that way. Maybe domestic fiction? Not really sure. The story moved rather slowly during the first 70 - 80% of the book, but then everything was wrapped up rather quickly, but without a satisfying ending, in my opinion.

I will say that I enjoyed the scenes of Mishti growing up in India and of her first boyfriend, Neel. This wasn't a terrible book. Please don't think I'm saying that. It just seemed confused to me and as if there was too much froth and not enough "meat", if you know what I mean.

Not every book is for every reader and evidently this wasn't really the book for me. Do not let that stop you reading. There is some good stuff here and I'm looking forward to seeing how this author gets on with her second book.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and the publishers for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Dirty Laundry is a contemporary fiction story following three very different households in an Irish village. Ciara Dunphy displays the highlights of her domestic life on social media, with her two children and husband Gerry for her legions of followers, Mishti Guha, her Indian immigrant neighbor and best friend leads a much different life with her daughter and psychologist husband from her arranged marriage, Parth. Lauren Doyle lives in the house her grandmother left to her in this neighborhood with her long time boyfriend Sean, and their three wild, carefree children. Dirty laundry is about the mess that each relationship has going on, even when on the outside it may appear picture perfect. I really enjoyed this book because it had a great mix of mystery, deception, and portrays many different ways a family can be living completely different lives, just a few doors apart. If you are looking for an escape with just the right amount of suspense, gossip, and a reminder that things aren't always how we portray them, this may be just the book for you. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House books for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Disha Bose - 4 stars!

Three couples in the neighborhood - Ciara and Gerry are successful, and Ciara is the queen bee of the social set as well as an instagram influencer. Lauren and Sean just don't quite fit in, and Lauren can't help voicing her opinions.
Mishti and Parth, together thanks to an arranged marriage, have little in common except their daughter. When Ciara is murdered in her own home, all the secrets come out and it seems everyone has a motive.

While there are few likable characters here, this was still an entertaining story. Why does it seem that women can be their own worst enemies and we judge others on their choices? This book is sort of like watching Desperate Housewives (which I loved!) - everyone has secrets and is actively trying to hide them from everyone else, especially social media. Loved the title - there's a lot of dirty laundry airing here. Looking forward to more from this author.

Dirty Laundry is billed as being a domestic thriller. I would classify it as a murder/mystery. You know that one of the characters is murdered. This is given in the description for the book and happens early in the book. Then the book backtracks to tell the story of what led up to the murder. This book was a disappointment for me. Rather than being a thriller, it reminded me more of a story about a bunch of junior high or high school girls. There is a leader in the group, Ciara, and she causes problems for everyone else. This just wasn't the book for me. When I started reading, my kindle told me it would take me 4 1/2 hours to read. It ended up taking me a week!! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this domestic thriller story! It’s about three sets of couples who are all neighbors, some friendly, some frenemies. It takes place in Ireland which I loved everything about! There are tons of suspenseful twists and turns in the story and without giving anything away, did NOT end the way I thought it would! If you’re into this type of book, definitely give this one a read!

When Ciara and her husband Gerry moved into the Irish village, they didn’t know how much of a splash they would create. Ciara is an Instagram star, an influencer who has an inbox filled with requests for brand collaborations and thousands of followers. She posts photos of her two adorable kids and the healthy meals she makes them, curating a perfect family life. But reality isn’t always how it appears on social media.

Neighbor Lauren and her partner Sean live simply with their three kids in the cottage that had belonged to Lauren’s gran. She had spent a lot of her childhood at her grandmother’s place, and she had inherited the cottage. Neither Lauren nor Sean work, so they are getting by on Lauren’s savings as they raise their kids. It was challenging for Lauren to move back to the small village where she grew up. Despite all the years that passed since she was in school. the town’s mean girls went right back to treating her badly, with their new leader Ciara stirring them up even more.

Mishti and her husband Parth have one daughter and a quiet life together. Parth had been working in Ireland already when he chose Mishti for his wife. Although she was reluctant to agree with the arranged marriage, she didn’t want to let her parents down, so she went along. Parth was successful and comfortably well-off, but Mishti has trouble fitting in with the village. Things get a little easier when she locates the Asian market and finds food that is she is familiar with. But still she feels cold a lot, it took her two years to learn to drive, and her husband treats her like a servant instead of a partner.

But when Ciara decides to make Mishti her friend, Mishti is thrilled and drinks up the attention. Lauren tries to befriend Mishti also, but at first Mishti is cautious. Lauren has made some comments on Ciara’s social media posts that Ciara has complained about. Mishti doesn’t want to get in the middle of that. But the more time she spends with Ciara, she wonders if Lauren isn’t right about some things.

And then one of these women ends up dead.

As the secrets are revealed about the marriages, motives become clear. There are a lot of people who could have wanted this woman dead. But what really happened to end her life?

Author Disha Bose has written a mischievous novel of domesticity as her debut thriller Dirty Laundry. The women’s relationships are the star of this book, and it’s their shenanigans that give this story it’s spine. It bounces back and forth in time a little, so it hooks you in early and then goes back and unfolds slowly, giving each woman a full backstory.

Dirty Laundry has a lot of unlikable characters, but it still has an intriguing story. There is a lot of drama, several secrets, some interesting twists, dirty dishes, charming kids, and of course, all kinds of dirty laundry. It’s a fun read, especially for fans of stories about a Queen Bee and her followers. I enjoyed this one. I did struggle some with one character’s hypocrisy, and that slowed down my reading, but overall I’m glad I read this one. I especially loved the international settings, both in Ireland and India, and I look forward to seeing where Bose takes me next.

Egalleys for Dirty Laundry were provided by Ballentine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Three couples live with their children in a close-knit neighborhood in rural Ireland but their relationships are more complicated than close. Ciara is the fashionable popular wife and mother who maintains a blog about her perfect life and is the envy of almost every other woman in the village and the object of desire for all the men. Lauren is an outcast because of her parenting style and the way she dresses but mostly because Ciara has targeted her. Mishti is new to the village and to Ireland and is in an arranged marriage and struggles with fitting in. Almost everyone who knows Ciara has a motive to kill her but things are way more complicated than on the surface.
I feel like this book is well written for a debut. I found none of the characters likable at all but think that the author set them up this way so any one of them could be capable of murder. Their unlikable personalities and behaviors were pretty over the top. The twists were good - not too much and just the right amount of surprise. My criticism other than over the top characters is that I felt like there were some minor details that needed more explanation - I can’t give examples without spoilers and I don’t mind open endings but I just felt like some details were overlooked. In spite of this, I will look forward to future books from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishers - Ballantine for the Advanced Reader Copy.

This was such an enjoyable first novel! I loved the multiple timelines and some of the characters I loved to hate! I would absolutely read another Disha Bose novel, and I hope I get the chance to!

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose is a fantastic domestic suspense debut! A huge thank you to Penguin Random House, the author and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of the book.

The storyline focuses on the inner circle of a group of women - Ciara, Mishti, and Lauren living with their husbands and children in a small Irish village. Ciara is the fomenter of the village. Her life looks perfect. She has a very loving husband, well behaved children and success as an influencer, but all is not as shiny and bright as she would have people believe.

Mishiti Guha is stuck in an unsatisfying marriage arranged by her parents in India. She is miserable living so far away from her home country and family. All she really wants is the perfect life she thinks her best friend Ciara has — being able to navigate the world freely with confidence and ease.

And then there is Lauren the bohemian outcast who doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the village community. She is the aim of all the jokes, the laughingstock. But when she finds an improbable collaborator in Mishiti. She makes up her mind that she won’t be the neighborhood misfit anymore.

When Ciara is found dead inside her home it quickly reveals that her perfect life was actually all a sham. But who in the group had a motive and something to gain from her death?

Dirty Laundry is a dark, propulsive, twisty, highly entertaining page-turner filled with secrets, lies and betrayal! This is a book you definitely don’t want to miss, perfect vacation read.

I had hope for this book but I DNF it at 20%. Not only did all the characters sound exactly the same but it read as unhappy wives complaining about their lives, husbands, and each other. I had zero sympathy for any of them.

I loved this book! I enjoyed reading from all the characters POV instead of a single person. Reading ad if I was each character (Ciara, Lauren and Mishiti) really made the story more intriguing. I was hooked from the beginning and loved how everything came together in the end!

Thank you NetGalley , the publisher and author for my ARC!

I couldn't get into this one. I've read a lot of domestic thrillers and this one didn't stand out and felt a bit generic.