I tried really hard to get into this one, and while I'm really thankful to Simon Books, Netgalley, and Astrid Dahl for granting me advanced access to this title, I think I'd much rather hand it off to a friend for them to take a stab at it.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey explores the world of reality TV and gives readers a sneak peak into the backend of the fictional world of the reality show of the Goddesses of the Garden State. To me this book was a nice break from my typical reads and brings something to the market that I haven’t seen before. My biggest qualm with the book is the pacing - I feel like the author should have spread out the main plot points over the entire book instead of having them all pretty much occur within a few chapters. It just felt like a lot happening all at once. That being said, I do understand the beginning of the book needed to “world build” for the show. Overall this was a quick, easy read! I think it is a good read for reality TV lovers or anyone who wants the drama of reality TV, but in a book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

I love any book set in a reality TV show setting, and this one was no different. So much drama packed into this, I loved it.

For fans of the Real Housewives Series and thrillers, this book is for you! A fast paced thriller trying to find who the dead body may be and who may have done it! Filled with fun Housewives Easter eggs, this book is hilarious with fan favorite moments. A great, witty, fast paced read.

I will say, the one thing that bothered me the most is that most sentences started with someone’s name. I don’t know if it’s something that is always there but I just noticed it more in this book. I kept telling myself to look past it and to read on. Did wish the ending was a little faster, once we learned who the killer was the story after could have been wrapped up much faster.

As a reality TV fan, reading The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey felt exactly like that — watching an entertaining, wildly dramatic TV franchise. Though I am a stranger to the Real Housewives, it was obvious to me that Astrid Dahl was riffing off the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

The novel follows five women, four season regulars and Hope, the showrunner's cousin who she brought in as the "outsider"/girl-next-door character. Prior to the show's filming, we see Hope's wedding to Leo Fontana, a member of the show's infamous, super Italian Fontana family. The series regulars are also related or have married into the family, and half of them make it clear early on that they don't approve of Hope's addition to the show. As the story progresses, we learn the truth about Hope's past and many other secrets the members have been hiding.

Although there were multiple characters (we are talking about a reality TV show cast and crew), it wasn't hard to follow. Each member of the show fit their assigned reality show personality, and the story moved quickly. However, I will say that it was a little too easy to solve the murder mystery. Maybe it was just me that expected a huge twist and because there wasn't one, the novel read more as a drama than a thriller. After reading it, I'd give it a solid 3.5/5.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the #gifted copy and to Simon Audio for the ALC to review.

Oh my I loved this book so much. Full disclosure, I am a huge Real Housewives fan, so I was able to relate to a lot of what was in here and super enjoyed the actual housewives quotes at the front of each chapter. This was off the rails in the best way, but that is to be expected from the title and topic, and as such, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved this via audio, and thought the banter in the ‘confessionals’ was hilarious, and probably not that far off in how it really goes on the actual show tbh (minus the murder of course.) If you can suspend disbelief knowing what you are in for, OR if you are a Bravo fan, then you will definitely be entertained and enjoy this book.

I don’t watch a ton of reality television. I just didn’t grow up watching it and so it’s just not something I think to watch as an adult. The only shows I tend to watch are the Bachelor (when we have girl’s night), Design and Home shows, Big Brother (because my husband’s family are die hard fans), and now The Secret Lives of Morman Wives. I’ve watched a few others, and honestly I’m not sure why I don’t watch more, I love me some messy drammaaaa!

Coming off my binge of The Secret Lives of Morman Wives, I was so ready to jump into The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey. Catty drama AND a murder mystery, YES PLEASE! & just like you would expect from a Housewives season, this sure was messy and not necessarily in the best way.

Things I loved, catty housewives, a peep behind the scenes of reality TV, and Birdie. Things I didn’t: swallow character development, extremely unlikable characters, the plot is hanging on by a thread, and overall trying to ‘do’ to many things. Plus, for having ‘Dead’ in the title, the murder(s) are flimsy.

Reading this book was the equivalent of turning on trash tv in the background while your focus is on something else entirely. Even at only 288 pages, it was entirely too long. It could have used some additional editing as it skipped a few natural points to end the story but instead kept going and even set it up to potentially have a sequel. If you like reality TV or soap operas, you might give this one a go. It’s not my favorite book and I don’t think I’d read a sequel.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is out now! Huge thank you to Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my
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This book was entertaining, but that’s about it! It doesn’t have a ton of depth — which is to be expected since it’s Jersey Shore / housewives vibes. I would recommend this if you’re looking for brain rot vibes

2.75 rounded up to 3, I had high hopes for this one. As a fan of trashy reality tv, I was looking for something juicy and drama filled with a splash of mystery but sadly The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey did not live up to it. I found the characters to be so uninteresting and one dimensional, the murders themselves to be rushed and a little anticlimactic, and the murderers were easy to guess as well as the reasoning behind it. In saying all of that, I find my biggest bummer with this one was the pacing. We spend half the book getting to know the goddesses and so little time on the actual main plot line (murder) only for it to be rushed and give us a very boring "one year later" update at the end. Sadly, I think this will be my first and last book by Astrid Dahl as there was nothing really intriguing about her writing, plots, or characters that makes me want to read anything else by her.

**3.5-stars**

'Footage first, feelings never.'

Hope is the newest cast member on the popular reality television show, Garden State Goddesses. After her cousin, Eden, the program's showrunner, introduced her to Leo Fontana, of the show's infamous Fontana family, the two fell in love and their wedding kicked off the first episode of this latest season. Garden State Goddesses mainly focuses on the Fontana family, Sicilian-Americans located in Shady Grove, New Jersey.

Soft-spoken, doe-eyed singer/songwriter, Hope, who originally hails from Northern California, is a fish out of water amongst the rest of the cast. She's struggling to find her place; uncertain and self-conscious. Hope's new sister-in-law, Carmela, is the Queen Bee of the family, and the show. She's less than elated by Hope's presence and doesn't pull any punches, making Hope uncomfortable at every turn.

Drama is top on the menu throughout this story, until eventually, someone ends up dead. Everyone has motives. Everyone is acting suspicious, but whodunit and is anyone else in danger?

I was sucked into this story fairly quickly. The set-up was interesting and I loved meeting all the characters. Dahl had me grabbing my popcorn early and often. I love how she chose to include Confessional sections, which makes perfect sense with regards to the reality show production. I thought Eden did a good job of digging information out of these cast members.

I felt like Hope was a bit of wet noodle, so I agreed with Carmela on that one, but it was fun watching her try to fit in and get along. It's clear she had a bit of shady history and I liked watching as all that was revealed. While some things I thought seemed obvious, I was never sure and loved guessing what was actually going on. It kept me engaged and flipping pages at a frantic pace.

Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where I was loving it for the first 80-85%, and then it lost my interest at the end. Admittedly, I was slightly-disappointed with the way it wrapped-up. I did like some elements of the conclusion, including a last minute mini-reveal, but I also felt like certain aspects were drawn out unnecessarily.

For most of it though, oh my word, was I having fun. The 'propulsive page-turner' comment in the synopsis is spot-on. I never knew what was going to be revealed next. I don't watch reality television, but I can see how it could be addictive. I feel Dahl absolutely succeeded in bringing those vibes to the page. I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy OTT-drama and intrigue.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me a copy to read and review. I appreciated how Dahl really leaned into the reality show concept. It was a lot of fun!

I absolutely loved Perfume and Pain, but Anna Doran’s follow-up, writing as Astrid Dahl, didn’t vibe with me. There’s nothing wrong with the writing or the story—I’m sure others will love it—but it just wasn’t for me.

If you like any of the Real Housewives franchises, you’ll likely love this off-the-rails messy in the best way novel. Fans of Anna Dorn’s Perfume & Pain will recognize this as protagonist Astrid Dahl’s masterpiece—genius!

Astrid Dahl’s The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a deliciously over-the-top cocktail of dark humor, suspense, and drama that feels like your favorite guilty pleasure reality show with a body count. Set around the “Garden State Goddesses,” a group of glamorous, backstabbing women, the story begins with juicy drama and escalating tension between the well-known women on the show and Hope, a new arrival who shakes things up. The dynamic rivalries, secrets, and behind-the-scenes feuds build up to a shocking death that turns everything on its head.

What made this book such a standout for me was how entertaining it was. Dahl does not hold back, delivering campy fun and drama with every twist and turn. The confessionals sprinkled between chapters were such a great addition, giving us a behind-the-scenes peek at the characters' motives and making the whole thing feel like a binge-worthy TV show. Hope’s background added another layer of intrigue, giving the story unexpected depth and making it even more compelling.

If you love stories that combine satire, suspense, and absurdity, this one is for you. With its sharpness, outrageous moments, and an ensemble cast you love to hate, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is the ultimate page-turner.

This was fun! I really enjoyed being able to read a book by Astrid Dahl after reading Perfume & Pain later last year. I definitely can see where she was going with this - the angry Italian housewives always at odds with each other - and it was a unique story that I haven't seen before! I will say that although I did generally enjoy this, the pacing was a bit odd and it took me out of the story. It felt like some parts were dragging, then we jumped ahead and the mystery revelations came out of nowhere. This was a super fun read, I just don't know if i'll revisit in the future.

Anna Dorn is a fucking genius. Lemme give you some necessary background for those jumping into this book unfamiliar with the meta world she’s building here.
“Astrid Dahl” is the protagonist of Dorn’s previous novel Perfume & Pain, a lesbian novelist struggling to come up with ideas for her new book (Dahl is even a stand-in for Dorn in P&P with references to her previous books) and gets inspired to pivot to a trashy book about housewives. So this is THAT book, with Dorn writing under Dahl as a pseudonym, and Dorn assumes the character of Dahl even in interviews about this novel.

This is a bit of a departure from Dorn’s previous more literary work, and I kinda think it served as an excuse for her to just write something fun and trashy, although there are definitely still hints of Dorn’s style in there. It’s definitely a love letter to Real Housewives fans - I personally prefer her other stuff but Dead Wives is for sure a fun romp and very bingeable

First thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

Synopsis: Eden is the showrunner of the garden state goddesses a very popular reality tv show. Her cousin Hope is on it as the outsider. Things are going really well until it goes too far

What I liked: I’m a real housewives fan and this was super fun. It was the best parts of Jersey and getting the behind the scenes gossip too. Eden and Hope are cousins but very different. Eden is all about getting ahead. The first half seem to move a little slow but the second half moved very fast. I would have liked it to balance out a little. I could you see you not enjoying this if you were not a housewives fan.

I had such a great time reading this one! The story was engaging and I loved the reality tv vibe. It took a bit to learn each character, but once I did, I was totally invested. I felt like each character had depth and a distinctive personality, which made it feel even more like watching tv. I really loved the back and forth between “filming” and breaking the third wall, it kept it exciting. I thought the twists and turns were great and the ending has me salivating for me. I’ll definitely read book 2!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl was an interesting and quirky read, with a fun premise that blends mystery and dark humor. While the characters were lively and the story had its moments of intrigue, I felt it lacked a bit of depth and coherence at times. The pacing could have been tighter, and some plot points felt underdeveloped. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not one that fully captivated me.

In some ways, I feel like this story was turned into two books. The first half of the book somewhat made sense, while the second half did not.

Then again, isn't that how "reality TV" is? Nothing really makes sense and bizarre things happen all of the time to disjoint the plot that you originally thought you were getting.

I saw a LOT of similarities between the characters of the book to the "real housewives" of (insert show here, but mostly New Jersey).

That was fun and kept the story interesting. However, once the "killing" started, it just kind of went off the rails.

Still, the book was a campy romp and I think fans of the "Real Housewives" will get a kick out of this book.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for an e-copy of THE REALLY DEAD WIVES OF NEW JERSEY to review.

I rate THE REALLY DEAD WIVES OF NEW JERSEY three out of five stars.

This book was an experience. I watch some reality TV but have never ventured into the Housewives world, so this book wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I liked the idea of a murder mystery on a reality TV set, and I think there was a lot of potential there. Unfortunately, the mystery part of the story didn’t really start until more than 50% of the way into the book. The first half of the book was a lot of setup for the characters and the TV show. I feel like this setup could have been done while the mystery was being investigated instead of squishing the mystery plot into the end. Also, it seems like a lot of time was spent on things that really didn’t matter (the characters acting like typical Housewives) while larger plot points (fake pregnancies, affairs, etc.) were just casually mentioned and never expanded on. Also, for all of the time spent on setup in the beginning, there was not enough character development. By the end, I didn’t really care about or know any of the characters. Although I finished this one and it seems the plot has been left open for more in a series, I don’t think I will be continuing.