I loved this book! One to keep an eye on for 2024 for sure! Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC on Netgalley!

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, four women unexpectedly bond over the unthinkable; the best way to bury your husband.

I could not put this book down. The story is is described as a black comedy, but it is so much more than that. It is a tale of friendship, strength and determination. It also highlights the plight of so many women who are subjected to domestic violence, both physically and emotionally.

Every character was lovable, and this is a rarity. My favourite has to be Edwina, and while I figured the final twist before the story’s conclusion, it was a satisfying ending nonetheless.

What a great first read for 2024.

“On average, a woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK: in the vast majority of cases, that man is a current or former partner. At the start of Covid lockdown, the femicide rate doubled - in the first three weeks, fourteen women were killed where a man was suspected of, or charged with, the crime”

Alexia Casale’s “The Best Way to Bury Your Husband” is a dark comedy that highlights the struggles of domestic abuse. This book follows four women who accidentally murder their violent husbands and the attempts to cover up their crimes.

I felt a little guilty for enjoying this so much. It’s a very emotive subject, but this book is amusing, light hearted and focuses mainly on the friendship and camaraderie between the women. I really got behind Sally and her companions and I warmed to all the characters, especially Edna, and I was desperate for them to succeed. It made me laugh, it made me cry, the suspenseful scenes made me anxious for them.

A big well done to the author. A tricky subject to tackle as a comedy, whilst still raising awareness and compassion for a very real societal issue.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for my advanced copy.

This book will suck you in from the first page. It’s a story that flows well which makes it an easy read which some funny parts alongside some sad. The main story focuses on a group of women and their survival story after domestic violence. I found myself routing for a group of women that effectively murdered their husbands. I wanted them to get away with it and I was so proud of them when they did and could live their lives pretty much happily ever after.

A fun read despite the macabre plot and the somewhat unbelievable scenario that there are four women, in close proximity, trying to get rid their husband's bodies. But, this is what makes this book such a brilliant read. It does, however, highlight the struggles of women in domestic abuse situations and how this was exacerbated by Lockdown. I loved all the different characters including the ever watchful feisty neighbour. Such a diverse mix of women all from different backgrounds but coming together makes up a good feel about it all despite the bodies. I think, amongst other things, it makes the reader more aware of domestic abuse and things to look out for to maybe help someone who needs it.

This is a funny book which touches on real serious topics such as domestic abuse and murder. The book begins by us meeting Sally in lockdown and she has just killed her abusive husband Jim. She then meets other women who also have dead husbands at home and together they decide to join forces to come up with a plan to explain their missing husbands. The book made me laugh and although I shouldn't have, I did really like the female characters. Overall the book does make you seriously think about the abuse women suffer at the hands of men but there is also hope, resilience, friendship and love there as well. I will be recommending this to others

4 stars

Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC copy and an honest review.

I had mixed feelings going into this book as I’ve read a lot of books previously with similar titles that have been a letdown.
This was actually amazing and the writing was incredible. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know more.

I felt very sorry for Sally as she was in an abusive relationship set in the pandemic and you can see why she did what she did. We see the crime from the beginning and till the end.
You see a handful of other characters, them all coming together to help.

I felt happy, sad, upset and I even laughed a few times reading this.

This book comes out March 2024 and I recommend you preorder this book! It will be worth the wait.
Also please read the trigger warnings and the authors note firstly.

The book is what the title says. "The best way to bury your husband"
Four friends and one dead husband. A dark and funny book that will make you laugh out loud!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance digital copy of The Best Way to Bury Your Husband for review 💗

The Best Way to Bury Your Husband features four women in a suburban town who all seek to take action against their abusive husbands during the “unprecedented times” of the pandemic. The first, and main woman we meet is Sally, who didn’t mean to bash her husbands head in with a skillet (honest!) just prior to her husband’s death, and stay with her in the weeks following as she grows into herself again and comes into contact with other women living under similar circumstances.

Despite its tough subject this book has surprisingly numerous funny moments. I didn’t think I’d enjoy this as much as I did - or rather, I thought it would be a much more humourless book than it was. The subject of this book being domestic abuse and the rise of violence against women seen during the pandemic is so incredibly important to learn about for everyone, and Alexia Casale uses this heartwarming and funny story to discuss a complex issue that is all too often swept under the rug.

The title of this book had me really looking forward to reading it and it definitely lived up to expectations.
It was very witty and heartwarming. Slightly predictable in places, but in a satisfying way.
It was a refreshing take on the many pandemic/lockdown stories that are around now.
It also highlighted a very distressing fact about the rise in violence against women during lockdown. The figures are quite terrifying and so heartbreaking. It's a very good way of using humour and lightheartedness as a way to push forward a very serious message.
I would definitely recommend to friends and family.

The idea of the story line is really well thought out. I feel it could have been a lot more intriguing had the story line not taken as long.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't the book I expected and I'm so glad. I was expecting a book about four women who had murdered their husbands in cold blood but this turned our to be about four women who accidentally kill their husbands during the pandemic after finally fighting back against years of domestic violence and controlling behaviour and then have to try and dispose of them during a national lockdown.

The book is light-hearted but so sensitively told that the humour doesn't feel out of place or like it's trying to belittle what these women have been through. The characters felt very real - like they could be everyday people. that anyone could meet in the street or in the park. I think this was an important part of the story to show this can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, financial status, culture. This was a story of friendship and bravery with a few bags of dead husband parts thrown in!

There are descriptions of some of the violence endured so if this is a very sensitive subject for you then tread carefully but it is so worth reading.

This book is definitely a keeper, as someone who actually quite enjoyed the COVID lockdowns the topic made me stop and think.

It made me laugh, made me cry, the relationships that were forged through adversity were well thought out and described. Especially between Sally and Edwina, have to say I did have an inkling of how that whole plot point turned out. Didn't make the book any less enjoyable though.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

4* A British tale that works because it's somehow plausible, and without the convoluted wackyness of a suburbian American version that's almost imaginable on the small screen, with all the Housewives Of... series that abound.


This book is hard to describe and almost surreal, but it's also not, when you consider what the females had to contend with with the spouses that they had, especially during 2020 lockdown. I pretty much empathised with them all, but as an Asian born and brought up here, I didn't understand why the Muslim females didn't speak up for themselves more. I mean, one of the daughters balked at talk of an arranged marriage, but the emancipated-in-some-ways-compared-to-some mother was just too lacking in action until she did what she did, which kind of didn't gel as much as the other deaths did. I'd have loved to see this book as a miniseries, because it is LOL in some parts, and tragic in others, and then you have the absolute KICKER of an ending that I hadn't seen coming. In hindsight, yes, I missed stuff because of the differing POVS and the back-and-forth and at times, eye rolling that was required, but it was a decent tale and at the end, it had me wishing that my immigrant mum, a victim of DA for many, many years, had had these females around her. Perhaps her life, and mine, would've been less...damaged.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin UK, for my reading pleasure.

I couldn’t give this book any less than five stars! I tore through it in 24hrs and the premise will be one I think about often for a long time to come.

While the plot is decidedly grim (a group of woman brought together after they kill their husbands) it is also absolutely hilarious. The dialogue and quips between the women were so funny and the bond that grows between them was heartwarming.

As someone who experienced the Covid Lockdown in relative peace (I’m aware of what a privilege that is) it was quite shocking to read through the statistics of domestic violence and homicide at the end of the novel. So while this book will stay with me for the characters and witty banter, it’s given me a lot to think about on a much deeper level too.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

A well written book with some great characters. Didn't find it remotely funny, darkly or otherwise. Quite a harrowing read at times but an important topic. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I feel like I need a bit more time to digest this one.
Some parts were slow, but on the whole, a different, enjoyable read.
I can't deny it's made me think more about domestic violence and homicide, but then my opinions have been up and down like a yo-yo.

Likeable characters, the female ones, a few laughs along the way but also a few confusing bits. The bit in the cave just seemed to creep up on me.

Loved the relationship between Sally and Edwina - saw the last bit coming,.
but it was welcome.

The concept of this book is brilliant, and the intent behind it is incredibly impactful, because it’s highlighting a really important issue, however, the execution wasn’t without its faults.

Sally has been suffering domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, something which has been even more isolating due to the constrictions placed on the world because of Covid. It’s not as if she meant to cave his head in with the skillet, she just sort of snapped and suddenly it was done. What else do you expect from a woman at breaking point? But what happens now? Surely, she is in this situation completely alone? Or might she find some help in the unlikeliest of places.

What I found the most irritating is that the novel initially is written from different points of view. This meant we were getting the thoughts and feelings of the four main women in the story. However, later it switched to just Sally’s point of view, and that’s when it became a little more stagnant and formulaic. I think if it continued being a split narrative, it would have been stronger as some of the other characters had more to say.

Although humorous at times, it also fell flat on occasions and I felt that it dragged somewhat. There was also a section of the book which seemed very out of place and went on for way too long without making much sense. Plot holes became bigger and the situation became unbelievable to the point where it ruined what was such a solid start.

I was left saddened that this wasn’t better.

This is a book of 4 victims of domestic abuse who fight back, either accidentally or planned. When they find themselves coming together, they have to come up with a plan to bury their husbands and literally get away with murder.
I found a lot of this book repetitive and slow moving. The actual scheme was very fast paced but I did enjoy the pace and storyline of the ending, despite predicting it.

This is a tough one and not for everyone. Darkly funny and highly readable, Alexia Casale touches on the dark and common issue of domestic violence, set during lockdown, this novel is dark and real just what I like.