I don’t know why I always gravitate towards books about possible cannibalism, but yet, here I am again! I adored this. Just the right amount of suspense with a dash of some dark wittiness. It was a little predictable but sometimes we need books like that. I thoroughly enjoyed this to the very end! I will definitely be reading more from this author. Every chapter ends with a recipe which I thought was so neat. Honestly will be trying a few of them myself, minus the dead husband 🙃

Thank you NetGalley, publishers, and author for this ARC!

Oh my, I went into this one blind and loved every second of it. Keep me on my toes and confused about what was really happening till the last page. Highly recommend if you want to have disturbing fun.

Cannibalism, murder and twists galore, what else could you want? This book reminded me a lot of Sweeney Todd, and was just as fun as the movie

WHAT was this even?! I loved it so much. Aside from some "setting the stage" activities that were fairly transparent in the beginning, I I didn't know where this was going from one page to the next. I loved the recipes interspersed though the chapters and will definitely be buying a copy upon release and showcasing some recipes.

Also, that ending? I literally gasped in the lunchroom at work. Wild.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was such a fun, unique read. i went on a rollercoaster ride with this and i would def recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book hooked me from the beginning. Did she kill her husband? What happened to him? Is he.. in the meatballs? I was not disappointed!

"The Dead Husband Cookbook" is an exceptionally captivating read. Each page draws the reader in further, creating an eagerness to continue to the next. The book is filled with twists on multiple fronts, making it difficult to predict the outcome, which keeps the reader engaged throughout. The unique storyline adds to the memorable experience.

While the themes of death and murder are prominent, the book also delves into heavier, more relatable themes that prompt reflection on one's personal life. Although I am not a mother, I can relate to the main character's situation through the experiences of many mothers I know. The protagonist works full-time, handles all household chores, cooks dinner, cares for their child, while the husband remains indifferent. This age-old story resonates with many, providing a sense of shared experience.

On a personal note, the book addresses the issue of bad parenting, which I found particularly impactful. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "When you no longer need your parents, you treat them the way they treated you when you were little." This statement is both profound and relatable. Although the book follows the story of the missing husband, these other themes often take precedence.

I would have rated this book five stars if not for the "creepy" factor associated with its "true crime" genre. I believe true crime should remain distinct from the creepy/jump scare genre.

This is a classic example of finishing a book and then running to check the reviews because I’m fully expecting other people to feel the same way as I do…only to find out everyone loved it and I’m just over here, alone, because I hated it 😭

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

My three biggest issues were that:

1. The entire thing just felt incredibly unrealistic. I don’t feel like a book editor would actually go to stay with an author while editing their book and I feel like it would raise major red flags if she did and then suddenly stopped having access to the outside world. I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away and that also didn’t feel realistic or satisfying to me—and more to the point, her husband’s mother did what she did for Maria and then when Thea called asking about Maria and whether or not she actually saw her at the hospital the night her husband died, it didn’t raise any kind of alarm in her or her son? She didn’t tell her husband who she was going to edit for before she left but when she’s been super hard to reach and then out of the blue, she calls to ask about your secret stepmother, it doesn’t take a genius to put those pieces together.

2. There were soooo many moving parts to this story and it didn’t feel like any of them came together in a satisfying way in the end. Like you’re telling me Amy went to all the trouble of seeking out Maria’s son in order to gain access to the house…and was careless enough to be overheard by multiple people talking on her “secret” phone? And then was able to be talked out of writing her book in less than an afternoon? I dunno, it’s such a pet peeve of mine when authors present characters with big energies and so much motivation for their cause but then don’t provide downfalls or solutions with the same amount of force.

3. The book within a book and the recipe inserts after every chapter were really weird. I guess she was trying to add to the authenticity of a character but idk, I’m not stopping to read recipes I’m not going to cook in the middle of a thriller novel. Interesting choice but it didn’t pan out for me.

Overall, it wasn’t terrible but I wouldn’t recommend it.

The Dead Husband Cookbook blew my expectations out of the water. This was such a fun mystery that I could not put down. I enjoy when a book within a book is done well & this was done very well here. The book takes us through solving the mystery of what happened to Maria’s husband through her memoir being read one chapter at a time by editor Thea. Some of the puzzle pieces were obvious, but seeing the puzzle come together all at the end was satisfying. Another win for Danielle Valentine.

Oh this was juicy!!! I love a great book that hints at a few really dark and mysterious things. This story follows publisher, Thea Woods who scores the biggest novel of the decade, a cookbook with Maria Capello. Maria, an infamous chef has a mysterious background given her dead husband and fellow famous chef, Damien. Thea is asked to edit Maria's book while living in her home.... and learning all of the inside secrets. Thea starts to regret this project as she learns more about Maria and the possibility that Damien was murdered.

Such a fun read! Major Verity vibes!!

Overall, the plot and character arcs were engaging; however, I felt a little underwhelmed with the ending. There were so many micro-stories to build the suspense around their family that it almost felt like there was too much going on. Quite a few of the background stories felt as if they were just tacked on at the last minute. I would not usually have a problem with this; however, the ending was so much more brutish than the calculative Maria we saw all along… it just felt as if it was a shock factor. Nothing else in the book really aligned with it. Especially in a mystery story where little clues along the way suddenly click together at the end. The micro-stories we got along the way just felt pointless. Everything the reader received to understand the plot twist at the end was at the end. Though it was a medium-paced book, not a lot of clues were scattered throughout the middle to give me that “aha” moment. A lot of it just didn’t feel complete. There were just too many dots that weren’t being connected along the way for me to truly feel fully satisfied with the ending.

Also, I felt the relationship between Maria and Thea could’ve been fleshed out a lot more. It was a very interesting take on mommy issues and would’ve loved to really felt more happening between them.

As a whole this was a three and a half star for me. There were a lot of loose ends however, it was engaging enough to keep me up at night reading.

Maria Capello has the recipe for the perfect murder. After her husband’s disappearance, she gained his fame and legacy overnight and is now ready to talk about their life in her new memoir.
Thea Woods is a publisher, and huge fan, that has been personally requested by Maria, but why? Under strange conditions she is able to read the one and only manuscript at Maria’s estate. Will Maria’s ‘secret ingredient’ be revealed?

This was such a delicious and delightful read that mixes suspense, mystery, and all the aspects that you want in a celebrity cookbook! I personally loved the recipe additions with the clever, and vindictive, plot inspired names. The build up of suspense and mystery surrounding Maria is so addictive that it’s hard to put the book down!

To me, this novel gave Giada’s kitchen vibes with Hannibal Lecter leading the show. Maria was sweet, powerful, manipulative, charismatic and someone I would want in my kitchen!

The plot of the novel and the introduction of the memoir and recipes were all laid out like a beautiful 3 course meal and it leaves you hungry for more.
Certain aspects of the plot that were introduced repetitively ended up foreshadowing the end of the book; but, there are many twists and turns that are baked in to keep you guessing whether or not the foreshadowing is true.

Valentine is a mastermind that emulsifies multiple genres to create a dark, and beautifully delicious tale of murder, family and the secret ingredient that ties us all together.
I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC and for giving me the chance to write a honest review.

I really was enjoying this book at first. But now it's hard to keep my attention and seems like it is dragging on. I had to DNF.

A slow-simmering thriller with sharp flavors of intrigue, confusion, and decades-long family drama. Deception and misbelief thicken the plot, while character misdirection garnishes the twist ending.

Thea Woods, tenuously-employed editor at a boutique printing press, has landed the gig of a lifetime: the memoir of Maria Capello, a celebrity chef steeped in mystery since her husband’s disappearance decades before. Thea doesn’t know why Maria has picked her and saved her career, but she’s willing to meet any of Maria’s exacting demands. Stay at her cold, austere mansion in the middle of nowhere? Absolutely. Edit the book, chapter by chapter, without internet or phone? Sure. Not ask questions about the locked doors and hidden outbuildings of the estate? Easier said than done…
That’s not to mention the rumors circulating around Capello. Rumors that she killed her renowned chef husband for his recipes. And that they never found the body because Capello used him in her cooking. And then there’s the special ingredient she sprinkles over every dish she makes. As the Capello family seems more and more suspicious, Thea tries to cut through the heart of the tension… before she ends up with pieces cut out of her.

I was pleasantly surprised by this thriller. I’ve been so burned out lately on these types of psychological suspense novels either because they’re predictable and formulaic or because they push the limits of my suspension of disbelief in order to chase a (usually lackluster) “clever twist” or “heart-pounding climax”. The Dead Husband Cookbook chooses instead a gothic, slow creep, disturbing-things-in-your-periphery approach. It immerses the reader, ratcheting up the temperature in the background while Thea tries to unravel the mystery. By the time she realizes she’s in hot water, it’s far too late to disentangle herself from the Capello’s.

I also enjoyed the character misdirection. Rather than an unreliable narrator, we instead have a logical, clearheaded main character who is struggling with the deliberate obfuscation of truth. It is more far more interesting to watch a smart narrator puzzling her way through decades of family secrets rather than a debatably-sane narrator grappling with their own internal issues. The Dead Husband Cookbook writes compelling protagonist(s), antagonist(s), and (questionable?) side characters that are acting on their own agendas in tangled and fascinating ways. Everyone has ulterior motives – and it’s up to the reader to uncover what everyone wants and is hiding.

A deliciously dark and twisty read! As Thea edits celebrity chef Maria’s memoir from her remote farm, rumors of murder and a cooking empire built on secrets start to feel a little too real. The story-within-a-story structure kept me hooked, and the scattered recipes added an immersive (and slightly unsettling) touch. Perfect for fans of culinary drama with a sinister edge—though I might be passing on meatballs for a while.

The food network girlies are going to love this. I had a hard time getting into the writing style, but the story was interesting and it was a good short read.

The Dead Husband Cookbook is an absolutely fun read!

It is about an editor named Thea, who is on thin ice at work, and she is chosen to editor the memoir of famous chef Maria, whose husband allegedly committed suicide years ago. However, the story about her husband, is fishy, and rumors from murder to cannibalism have spread. Will Thea finally find out the truth?

I loved how twisty this book it. There were moments where I wasnt sure who to trust, nor was Maria the most reliable narrator in her memoir.

I love that the book was split up between, Thea’s perspective and Maria’s memoir. It was a great way to find parallels in each others’ lives. I also love the inclusion of recipes through the book. Very cool.

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmarks for giving me the eArc. The Dead Husband Cookbook comes out August 5, 2025.

‘A deliciously rich thriller, perfect for readers of Bella Mackie's How To Kill Your Family and Alexia Casale's The Best Way to Bury Your Husband’

Well this was an unexpected and oh so devious delight!

The sprinkled recipes throughout were fantastic, but the recipe titles were the best! I lived for the recipes!

Valentine is one to watch. Clearly incredibly talented. You won’t see these twists coming, but you will absolutely appreciate them!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this arc in exchange for review.

Pub: 8.5.2025.

If you ever had a food network and investigation discovery phase, this book is your perfect match! It was a wild ride, but I enjoyed every second of it. There is so much MORE happening than what you might think & it kept me on my toes. I cannot wait for this book to come out so everyone can experience the fun I had while reading!

This was a fun time!
Filled with so much family drama and suspense your heart will be pounding.
If your looking for a fast read with lots of twist and turns and an unexpected ending this one is for you!