Simply loved this book. All the women brought into the story are fantastic characters, especially Sally. Considering the subject matter involved, abuse and domestic violence, it's handled sympathetically, with great understanding and also with humour which you wouldn't think would work but it does. The friendships and love which all the women discover is heartwarming.

Highly recommend!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Oh man I loved this book so much, particularly for the women solidarity and helping each other out of situations. I think the novel picked up the pace right from the beginning and kept my interest the whole way through, which is quite hard to do!

This was such a fun but also emotional at times read!

I loved all the women that we follow in this book and your heart just goes out to them with what they're experiencing. I thought the setting of it being during covid was cleverly done too.

Both the writing and the characters truly brings this book to life and would highly recommend to anyone!

I adored this book! It tackled some tough topics such as domestic violence that these women experience and it pushed them to breaking point.

The story starts with Sally who was finally pushed to her breaking point and she kills her husband. Not only would hiding the body be an issue but this was amid covid where nosey neighbours are noticing if you're popping out the house too often or having people round.

Luckily for Sally, and unluckily for their husbands other women are pushed to breaking point and end up banding together to figure out how best to bury their husbands.

I loved the plot of this book and how the women found each other and also them selves as the plot developed. I enjoyed the planning of the story and how it all began to tie together though it did take some time working out the characters from the multiple points of view.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, this was truly a gem of a book!

The Best Way to Bury Your Husband
Thriller
Alexia Casale
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• ʀᴇꜱɪʟɪᴇɴᴄᴇ • ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ • ᴀʙ*ꜱᴇ •

As soon as I started reading, I was filled with so much rage. The plot follows multiple women who are the victims of horrific DV, their struggle to survive and how their lives changed once they managed to escape.

This book was inspired by true statistics and the dramatic increase of DV during the pandemic and the lockdowns.

I liked the multiple POVs but I was glad when the women finally met each other because I did start to get confused with who did what and when.

I was really surprised when it was revealed who the "very, very tired mother" was. I didn't see it coming at all. There was one other plot twist that I did predict. It was quite obvious to me but I still enjoyed how it played out and seeing the reactions of the characters was interesting.

I loved the themes of friendship, hope and determination throughout this book.

I loved the characters. They were very well written and relatable. They all had their own flaws but they were loyal to each other. Their nervousness and anxiousness were palpable.

A good premise, but for me, the potential wasn't quite realised. The writing is solidly in the 'accessible' camp, ideal for a low energy poolside read, but I suspect that was the intention so mission accomplished. I was skimming heavily towards the end, but I did want to get to the finish, so credit to the author there. Probably would appeal to fans of the The Thursday Murder Club looking for a summer read.

Sort of an enlightening, but funny and a tad dark humor mixed in, this was a bit of a cosy read for me. Four women who were abused by their spouses kill them the same week? It sounds bit far fetched but the author did the job right by using this plot to bring awareness on domestic violence.

Fun, exciting and thrilling. This was a great read that I sped through really quickly. Would be a great palette cleanser to whizz through in a reading slump

"The Best Way to Bury Your Husband" by Alexia Casale is a darkly humorous novel that explores the complexities of relationships and the lengths one might go to resolve them. Casale's writing is sharp and witty, filled with clever observations and a unique take on marital strife.

The book's premise is intriguing, and the plot unfolds with a mix of suspense and humor. Casale does a good job of developing her characters, providing them with enough depth to make their actions and decisions believable, even within the story's darkly comedic context.

However, the novel's tone and subject matter might not be to everyone's taste. Some readers may find the humor too dark or the plot twists too far-fetched. Despite this, for those who enjoy a blend of comedy and suspense with a touch of the macabre, "The Best Way to Bury Your Husband" offers an engaging and entertaining read.

Overall, the book is a solid choice for readers looking for something different in the realm of relationship-themed novels, blending humor and intrigue in a way that keeps the pages turning.

A great read, with lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend if you enjoy dark humour and have a strong sense of justice!

Having been a victim of domestic violence myself, this book really spoke to me on a deep level. To be able to properly portray the insidious nature of domestic violence whilst also writing a humourous and thrilling story is quite a task. And the author did an amazing job.

Four women are each living their own personal hell during lockdown.

Each reach their breaking point.

Circumstances bring these awesome women together, and with grim determination they navigate a way to hold onto their well deserved freedom.

My favourite character was Edwina, once thought of as purely the nosy neighbour, I had guessed that she had way more to her than that. What a woman!

I was rooting for these women from start to finish and whilst the book was meant to be far-fetched, it makes a really important point. When it comes to self-defence from a woman to a male abuser, the playing field just isn't level and things need to change. Collectively we can make this change I believe.

Thank you Alexia for writing such a brilliant and important story.

That was something!
I was laughing, crying and just couldn't put it down!

What a story it was! Even the title says it all!
We have a genial plot, with such extraordinary characters, mystery and humour!
Sometimes very specific but still, I was sold!

Sally and her friends (yep, it's like a gang :D ) are totally beyond compare and I love having her (or them) close!

This book deals with a very sad topic but with dark humour.
It had me crying and it had me howling with laughter.
The characterisation was brilliant; you really could get under the skin of each character, which further highlighted all the complexities of domestic violence.
Hope to read more by this author.

Very unbelievable story…but who cares, made a great read!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Based on actual research about domestic abuse during the Covid-19 Lockdown this novel has a very dark topic at its base. Still the author manages to write a dark/satiric comedy that had me grinning, chuckling and at times laughing out loud.

This is a story about strong women embracing their lot in life and seeking a better future. It is also about murder, and how to - hopefully - get away with it.

The author's note goes into some detail about her non-fictional research during lockdown and relates it to the story of the book.

If you liked Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter" or Parini Shroff's "The Bandit Queens" you'll like this story set in a not too big English town during the hard Lockdown of Spring 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc.

The humour in this was done really well and I enjoyed following the different story lines. I would definitely recommend this to friends

Beautiful story about finding strength in sisterhood and getting out of a bad situation. Setting it during COVID was brilliant and really took me back to that reality. Each character felt like a real person, with real flaws and strengths. It's a really stark look at cycles of abuse, circumstances victims of domestic violence find themselves in and what it takes to heal. I loved it. It was absurd in some parts but like the author said - that was kind of the point. Really self-aware. I found it interesting how the author could puncture such a dark topic with humour, without taking away from the gravitas. Great writing, the MC's head felt like a rich, lively environment. But I think my favourite part of the book was the beautiful friendship the women formed. The scene where they needed a lot of courage and got each other through it - POWERFUL. Honestly can't wait to pick up more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

A darkly comedic take on victims of domestic violence snapping under the brutality of their spouses’ abuse. Despite the subject matter, this novel is surprisingly uplifting and the female friendships give the book its substance. It sheds light on the horrifying reality of spousal abuse whilst retaining an almost whimsical air. I’d say this is a fantastic book club read to open discussion on a subject which so often is hidden behind closed doors.

Her first adult fiction tale, author Alexia Casale’s The Best Way to Bury Your Husband is a tongue-in-cheek, black humour crime novel. Four women, Sally, Janey, Ruth and Samira formed a gardening club during lockdown, after discovering that they each have a problem – a body to get rid of. The narrative is a mixture of surprises and hilarity as they try to figure out a plan that will explain the disappearance of all their husbands. A warning that the topic may trigger some readers, but its light feel makes for an enjoyable read and is part of the author’s intention to farcically portray a critical issue. Overall, it’s a wickedly clever way to get people thinking about the sensitivity underpinning the message of this implausible story. A truly engaging and highly enjoyable romp of a book that is a must read five stars read rating. With thanks to Penguin General UK and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

The Best Way To Bury Your Husband is the fourth novel, and the first adult fiction, by British-American editor and author, Alexia Casale. A few months into the first COVID Lockdown, and Sally is googling “How… to… dispose… of… a… dead… deer”. Not because she has a dead deer. No, it’s her husband Jim, whacked in self-defence with her grandma’s skillet, that she has to get rid of.

After she left him on the kitchen floor overnight while she lunched on cake, dined on ice cream, luxuriated in a bubble bath with wine and crisps, and had her best night’s sleep in years, it really is too late to call the police with a credible story. And anyway, going to prison for killing this toxic man would leave her children, adults, yes, but still needing her, on their own.

So, a trip to the DIY store where she notes a teen in a hijab also has in her trolley cat litter, a tarpaulin, rope and gaffer tape. Back home, she makes a neat husband-parcel, then puzzles over how to dispose of it and, eventually realises she will also need a plausible cover story for his disappearance. Her first list, her Get Rid of Jim list, is woefully lacking in steps and ideas; her Be Happy list (now that she is finally free) is quite a lot longer.

Her outings monitored by Edwina, the neighbour opposite who is the COVID regulations inspector, Sally sneaks out the back gate at night in Jim’s coat to walk in search of inspiration, and on one of these walks, she stumbles on Ruth, sobbing in her backyard. Sally instantly recognises Ruth as another victim, so when she later finds her there, trying to light a fire, out of which pokes an arm, she offers sympathy, support, understanding and practical help. Two women with the same problem: will two heads be better than one?

How Sally and Ruth are joined by Samira and her seventeen-year-old daughter, Leila and, later, by Sally’s one-time best friend, Janey, only stretches the disbelief a little. After all, it’s Lockdown, when things get bizarrely extreme. Together, as the Lockdown Ladies’ Burial Club, they tackle the practicalities of getting rid of four bodies, overcoming obstacles and reminding one another not to google certain things.

Casale deftly portrays the insidious way in which women end up trapped in a marriage with a toxic partner, and shows how, in certain situations, women who have suffered years of serious abuse can sometimes see no other way out.

As a specialist human rights non-fiction editor for more than twelve years, her comprehensive knowledge in the area of domestic violence gives the story authenticity, while the black humour relieves the tension, making it so very readable. This is not a book to read in the quiet carriage on public transport, or while eating or drinking, or if you have continence issues, as sudden laughing out loud is a guaranteed reaction to much of the dialogue and situation.

It’s true that the premise of the story wouldn’t work were the country not in Lockdown, but that does draw on the reality, the statistic that domestic violence increased exponentially during Lockdown while the femicide rate doubled, and it presents the unique set of circumstances that allow the plot to succeed so well. A topical, blackly funny, moving and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Penguin General UK.