Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. Available 1st December.

3.5 Stars

This book was quick, easy and an enjoyable read.
Centred around Clio, her dead ex husband Gary, and her two friends Amber and Jeanie in a cosy murder mystery.
After a drunken night of birthday celebrations and a dead ex husband on her doorstep, Clio becomes the #1 suspect in his murder. Amber and Jeannie both rally around their friend in a bid to prove her innocence.
The ending sets up a possible future series with the trio.
Good read.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so easy to read and addictive and I read it in a day. Three friends, one body and a lot of motives. This was a fast paced read and I am looking forward to the next in the series.

This was gifted to me by Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

How not to murder your ex, sounds like a fun title right? It’s the very early morning of Cleo‘s 45th birthday. The last thing she wants on her birthday is to wake up and that her ex is outside of her house dead. I mean you wouldn’t want that right? She gets especially worried when she realizes that this wasn’t accidental he was definitely murdered. Gary, her ex is definitely not the best guy around, all of her money, and she knows that this makes her a good suspect in his murder. Strange thing is she can’t exactly remember the night before, it’s a bit foggy. She went out for drinks with her best friends and she does remember talking about how much she hated him but surely she didn’t kill him right? But if she didn’t kill Gary, then who killed him?

This book sounded like it was going to be the perfect mix of funny and mysterious. However, I found the book to be pretty predictable and it did have funny moments, but I was looking for something more Finley Donovan, this didn’t deliver on that for me. I think it was a fine mystery. If you haven’t read a lot of mysteries, or if you’re just beginning to get into the genre, you probably wouldn’t guess as many of the reveals as I did. Overall, I would be curious to see what this author writes in the future, but this wasn’t my favorite book.

How Not To Murder Your Ex by Katie Marsh is a well paced, humorous read. Clio and her two best friends celebrated her 45th birthday. They had a little too much to drink. She wakes up to find her ex husband dead on her doorstep. Did she kill him?
The book is narrated from the perspective of the 3 ladies and the ex-husband in the hours leading up to his death.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book.

After a birthday celebration and resulting loss of memory, Clio finds her ex dead on her doorstep. She and her friends jump into action to find out what happened before Clio is arrested as the obvious suspect. I have mixed feelings on this. I didn't love the characters. Gary was almost too much of a creep to be believable. Who wouldn't want to murder him? I can't really figure out what it was, but something about the characters made them seem like caricatures, exaggerated in some way. I had the feeling at the end that this could potentially turn into a series, and I guess I would give it another go if so. 3 stars.

A quick, cozy-ish murder mystery got me out of a reading slump. It is quick witted, fast paced, and while there are "twists" they are pretty predictable, so I did find myself skimming through some of the chapters.
Our main characters are a trio of friends coming together to help prove one of them is innocent of murdering their ex-husband. They are all harboring their own personal struggles, which only serves to build up the loyal family style friendship they have created where they set aside their own worries to help when one is having a crisis.
There are philandering husbands, loan sharks, shady CEOs, angsty teens with Daddy issues, new mom loss of self and identity, and a good cop who lost their job and wants to prove their worth. At the heart if is a whodunnit anchored by friendship, family, and loyalty.
The ending sets up the beginning of a series, so there will be more of this fun trio in the future.

Rating: 3.2/5

Although already fairly established in the world of romantic fiction, "How Not to Murder Your Ex" marks the first entry of Katie Marsh into the cosy crime fiction market. The cosy crime arena is one which is quite heavily populated and there are any number of other authors to compete with, some of which are firmly established names already.

This is an engaging read and the author's apparent ease in creating a flowing style shows that she is an experienced wordsmith. There is also ample evidence stylistically of her background writing romantic fiction. In a number of ways this influence actually aids and enhances the effects of the gentle humour that runs throughout the novel. The main protagonists are all female and "of a certain age". Clio, Jeanie and Amber are long-standing friends and it is at a regular gathering of the three to mark Clio's 45th birthday that the suspicious death of Clio's former husband, Gary, is discovered. The question is, who killed him? Could it even have been Clio herself whilst still in a drunken stupor?

The narrative is pleasingly well-paced and is provided from the perspectives of the three friends and also that of Gary in the hours leading up to his fatal demise. As is the fashion at present, there is also the inclusion of chapters using other media, such as an online news blog and text messaging. Although this book could be read by anybody, I suspect it will generally find more widespread approval from a female audience.

I enjoyed reading "How Not to Murder Your Ex", but I don't think it quite does enough to elevate from being described as "Good" rather than "Very good". As I said earlier, the cosy crime marketplace is a heavily populated one and I don't think this is unique enough to stand out from the crowd. It is competently executed, but without ever seeming particularly original. I sense that this book is being positioned to be the first in a series featuring the triumvirate of ladies from this story, but much as I enjoyed it, I am not sure those characters gripped me enough to make me definitely want to come back for more ... it may well depend on how crowded my reading list is at the time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a fun cozy mystery but possibly a little too madcap for me. I like the plot, which moved quickly and was surprising.

A delightful read with interesting characters. Loved the twist and who the murderer was was a surprise.

This was an easy and cozy read
I really enjoyed it. Perfect for reading in the evening with a cup of tea or a glass of wine.

An enjoyable story about Clio, who certainly hates her ex husband, but doesn’t wish for him to turn up dead on her doorstep! Her best friends help her try to prove her innocence with some interesting results. Funny at times, and darkly comedic with some great characters.

"How Not To Murder Your Ex" by Katie Marsh is a sweet cozy murder mystery with quirky characters and a quaint setting. The cover is very eye-catching, and the title made me grab the book.

The book is set in a seaside English town. The main characters are single mom Clio and her two best friends: Amber - a police officer who was kicked out of the force - and Jeanie - a new mom to twins. Clio is forced to live in a caravan with her teenage daughter, Nina, after losing her business and all her money to her despicable ex, Gary.

When Gary steals her daughter's money as well, Clio sees red and threatens him in front of an audience. The next thing she knows, he is lying dead on the doorstep of her caravan. Unfortunately, she doesn't recall the events of the previous night. She and her friends celebrated her forty-fifth birthday, and they all drank like there was no tomorrow. To add insult to injury, she also suffers from the bad symptoms of Menopause.

Clio quickly becomes the main suspect due to their shared history. She is sure she didn't kill him, no matter how big the temptation was. "She wanted him dead, but not that dead". The plot thickens when she is arrested for the murder of her ex. Now it is up to her friends to dig in and find the real murderer before Clio is charged with murder and sent to jail.

I enjoyed the book very much. There's nothing I like more than good cozy mysteries, and this one fit the bill perfectly with a mysterious death, colorful characters, and red herrings aplenty to keep the reader engaged. The book is written in the third POV of the three women with the perspective of the abhorrent Gary thrown in for good measure. The perspective of Gary is written from the days before his death leading up to the death itself. The author did a good job describing his character, I will tell you that.

I loved that the main characters were women in their 40s, and I loved their humor and the interactions between them. The reader is quickly wrapped up in their lives. I smiled when the author described the antics of the babies and loved the sheer loyalty of the women to each other. Everyone needs good friends like Amber and Jeanie. I did think Clio was too scattered and impulsive and acted without thought at times. Midway through, I suspected the identity of the murderer, but I didn't foresee the twist at the end.

Overall, it was a fun read, albeit a bit slow-paced at times. I would love to read more books with those perky heroines. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with quirky characters.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Clio has certainly considered murdering her ex husband. But she would never actually do it...right? On the night of her birthday, after consuming far too many drinks, Cleo finds her ex Gary dead outside of her caravan. It is up to Cleo and her two friends Amber and Jeanie to find who really committed the murder. There are defiantly a number of suspects as Gary has left enemies all over town.

I really enjoyed this book. We follow the points of view of all three women involved in this story. Clio a now single mother living in a caravan after her scummy ex leaves her. Amber is a former police officer. There is a mystery surrounding exactly why she had to leave the police department that unravels as we go through the story. New mom Jeanie is just trying to exist with her husband and two new babies. She is dealing with the guilt of considering having to go back to work and how to make it as a mom. All three of these woman are great in their own ways. In addition we also follow the last few hours of the murder victim Gary. I loved the twist of having his POV! I won't spoil any details of the plot but the very end is set up in a way that lets us know we will hopefully have more stories with this crew and I really look forward to that!

This wasn’t as I thought it was going to be ! I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this . That said I enjoyed the book , it’s well written with good character establishment at the start .

I felt like I’d always know the characters , that I was living the story with them in real time .

Good book !

"How Not To Murder Your Ex" by Katie Marsh had an interesting premise but ultimately left me disappointed. The characters lacked depth, the plot was predictable, and the humor couldn't save it. I'd recommend considering other mystery novels for a more satisfying read.

This was a light-hearted murder mystery that showcased the power of female friendships and highlighted the difficulties that women go through when they reach their forties. It brought humour to a tense storyline and although rather ridiculous at times, it was the perfect blend of comedy-crime. The characters were fun to read and were easily likeable, their motives strong and personalities diverse. I always appreciate a British setting as I find them so much easier to read and more realistic to follow in terms of storyline and setting. I really enjoyed the narrative structure of this book, how we were given the countdown of his death in between the present day investigation.

This cozy, humorous murder mystery, which takes place in a quaint seaside town, was fantastic. The shocking death of what might be the worst ex-husband in history serves as the focal point of the narrative and kicks off an exciting series of events.

The possibility of the ex-wife being wrongfully convicted for a crime she didn't commit terrifies her. She is innocent. Fortunately, she has the unshakeable support of three devoted friends who gather to ferret the facts and identify the real murderer.

Their tenacity, wit, and companionship make for a captivating and suspenseful read. I had trouble putting this book down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I loved this cosy, funny murder mystery set in a seaside town, revolving around the murder of possibly the world’s worst ex-husband, and the three friends who band together to find the killer so the ex-wife doesn’t get convicted of a crime she didn’t commit,

I loved all the characters - especially Jeannie and Tan, and the twins - and as a woman in my forties found so much of it relatable (though I have never tried to solve a murder).

It’s clever and twisty, I loved how each of the main characters used their strengths to get closer to the killer, and it’s laugh out loud funny. I thought I’d worked out whodunnit and then was proved sort-of right and also wrong. The ending is a great mix of drama and hilarity, and I’m already looking forward to the next one - to spending more time with Clio, Jeannie and Amber.

Clio wants her ex-husband dead, but when he actually shows up dead on her doorstep and she’s a prime suspect, she and her friends have to solve the murder.

This was one of my first’ cozy mysteries’ and was definitely enjoyable. I don’t think it’s a genre I could read all the time but good for a break every once in a while.

There were a few laugh out loud moments & likeable characters (except Gary lol frig that guy).

The only con for me was when I put the book down I wasn’t super invested in picking it back up to figure out who the killer was. Maybe cozy mystery isn’t high stakes enough for me!

I’d recommend for people who enjoy cozy mysteries!

The characters were really well established in the first few chapters; I immediately knew what kind of people they were and how well they interacted with each other. Each chapter switched to a different perspective - it was very well done as it showed off the character’s personalities and what they thought of each other.

Between the perspective switches and the time jump to before the murder and the aftermath, it made for a scintillating read! I was completely absorbed in each character’s story and my suspicion was peaked with each one. I loved that we got to read the victim’s thoughts, rather than the story following a typical chronological order.

The occasional addition of texts and social media posts were clever as they really added to the small-town murder feel - I could easily imagine the citizens being simultaneously outraged at the crime while also being somewhat pleased that their little town had finally gained some notoriety.

The twist & reveal of the murderer was pretty good, and this was a fun read overall; my favourite parts were definitely the investigation carried out by Clio’s two best friends!