Dirty laundry is a domestic drama novel more so than domestic suspense. This novel charts the story of three different women in a neighborhood and goes back in time to piece together the days leading up to the ones murder (we know who is murdered at the beginning of the book). Secrets harbored between these three women and their families fester and are exposed as we get information on the days leading up to the death. While this sounds like a thrilling domestic murder or suspense novel, it didn’t really hold my attention and it was perhaps mislabeled as a mystery more so than just a piece of domestic fiction with the crime elements underneath. The novel deals with female relationships, social media, and there are racial undertones underneath. I think that if someone going into this has a better understanding of the genre this book is and knows what to expect going into it he or she may find it more enjoyable.

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

Published: April 4, 2023
Ballantine Books
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Pages: 304
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Disha Bose received a master’s in creative writing at University College Dublin, where she was mentored by Booker Prize winner Anne Enright. She has been shortlisted for the DNA Short Story Prize, and her poetry and short stories have appeared in The Incubator Journal, The Galway Review, Cultured Vultures, and Headstuff. Her travel pieces have appeared in The Economic Times of India and Coldnoon. Bose was born and raised in India and now lives in Ireland with her husband and daughter.

“Something did feel different.”

Ciara is considered a “super mom” and an Instagram influencer. She is the queen bee. Lauren is the mom on the outside, the pariah. Mishti is an arranged bride trying to find happiness far from home with a successful but distant husband.

Well, this was quite the ride. Thematically, this was an excellent book. The things that were explored were relevant and trendy. The Instagram vs. reality of it all was well represented.

This had some undertones of Murder on the Orient Express; the plots are vastly different, but if you read the book, you’ll get it, and the characters all had things that made them likable, unlikable, and all too human.

I enjoyed how this story was told, the way the perspective rotated, and how the timeline shifted around to fill out the gaps. The writing was strong, and nothing in this book was “too unrealistic.” Everything between these pages could happen in real life.

I think we all know Ciara, Lauren, and Mishti. I found the way the leading women were written realities, vulnerable and raw. Their internal struggles were often just as relevant to one another, though they would never admit that.

There was a heavy undertone of adult mean girls within this storyline and a hierarchy of mothers (and motherhood) that I think many mothers would say is accurate.

The twists in the novel were great, and when I felt like I had predicted the ending- one last twist left me speechless. This was an engaging read from page one.

Many reviewers have compared Dirty Laundry to a mashup of Desperate Housewives and Mean Girls, and with good reason. I mean this in the best way possible. We have the leader of the pack who dictates who is in and who is out. In this case, Ciara, the social media influencer who see herself as the sun and demands the total dedication of those that orbit her. But she is a benevolent dictator, in her own eyes. Why else would she take on the sorry little woman next store, Mishta Guha.?

Mishta came to Ireland from Calcutta as a wife in an arranged marriage. Ireland does not suit her - too cold, too different. She wishes she could be more like Ciara - in command of her world. Mishta often wonders what became of her true love, the one she dared not run away with in India. What would her life have been if she had taken that risk?

In the outer trajectory of this solar system is Lauren, an unmarried mother whose boyfriend is not winning any father of the year awards., Lauren is the main backbone of the family, but she does not have the stamina to stand up to Ciara's bullying ways, Although Ciara has determined that Lauren is an unsuitable friend, Mishta understands Lauren's plight.

Add in misbehaving men and children and you have a perfect storm. There is a total eclipse of this sun with the murder of Ciara. But who is the one that extinguished this bright force?

This debut novel is a fast read. You may not like all the characters in the story, but admit it, we have all met them in our lives. Some may even have been them.

My thanks to to Netgalley for this enjoyable ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Disha Bose has written a masterpiece that gives insight into the lives of a group of young mothers in a small Irish town. The whole story takes place in the month of September and we are carefully led through each day as the story slowly spirals toward the surprising conclusion.

At the center of the story is Ciara Dunphy. Ciara is the exquisitely beautiful center of this small universe—and she knows it. Ciara regularly blogs about beauty, fashion, and her life as a mother, building a reputation as the epitome of perfection. We readers quickly learn that she is not. Yet she and her husband Gerry appear to be a perfect couple in a loving marriage.

Lauren Doyle, on the other hand, is an outcast in the neighborhood. She is a child from the wrong side of the tracks, living with Sean and raising their children when she and Dean are not really married. Lauren has carved out the role for herself as Ciara’s nemeses even though she wants nothing more than to be Ciara’s friend.

Mishti Guha was born in Calcutta and was bound to Perth in a traditional arranged marriage. In actual fact, the marriage is a sham since Perth has done nothing to even attempt to build a real relationship with his wife. Mishti became Ciara’s closest and best friend.

The first two chapters of the book cover the last two days of September and in them we follow the final days of Ciara’s life. As fate would have it, Lauren is the one who discovers the body. But the question is: who was responsible for Ciara’s death. As it turns out, there are a number of excellent candidates.

Day by day, page by page we are allowed a look as the dirty laundry in each relationship and between every character. I especially enjoyed the twist at the end of the book where the one responsible for Ciara’s death is revealed.

I really loved this book and was enwrapped by it until I finished. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves either a good mystery or a great story of human relationships and frailties.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I do love a good neighborhood drama... The juicier the better!
This story centered around three very different women:
Ciara is the belle of the ball. All the other mother's in the neighborhood cling to her advice on parenting and want desperately to be her and be within her inner circle. But her life isn't as perfect as she wants everybody to believe. She's having trouble parenting and is starting to fall out of love with her husband.

Lauren is the outcast who is ostracized by the snobby women of the village now due to her unorthodox lifestyle and parenting. When she gets on Ciara's bad side, things become even worse for Lauren. But she's not willing to go down without a fight.

Mishti is an Indian woman in an arranged married with a man who is cold and controlling. She feels lucky to be taken under Ciara's wing. But things start to shift when she becomes closer to Lauren. Whose side will she choose in the end?

At the beginning of the book, Ciara is found dead under suspicious circumstances. From there, the story goes back in time to piece together the last days of these three women leading up to Ciara's death. However, this isn't really a murder mystery. This is pretty much all domestic drama without a lot suspense.

Dirty Laundry doesn't really add anything new to the genre. I've read this same story many times before, which in and off itself is fine if done in an entertaining way. But I couldn't connect with any of the characters and found all three to be shallow and one dimensional. And, honestly, I didn't think there was enough drama to be a salaciously entertaining read.

If you like domestic dramas, give this one a read. However, it's pretty forgettable and not something I would recommend over other books in the same genre.

I love a good neighborhood drama, and this one did not disappoint. This book kept me on my toes and I didn't want to put it down. The characters were perfectly unlikable, which I love in this kind of drama. You get invested in their lives, but also are rooting for them to all fail. The ending was perfect for everything that happened and tied things up nicely.

Between the storyline and the characters this book was not for me. Ciera was a cold, calculating person who didn't show affection to her kids. Mishti was very subdued and shy. Lauren was a limp washcloth when it came to her man.I didn't think much of their partners, either but I have been mean enough already in regards to the characters. I won't throw more dirt. The storyline has been done many times and brought nothing new to the pages. I do think this book will appeal to many readers--and enjoy many 5 star reviews--but not by me. I am jaded.

I'm not always a fan of all the characters in the book being relatively unlikeable, but this debut novel hit the mark. Ciara, a mom/inflencer type, lives the "perfect" life and chaos and eventually murder ensues. In this mystery the suspects could be nearly any of the other characters in the book. Definitely an entertaining, quick read and I will look for more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book.

Ciara, Mishti, and Lauren are friends living near each other in Ireland. They come from very different backgrounds but are connected by their children and physical proximity of their homes. Ciara appears to have the perfect life but when she is found dead, each of the women’s secrets begin to unravel. This book was just not for me. I couldn’t get behind the characters or their stories. I found it “meh” and as such cannot recommend it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I liked this but found it sad. Thanks for the advance copy! It was an interesting plot, but I found it hard to read.

This debut shows the promise of good things to come as the writer matures. The book is let down by the plot which was just about ok. The character development left a bit to be desired. This one is for hardcore fans of domestic thrillers.

The title is perfect for the story though!

First I want to applaud this author on her debut novel. It was a terrific read. So if you read thee blurb of this book you know who is found dead. Then the book goes back approximately a month in time and the three women involved are Ciara, Mishti and Lauren. You read about their back stories and what is presently going on in there lives. I have read some other reviews and I have to agree the most likable woman was Mishti. Ciara was truly a wrench even though her background growing up does not warrant anyone in adulthood to behave the way she did but this is life. It was more of a domestic mystery but I found myself reading it in one day. It truly kept me engrossed. This book truly goes with the old adage that nobody knows what truly is going on in someone’s else’s house. The book really wraps up everyone’s story. I would definitely recommend this book if you like this genre. I will be on the lookout for more of this author’s books.

With unlikable characters and a complex plot that drifted from one POV to another, this book was hard to read but also intriguing because of the premise of housewives who are jealous enough to kill one of their own. The characters were well developed but not at all relatable to me. Ciara was too perfect and Lauren and Mishti were too needy, almost like groupies who wanted their own group. When Ciara is killed, all bets are off as to who her killer could be because the plot gets more intricate with possible suspects and motives. Like i said, intriguing in a kind of way that made me curious to find out what was going to happen. The story itself meandered around a bit when I just wanted it to move on, so I would say that the pace is moderate to slow. A decent read but not one that I can highly recommend as it did not hold my interest as much as demand that I know whodunit.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I could not put this book down !!!
#dirtylaundry is such a perfect title as you get to know the dirt on everyone & I meannn who doesn't enjoy a tad bit of drama every now & then .. especially when it's not you .
I loved how the book started when everything goes down & then goes backwards in time so we can see why & how everything happens & gets to that point .
Also I love it takes place in Ireland 🖤

Thank you @Netgalley for the early copy of #dirtylaundry

A domestic suspense set around not very likeable characters... that's the best way for me to summarize this book. It was an interesting tell to the story, starting from the end and making your way to the beginning. This book had many plot twists that had depth - sometimes hard to categorize this. Not everything is what they seem.

Dirty Laundry is a story of a diverse, and sometimes strange, group of neighborhood friends. Although the term friends might by misapplied in some cases.

Ciara is the person that everyone looks up to. She has an internet presence that is envied by the other ladies. She has it all…money, looks and a perfect family. At least that is the image she has created for herself online. Her home life is far from perfect.

Mishti is from Calcutta, India. Her marriage was arranged by her parents. Her husband treats her like a servant. She is not happy living in Ireland so far from her home and her family. Her whole life is centered around her daughter, Maya.

Lauren is the outsider in the group. Her husband is unemployed and uncaring as far as Lauren and the children are concerned. He is a free spirit and does his own thing, disregarding his wife’s feelings and practically ignoring his children. The other ladies in the neighborhood shun her. She is part of the group, yet she is an outsider.

The story got off to a slow start with a lot of background information on the characters and their situations, but, once I got into it, it held my attention until the end.

I am impressed with Ms. Bose’s debut novel and am looking forward to her future books.

Two possibilities: either I've read too many of the "everything looks perfect but all these families are messed up" mom circle books or the story in this really does fall flat. The trick with these books is to make at least one of the characters likable and while the murdered woman, Ciara, is definitely intended to be unlikable, the only MC I liked was Mishti.
The frustrating thing is that the writing is quite good, it's just that the uneven pacing and the time spent with annoying people made for a book that was easy to put down. I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters, but soon I felt like I was reading a version of Big Little Lies that didn't come off as well.
I will absolutely try this author again, though. I think there's a lot of promise here and perhaps if I'd been in a different reading mood I would have enjoyed Dirty Laundry a lot.

In a small town, there’s little chance to escape each other’s lives, so Ciara, Mishti, and Lauren’s lives all cris-cross constantly whether they like it or not.

Ciara has grown an internet following as an influencer, and tries to keep Mishti close under her wing. Lauren has never really gotten along well with the women in the town, and her neighbor Ciara is no exception.

Their lives are full of different types of deceit, but will it ruin them or will they persevere?

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a case of this book isn’t for me. I should have known that this was going to be soapy but I didn’t pay attention.

This was filled with awful characters and that’s okay but at least give me one good character among the bad. The kids were even awful. It was full of middle school behaviors amping adults😒.

The one thing it had going for it was the writing. It was good even though it was much too long.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for the honest review. Better luck next time. 2.5⭐️

Dirty Laundry is a debut mystery thriller from Disha Bose. I love checking out new and new to me authors to find those hidden gems.

With the synopsis, I was definitely interested in what this domestic suspense was going to bring. What I got were a bunch of unlikable characters that really had no respect for one another or their marriages. I have a love/hate relationship with unlikable characters. Sometimes they can really pull me in and make the story and other times they leave me feeling meh. Unfortunately, this book was the latter for me. Luckily, this story read quickly so I still kept chugging along, even though the characters weren't for me.

With a story that gives you the outcome early on and then you go back in time and work your way up to the present, we got to see how everything fell into place for Ciara. She was the woman that apparently had it all, but she was probably the character I despised the most.

The story itself was ok, it was just the characters and their execution that left me unsatisfied and skimming rather than being fully immersed.