Raucous good time. Astrid Dahl has truly written a thought provoking yet hilarious look into reality TV. My favorite.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

(3.5/5, rounded up)

In case you've never read any of my reviews, I am in love with Anna Dorn's writing. I will recommend any and all of her books to anyone and anything that is able to absorb her words into their brains, don't care how.

Astrid Dahl, however, is sadly just not my jam.
Going into this I was already weary since I'm not a fan of any of The Real Housewives series, nor do I like KUWTK. I'm down for reality TV, that wasn't the problem. Like in the tv shows, you get 873645 characters thrown at you at once and are expected to be able to keep track of them all. (*I do want to note here that toward the front of the book there's a list of each cast member along with a snippet of info as to their relationships/backgrounds. That would have been so so so so helpful if I had the a physical copy, however I had a kindle version and wasn't able to jump to that page very easily. Yes, I'm lazy. Yes, that's perhaps more of a "me" problem than the book's problem. You know what opinions are like, right? Everybody has one? They all stink?) Ideally this will be resolved for the final, official copy - I can't imagine it wouldn't have a direct link like each chapter of a book often does.

Even without so many names though, I likely would still only give this 3.5/5. The "deadly" part of The Real Deadly felt like it was hardly mentioned. I'll give you a simile, "Deadly" is to the title as the 5sec teaser of a reality tv show's next ep that's really way more about random, pointless drama than anything having to do w said teaser is to RHOBH's full episodes.

The more I think about it the more I feel like this just wasn't for me personally, but could definitely be right on the mark for another brand of unhinged girlie.

PS Since this is by Astrid I can still say I'm obsessed w ALL of Anna's books, right? Ugh

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Astrid Dahl, Anna Dorn and publisher Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl is a wickedly fun murder mystery set against the backdrop of reality TV drama. When Hope Bennett marries into the powerful Fontana family and becomes part of the Garden State Goddesses, tensions flare, and long-buried secrets come to light. A sudden murder shakes things up, and the show's producer, Eden, scrambles to solve the crime while keeping the most dramatic season on air.

Packed with humor, scandal, and suspense, this book is an entertaining read that blends reality TV chaos with a whodunit twist. Fans of drama-filled mysteries will love it!

A fun and campy read! If you love the Real Housewives franchise, this book is going to win your heart! A pure gem of a read, satirical and entertaining.

I love a reality show but what I love even more is a behind the scenes story.
In Meet the Garden State Goddesses, we get both ! A very familiar story of wealthy vicious women who are
encouraged to partake in drugs and alcohol to fuel on screen drama.

Eden is the somewhat heartless show runner who has brought her cousin in as a ringer. Little does she know, the seemingly innocent Hope
has secrets of her own. I loved the beginning the book and could have read that story forever. But, as the title reveals, someone dies - I liked that portion as well but just not as much. Astrid Dahl has a great plotting pace and voice and I can't wait to read another book she writes!
#simon&shuster #thereallydeadwivesofnewjersey #astriddahl

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

Wow! This was an amazing book ! I couldn't put it down. I needed to know how it was going to end. If it's possible, I may say that this book is even better than Perfume and Pain. This book was super addicting and juicy and I absolutely loved it! I hope Astrid Dahl writes more books in the future (and perhaps in collaboration with Anna Dorn??) ;)

Pick this book up January 14th 2025. You won't regret it!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

The Anna Dorn literary universe has expanded once again with The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey. This was a fun book! Anna Dorn/Astrid Dahl is one of my favorite authors, and her newest novel did not disappoint. A fun thriller with a reality TV backdrop that’s perfect for people who crave good drama stories and piping hot tea. Dorn/Dahl is a master at writing really interesting characters and their interpersonal drama, and for someone who is a fan of her work, you will not be disappointed.

The way I cancelled any plans to read other books in my TBR when I got pre-approved for this book. If you read Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn, you'll know who Astrid Dahl is (and if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for???).

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is the story of the Fontana women who star the popular reality TV show Garden State Goddesses. These women are wealthy and have extravagant lifestyles that are exploited for public entertainment, but real drama starts when an outsider from California marries into the family and tries to adapt to their dynamics.

I don't want to give much away to avoid spoilers but the pacing of this comedy-drama-mystery is chef-kiss. Even though I'm not a big reality TV watcher, I found the writing very provocative and funny. I was pretty satisfied with the ending too. Highly recommend!

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey takes a playful stab at reality TV culture with its campy and satirical tone. While not as laugh-out-loud funny or intricate as some of her other works, it still delivers a quirky, entertaining experience. For those who enjoy reality TV, this novel offers a fun, exaggerated glimpse into that world, but if you’re not a fan of the genre, the humor might not hit as hard. That said, Dorn's signature messy-girl energy remains, making it a quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for emailing me this book in advance! Thanks netgalley, Anna Dorn and Astrid Dahl!!

Garden State Goddess is Huzzah’s third most popular show following the lives of Reneé Ricci, Birdie St. Clair, and Carmela Fontana. When Leo Fontana takes a new wife in Hope Bennett she quickly becomes not only a Fontana, but a Goddess too. And the cast seems very weary about this choice.

Much like any other reality show; secrets are revealed, feuds that have been festering for decades surface and a mysterious murder at a party leads the showrunner Eden to race to find the killer. Written by Astrid Dahl of Anna Dorn’s Perfume and Pain this book was the messy queer thriller of my dreams.

It has it all; glamour, humor, trash reality. It’s campy and over the top and I loved every minute of it. Did I guess a lot of the thrillers twists? Yes. But did I care? No because I was having too much fun with the characters. I myself, never dabbled too deeply into any of the real housewives franchises but always have seen the viral moments and understood the references. I did get into New York for a hot minute and do love Bethany, but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten. That being said, I KNOW this book embodies those women and is a love letter of sorts to the chaotic women that make up those shows. Paired with messy love affairs, queer and otherwise, and armchair detective work it really sets this thriller apart from anything I’ve ever read.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for emailing me this book in advanced. Thank you netgalley, Anna Dorn and Astrid Dahl 😉

Astrid Dahl was the lead of Anna Dorn's Perfume & Pain, one of my top new releases of 2024 (so far) and is high up on my list of favourite messy queer women protagonists. So ofc when I got the email inviting me to read her upcoming The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey, I said "uh, fuck yeah" to myself and immediately added it to my reader.

It came as no surprise that messy as fuck Astrid Dahl would write more messy as fuck queer women, and when you add on the fact that it's a murder mystery taking place during the filming of a trashy reality show, OF COURSE I'm going to love it.

I don't even care that the mystery wasn't all that mysterious bc I was having such a great time with the characters.

More, please.