Taking place on the set of a reality TV show, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey was not what I was expecting. There was plenty of drama throughout the book, but it just wasn't very attention grabbing.

This was such a good time! As a housewives fan I was thoroughly entertained. It took me way too long to realize that this is the Astrid Dahl from Dorn's previous novel. Once this realization hit me I started enjoying the book more since I was aware of Astrid as a character.

Let me start by saying that a three-star rating in my book is not a bad one - I genuinely had a good time with this! As a MASSIVE reality TV fan, especially of The Real Housewives franchises, this felt tailor-made for Bravoholics. The little nods sprinkled throughout were such a treat—the network being called Huzzah (a cheeky Bravo reference), the taglines, the Italian cookie drama, and a housewife calling herself the Grand Dame. Every character had their own quirks, drama, and baggage, just like our favorite reality stars, making them distinct and entertaining to follow.

That said, the pacing threw me off a bit. I expected the story to focus mostly on solving the murder, but instead, the first half built up all the events leading to the crime, and the second half was where the mystery really kicked in. While I enjoyed the buildup, there were moments that dragged, and then suddenly twist after twist after twist in rapid succession. Some were predictable, some were totally over-the-top and soap opera-esque for my taste, and others were genuinely fun surprises. But maybe that’s the point? As a satire, it leans into the exaggerated, over-the-top chaos of reality TV, and in that sense, it works.

If you’re looking for a high-stakes thriller with a deeply layered mystery, this isn’t the book for you. But if you love reality TV, appreciate a quick and entertaining read, and don’t mind a little absurdity mixed in with the drama, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a fun, easy ride.

I really enjoyed the first 35% of this book but then the rest fell flat for me. I absolutely loved the reality tv vibes - it really did feel as if I was just reading a Bravo TV series of trashy reality nonsense. But the way the book jumped from murder to back in time to present was choppy, and there were so many side characters and motives that it started to become boring. Nothing was developed, nothing went deep, and there were a ton of opportunities to do so. Overall just an underwhelming read.

It tried too much to be like the tv show. Yet it also didn’t always flow like it would be on a the show. It did keep my attention somewhat and I finished the book

If you are a housewives fan, this is absolutely the book for you. TRDEONJ is pure camp and absolute fun. This is a very fast read with characters who make you want to laugh and scream at the same time. This book veered and took a turn I wasn’t expecting and it made me enjoy the book even more.

Combine a Bravo franchise with a murder mystery and you get The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey. Very heavy on the Real Housewives lore with a murder or two mixed in the middle. What worked for me was the background on how reality tv works. The editing, the manipulation, and of course the drama. The crimes were just ok. Very easy to figure out who done it. Additionally, I’m not sure why this was penned by Astrid. Her voice was nowhere to be found. Overall a quick, easy fun read.

While this wasn't the best book I've ever read, it was FUN. As a Real Housewives fan, I had fun getting seeing all of Astrid Dahl's nods to the franchise, the confessionals, and her version of a "behind the scenes" look at her New Jersey women.

The writing was quick, captivating, and for the most part, very readable. There were a few moments of dialogue that felt unnatural and out-of-place. The characters were just the right amount of unlikable and would make for perfect television.

My biggest complaint with the novel is that Dahl tried to do *too* much. I understand that with this ensemble of cast, you have several different story lines. But it just felt like we'd wrap one thing up and then something more unbelievable would happen...and then the next....and then the next. Around the last 1/3 of the book, I kept expecting to be closer to the end than I was.

Overall, it was still a fun, campy read—if not a little unnecessarily long.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars.

Trashy reality TV shows are my guilty pleasure, so of course I had to read this book. At just 288 pages, it was a quick and easy read. I really liked the format of the book and enjoyed the multiple POVs. It was a bit of a slow burn, taking awhile to get to the murder. The murder mystery kind of took a backseat to the rest of the drama. The twists were pretty good, but nothing super mind-blowing. Overall, it was an entertaining read. It wasn't my favorite mystery/thriller of the year, but I liked it enough that I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Anna Dorn, but I don’t think I love Anna Dorn as Astrid Dahl. This story was frustratingly vapid and campy but not in a fun way.

I loved Really Dead Wives of NJ. It's great for any housewives fan, but it dealt with queerness, reinventing yourself, and more.

I loved the author's previous works under her other name, so I was super excited to jump into this story of messy moms and horrible housewives. I thought that the story had great wit and knew its subject super well, sticking the landing on the tragedy that is reality television culture (a culture I hate how much I love!) Ultimately, I found this one a little more "critical" versus indulgent, tonally just a bit too above the story versus being as juicy as it can be. Witty and wise, but perhaps a little too knowing.

Reality show Garden State Goddesses is coming back with a new season and showrunner Eden needs some fresh talent. Eden enlists her cousin Hope to move all the way from California to escape her past and join the show. Little does Eden know Hope is hiding some big secrets that could make for good reality television or good motive for murder.
This was such a fun satirical take on reality TV. The characters fit the roles so well and I could see myself having watched this show.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

I really, really wanted to love this book - the premise is fantastic and I was intrigued by the "Astrid Dahl" author (Astrid is the main character, a writer, from Anna Dorn's Perfume and Pain.) But the plot was all over the place and the story dragged too much for my taste. But please authors, more Real Housewives type novels in the future!!

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I were an avid Real Housewives fan, but this didn't work for me. There are some funny, campy moments, but the shallow characterization and strange pacing kept me from being invested in the story. Even though the culprit(s) are obvious, the murders are glossed over--as are some other seemingly pivotal events--and the book feels too long even at 288 pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Eden Bennett is quickly climbing the reality TV ladder and is hungry for more. As the main showrunner for ”Garden State Goddesses”, Eden knows what it takes to build a successful housewives franchise and will do anything it takes to make it bigger and better to advance her career. Enter Hope, Eden’s cousin who grew up with her in a glorified religious cult run by their family in California. Naive Hope is looking to escape her life in Weed, CA and falls right into Eden’s plan (ahem..trap) when she is introduced to Leo Fontana, Sicilian Jersey royalty and eligible bachelor. Leo and Hope quickly marry and Hope is whisked off to Jersey where she is thrown into the world of flashy cars and homes, cat fights, backstabbing, gossip and drama AKA the Garden State Goddesses. When one of the Goddesses suddenly turns up dead, everyone is a suspect and Eden is faced with a true reality she never saw coming.

Soapy, campy, dramatic and just plain fun, this was such an entertaining read! Taking all of the best parts of the Real Housewives franchises and funneling it into the fictitious “Garden State Goddesses” on the “Huzzah” network, the faux Jersey housewives and their storylines featured in this book were no slouch! As a fellow Jersey girl, I got a kick out of this and it was just the indulgent read I didn’t even know I needed!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a witty, darkly comedic thriller that keeps you laughing and guessing. Dahl’s unique plot and quirky characters make this a fun and engaging read.

If you need a break from reality but still want it to be a little morbid! Please read this. It's fun in the best way. It was a nice break between the Rooneys and Austens. It's truly just a laff in a half! I would love to see this become a show!

This felt like two different books to me – a reality show tell-all and a murder mystery – but they didn’t flow well. I’m not a huge TV watcher so I’ve never gotten hooked on the reality shows but this is the premise that got me interested in the book. I thought it would be a group of women trying to solve the murder. The lead up to it gave plenty of background on each woman but didn’t make it easy to connect to any of them; they all came off as shallow and vapid, which I guess was the point but ruined any chance of feeling anything for them. The mystery itself wasn’t well fleshed out and there were so many thrown at you that it was difficult to see which one should be the focus. In the end, it didn’t work for me.

I loved this book. It was a wild ride, loved having a peak behind the curtain of reality shows. Of course with a dark twist. Thoroughly enjoyed this story.