This has everything a good book should have in my opinion! Humour, great characters and warmly written as it deals with vulnerable issues. A great read- I look forward to more from the author!

“At the end of the day, it’s about whether you’re alone or you have love. The type of love doesn’t really matter.”

Sally has a BIG problem, in the shape of her husband’s body on the kitchen floor and no idea how to get rid of him. Set during lockdown, this dark comedy finds Sally facing multiple obstacles but with the help of four unexpected friends, can she find her happy ending?

My first ever ARC that I received on NetGalley and I am so glad I chose to request this book. A strong 4.5* for me.

The cover caught my attention firstly, but I loved the initial idea of a book set during lockdown. After completing my MA during lockdown, I have so many thoughts about what it was like for people, how it changed them.

While I am glad I read this book and would recommend it, 100%, it took me a long time to get through purely because of the subject matter of domestic violence, it is very upsetting at times and I can understand the authors need to write a book like this, as she says in her author notes “This novel is an attempt to use humour to cut through people’s reluctance to engage.” Which I think she does successfully.

The humour, the tension, the heartfelt connections really made this book for me. As much as at the time of reading, (especially the tense parts), it was a painful experience, with my heart beating far too fast.

I rooted for these women. I wasn’t even through Chapter One and already I was like, ‘yes girl. Do what you need to do.’ Sally, Ruth, Samira, Janey and even Edwina were all great diverse characters and I enjoyed reading the various cultural perspectives. I felt I was introduced to something I hadn’t considered before and I always applaud a book that can do that.

I think it is difficult to take such a serious issue and make it a heartwarming tale of friendship and second chances but Alexia Casale does it so well and really does deserve a lot of praise for ‘The Best Way to Bury Your Husband’.

It’s a well know fact that relationships came under strain during COVID. Increased forced contact with partners meant that there was a recorded increase in reported domestic abuse. Refuge the domestic abuse charity recorded an increase in calls of 61% during the summer lockdown. 72% of those callers were women. This book whilst a work of fiction represents some of those women; a new mother who’s partner couldn’t accept her prioritising their baby, a woman undermined for many years by a controlling and aggressive partner and a woman whose daughter’s were controlled by the male members of the family with the threat of deportation and arranged marriage hanging over them. A heavy topic, but there’s tenderness, camaraderie and humour in this story too. Yes, there’s murder and the chopping up of bodies but it’s in no way gratuitous. Whether you think the actions of this group of women is justified or not, this book should certainly make you think. Ideally it will also be read by those who need to hear the message depicted. There is a way out, there is life after abuse and you’re not alone.

Ok - so this book is a trigger warning for anyone who has or is experiencing domestic violence.

It’s definitely a journey through peoples lives and is descriptive in places. It’s a thought provoking story about friendship and what you would do in that situation. I loved the characters and how the story developed. One character very much surprised me!

Working within the professional industry I would have liked the story to have developed a line regarding male violence. I found the authors note at the beginning to be very off putting and biased towards domestic violence as a whole - and to not acknowledge males experience violence in relationships too made me frustrated. That’s just my own feelings. I know she did a lot of research for this book and it resulted in well rounded book! I would definitely read more from this author.

With the popularity of female murderer books at the moment – several of which I’ve read – I’m surprised that my husband hasn’t started to get nervous.

But seriously, this book brings something new in the form of Domestic Violence. According to the stats in the author’s note: “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” And in America “…there are around 16-17,000 domestic homicides per year… [and] one in two female murder victims is killed by a domestic partner…” This book brings together the reality of living with Male Violence against Women and Girls (MVAWG), set against the backdrop of Covid Lockdowns when “67% of victims told Women’s Aid that the abuse they were suffering had escalated”.

This book centres on Sally, Ruth, Samira and Leila and the very, very tired new Mum. I saw her identity a coming and wasn’t surprised. Edwina the rule-abiding (busy body) neighbour also features heavily I enjoyed her story arc, going from near-hated neighbour to a supportive, wry friend. I saw her part in the story unfolding ahead of it happening as well.

Most of the book is narrated from Sally’s point of view, with bits from the other ladies as we discover how their home lives unfold for them to find themselves in the position of having to dispatch the dead body of their abusive husbands.

The writing was full of dark humour and made me laugh, but it was the story of friendship; of people who come from different backgrounds, but who are united by the trauma of an abusive partner that really drew me in and made me love this story.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is beautifully written and written with full understanding of domestic violence and the issues it creates within wider circles. Our main character, Sally has been in an abusive marriage for many years and raised 2 children during that time. She believes she has sheltered them from the abuse she has received but we learn throughout the book that her children were affected by the abuse. Her husband's abusive behaviour has affected all of her relationships and limited her enjoyment of life but you also get the sense that she mostly regrets the restrictions she placed on herself, the way she made herself smaller to try to limit the abuse. This is very well conveyed in this book.
Don't get the impression that this book is full of misery, its not. It full of hope, humour and love. The author herself acknowledges that the events in this book are far fetched, if not impossible but this doesn't spoil the book in any way.
In the U.K. a woman is killed by a man (usually one she has had a relationship with) every 3 days. Domestic violence is happening to women (and a few men) every day. I have no problems routing for the women in this book and feel no sadness about what they did. In fact, it would be nice if these situations turned out this way more often. Our streets would look prettier.
If you are looking for a book with adventure, humour, compassion, love, forgiveness, fear, fun and friendship (sisters are doing it for themselves) then this book is a great read and within its slight ridiculousness it contains an important message.
Thank you net galley and the publishers of this book for letting me read it in advance of publication.

Sally has been a long suffering wife for many years. During lockdown tbings take a turn for the worse. She snaps. What follows is the repercussions of suddenly snapping.

In a very small community Sally finds several women like herself and these too snapped. This leads to the problem of disposal. It nust do wonders for cat litter sales.

This is an amuding book but as it is a story of years of siffering it seems to be at odds. The likelihood of several victims finding each other is also stretching things but one can only apaud thr author's efforts to increase awareness of sucj a large, unseen problem.

"Even if we get caught and this is it, then it's joy and friendship we wouldn't have had if we'd called the police at the start, and that makes it a git. No matter what, I'll always see it that way."

Well damn, this was a darkly delightful little story that was full of surprises. Somehow both a searing commentary on domestic abuse and femicide, an indulgent foray into female revenge and rage and a witty comedy all rolled into one with a very pretty bow on top.

It was strange and uncomfortable, with characters that I both loved and felt unsure about at the same time who created a beautiful sense of sisterhood forged in impossible circumstances- each taking their turns telling the story and giving us their insight into the odd events taking place and the different struggles they’ve faced whether it’s from patriarchal, societal or traditional oppression. Their voices were fabulous, witty and dry with a habit of noticing little details that really help set an immersive scene and really let us into their feelings. At times their narration did slow down a little - and my one main concern with this story was the switch between multiple perspectives to one, I think it was a great idea, setting the scene and the different players before zeroing in on one key person but I was already invested in the whole group but for some reason it just worked and it didn’t feel as jarring as I expected it to, I was still following and the flow didn’t break at all.

Their entire journey was chaotic - these aren’t seasoned killers, so they find themselves in ridiculous, storybook situations with only each other to find a way out. It’s larger than life, cinematic storytelling but with plenty of emotional moments to bring you back down to earth and make the striking point that this may feel impossible and unrealistic, that four average women in one town could have killed their husbands - but that’s nowhere near the number of wives killed by their husbands all the time.

A story of bloody revenge and retribution crossed with a fabulously dry ensemble humour and a lot of heart with a powerful message at its core.

I loved that book- am I allowed to say that when 4 women try to bury the husband's they dispatched? A story of women helping each other being strong, ingenious and courageous.

Sally is in an abusive marriage and during one assault by her husband she grabs the cast iron skillet and hits her husband with it. He is dead.. The dilemma, do you call the police, do you try and get away with it? It is lockdown after all and you might get away with it.

Through coincidences, she meets Ruth, Salima and a very tired older new mother who have all dispatched their abusive husbands.

Edwina the nosey neighbour who checks that everyone is adhering to the COVID rules makes things difficult.

I totally got why the men died and you root for every single woman to not get caught.

The book made me laugh and at times when I felt I really shouldn’t laugh, but also cry. Well done, Alexia, what a fabulous book

The title to this intrigued me because even as a woman who has not yet married this may be useful, but what I read in this book was more than just a fun and quirky mystery novel where you are actively rooting for the murders who are actually the real victims of the tale.

We open onto a woman trapped in the house, alone during Lockdown, with her abusive husband and she just snaps, finally defending herself and in the process killing her abuser. From there we are taken on a whirlwind leading to the formation of the Lockdown Ladies' Burial Club and a story about a group of women who are able to escape their abusive husbands and finally be happy. I loved all the platonic female friendships and it was the highlight of the entire story. Honestly the hijinks of these women were hilarious at times and the dry humor Alexia Casale injected into the narrative was perfect.

Takes a darkly humorous look at one of the downsides on murder - how on earth do you get rid of the body? Especially during lockdown when everybody is looking suspiciously at everybody else. This novel takes an inventive look at the problem, introducing some great characters along the way, whilst also examining the serious subject of domestic abuse. Highly recommended.

I was surprised by this book as the author managed to deal with the subject of domestic violence against women and its huge increase in lockdown with such a lightness of touch and had me smiling at many of the characters antics. Important to read the author's notes at the beginning and end and I wish Ms Casale well in helping to improve the lives of abused women.
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book

This is everything I want in a book!
Hauntingly funny, completely mesmerising and should totally be turned into a TV show. I wouldn’t trust anyone who doesn’t give this 5 big fat stars.

I was intrigued how anyone could make a comedy out of domestic violence, but it does work: you empathise with the women and it concentrates on their friendship and their collaborative efforts to get rid of the evidence. The premise that a woman could accidentally kill her husband and then bump into strangers who've done the same at roughly the same time is far-fetched but the author admits that in the "Author's note" at the end, which is well worth reading. Overall, it's a good thought-provoking story. I enjoyed the twist at the end too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A timely, interesting and often funny book about domestic abuse, that shows the power of friendship and the need for self-belief and never giving up.. I was intrigued as I work in safeguarding, and it is good to think that using comedy (dark comedy of course) and a mystery to solve can bring awareness and insight. . I took the authors advice and suspended my disbelief about how very unlikely it would be to have four women all murdering their husbands in self-defense within a few streets of each other within a week, and very much enjoyed the idea that they might.
You will be cheering Sally and her friends on, but will also gain an understanding of the damage and devastation that domestic abuse, control and coercion, and forced marriage brings. The addition of a COVID lock down was helpful and added drama. It brought back memories of the restrictions in place at various times and the worries I had for those living in abusive relationships. Old and developing friendships are at the heart of the book - and the author does this well.
I would recommend this book, including to book clubs who want something different to discuss.
If there are any horticulturists among you, you will also need to suspend your disbelief about the different plants flowering at the same time as each other. Having said this - I really like the way that the author used gardening as a healing and bonding experience - so true!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

This is a very black comedy and a quick and easy read. It starts off with an all too believable story of domestic violence and coercive control but then the situations become unlikely and unbelievable and I don't think the plans would have succeeded in real life!

The believability is really not the point thought, What the book does, in an easy and very engaging and breezy style, is provide much food for thought about domestic violence, the victims and the aftermath. In a post script the author addresses all the reservations readers might have about the plot and she also provides questions to think about or to discuss at book groups.

i enjoyed the book and, of course, I fully support without reservation all victims of domestic violence but I can't help feeling that the breeziness and laugh aloud moments could be seen to be in slightly poor taste. Do not all people deserve some dignity in death? Do two wrongs make a right? These are points to ponder.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“The Best Way to Bury Your Husband” surprised me in the best possible way. This dark comedy follows four women and their attempts to cover up the accidental murder of their abusive husbands.

I didn’t expect a book focused on domestic abuse to be heartwarming but I found the characters endearing and was rooting for them by the end of the book.

The last few pages were eye opening and I felt that the theme of domestic abuse was dealt with really well allowing it to be an easy read. I’ve rated four stars as there were some inconsistencies throughout the plot but overall I was able to overlook this and still enjoy the book.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters and the story behind it. Whilst it's so wrong from a societal position that a this book had to be written in this way I can understand the authors thinking, rational and ultimately the correct social choice that she made. Clearly any form of domestic violence isn't acceptable or humorous but the point that the author is making is well positioned and effective. The strength of characters in the book are believable and relevant and the writing and story are well conceived. Thank you

A great book set around unsettling circumstances. The topic of domestic violence is often overlooked but I loved how the women came together to help one another and shared how important it was to heal from what they were devastatingly put through, because of violent men that know no bounds.

3/5 Star

The Best Way to Bury Your Husband is a darkly comedic look at a very real problem the world faces - domestic violence. This particular story centres around the COVID pandemic lockdown (circa 2020-2021) where cases of domestic violence - typically males being violent towards females - saw a global increase.

In the UK, where the story and author are based, a woman is killed by a man (on average) every 3 days. NZ, where I live, is the “worst developed country in the OECD” for family violence - with only 33% of that violence ever being reported. There were news stories here, during lockdown, about the increase in domestic abuse and still nothing is being done to counter that.

There are some very poignant and significant moments as the women in this story realise that they’re no longer being repressed and can think about living how they want. It’s a very well written and emotive story and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this.