Member Reviews
This is a real page turner and I couldn't put it down. But that doesn't mean it's a good book. The book centers around three couples - and one murder. The book starts with the murder and ends with the big reveal - the murderer. The ending was unsatisfying. I felt that there were quite a few loose ends and wanted to know what happened to the other characters after the body was found. And the only characters I liked and felt sorry for were the children.
Three women caught up in motherhood and marriage. Each has their own set of problems. One winds up dead. Was the killer one of the husbands, one of the women or was it just a tragic accident?
Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. Wow, I loved this book. The storyline was awesome, and the characters, as perfect as they could get. It really captured how gossipy and cliquey people are in a small village. And I loved how it touched on how superficial some people are on Instagram. It really hit it on the nose.
The ending was hilarious. You have to read this book. But make sure you set apart an afternoon because you will want to read this in one sitting. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Bose comes up with next.
I really liked this book. Read it in one day. Really good ploy and the characters were perfect. I hope to see more books from this author. Recommend highly.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I don't even know how to describe my emotions when I finished this book. I can tell you that I wasn't happy, that's for sure.
The foreigner, the outcast, and the popular girl were all well represented in this book, as were their partners. I could tell from the onset how their relationships would be. I enjoyed reading their stories and could relate to some of the situations.
But, big but, the ending was horrible. I did not like the way it ended. AT ALL. The ending ruined the book for me.
This was a fascinating portrayal of three women and their inner lives. I really enjoyed the characterization. I highly recommend if you enjoy upmarket women’s fiction. The writing is stellar, characters deeply rendered, and the setting is intriguing. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the eARC!
Rating: 3.5/5
I was drawn to this read as the author is Bengali (like me). Disha Bose’s debut novel, “Dirty Laundry,” is focused on characters so this review will focus on my thoughts below. Swipe to see the synopsis pulled from Goodreads.
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𝘾𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙖
Ciara’s character reminded me of the main character from “People Like Her” - both were influencer moms putting up facades to seem like the perfect, put-together mother. Though not an excuse at all to k**l someone, Ciara was an absolute b***h. She demanded the loyalty of others but didn’t seem too keen to provide that for others.
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𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙩𝙞
As a Bengali like the author, it would’ve been nice if Bose wrote in specific references to location in Calcutta when she described Misthi’s memories. I think the little details would’ve been nice. Misthi was the only one I kinda sympathized with - her husband sucked.
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𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣
I wanted to sympathize with Lauren but I think i did for her younger self…as an adult? No. Lauren quite frankly needed to seek out professional help. I could go into more detail but we shall leave it at all.
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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨
Well I didn’t like any of the husbands except maybe Gerry but he didn’t do much so .
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Everyone was so odd but I get that was the point?! That said, it feels like most books I read now are filled with unlikable characters and I can’t help but wonder if this is a new trend. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. The story comes full circle to reveal how Ciara died but ended with that - there was no follow-up on what came afterwards. I suppose that’s a writing style choice but I would’ve liked to have known what occurred. Overall, the title “Dirty Laundry” is very fitting as dirty laundry was truly aired out in this story. That said, it was hard as a reader to sympathize with the characters as they were all pretty much unlikable.
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3.75 stars
I think we can all agree that Ciara is the worst but it was still fun to follow along this whodunit drama with a varied cast of characters who could have all done it for different reasons. I'm not sure why everyone talks about hating all the characters, I found a couple to root for (ok so mostly the children... ) but still. This book kept me interested and turning the pages quickly to figure out what happened.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
This book is the new mean girls! This book starts with the end and then leads you through the lives of the women and men of a small village in Ireland obsessed with popularity, social media, and deciet. The concept of the book was great, I got a little confused by the time frame and memories popping up within each chapter but once I found my way I enjoyed it. The middle was quite slow with lots of drama; but the last few chapters of the book really reel you in to where you cant stop reading!
I went back and forth between a 3 or 4 stars and settled with 3 by the end. This book has many characters but none of them are likable at all (except the kids? Poor Finn is always caged in). The delivery of the story is interesting, I did enjoy the different voices. However, there’s just too many unfinished stories and unclear background stories. I must say tho it was pretty slow in the whining but the pace picked up considerably. Overall I do enjoy this book despite the dislikeable characters and some holes in historical stories.
Thank you Random House Publishing via NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This story was like watching a soap opera unfold. The neighborhood held a lot of secrets and it was interesting to see how the storyline played out. The ending was alluded to in the beginning and then the story goes back to build up to that ending. I enjoyed this book; it won’t make my favorite list for the year, though.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Disha Bose new book Dirty Laundry.
Easily a 4 star read with some dark revelations and twisted people. I really liked the setting - Ireland and I can’t say I’ve ever read a book based there.
The main characters are; Ciara the “It” mom of the village, mom of two Littles, married to wealthy Gerry and queen of the social media groups. Everyone loves her and follows her advise regarding parenting, skin care, fashion, etc.
Then we have Lauren, in a relationship with Sean and three kids between them. She lives next door to Ciara and an outcast with the other moms of the village. She has sort of strange behavior and you learn more about her last with her boyfriend.
Finally you have Mishti, married to Parth from India. They had an arranged marriage and moved to Ireland for Parth’s work. They have one daughter. Ciara has taken Mishti under her wing and they have become best friends.
The book is told from these women different perspectives and also will go into the last a little bit for the reader to glean more info about their lives.
This book shows that things are NOT always what they seem when people post their lovely, glamorous lives on social media. One never knows what goes on behind closed doors.
I hated Ciara, felt a bit sorry and exasperated with Lauren, and liked Mishti but felt she was prisoner to her family upbringing and could never be herself.
When one of these women ends up dead, I was left wondering and guessing who did it. There were some strong reasons why I guessed who it was, but it was done different than a lot of books.
I will definitely read more by Disha Bose. I loved it! I’m a sucker for these neighborhood and domestic thriller books. Great read.
#dirtylaundry #netgalley
I was pretty disappointed in this book. I was hoping for a “Big Little Lies” type book but this one kind of missed that mark. Yes, it centers around mommy cliques and there is a murder but this book just drags. Seriously, some of the anecdotal chapters just didn’t seem to mesh with the book. I think if the author had stuck to the POVs leading up to the murder the book would have been better.
Secondly, none of the characters were likable. The summary makes it seem like Ciara was a she devil but the other characters weren’t saints either and there wasn’t really any type of redemption arc for any of them in the book.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Net Galley for the ARC of this book!!
I am giving this book a 2.5 stars out of 5.
This book, for me, was comparable to Desperate Housewives. None of the characters, with the exception of Mishti, were likable and there was a ton of drama. There were times where the plot was a bit confusing because it jumped around a lot. The book would get interesting then have a few chapters of fluff, then back to interesting. I think there was too much back story that dragged on, which took away from the main plot. I felt there wasn't a great plot for this book in general though.
I also was not very satisfied with the ending. It felt really abrupt and I was looking for more to tie it all together.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5302636167
Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this,book. This book reminded me somewhat of the Housewives show. There was a lot of fighting amongst the women and also lots of cheating. It wasn’t in modern time though the family picked your husband but not in all the cases. One woman had a following with her neighbors support. The neighbors all wanted to be her friend so they would feel good about themselves. I wasn’t too sure about staying with it but it kept me interested to the point I wanted to see how it ended.
Sharing on Good Reads and Instagram 1/28/23.
Reality is not what it seems for this group of mothers living in Ireland. The small town clique has put one of their influencer friends on a pedestal and it ultimately leads to her downfall. Bose writes a story of domestic life, unhappy marriages, toxic friendships, love (sort of?) and deceit.
I wanted to like this sooo much. This book has all of the ingredients for the perfect suspenseful story… but for me, it fell short. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a cast of highly unlikeable characters (and they ARE unlikeable, save for Mishti). But goodness… these women, these mothers, were TOXIC. And not in an “it’s okay because it’s very entertaining” sort of way. Cringey. Sad. Frustrating. I honestly found myself avoiding reading because the story here was weighing me down and not really keeping my interest. But okay enough to finish. Too many perspectives, too many flashbacks within timeframes. Lots and lots and lots of detail and backstory about characters but nothing really meaningful or captivating plot wise. And for the love, I just wanted one of the women to stand up for themselves without being written off as a mega bitch. Sigh. Not terrible, but not amazing either.
I would have to say, neighborhood /domestic thrillers are probably my favorite reads!
I’m always apprehensive when I see the word ‘debut.’ Not now! Disha Bose wrote an unputdownable, suspenseful read that won’t stop racing through my mind!
Three couples, all neighbors in a small village:
Ciara and Gerry are successful, proudly living in the largest home on the block. In Gerry’s mind, his wife keeps herself busy posting on Instagram. Well, not quite. Little does he know she’s a very popular influencer, managing to secretly stash away a small fortune of her own.
Lauren and Sean are the outliers to the neighborhood. Everyone has an opinion about them, none of which are good. Poor Laura desperately wants to fit in…but she just can’t help herself.
Mishti and Parth, a couple who are together thanks to an arranged marriage. With seemingly nothing in common other than their shared daughter.
The author really brought all these characters to life in vivid detail! You have an glimpse inside each marriage and friendship. Not only the side of themselves they show the world, but revealing their own hidden insecurities as well.
Mishti was my favorite character, and I’m sure many readers will feel that same way. She unselfishly put her own needs and happiness aside to appease everyone else in her life. I’ll be honest…She kind of broke my heart💔
Now one member of this neighborhood group has been found dead. You’ll find out who right away. But the storyline takes you deep into the inner-workings of the neighborhood to root out the guilty party and their motive. Enjoy the journey!
I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book! This author is highly talented and I cannot wait to read more of her books in the future!
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group via Netgalley
Dirty Laundry is an impressive debut novel by Disha Bose. A thriller, a mystery, a cautionary tale on living your life through social media. This is a story of three women and their husbands and the tangled web these neighborhood couples have weaved. The charm of this book for me was that the characters are not overly likeable yet I had to know what was going to happen. As we learn more about each of these women's lives, the complexity that is human nature is fascinating to read about through each of their points of view.
A satisfying, must read thriller, I am looking forward to Disha's future work, she is an author to watch for!
Thank you to Disha Bose, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley, who provided an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I love this publisher's trust in readers that are new to reviewing and in the process of building a following, and I am grateful for the opportunity.
For me this was like the adult version of ‘gossip girls’ - instead of teenagers we have three couples who are incredibly unlikeable; self absorbed, selfish and materialistic. Around the 15% point the story picked up, and in waves, the story would drag and then pickup and repeat. There were times I found myself skim reading only to slow down to get every word. I did not expect that ending!
Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC.
This story is comparable to Desperate Housewives in that there are a lot of unlikable characters, tons of drama, scandal and lies.
I'm not sure I liked any of the characters, except maybe Mishti, but even her I wished for some changes in her life.
It also has a Mean Girls dynamic bc the MC has her group of followers in the neighborhood who all band against one of the other ladies and basically bully her.
I'm not too drawn by drama in my real life, but when there's a book full of drama, you can be sure I'm enjoying it immensely. This book was no exception.