I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
It was a brilliant example of black humour whilst being breathtakingly thought provoking.
It encouraged me to consider the issues of domestic abuse which is something I consider myself lucky enough to know very little about.
I also loved how this was set in lockdown - the first book with that timeline I have come across!

I loved how Alexia has written this book. It's so funny and easy to read. The way she has treated the domestic violence concept is highly commendable.
I'd definitely recommend giving this a read!

This is a dark, clever, funny and extremely thought provoking book. I very much enjoyed it, the characters were great, the writing was fantastic, and it really highlighted some topics that need to be discussed in today's society more than ever. This is a brilliant way to try and get people talking about domestic violence, and really highlights some of the issues that women in particular face on a daily basis, but even more so with COVID restrictions that have been in place in the last few years. Everyone needs to read this, it will both leave you laughing and smiling, but also sad and reflective. The authors note at the end is also excellent and really drives home the point of this fantastic novel.

To be honest I’ve been avoiding all sorts of fiction about the recent pandemic and lockdown, but The Best Way To Bury Your Husband is such an addictive read that once I started I found it hard to resist.

It is full to the brim with black humour and set in such a dark and difficult period of our joint social history that we can all identify with and so, although the plot is completely over the top, the events are all still strangely possible and quite believable at the same time. At the end of the day, who really knows what actually went on behind all those closed doors during Lockdown?

I thoroughly enjoyed it, but feel it would have been nice if a couple of the main characters had been fleshed out a bit more and then the whole experience would have gripped the reader more thoroughly - if (as it richly deserves) it is ever adapted into a movie or drama series perhaps that could be rectified.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've had a few misses with my NetGalley ARCs, so haven't requested anything in a while, but come on, I defy you not to be intrigued by this book and it's title!
What an absolutely brilliant story. The author makes clear in a postscript that you do have to suspend a bit of belief going into this. And I did, because come on, 4 women are not killing their husbands during COVID lockdown. Four men killing wives? Yes. And that's what felt so exceptional about this book. We know that domestic abuse kills women weekly, and here is a story about what if women fought back. But it wasn't depressing and traumatic - it was light, and full of love and friendship. I feel like this is a really rare novel, perhaps the writing isn't the most exceptional, but that really doesn't matter. Would recommend to everyone!

9-9.5/10!?

This book is great at showing that domestic abuse is not only physical violence and the impact it has on the victims, however I really struggled reading it partly because of the topic, but more so because of the plot that at some point lost me. Possibly also because I had a certain expectation of how it should feel like, and it didn't. however, just because it was not quite it for me, doesnt mean it wont be for others.

I absolutely loved this book. At the height of lockdown Sally snaps and kills her abusive husband. This leaves her with quite the dilemma - how can she get rid of his body, with the eyes of her neighbour firmly focussed on her? And how can she keep his murder a secret when he needs to be back in the office in a couple of weeks? Luckily for Sally, she’s not alone in needing to dispose of a dead husband as some of her neighbours have the same problem.
There are moments in this book which are wickedly funny, and I got really drawn in to this group of women and their body disposal journey. It does also have a serious side though, highlighting themes of domestic abuse and forced marriage. It feels a bit wrong to be rooting for a group of killers, but that’s exactly what happened.
Great stuff.
1 like

An uncomfortable book about domestic violence. The author has kind of tried to make it lighter by having the women band together in a far fetched scheme to hide the fact they all killed their abusive husbands. However at the end of the day this is a long hard look at what really goes on behind some closed doors.

What Alexia has done with this comedic work of fiction is quite frankly remarkable. The issue of violence in the home against women is prolific but during covid the figures soared, horrifically so. The Best Way to Bury Your Husband looks at ‘what if’ a group of women in a similar predicament who unfortunately killed their husbands in self defence just happen to find each other during this unprecedented time. How resourceful, clever, intuitive and collaborative we can be, despite being relentlessly told otherwise, when survival and our loved ones are paramount. We rarely know what goes on behind closed doors or turn a blind eye for whatever reason has been deemed necessary. This book provides an interesting and comedic look at domestic abuse, serving as a conduit to highlight what is going on in an alarming number of homes.

This book was so powerful. It told the story of domestic abuses many faces in a way that was funny. The statements at the start and end were pertinent to the story and this author created such a beautiful piece of work. Would love to see a short film or indie film about this. I would also love to see a short story from Edwinas point of view! Can't wait to see more from this author. 4.5 🌟

I enjoyed reading this book. The humour helped as the topic is quite heart wrenching. Im sure there isn't a woman alive who hasn't thought about harming her significant other at some point of their lives and this book just brought it all together in good way. A good read with interesting characters.

This book is set in lockdown and follows the story of 4 women who have killed their husbands and are now trying to get rid of the bodies whilst coping with lockdown restrictions and nosey neighbours enforcing the rules. Despite the serious subject matter of this book, there is a lot of dark humour throughout, I laughed out loud several times. I will say I struggled with believing the concept that 4 women had all killed their husbands within a week of each other and all living within a few miles of each other. However, when I read the author’s notes at the end this was explained and it made more sense after reading her notes.
Once I got over that concept and got into the book I really enjoyed it. I was really invested in the women and their stories, my only disappointment is I would have liked to have had a few more chapters from the other women’s points of views. The majority of the story is told from Sally’s perspective with a few chapters from the other women.
The subject matter is handled really well, it does make you think about what some women would have been going through during lockdown, but does manage to keep that humorous side which makes it easier to read. It really picked up pace about a third of the way through and I couldn’t put it down from that point.

The women’s stories are important ones to tell and if you like a bit of dark comedy then you will enjoy this book. I’m certainly looking forward to more books from this author

Omg I loved this book!
This is the first book I’ve read with an covid backdrop but I didn’t mind, I’d imagine there will be many more that follow.
Obviously not a funny backdrop with the talk of domestic violence, but this author manages to make the interpersonal relationships between the women funny - there are some excellent one liners!
And I LOVED the ending!

What happens when four abused wives kill their husbands during lockdown? This amazing book. Sally never meant to bash his head in with a skillet but it broke the cycle of abuse and made a grand start to the rest of her life. When she meets other woman dealing with a similar issue they form a group of determined woman. Who refuse to let their husbands ruin any more of their lives, they band together and decide how to explain the disappearances, the body removal and their emotional and physical needs to live on. With Edwina the covid rule master watching they work together to build each other up and put their husbands down under. Absolutely brilliant, rooting for the ladies from the beginning and the ending was PERFECT

This was such a fantastic read! It is a magnificent example of comedy about a sensitive topic done well. You never would expect the topic of domestic abuse being treated so respectfully in a comedy about murdering their husbands. I loved the women's flourishing friendship and was on the edge until their plan came to fruition! Super recommended!

This book immediately grabbed my attention, I was almost late to a lecture because of it! I read it in my break, as soon as I got home and managed to finish it in one day. The short chapters and multiple perspectives helped with the quick read.
My heart broke and repaired itself and broke itself all over again with each woman's story. This is such an important topic and one far too many people have first hand experiences with. I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone who will listen to me when it gets published, thank you for letting me read!

Seeing the cover of what I was reading certainly had my husband on edge, which was entertaining, but I came away from the book with some mixed feelings. The idea for the story is a good one, and certainly highlights an important part of the Covid history - the enormous impact lockdown had on the UK's already very high domestic abuse figures. But it lacked something in the execution for me, at times. I felt it was quite slow to get going - there's a lot of pre-amble to get the women to a point where they've even met each other. I felt that after Sally talks to her children and tells them she's separating from their father the book's pace did improve. But by that point they were already into the final push towards creating the false footprints of the men, and disposing of the bodies. Prior to that I had almost given up on reading any further, as I was finding myself feeling anxious whilst reading (more stressful than humour/cosy mystery). But her talks with her children were moving, and made Sally feel real in a way I wasn't sure she had prior to that point.

I had seen the ending coming (I don't think it was meant to be a big twist - it's fairly obvious), and I did enjoy the unhinged yet exciting journey at the end.

So overall, I did enjoy it but it wasn't as good as I'd thought it might be. But it deals with really important topics that people don't often talk about, so if it's helpful in expanding the conversations around domestic abuse then that can only be a good thing.

Despite the title, this is a amusing and well plotted book. Set during lockdown, when apparently more domestic violence was perpetrated against women, we encounter Sally who has just for the first time stood up to Jim, her abusive husband. The story unfolds with a dry and dark humour and I found myself routing for Sally. I don’t want to give away the storyline but must point out that although some scenes are distressing and could be triggering for some people, the book is more about redemption with a feel good factor.

I finished this last night and my mind is still processing what I have just read! It was one of the more surreal books I have read that's for sure, but I think that the author has created a powerful story out of dark humour.
This book starts with a spotlight on the isolation the covid lockdowns bought, particularly to women experiencing domestic violence and the breaking points that are reached in these households. The story plays with a macabre humour however what stands out is that you can pinpoint when each of these women start to relinquish their own control back over their lives, and this probably explains why they seem to be able to deal with the deaths of their partners a lot easier than you may expect. I also appreciated the themes surrounding friendship and how four very different women bonding whilst supporting each other through their darkest hours. I would definitely recommend reading the authors notes first and foremost, as this explains the premise of the book and why it is written the way it is which helps you get your head around the storyline.
Overall, very powerful and important with a dash of dark humour.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, I did not want to put it down! Full of funny bits and sad bits as well, this book covers a number of emotions and I felt them all! The author had clearly done a lot of research and this came across through the story. The story covers 4 women through domestic violence and Covid, who all find themselves in the same situation. Although this book is dark humour, I also found it really though provoking and it had me thinking what I would do in the same situation.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC.