Amazing, what a story. I love the characters, I loved each of their stories even though they weren’t necessarily happy ones. Set across the backdrop of lockdown a group of women who had all been victims of domestic violence work together to make better lives for themselves.

Note that Alexia Casale’s The Best Way to Bury Your Husband is a guide to burying, not a guide to murdering! As the publisher’s tempt notes (aka blurb) tell us, Sally didn’t mean to kill her husband and three other women reached the end of their tether too. The early chapters, where we see what the husbands did to their wives, are an uncomfortable read and I did wonder whether “dark comedy” was really an accurate description. There’s much, much, more “dark” than “comedy” for a few chapters as the author sets up the scenario, although I did like the image of Sally defiantly eating cake straight from the cake tin with her husband’s body lying at her feet.

I’m not a fan of present tense narrative with “I do this” rather than the historic “I did this”. I understand why authors do it: it’s to inject a sense of drama and suspense. We readers wonder “Who’s at the door?” and “Will the author die?”. I usually find it distracting because we know the author isn’t walking round, carrying a notebook in which they write what’s happening moment by moment. However, this book is the one exception. I really resented being interrupted as I read this book, thinking “How can people talk to me when these four women are having a moment of jeopardy and the plans might all go wrong?” I’m unsure why it works for this book but not for any others I’ve read and I think it’s because there are so many ways in which a plan to dispose of four dead husbands could go wrong, that we cannot believe it will succeed. We expect things to go wrong but we don’t know where, when or why – and as the author sets up one tense situation after another, we keep thinking “This is it. This is where it all unravels…”

I also thought, early on, “If this was a book about four husbands killing their wives, no-one would laugh, no matter what the author writes. So why should we laugh when it’s the husbands who are murdered?” I think the author nails that point in her introduction: the chances of four women within a couple of streets all murdering their husbands simultaneously are vanishingly slim but the chances of four women being murdered are sadly much higher.

Anyway, there are definitely moments of black comedy as the story develops. My favourite line comes when Sally and Ruth bump into a stranger dragging a suitcase down the street at midnight and ask, “Do you have actual body parts in there, or is this a trial run?” This book isn’t just a comedic novel, though. It’s a message to all abused women, “It’s not your fault. You don’t have to put up with this because people WILL help you.” There is a secret safe house for women and children in our area and we’ve donated stuff, e.g. armfuls of new clothing from M&S’s 70% off sales; unused toiletries; children’s toys. Relevant charities and the police often deliver women to the refuge without anything other than the clothes they and the children are wearing because they couldn’t alert the abuser to the fact they were leaving – we like to think that the women will have something new of their own, rather than only being offered clothing picked up at charity shops.

Sadly, I guess that the chances of an abused woman being able to read a book called The Best Way to Bury Your Husband are not high. It’s such an unfair world.

#BuryYourHusband #NetGalley

A true testament to female solidarity, I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. There's no way I could give this anything less than five stars!
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I loved everything about this and I devoured it in just over 3 days (for an ebook, that's pretty quick for me!). The dark humour throughout offers some light relief to an otherwise heavy topic but not once did I feel this took away from the seriousness of it all— as Alexia states in her author's note, "I’m trying to make people laugh – and then think." and that's exactly what she accomplishes with this book. I adored the writing style & loved the narration of Sally; she and every other woman involved were highly likeable & I was consistently rooting for them even after finishing the last page.
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The concept for this story was what drew me in and kept me reading. Though it's a fiction, the entire thing still feels like such an important read and with it being set during the Covid Lockdown, it felt even more stark and really did make you think about all the real women that were and are going through what the characters were going through. Some scenes in this book did feel far-fetched but as I understand from Alexia's author's note, this was intentional; the probability of a group of women getting together to bury their husbands is very unlikely, compared to the rates of male violence against women and girls. I thought Alexia did well in making the women involved so diverse; it made it more evident that no matter what someone's culture, age or background is, they too can and do still suffer through domestic violence.
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Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was entertaining as well as being thought-provoking, sensitive and emotional. I'd recommend this to everyone but be aware of the triggers going into it; there were some graphic scenes of domestic violence which I understand may be hard to read for some people.

Thank you Netgalley for the free eARC!

I was absolutely drawn in by this title and cover, and knew I'd have to request it!
A brilliant piece, twisting humour and a serious and important content together into an entertaining read - the author touches on the harsh reality of domestic violence and sensitivity, whilst crafting an over-the-top comedic storyline that is still tinged with hopefulness.
I loved the four women in the centre of the story, particularly their friendships, and the setting of the covid-19 lockdown really hit home for me.

When dark humour meets female rage … you get The Best Way To Bury Your Husband.

This books perfectly tackles a very difficult underlying theme of violence against women in a truly humerous and engaging way and highlights the strength of female friendships.

Each character has their own defined voice and personality and the backdrop of the pandemic was very honest of, sadly, so many women’s experiences.

I hope this book will shine a light on a very difficult topic whilst being completely consumable, relatable and darkly funny.

I shouldn't have been laughing at this book as much as I did!! I've always been a fan of dark/ dry humour, and this really hit the nail on the head for me. Tied in with some much relate-ability from the pandemic, it was so easy to level with the characters and it was personally great to read a novel like this set in the UK - more often than not this genre is American which I do still enjoy, but reading something closer to home is a refreshing break

I loved this book! One to keep an eye on for 2024 for sure! Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC on Netgalley!

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, four women unexpectedly bond over the unthinkable; the best way to bury your husband.

I could not put this book down. The story is is described as a black comedy, but it is so much more than that. It is a tale of friendship, strength and determination. It also highlights the plight of so many women who are subjected to domestic violence, both physically and emotionally.

Every character was lovable, and this is a rarity. My favourite has to be Edwina, and while I figured the final twist before the story’s conclusion, it was a satisfying ending nonetheless.

What a great first read for 2024.

“On average, a woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK: in the vast majority of cases, that man is a current or former partner. At the start of Covid lockdown, the femicide rate doubled - in the first three weeks, fourteen women were killed where a man was suspected of, or charged with, the crime”

Alexia Casale’s “The Best Way to Bury Your Husband” is a dark comedy that highlights the struggles of domestic abuse. This book follows four women who accidentally murder their violent husbands and the attempts to cover up their crimes.

I felt a little guilty for enjoying this so much. It’s a very emotive subject, but this book is amusing, light hearted and focuses mainly on the friendship and camaraderie between the women. I really got behind Sally and her companions and I warmed to all the characters, especially Edna, and I was desperate for them to succeed. It made me laugh, it made me cry, the suspenseful scenes made me anxious for them.

A big well done to the author. A tricky subject to tackle as a comedy, whilst still raising awareness and compassion for a very real societal issue.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for my advanced copy.

This book will suck you in from the first page. It’s a story that flows well which makes it an easy read which some funny parts alongside some sad. The main story focuses on a group of women and their survival story after domestic violence. I found myself routing for a group of women that effectively murdered their husbands. I wanted them to get away with it and I was so proud of them when they did and could live their lives pretty much happily ever after.

A fun read despite the macabre plot and the somewhat unbelievable scenario that there are four women, in close proximity, trying to get rid their husband's bodies. But, this is what makes this book such a brilliant read. It does, however, highlight the struggles of women in domestic abuse situations and how this was exacerbated by Lockdown. I loved all the different characters including the ever watchful feisty neighbour. Such a diverse mix of women all from different backgrounds but coming together makes up a good feel about it all despite the bodies. I think, amongst other things, it makes the reader more aware of domestic abuse and things to look out for to maybe help someone who needs it.

This is a funny book which touches on real serious topics such as domestic abuse and murder. The book begins by us meeting Sally in lockdown and she has just killed her abusive husband Jim. She then meets other women who also have dead husbands at home and together they decide to join forces to come up with a plan to explain their missing husbands. The book made me laugh and although I shouldn't have, I did really like the female characters. Overall the book does make you seriously think about the abuse women suffer at the hands of men but there is also hope, resilience, friendship and love there as well. I will be recommending this to others

4 stars

Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC copy and an honest review.

I had mixed feelings going into this book as I’ve read a lot of books previously with similar titles that have been a letdown.
This was actually amazing and the writing was incredible. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know more.

I felt very sorry for Sally as she was in an abusive relationship set in the pandemic and you can see why she did what she did. We see the crime from the beginning and till the end.
You see a handful of other characters, them all coming together to help.

I felt happy, sad, upset and I even laughed a few times reading this.

This book comes out March 2024 and I recommend you preorder this book! It will be worth the wait.
Also please read the trigger warnings and the authors note firstly.

The book is what the title says. "The best way to bury your husband"
Four friends and one dead husband. A dark and funny book that will make you laugh out loud!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance digital copy of The Best Way to Bury Your Husband for review 💗

The Best Way to Bury Your Husband features four women in a suburban town who all seek to take action against their abusive husbands during the “unprecedented times” of the pandemic. The first, and main woman we meet is Sally, who didn’t mean to bash her husbands head in with a skillet (honest!) just prior to her husband’s death, and stay with her in the weeks following as she grows into herself again and comes into contact with other women living under similar circumstances.

Despite its tough subject this book has surprisingly numerous funny moments. I didn’t think I’d enjoy this as much as I did - or rather, I thought it would be a much more humourless book than it was. The subject of this book being domestic abuse and the rise of violence against women seen during the pandemic is so incredibly important to learn about for everyone, and Alexia Casale uses this heartwarming and funny story to discuss a complex issue that is all too often swept under the rug.

The title of this book had me really looking forward to reading it and it definitely lived up to expectations.
It was very witty and heartwarming. Slightly predictable in places, but in a satisfying way.
It was a refreshing take on the many pandemic/lockdown stories that are around now.
It also highlighted a very distressing fact about the rise in violence against women during lockdown. The figures are quite terrifying and so heartbreaking. It's a very good way of using humour and lightheartedness as a way to push forward a very serious message.
I would definitely recommend to friends and family.

The idea of the story line is really well thought out. I feel it could have been a lot more intriguing had the story line not taken as long.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't the book I expected and I'm so glad. I was expecting a book about four women who had murdered their husbands in cold blood but this turned our to be about four women who accidentally kill their husbands during the pandemic after finally fighting back against years of domestic violence and controlling behaviour and then have to try and dispose of them during a national lockdown.

The book is light-hearted but so sensitively told that the humour doesn't feel out of place or like it's trying to belittle what these women have been through. The characters felt very real - like they could be everyday people. that anyone could meet in the street or in the park. I think this was an important part of the story to show this can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, financial status, culture. This was a story of friendship and bravery with a few bags of dead husband parts thrown in!

There are descriptions of some of the violence endured so if this is a very sensitive subject for you then tread carefully but it is so worth reading.

This book is definitely a keeper, as someone who actually quite enjoyed the COVID lockdowns the topic made me stop and think.

It made me laugh, made me cry, the relationships that were forged through adversity were well thought out and described. Especially between Sally and Edwina, have to say I did have an inkling of how that whole plot point turned out. Didn't make the book any less enjoyable though.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

4* A British tale that works because it's somehow plausible, and without the convoluted wackyness of a suburbian American version that's almost imaginable on the small screen, with all the Housewives Of... series that abound.


This book is hard to describe and almost surreal, but it's also not, when you consider what the females had to contend with with the spouses that they had, especially during 2020 lockdown. I pretty much empathised with them all, but as an Asian born and brought up here, I didn't understand why the Muslim females didn't speak up for themselves more. I mean, one of the daughters balked at talk of an arranged marriage, but the emancipated-in-some-ways-compared-to-some mother was just too lacking in action until she did what she did, which kind of didn't gel as much as the other deaths did. I'd have loved to see this book as a miniseries, because it is LOL in some parts, and tragic in others, and then you have the absolute KICKER of an ending that I hadn't seen coming. In hindsight, yes, I missed stuff because of the differing POVS and the back-and-forth and at times, eye rolling that was required, but it was a decent tale and at the end, it had me wishing that my immigrant mum, a victim of DA for many, many years, had had these females around her. Perhaps her life, and mine, would've been less...damaged.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin UK, for my reading pleasure.