My first book by the author, and I did get some funny looks from my husband when I was reading it! This is a deliciously dark story where we meet Sally who has just killed her abusive husband with her favourite pan! She struggles to work out what to do with his body until she meets four other women who are in similar situations!

I loved this book! It's set in pandemic times and we get to relive the shopping queues, social distancing and daily walks through the book's characters. The story is told from Sally's perspective mainly, but we do get to hear from the other women as well. It's a very dark story and does feature some trigger points of domestic violence, arranged marriages and of course murder, but it shouldn't be taken too seriously with some great dark comedy throughout! I guiltily chuckled my way through their stories, laughing at the situation the women found themselves in!

I have to admit I did guess where the story was going quite early on, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. The book had me hanging onto it's every word, and I turned the pages quickly to finish it! I loved the ending and thought it rounded off their stories perfectly! Would definitely recommend!

wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this at first but I didn’t want to put it down! There were times I was shouting at my kindle. I really enjoyed this, abit of a reality hits kinda book especially when you get to the end.

A book about 4 women who have been abused most of their lives, finally find an escape and a very successful one at that.

Would recommend this!

This is the story of an unlikely group of friends, brought together by tragedy, panic and fear and kept together with trust, support, understanding and sisterhood.

This is an incredibly important story, one that has needed to be told for a long time in my opinion, and having been a victim of domestic abuse multiple times I feel this was written in such a considerate way. Despite the subject matter being quite heavy, the humour that Casale infuses into the pages of this book makes it easier to stomach.
For survivors of DA this may be a little difficult at certain parts but it is so worth sticking it out. For those who have not been through DA, this book is absolutely for you, and I would beg you to read it to understand why women stay. It must be remembered that the most dangerous time in an abusive relationship, the part where the woman is most likely to become a murder victim at the hands of her partner is when she is leaving or has left the perpetrator.

The characters in this book are written so well and each has a very distinct personality, even down to a couple of potted pansies, and keep an eye out for the nosy neighbour!

My only teeny, tiny criticism is that there were some parts that were added in to build tension that fell slightly flat as it was clear what was coming next, but that did not dampen the reading experience at all! This is a solid 5 star recommendation for me - fantastic and important topic backed with skillful writing and a wealth of knowledge from Alexia Casale. One I'll be recommending for a long time to come.

I absolutely loved this book! Surprisingly an easy read despite the theme of domestic abuse throughout the book, until the hard hitting statistics at the end. I think the author really nailed bringing some humour to some dire subjects. I found the characters so likeable and I was really rooting for them the whole way through. I’ve really looked forward to reading this each evening - thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced copy. Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this, and found it difficult to put down - always a good sign!

This is an entertaining read about a dark subject, told with a lot of dark humour. I was really rooting for these women, even though the main character grated on me occasionally.

Of course, this is a book about domestic violence and controlling, abusive relationships - so I did find some parts triggering and uncomfortable to read. However, it was dealt with sensitively and I really appreciated the author’s note detailing her research and reasons for why she felt this was an important story to tell.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Although the premise of this book was a dark comedy set during the covid pandemic, the underlying subject is surviving domestic abuse.
The story centres around 4 wives who accidentally kill their husbands after reaching breaking point.
They cross paths quite by chance and as their friendship grows, they find the strength and courage to come up with a plot to bury their husbands and get away with murder.
The topic of domestic abuse was handled with sensitivity and there were lots of funny moments too. The plot was slightly far fetched but I liked the ending.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Premise:
Violence against women and girls increased astronomically during the covid pandemic lockdown. The book is inspired by the author’s experience supporting victims of domestic abuse and uses humour to increase awareness of the issue.

Would recommend for fans of:
• thursday murder club series
• how to kill men and get away with it
• dial a for aunties

Review:
Obviously there is an underlying serious topic to the book, but I thought the dark British humour worked really well.

I think this is the perfect time for a book set during lockdown - it’s just long enough now to laugh about what a weird time it was. The references cracked me up, particularly the use of a husband’s body to ensure 2m social distancing. Edwina the local lockdown enforcer was hilarious!

As the story is from Sally’s POV, I felt we didn’t get to know the other women in the ‘Lockdown Ladies Burial Club’ as well. To me, Sally read a lot older that she was meant to be, like a retiree Thursday Murder Club character - didn’t mind this though!

I really appreciated the inclusive representation of characters, effectively showing how violence committed by men is not limited to certain cultures, ages, backgrounds or religions.

The process of Sally understanding she was’t to blame and healing throughout the novel was so moving. The author’s note is so powerful. I thought the novel’s pacing was good; it’s not a heart-racing thriller but still a page-turner.

I found the minor twist at the end of the book immediately predictable but it was still a satisfying conclusion! I’m not sure about the very last line of the book, maybe a bit cheesy and abrupt.

My only other comment would be to consider whether the tagline on the cover / blurb gives too much away early on - we know that four women will kill their husbands from the outset, then form the ‘Lockdown Ladies Burial Club’. However, this last women only joins at 40% through the book, so you’re kind of waiting for a little twist or just waiting for this to happen.

Verdict:
A great book bringing attention to an important subject in a darkly humorous way.

TW: domestic abuse/violence, covid/lockdown, murder (self-defence)

Loved the premise of this, and enjoyed the dark humour element of the story. It deals with an incredibly important topic, domestic abuse set during covid which gives the topic an even more sinister edge due to the isolation many women were feeling around this time.

My issue is I don’t feel it was executed very well, I felt nothing for the characters. There were too many and as such neither of them were well rounded, most of their personalities were glib, so I just found the events unbelievable and couldn’t really connect.

Well written however and anyone who enjoys dark comedy may be more of a fan than I was.

book about domestic violence being read by someone who has been through it? Not normally a good idea. But I laughed, I felt their shame and pain and sometimes I was a bit triggered but the dark humour was so worth it. Believable characters which brought the story to life. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book wasn’t for me sadly. I found it difficult to get into and wasn’t my typical type of read.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this so it will definitely appeal to other audiences!

Maybe as a man I shouldn't have liked this book? I didn't like it, I LOVED it. Domestic violence is a subject very close to my heart as there is history of it in my family and working as a mental health therapist its something that often comes into my private practice. The characters were very well written and I love the way the story comes together and the club forms.
Although, a very serious subject, there are parts that are also light hearted and some laugh out loud moments. There is also a good twist to the tale. I'd urge you to read to the very end where the shocking facts about domestic violence are given. So many people must have felt trapped with their aggressor during lockdown.
This book is a true triumph!

A timely, dark, funny and quite riveting read about the effects of domestic violence, the emotions involved, and four women who fight back.

The Best Way To Bury Your Husband is a well written book. The topic is domestic violence during the Covid pandemic and how four wife’s deal with their husbands violence and how far they will go to protect their families and loved ones. It was an enjoyable read as the stories of the woman are told with some humour. I would recommend this book and would like to read more books from this author.

Oh my what a great time I had reading this!
A great exploration of experiences of abuse and domestic violence wrapped up in dark humour with some heartwarming found family/friendship themes.
This was the page turning read I hoped it would be … I was absolutely hooked and consumed it in one sitting.
A great read and one I would absolutely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to put my negative comment here then move on, I’m at the point where I want to roll my eyes at anything that mentions the pandemic etc as I want to move on from it so I nearly DNF this book but I told myself to stop being silly and read it.

Now for the positives because I did really enjoy this book, I am a fan of dark humour so this book appealed to me straight away. There are also themes of domestic violence and found friendship/new family which I felt was covered and handled in a really good way. I think it could be triggering for some people so possibly isn’t suitable for everyone .

Following the intertwined lives of four women trapped with their abusive husbands during peak lockdown in the UK.

The story successfully uses dark humour of a very real and serious topic.

Very tongue in cheek, Thursday Murder Club-esque vibes on how realistic and believable things would be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking.
4/5 ⭐️

I really liked this book, there were a few parts I struggled to read. I liked the writing style and I enjoyed the book.

The Best Way to Bury Your Husband was one of my favourite reads this year! Set during lockdown, the book follows a group of women from different backgrounds who are all trapped in abusive relationships. This book was filled with female friendship and dark comedy with an undercurrent of real issues faced by many women. The characters were really well developed and I felt each one had their own clear personality. I found the book fast paced and the story flowed well, the ending was satisfying and tied up the story nicely. Although I read it in a couple of hours, I feel the story and its underlying message will stay with me for much longer.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

The starting statistic that in the UK one female is killed by a male every 3 days is harrowing.

The story follows Sally and her story after accidentally killing her husband during a domestic fight. She happens upon 3 other women in similar situations.

The story is told from Sally's POV and is interwoven into the lives of the other three women and their families. Whilst the subject matter of domestic violence is dark the author has very cleverly added in humour.

I really enjoyed the characters, their thoughts and their realisations especially surrounding how well they thought they hid the violence from their loved ones.

It's left me feeling extremely emotive about the situation and grateful that I don't suffer in anyway from domestic abuse. It's truly terrifying to think what so many go though and to think back to lockdown and the impacts it had on such situations.

A truly unique read.

4 stars.

I was drawn to this book by the title, as I thought it was going to be funny. It was humorous, but I found I could only reach the humour once I had got past the triggering aspect of the story, which I hadn't been expecting. Unfortunately, this didn't motivate me to want to read the book, and to carry on I had to find a little 'courage'. When I did start to get into the book, I enjoyed the style of writing, the main group of characters, and the plot. I enjoyed the air of suspense and the ending. In fact, once I got going I couldn't put it down. Overall I enjoyed this book, and I'm glad I read it.