The Best Way To Bury Your Husband is aptly set amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, using dark humour to explore the impact of isolation on domestic abuse.

Told from the perspective of four women, we witness the launch of the 'Lockdown Ladies Burial Club' and the lengths good friends will go to protect the people they love when oppressed. The humorous aspect helps to convey important messages, adding new depth to complex emotions without making the topic emotionally draining.

If you enjoyed How to Murder Your Family and Killers of a Certain Age you'll love this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the much-appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Humour lightens the dark theme of this book without hiding away from the fact that lockdown was a trying time for many families up and down the country. Its a novel about families, unlikely friendships and a sisterhood borne out of a terrifying time when Covid wasn't the only thing the women in this novel had to fear.

This book doesn't make light of the seriousness of domestic violence but there is a dark humour in the antics of the women in this novel as under the watchful eye of their neighbourhood snitch Edwina they come together and attempt to cover up what happened.

Despite the subject I really enjoyed reading this one, its an uplifting novel of strength, determination and most of all friendship with a laugh or two and a twitching curtain along the way.

Keep reading at the end, the authors note is a thought provoking addition.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a very dark book. But it was a very enjoyable dark comedy (just the books I choose to relax and enjoy) the stuff I enjoyed most was the characters creating and the way they developed in the book. It has very funny moments and I end up laughing about it. It is a bit predictable but is a light good reading that some people may enjoy. The book is out in March 2024 but if you got the chance please preorder it. That helps the authors too.

During the Covid pandemic the protagonist, Sally, accidentally-on-purpose killed her husband, Jim, with her granny’s skillet. Jim was a mediocre man who inflicted two decades of violence, self-blame, and shame onto Sally leaving her at the breaking point where we pick up the story. It soon turns out that three other women in the area are in very similar situations as domestic abuse spikes during lockdown.

The narrative predominantly unfolds through Sally’s perspective but also delves into the lives of the other three women, as they attempt to dodge nosey neighbours, adjust to strict lockdown rules and figure out the best way to bury their husbands.

This is mainly told through a darkly humorous and entertaining lens but ultimately touches on some very deep themes and shines more light on the important issue of domestic abuse.

Like we often do, I’ll start with the bad. For me the plot execution wasn’t done as well as it could have been. Hear me out as this is difficult to explain but definitely won’t be a major problem for everyone. Sorry if this is a bit nit-picky.

The best way to summarise this is that the core of the story didn’t feel as believable as it probably should have done.

For example, there just happens to be four irredeemably abusive husbands who have all been killed by their partners within a very short time span and within four miles of each other. It’s a kind of absurd starting point, which is okay, but a lot of the book and its themes are so grounded in reality that it felt to me as though the absurdity of the situation was distracting. Then as things progressed, many situations and solutions the characters encountered felt unnatural and things kind of just fell into place.

So I think this is the best way I can describe it: Any story is bound by the rules of its own universe and this story is bound by reality. There are only so many convenient coincidences used to help the plot progress that a story can have before it takes the reader out of the world it’s built, and for me there were a few too many in this book to overlook. So this led to distractions that sometimes diverted me from all the good. Which I’ll get onto now!

The main thing I will praise about this book is how enjoyable it is to read. The writing itself was quick and flowed well. The characters were good fun, their growing friendships expanded fairly naturally and all of the main characters coming together to fix their problem was fun to experience. There’s something that works so well about a group of different people that have to come together to solve a common problem, and this book executed that very well. Some of the characters themselves were nicely fleshed out, I think Sally was well written and the people close to her such as her children were believable and fit her story well. The other women that made up the four main characters were not as well developed and I was hoping we’d get more on the relationship between Sally and Janey as it was mentioned a lot during the build up chapters at the start. But it was still enough for a satisfying read.

The pacing was also very good. There were moments where the story would take a serious turn and there would be excellent explanations of why some partners can’t ‘just leave them’, and just when you needed it, there would be a more lighthearted section to balance it out and move the story along to the next plot point.

I could also see this being turned into a film and I think it would make a great adaptation for the big screen! I started to think of the film, Keeping Mum, whilst reading as I feel like the tones are pretty similar.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable book that sheds light on a distressing reality. It does it with a lighthearted tone that captivates readers while effectively conveying its messages. It’s not without its flaws though, with sometimes unbelievable plot points and slightly weak characterisation that may take some readers out of the story, like it did for me. But I believe the people that will take the most from this book will very easily be able to overlook that and instead focus on how well it illustrates that with the support of friends and belief in yourself, survival becomes achievable.

3.5/5 rounded up to 4

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
It was a brilliant example of black humour whilst being breathtakingly thought provoking.
It encouraged me to consider the issues of domestic abuse which is something I consider myself lucky enough to know very little about.
I also loved how this was set in lockdown - the first book with that timeline I have come across!

I loved how Alexia has written this book. It's so funny and easy to read. The way she has treated the domestic violence concept is highly commendable.
I'd definitely recommend giving this a read!

This is a dark, clever, funny and extremely thought provoking book. I very much enjoyed it, the characters were great, the writing was fantastic, and it really highlighted some topics that need to be discussed in today's society more than ever. This is a brilliant way to try and get people talking about domestic violence, and really highlights some of the issues that women in particular face on a daily basis, but even more so with COVID restrictions that have been in place in the last few years. Everyone needs to read this, it will both leave you laughing and smiling, but also sad and reflective. The authors note at the end is also excellent and really drives home the point of this fantastic novel.

To be honest I’ve been avoiding all sorts of fiction about the recent pandemic and lockdown, but The Best Way To Bury Your Husband is such an addictive read that once I started I found it hard to resist.

It is full to the brim with black humour and set in such a dark and difficult period of our joint social history that we can all identify with and so, although the plot is completely over the top, the events are all still strangely possible and quite believable at the same time. At the end of the day, who really knows what actually went on behind all those closed doors during Lockdown?

I thoroughly enjoyed it, but feel it would have been nice if a couple of the main characters had been fleshed out a bit more and then the whole experience would have gripped the reader more thoroughly - if (as it richly deserves) it is ever adapted into a movie or drama series perhaps that could be rectified.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've had a few misses with my NetGalley ARCs, so haven't requested anything in a while, but come on, I defy you not to be intrigued by this book and it's title!
What an absolutely brilliant story. The author makes clear in a postscript that you do have to suspend a bit of belief going into this. And I did, because come on, 4 women are not killing their husbands during COVID lockdown. Four men killing wives? Yes. And that's what felt so exceptional about this book. We know that domestic abuse kills women weekly, and here is a story about what if women fought back. But it wasn't depressing and traumatic - it was light, and full of love and friendship. I feel like this is a really rare novel, perhaps the writing isn't the most exceptional, but that really doesn't matter. Would recommend to everyone!

9-9.5/10!?

This book is great at showing that domestic abuse is not only physical violence and the impact it has on the victims, however I really struggled reading it partly because of the topic, but more so because of the plot that at some point lost me. Possibly also because I had a certain expectation of how it should feel like, and it didn't. however, just because it was not quite it for me, doesnt mean it wont be for others.

I absolutely loved this book. At the height of lockdown Sally snaps and kills her abusive husband. This leaves her with quite the dilemma - how can she get rid of his body, with the eyes of her neighbour firmly focussed on her? And how can she keep his murder a secret when he needs to be back in the office in a couple of weeks? Luckily for Sally, she’s not alone in needing to dispose of a dead husband as some of her neighbours have the same problem.
There are moments in this book which are wickedly funny, and I got really drawn in to this group of women and their body disposal journey. It does also have a serious side though, highlighting themes of domestic abuse and forced marriage. It feels a bit wrong to be rooting for a group of killers, but that’s exactly what happened.
Great stuff.
1 like

An uncomfortable book about domestic violence. The author has kind of tried to make it lighter by having the women band together in a far fetched scheme to hide the fact they all killed their abusive husbands. However at the end of the day this is a long hard look at what really goes on behind some closed doors.

What Alexia has done with this comedic work of fiction is quite frankly remarkable. The issue of violence in the home against women is prolific but during covid the figures soared, horrifically so. The Best Way to Bury Your Husband looks at ‘what if’ a group of women in a similar predicament who unfortunately killed their husbands in self defence just happen to find each other during this unprecedented time. How resourceful, clever, intuitive and collaborative we can be, despite being relentlessly told otherwise, when survival and our loved ones are paramount. We rarely know what goes on behind closed doors or turn a blind eye for whatever reason has been deemed necessary. This book provides an interesting and comedic look at domestic abuse, serving as a conduit to highlight what is going on in an alarming number of homes.

This book was so powerful. It told the story of domestic abuses many faces in a way that was funny. The statements at the start and end were pertinent to the story and this author created such a beautiful piece of work. Would love to see a short film or indie film about this. I would also love to see a short story from Edwinas point of view! Can't wait to see more from this author. 4.5 🌟

I enjoyed reading this book. The humour helped as the topic is quite heart wrenching. Im sure there isn't a woman alive who hasn't thought about harming her significant other at some point of their lives and this book just brought it all together in good way. A good read with interesting characters.

This book is set in lockdown and follows the story of 4 women who have killed their husbands and are now trying to get rid of the bodies whilst coping with lockdown restrictions and nosey neighbours enforcing the rules. Despite the serious subject matter of this book, there is a lot of dark humour throughout, I laughed out loud several times. I will say I struggled with believing the concept that 4 women had all killed their husbands within a week of each other and all living within a few miles of each other. However, when I read the author’s notes at the end this was explained and it made more sense after reading her notes.
Once I got over that concept and got into the book I really enjoyed it. I was really invested in the women and their stories, my only disappointment is I would have liked to have had a few more chapters from the other women’s points of views. The majority of the story is told from Sally’s perspective with a few chapters from the other women.
The subject matter is handled really well, it does make you think about what some women would have been going through during lockdown, but does manage to keep that humorous side which makes it easier to read. It really picked up pace about a third of the way through and I couldn’t put it down from that point.

The women’s stories are important ones to tell and if you like a bit of dark comedy then you will enjoy this book. I’m certainly looking forward to more books from this author

Omg I loved this book!
This is the first book I’ve read with an covid backdrop but I didn’t mind, I’d imagine there will be many more that follow.
Obviously not a funny backdrop with the talk of domestic violence, but this author manages to make the interpersonal relationships between the women funny - there are some excellent one liners!
And I LOVED the ending!

What happens when four abused wives kill their husbands during lockdown? This amazing book. Sally never meant to bash his head in with a skillet but it broke the cycle of abuse and made a grand start to the rest of her life. When she meets other woman dealing with a similar issue they form a group of determined woman. Who refuse to let their husbands ruin any more of their lives, they band together and decide how to explain the disappearances, the body removal and their emotional and physical needs to live on. With Edwina the covid rule master watching they work together to build each other up and put their husbands down under. Absolutely brilliant, rooting for the ladies from the beginning and the ending was PERFECT

This was such a fantastic read! It is a magnificent example of comedy about a sensitive topic done well. You never would expect the topic of domestic abuse being treated so respectfully in a comedy about murdering their husbands. I loved the women's flourishing friendship and was on the edge until their plan came to fruition! Super recommended!

This book immediately grabbed my attention, I was almost late to a lecture because of it! I read it in my break, as soon as I got home and managed to finish it in one day. The short chapters and multiple perspectives helped with the quick read.
My heart broke and repaired itself and broke itself all over again with each woman's story. This is such an important topic and one far too many people have first hand experiences with. I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone who will listen to me when it gets published, thank you for letting me read!