A brilliant read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and read in a couple of days. Highly recommend. Well written and fast paced.

It took me a while to get around to reading this but once I started I couldn't out it down!

Joanna Wallace gives us a completely dysfunctional main character who you are never entirely sure if what they are thinking and saying is completely accurate. Despite this, she is strangely endearing and you really do begin to root for her even though everyone tries to tell her just get over he best friends death. You have to admire her tenacity!

I must admit, I wasn't entirely sure the direction the story was going to take and I was definitely taken in by a few red herrings that were skillfully dotted around. By the time I had reached the end I actually laughed at how wrong I had actually got it.

A really enjoyable book and I would definitely recommend.

If I could pick one author to explain what dark comedy is, I'd pick Ms Joanna Wallace. Is it a murder mystery? Is it a comedy? Is it an existential crisis about life and death? Is it contemporary womens fiction? Yes, and more. It's full of intrigue, excitement and bloody murder but also full of fun, joy and utter hilarious mishaps. Any book by Wallace has one thing guaranteed - it's gonna be fun.

Beth's life is falling apart- her husband has left her and their three young children for one of her best friends and the two of them are sickeningly in love- and its coming up to the anniversary of the death of her best friend Charlotte in a road accident. Beth is feeling pushed out at school too, all the super enthusiastic mums with their yoga mats and model eco-houses are winding her up and she isn't happy at all. She's also leaning on alcohol more than she should be when her children are with their dad, waking up with empty bottles around her but unable to address that as well as the rest of the nightmare of her life.

When Beth realises that something doesn't sit right about Charlotte's death, she becomes obsessed with trying to find out what she thinks might have happened. Its the only thing she can think about, and when she's alone with wine but without her children, she goes round and round in circles, determined to find a crack in the case that might show her the truth.

In the meantime, her children are pushing her away, preferring to be with their dad and his new partner. Luckily she has a new friend- Ana, who moved into Charlotte's house - who is happy to provide a listening ear and help Beth work through her theories about Charlotte's death.

I really enjoyed The Dead Friend Project, the dark humour neatly cuts through the tragedy of Beth's life- the school mums that she spends time with are hilarious characters who could all have their own books! - and it brings up a lot of issues that aren't always covered in women's fiction.

Looking forward to what Jo writes next!

I absolutely loved this book, which tells the story of Beth who can’t get over the death of her friend Charlotte a year ago. She turns to drink as she discovers one of her friends has been having an affair with her husband. Beth is a hilarious character and the ending of the book is just sublime!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This is a crime fiction novel which follows Beth, a single mom, who is convinced that the death of her best friend Charlotte wasn't an accident. This was the first book that I’ve read by this author and I have to say this will not be my last!
Beth is such a likeable character, yes she is a denial alcoholic but she has had a really tough year what with her husband leaving her for a friend and her best friend Charlotte dying. She learns something about the night that Charlotte died, which sets the wheels in motion for her uncovering much more about that fateful night. Beth is an unreliable narrator and she is all over the place at times, with her lifestyle choices but I did really feel sorry for her throughout most of the book.

This was such an incredibly layered story with many possibilities of what might have happened including the one not mentioned in the book where our narrator may have been so very unreliable, if you spot the clues as I did, she has to be a potential too!
This story had wrung just about every emotion out of me, it's a very empathetic book filled with moments to tear at your heart strings and also those to make you laugh out loud, it's one of those books with a bit of everything all tied together with fabulous narration to give a few hours of escapist pleasure. Only a few hours mind as it is one of those books that once picked up is difficult to leave alone for very long!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and am very much looking forward to many more books by this author!

📚 ARC Review

The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace
Viper, 11th July 2024

Beth's best friend Charlotte dies while out for a jog, but Beth is suspicious of the circumstances. Beth's life isn't a bed of roses - her husband has left her for her friend, she is taunted by the cliquey mums at the school gate, and has turned to booze as a coping mechanism.

Well-written and full of the type of humour that viewers of Motherland will approve of, Beth's tale flows well.

That said, I found Beth very hard to like. I know she had a hell of a lot going on, but she was downright mean. I am a fan of her dogged determination, though, which redeemed her a bit in my eyes.

With excellent characterisations of Beth and her friends and some highly amusing moments, this is an ideal holiday read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Viper and Joanna Wallace for the eARC provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

Thanks to Netgalley, Serpent's Tail / Viper/ Profile Books and Joanna Wallace for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was every bit as good as her debut novel You'd Look Better As a Ghost.

The Dead Friend Project was a drama-filled, fun, tense and twisty ride of a novel. I loved every minute of it.
I was pretty much hooked by the first paragraph and I binged it in one sitting.
The characters were interesting, intense and funny.
The storyline was unique, it gave me Desperate Housewives vibes.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Joanna comes up with next.

I very highly recommend.

5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I know from bitter experience that the school run can be murder. But this witty, sharp novel takes that premise to another level. Loved it! Thank you for the opportunity to rate and review.

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
Overall, I liked this book. It’s something like The Girl on the Train meets Motherland. The narrative is a very easy read, so you can gallop through the story quite quickly.
In the end everything ties up in an interesting way and I just admit I didn’t see it coming - I had suspected quite a different ending, but I’m glad it wasn’t what I’d thought it would be.
The one thing I struggled with is that the main character was quite hard to get behind or have any empathy towards. She is struggling, but whilst that is absolutely a key part of the narrative, I found it hard to be on her side as she was just so mean all the time. Even in flashbacks there wasn’t much that I could hold onto for why I should champion this character.

The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace is the story of Beth, life hasn’t been very favourable lately. Her husband has left her for her friend, Jade. Jade runs the local nursery where her youngest daughter goes to. Her best friend Charlotte has died, she was run over last Halloween when going out for a jog. Beth misses Charlotte, she was also a good role model, she was an excellent mother, ran the primary PTA and was good at whatever she attempted.
Beth has been so bogged down being a single parent to her three children and the dog, that she doesn’t find out that Charlotte was supposedly out for a jog when she was knocked down at the bend near her house, Beth knew that Charlotte would never have left her youngest son in the house on his own.
So Beth decided to investigate the circumstances around Charlotte’s death as a project when all the children are in bed asleep. The problem with this idea is that Beth has started drinking to help life become easier. Then the alcohol then takes over and she risks losing everything that is important in her life, her children.
A fascinating look at the life of a divorced woman with children, who becomes isolated and adrift when her friend dies.
Highly recommended

This was good! I really enjoyed Joanna's other title so requested this hoping it would be as good and I really liked it. a newly single mum struggling to work out what happened to her best friend...what really happened. The case was closed as a hit and run, but this doesn't seem right. She would never have left her toddler unattended, even to train for a marathon! As the book goes on you discover more about our main character, including the classic 'unreliable narrator' due to her wine consumption! Enjoyed it, thank you!

If you've been searching for a book that deftly balances wit, drama, and a raw emotional journey, look no further than The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace. This latest page-turner introduces us to Beth, a protagonist whose life is a whirlwind of chaos, grief, and relentless determination.

The story kicks off with the tragic and mysterious death of Charlotte, Beth's close friend, who is run over by a car on the night of a Halloween party. From that moment on, Beth's life spirals into a frantic and obsessive search for the truth. Her journey is fueled by an unconventional method: she uses alcohol to unlock her memories, piecing together clues while navigating her grief. This coping mechanism adds a layer of dark humour to the novel, blending comedy and tragedy in a way that reminded me of Desperate Housewives.

The interplay of loyalty, betrayal, and judgment among Beth and her fellow school mums is both relatable and engrossing. The dynamic is spiced up with screaming children, emergency room visits, and a particularly unforgettable scene involving an EpiPen and a hefty dose of dark humour. These elements inject a sense of realism and unpredictability into the story, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

Beth herself is a hot mess, and that's putting it mildly. Her husband has left her for one of her friends, and she's constantly judged by other mums for her sweary outbursts and chaotic lifestyle. Yet, amidst the turmoil, Beth's spirit and sense of justice shine through. Her character is deeply flawed, but it's these imperfections that make her so relatable. Readers will find themselves rooting for her, even as she stumbles through her grief and the messiness of life.

However, The Dead Friend Project isn't without its shortcomings. As much as the book is a fun read, it does become somewhat repetitive. Beth's cycle of drinking, memory recovery, and clue finding can feel a bit formulaic after a while. Despite this, Wallace's sharp wit and the emotional depth she brings to the story help to mitigate this issue.

The Dead Friend Project is a delightful mix of drama and humour, offering a candid look at grief, friendship, and the pursuit of justice. While it may have its repetitive moments, the book's engaging plot and relatable characters make it a worthwhile read.

The Dead Friend Project follows Beth who becomes obsessed with the death of her best friend Charlotte and is determined to prove it wasn’t an accident.

I really enjoyed Joanna Wallace’s last book so was excited for this one but it didn’t really hit the spot for me unfortunately. It’s a dark comedy that focuses much more on the politics of being a mum at the school gates and dealing with other mums than it does the underlying mystery which I wasn’t a huge fan of but I know a lot of people will be.

It was funny and fast paced, just wasn’t really a big hit for me personally.

Told from the perspective of Beth, who is not in a good place after her best friend was killed and her husband left her to live with one of her friends. Beth has a drink problem which has added to her other problems and her need to find out what happened to Charlotte. The pace is quite slow but the book is at times poignant and at times funny as the pressure within the friendship group of playground mothers leads to funny and recognizable events, playdates, providing healthy snacks etc. The characterizations are well portrayed and Beth's trains of thought are followable, though at times you start wondering about her obsession. I started this book, put it down because I couldn't get in the mindset to read it and picked it up again a few days later. I`m glad I did now
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

School gate mums in a twisty murder mystery

With finely delineated characters and a twisty plot set in playgrounds, middle class kitchens and children's playdates. this is a highly readable novel. As with every good mystery, there are red herrings galore, plausible motives, and a fallible lead in Beth, recently divorced with three small children and a frenemy group that's fractured a year after the death of Beth's best friend Charlotte. As Beth navigates her new life with ex-husband and his new partner, one of Beth's former friends, she starts putting two and two together about Charlotte's death, and now what was deemed an accident by the police seems much more sinister.

I really enjoyed this, empathising with Beth's situation but failing to see the loveable woman that she was before her friend's death. The mystery was well written and plotted, keeping the narrative flowing, but the ending abruptly looms with only two or three pages to go, and offers no clue to what the resolution might be. Very cinematic but disorienting.

Three and half stars, rounded up to four.

I loved the author’s last book & I was looking forward to this new standalone which I hoped would be written in the same quirky style. I wasn’t disappointed.

For any parent who has to run the gauntlet of a primary school playground, it can be a daunting place. For Beth, through whose eyes we see the world, it is just one more thing to overcome - her best friend has recently died, her husband has gone off with another former friend & she is an in denial, semi-functioning alcoholic. She can’t stand playdates, pushy mums, PTAs, yoga or tombolas. Emily, in the enclave of friends, is an absolute scream, I loved her & I think I definitely know one or two! There is a mystery too - Beth is convinced that when her friend Charlotte died, it wasn’t an accident & is determined to prove it. Unfortunately, she does her best thinking when having a wine or three.

Brilliantly written with some real laugh out loud moments; I’m so glad that I’ve left those years behind me. Some super red herrings along the way but is the truth hidden under the rock that isn’t a rock? IYKYK. Recommended.

Beth's life is a bit of a mess. Her husband has ran off with one of her friends, her best mate Charlotte died after being hit by a car, she has three active children, a dog and a drinking problem that causes memory loss. She's struggling to cope and is starting to wonder whether Charlotte's death was really an accident. Can she piece together her fragmented memories to come up with a coherent answer.

The death of her best friend Charlotte sent Beth into an alcohol spiral. Even a year later, she still questions how she died. She believes it was murder rather than a tragic accident but is she in the right state of mind to figure things out. This could cost her everything.

This was an interesting read. The plot gets lost a little in the drama of Beth's life up until the end. I did like how it all came together and the ending was well written. I did just about figure the truth of Charlotte's death before the ending and it was clever. The characters are not overly likeable but in many ways it fits with the plot really well. Beth is a trainwreck for much of the story and you just dont know what to believe. I did feel sorry for Danielle though. A twisted thriller.