What a great book! It kept me intrigued til the very end! I would love to read more by this author! Highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy of Dirty Laundry. Love, lust, mean girls, and murder collide in this debut novel by Disha Bose. At first, Mishti was the only character I found interesting, and the first 40% of the book was so slow I almost gave up. Then it started getting interesting and we learned more about Ciara, and she is something else! She isn’t likable, but she’s certainly memorable. None of the characters were particularly likable or sympathetic, which was a drawback. The story was good, but it would have flowed better if timelines made more sense. This is not bad for a debut novel, but it never really grabbed me. I will still look for Bose’s next book.

This novel reminds me of what one of the Real Housewives series must be like (although I admittedly have not watched a single episode of any of them). The story focuses on Ciara Dunphy, a local influencer who seems to “have it all”; her best friend Mishti, who strives to belong and wants all that Ciara has; and Lauren, a hippie-type who is gossiped about and belittled by others in the village. When Ciara is found murdered in her home, the novel offers the backstory of the relationship oamong these three women as well as others in the village.

This novel has an interesting premise, but did not quite seem to deliver for me. Perhaps because all of the main characters are wholly unlikeable for a variety of reasons. The story was, nonetheless, an enjoyable one, one that would make for a decent vacation or beach read.

What is happening in the life of a young mother and social media influencer….off camera?

Ciara is a beautiful young Irish woman with a handsome and successful husband, two adorable young children, and a beautiful home in a small coastal town outside of Cork. She is always put together, her children are well-behaved, her house neat and tidy, her meals healthy and delicious, and she always has the perfect advice for a friend in need. She is the person every other young woman in town turns to for inspiration, and she has developed a large online following as well. She is, in fact, exactly the type of mother who makes other mothers feel like they are a bit of a failure by comparison. She has taken under her wing her Indian neighbor Mishti, whose parents arranged her marriage to a successful but distant doctor. Mishti has struggled to adapt to her new life in a country whose food, language and climate are so different from what she’s known. Another neighbor, Lauren, is the one mother in town who does not idolize Ciara as do the others. Lauren grew up in this village as an outcast, and the girls who shunned her growing up are no kinder to her now that she has moved back to live in her late grandmother’s house with her partner and their three children. Lauren is the anti-Ciara….her clothes seldom match, her children run a bit wild, her partner is an unemployed musician, and she is far more likely to turn to a natural remedy than to try one of the many products Ciara is paid to promote.
If there had been social media back in the days of Peyton Place, it would have been a bit like Dirty Laundry. When Lauren stumbles across Ciara’s dead body, the reader begins to discover that all has not been as it seemed on the surface in Ciara’s life, or elsewhere. Most readers have looked at others’ lives through the lens of social media and harbored those kinds of doubts…why .does so-and-so have vacations where it never rains, where children get along and photograph well, where everyone tans and no one gets a sunburn or a bug bite? We know, in our hearts, that there is more to that person’s life than is shared on Facebook or Instagram…and still, we wonder why our lives don’t quite seem to measure up to their’s. Reading this novel is to experience a bit of schadenfreude….finally, we get to peek behind the curtain of perfection and see the struggles and failures of the perfect mom, proving at long last that she too had moments of temper, of imperfection and of failure. What a relief to we imperfect mothers! The more the reader learns about who Ciara truly was, the more we wonder just how she end up dead one day. Did Lauren finally snap? Did it have something to do with the recent strains in the friendship between Ciara and Mishti? And where to all the men, Ciara’s husband, Mishti’s, and Lauren’s ne’re-do-well lover fit into the story? It seems like there are quite a few people who would like to wring Ciara’s neck for one reason or another….but what actually happened?
Dirty Laundry is a quick and compelling read, especially to anyone who remembers what is was like to have young children in your life, and to have days when you had to choose between eating a meal and having a shower. If you enjoy watching “Big Little Lies”, reading any of Liane Moriarty’s other novels or those by Marian Keyes, Susan Isaacs, or Jennifer Weiner, than you will enjoy this novel by Disha Bosh. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for the opportunity to read the advanced reader’s copy of Dirty Laundry!

I absolutely loved this book. It held my interest the entire time and I quickly finished it in 2 days. Loved getting to dive into each character.. Loved how the ending wasn’t predictable either. Looking forward to reading more from this author. Well done!!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. Enjoyable mystery/thriller with an odd but interesting ending. This story proves social media is fake is so many aspects and a reminder to me why I avoid it as much as possible!! Enjoy

Ciara, Lauren and Mishti are the three main characters in this book. I enjoyed the neighborhood gossip and the social media. Each of them has secrets and this book provided plenty of entertainment. I liked that it was set in a neighborhood in Ireland which sets it apart from the typical US suburban mom drama story.

Dirty Laundry was a very interesting read. It was fast and it really drew me in from the very beginning. However, I'd only describe it as a 3/5 stars, but only because of my own views on some of the topics in this book. I"m not a huge fan of influencers and I'm not one to follow them. I do have many social media apps and I am aware of the current state of people trying to prove to their followers that they're something that they're not; I"m not one to buy into all of the hype. I found a lot of these characters to be sad and I was a little put off by the ending. I wanted just a little more, and I wanted a lot more for Mishti. Overall, I did enjoy the book and if you are interested in influencers, I'd recommend to pick it up. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Absolutely terrifying and thrilling at the same time. One of my favorite books!!

I think the cover was better than the story in this book. A second or third round purchase for most libraries unless it gets optioned

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose is an exciting neighborhood thriller detailing the lives of three moms, Ciara, Mishti, and Lauren, as they navigate the delicate social network that dictates relationships in their quiet Irish suburb. The past and the present collide and these women along with their partners must confront parenting, scandals, and the shaky foundations of their relationships.

I gave the book 4 stars because I really was enraptured and could not put the book down. I took off one star just for the ending. It felt a little unfinished and I would have like it to be wrapped up a bit more, but that may just be personal preference. Overall, a great read if you want a book that will suck you in. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoyed "Did I Say You Could Go" by Melanie Gideon, another phenomenal novel.

Mean Girls meets Desperate Housewives. A story of three women in a small Irish town with so much pettiness, jealousy and even murder. This was a little hard for me to stick with, I enjoyed the story but the delivery needs a little work. To say one of the characters got what they deserved in the end is putting it kindly. I honestly didn't like nor care for any of the female protagonists in this. Not because of their flaws but because of what they chose to do with them. Either they were a horrible person with not one redeeming quality, or they were a complete pushover. It's not a bad thing when I don't like the characters though, it makes it more interesting for me and that's what made me stay with this one in the end.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARCC

I enjoyed this book so much more than I anticipated. It wasn’t just a crazy desperate housewives knock off. It interspersed a mystery with the delusional lives of 3 couples. Hooked me from the beginning and I stayed up too late finishing it. I would definitely recommend.

The twists and turns in this one! Kept me on turning the pages and on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend.

The story revolves around a small group of neighborhood and playgroup moms in Ireland who are organized and led social media darling all moms look up to. Each of these women have complicated lives that intertwine with each other in different ways. Mix in a lot of jealousy and unhappy people and we find our social media darling dead in her home - the question is who is to blame? None of these characters are particularly likeable, and frankly can be annoying, but the story is easy to follow and invest in. The conclusion is satisfying, but definitely could have been developed further and possibly made a character or two redeeming in the end. Good read, but don't expect to love any of the flawed characters.

This book was just okay for me. I enjoyed the story line but I dis not care for the characters. I found them to be unlikable and kept asking myself why would they do that.

eGalley provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a DNF.

Ciara Dunphy has it all—a loving husband, well-behaved children, and a beautiful home—a picture-perfect life. The other mothers come to her for advice and they all want what she has until she's found murdered in her Instagram-worthy home.

The first half of this book was so slow and the characters so unlikeable that I could not bring myself to spend any more time reading it. At the halfway point I only knew that Ciara was murdered because it says so in the synopsis. The buildup to her murder was painful at best. There wasn't much chance I was going to make it through this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this neighborhood thriller! The story takes place in a sleepy Irish village and is centered on a trio of mothers who are as different as you can get: seemingly perfect social media influencer Ciara, crunchy mama Lauren, and Indian immigrant Mishti. Of course, things are not what they seem and there are a lot of secrets lurking underneath when you scratch the surface. When Ciara is found in a pool of blood at the bottom of her grand staircase, it seems there is no shortage of people with a motive for murder.

Literally every single character in this book is unlikeable, but that doesn’t make them any less compelling. The female characters are very well developed and it’s fascinating to see how their personal histories influence their relationships with each other and with their husbands. Speaking of husbands, they’re pretty much straight out of central casting, but they’re kind of supporting actors anyway, so that didn’t bother me. I loved the way this story started out with Ciara’s death and then went back in time to unravel everything that led up to it.

Disha Bose’s debut novel is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies. Ms. Bose is being hailed as an author to watch, and I will definitely be watching for more of her work in the future! Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Dirty Laundry is told from the perspective of three women who are all unhappy in their own ways. While each of the woman strive to present their lives as picture perfect, secrets start to be exposed.

I found it hard to connect with 2 out of the 3 characters who shared their perspectives. Mishti was the only character that had some relatable characteristics. I would have loved to hear more depth in her story. I found the other women to be one-dimensional, focused solely on maintaining images and creating unnecessary conflict.

Despite a slow start, I enjoyed the ending of the book which resolves how Ciara dies and the ways everyone is impacted.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this!! I was immediately interested, and it kept my attention. I’m usually not a fan of changing POV in books, but I think it really helped in this case. I liked the unfolding of the stories in the end, but would have liked a little more closure/insight on Mishti’s character. I also felt that her interaction with Neel was a little abrupt and forced. Overall, very enjoyable and entertaining, I hope to see more from this author!