This was a little more “cosy” than I’m used to and at times I wondered how on earth anything was going to get done.

I like the plot and the trope of friend investigating the death but this was sometimes treated like an afterthought. Confusing.

The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace is a riotous read and an unexpected delight! I took to the synopsis right away and the thing I really liked about this book, is that you cannot put it in just one genre. Is it a mystery? A cosy? Womens fiction or Chick-lit maybe? It's all of these and more, it is well-rounded, runs at a great pace and is an absolute screamer of a mystery. To cap it all, it is witty and fun while still being honest and vulnerable to the circumstances.

Beth is having a bit of a rough time of things to put it mildly. She lost her Best friend recently, her husband has b*ggered off with another one of her friends, the school run is a nightmare because she just doesn't meet the standards of the other mums and now her son has managed to play daredevil and have an accident on the first day of the new term

However, on top of all of this, Beth has a niggle at the back of her mind in respect of the circumstances of her Bestie Charlottes death, they just do not add up. Charlotte would never leave her baby home alone while she went for a jog, was it really an accident that caused her to be hit by a car. What really happened and where to begin? The mums. The hive of gossipping mums that's where

Joanna Wallace creates an outstanding mystery with just the right amount of humour and drama and every shade of relatability you can imagine. Brilliant!

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books, Viper and the author Joanna Wallace for this outstanding ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a fast paced and engaging read. Although the 'dead friend project' felt more like a side plot than the focus of the book, the story was enjoyable and there were some excellent twists.

A totally frenetic story that tore up my Monday and I couldn’t decide if I liked it or loathed it but weirdly I couldn’t put it down.
It couldn’t decide if it was a mystery, whodunnit or chick lit, but I think that was the point.
Thank you Net Galley & Joanna Wallace for an advanced copy.