When it was announced that there was a new book coming out called The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey, I was immediately seated. After I read the synopsis, I realized this book was going to be the perfect combination of reality TV and true crime.
As the biggest Bravo fan, reading a book about a fictional Real Housewives show taking place in New Jersey felt like coming home; it was familiar and like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
The book was so good and it teetered on the edge of fiction and real 'Bravo' life, which was so fun to pick apart because I was able to read between the lines.
Really Dead Wives had a bit of everything -- familial turbulence, wealth, fame, murder and secrets. Even if you're not a Housewives fan I think you would enjoy the book. It was definitely a page turner and I simply just needed to know how everything was going to play out...it surely didn't end the way I expected it to and I think there will be a sequel because it was left on a cliffhanger.
Publisher's Summary
When Hope Bennett marries Carmela’s brother, Leo, she becomes not only a Fontana, but a Garden State Goddess—and not everyone is happy. Secrets will be revealed, decades-long rivalries will surface, and a sudden murder will lead to a reality reckoning no one is prepared for—least of all the show’s producer, Eden, who must race to catch a killer and save the most dramatic season of all time.
My Thoughts
As I said, I really enjoyed this book and I'm so happy I finally read it. If you don't watch Bravo, I might sound a bit nuts throughout the review but stay with me here.
Carmela is Teresa Giudice. Hope is a little bit Melissa. Renee could be a bit of a Dolores character or even Caroline Manzo. I couldn't help but picture the women I know so well throughout this book because well, it's kind of based off of them, right?
As the book begins, you realize that someone dies but you're not sure who it is. Maybe it's a red herring; maybe it's just not that serious but then when you do realize, in the middle of the book, that someone was killed, you're never ready for that shock. I was truly stunned and it kind of set off the tone for the rest of the book.
The book continues, the plot picks up, but I didn't expect any of it to play out the way it did. It was shocking, thrilling and very unexpected which I think makes for a great novel.
We alternated between past and present timelines, switched POVs and got an inside look into each character's head...and we even got snippets of their confessionals which added so much color context to the story being told.
None of the characters were really likeable, but they're not supposed to be; not even the side characters who do take center stage at times were doing much for me but that made it even better. It really was like watching Bravo.
You could pick out pretty quickly, if you're paying close enough attention, who the killer is but it's still so twisted as it's revealed. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending; it felt kind of random and like the other shoe was about to drop which I guess it is since we left off on a cliffhanger.
One of my favorite tidbits was how the author wove in real life Housewives moments into the book -- there was a Reality Von Tease dupe, a mention of Dorinda Medley, and Carmela even flipped a table at one point. There was even a nod to 'Homeless, Not Toothless' that sent me cackling!
At the beginning of each 'part', there was an iconic Housewives quote that set the stage for what we would see in the following chapters. It was the perfect touch and centered you in the universe.
If you love Bravo, if you love true crime or any trashy reality television, you would really like The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey.
xoxo
B
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