Book Review Wednesday: One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose

 I first heard of Jeneva Rose during the pandemic when she went viral talking about her novel, "The Perfect Marriage". I love hearing and watching authors talk about their books so I was intrigued. It just so happened, that her latest novel, "One of Us is Dead" popped up on Netgalley and I was approved for an arc.

One of Us Is Dead will be released on April 26th but I finished reading it a few weeks ago and was completely obsessed. It was an addictive novel that I read within 24 hours... I could not put it down.

Publisher's Summary

Meet the women of Buckhead—a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.

Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …

Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …

Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …

Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?

Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead—and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.

My Thoughts

As much as I loved this book, I have to admit that it had a rocky start. It took a little while to get used to the writing style and it seemed corny and rushed. However, once the plot picked up and the characters were established, everything seemed to flow a bit better.

There are multiple plot points, multiple POVs, and a lot of drama. To me, that is a recipe for a perfect domestic thriller. I loved the storytelling as well, how Jenny, the owner of the salon the women of Buckhead frequented was the narrator, and a reliable one at that. I enjoyed how they gave us an inside look at her talks with the detectives, so you know starting out that this is a murder mystery. 

What I didn't expect is how we get there: these women are vicious but aside from Olivia, you're rooting for all of them. Olivia was probably one the evilest, manipulative, disgusting characters I've ever read. Otherwise, everyone was pretty likable, even if they weren't supposed to be.

The ladies of Buckhead reminded me of a cross between Desperate Housewives, Big Little Lies, and Pretty Little Liars. It definitely has remanents of those woven throughout and it paid off big time: this was a book where you really didn't see the ending coming and the mystery was impossible to figure out. 

At the climax of the novel, my jaw was dropped the entire time and it was a huge twist. It was one of the bigger twists I've read in my days, and one that I think will stick with me for a while. 

I cannot say enough good things about this book; One of Us Is Dead is an easy, thrilling read that keeps you entertained, on your toes, and salivating for what is going to happen next. I would highly recommend it to anyone, even those who don't really like thrillers too much because it's not as dark or twisted as some others out there.

xoxo

B