I absolutely LOVED this book. I read it in a day and couldn’t put it down.
I really enjoyed the multiple points of view. Mackie’s writing is engaging and darkly funny. I couldn’t work out the ending but it was perfect:
Five stars.

I really wanted to love this as much as the first one I read by her but I just didn't. I found myself just wanting to get to the end, I didn't like the characters and just found it a bit boring. The ending wasn't great, maybe it just wasn't my thing. Would still read more by bella in the future. Thanks

Bella Mackie is back and I for one am very much looking forward to this hitting the market!

Filled with her trademark wit and satirical style, What A Way To Go looks at the wealthy and influential Wistern family in the wake of the death of its patriarch, Anthony. Told through multiple people's POV (including an entertaining beyond-the-grave perspective from Anthony), this is a fairly slow-paced whodunnit which spends a lot of time immersing readers in the affluent world of its characters.

I really really wanted to love this (I loved How To Kill Your Family) but I confess I found the pacing a little strange and it only seemed like a third of the book was actually concerned with solving the crime. It was good fun, but Mackie's debut had set the bar so high.

Thank you to Netgallery for this ARC

This was a classic example of a great who-done-it , where you end up questioning everyone. Bella Mackie's follow-up book after her debut novel 'How to kill your family and get away with it'
This story follows the death of millionaire businessman, Anthony Westin, who died suspiciously at his lavish 60th birthday party at his country home. Leaving behind his wife Olivia and his four children, who are more interested in their inheritance then his passing.

Told from multiple point of views. Anthony Westin , who waiting for his final judgment in limo and watching over his family in the afterlife having forgotten his last moments. Olivia Westin, his dutiful wife of the past 30 years , who has her own secrets and is dealing with the blow out of his death and their four children. Then finally , The Sleuth , an online murder investigator who lives near the Westins country home , who believes Anthony was murdered and is determined will get to the end of it.

This story has so many twists and turns , following this disgusting rich and complicated family but was so much fun to read.

The story begins when the financial influence Anthony Wistern is found dead at his own 60th birthday celebration. And what a way to go it was… but when neither his wife nor his four grown children seem overly mournful, suspicions begin to arise over the circumstances of his death.

Told from the pov of Anthony himself as he resides in a half-way house beyond the grave, his wife, and an internet ‘sleuth’ / detective, the reader is forced on a journey to discover more and uncover the truth alongside them.

The way that Mackie sprinkles information and plot twists throughout the story in a way that is palatable, understated and very often humour filled is a talent. Despite there being so many names, reputations and locations, the three person pov makes this entertaining and allows the reader to understand the characters on a deeper level as they explore their unique perspectives.

While I grew to understand more about these characters, I didn’t grow to love them - and that’s kind of the point. The more you learn about them the more you realise how strained and complicated this family is, and as a result accusations start flying to all directions as a reader!

Mackie did an incredible job of creating truly unlikable characters, a story built on dark humour and wit and a thought provoking social commentary. While the pacing was relatively slow, it allowed the reader to go on a journey alongside the family building suspense and confusion throughout.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC and allowing me to provide an honest review of ‘What a Way to Go’.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6706467900

Anyone who liked How to Kill Your Family will enjoy this one. A murder mystery, lots of dislikeable rich people, lots of black humour - it all feels very similar. I enjoyed it and breezed through it in a couple of days, but next time I'd like to see something a bit different. My favourite book of hers is still Jog On, which felt much more from the heart.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

An interesting take on the afterlife for a mystery novel with 3 different POVs. I enjoyed this tale of rich amoral (and immoral) people trying to get one over each other. It wasn't fast paced until the resolution to the mystery and I felt a little disappointed as that part sped past (i felt similar when reading How to Kill your Family), but overall it was a fun read.

Very much the dysfunctional family! Very much reminds me of succession.

A comedy who dunnit in a nutshell!

I wanted this to be as good as her other book but it didn't quite get there unfortunately, it was an easy holiday read.

The ending was a little disappointing in my opinion but I enjoyed the book

3.75 stars

What a book! I laughed out loud when I was reading alone as well as when I was reading whilst using the train. Thanks, Netgalley for an advanced e-reading copy, I'm so glad I got my hands on the book. The humour, the sarcasm, the timing- aahhhh, too good. A must-read for those who enjoyed How to Kill Your Family!

Top murder mystery comedy romp in very much Bella Mackie's trade mark darkly humorous style. The setting - the arrivals area after death - is inspired, with the guests watching their family whilst they try to establish their cause of death. The characters are generally not very likeable, so any unfortunate events are deeply relishable and I found myself trying to think of a suitable death for the father figure.
Very enjoyable!

I didn’t want to put this down! So worried reading a second novel but this was soooo much better than the first! I loved it! Was gripping and everything was not as expected. So many different perspectives

Well, a massive disappointment. I didn't expect to love this but I at least expected a fast-paced thriller similar to How To Kill Your Family (which I honestly enjoyed). Instead I actually found this largely boring, with too much time spent repeating scenes from different POVs alongside meaningless conversations and description.

Mackie already did the "aha! rich people! aren't they so terrible and selfish and isn't it funny!" shallow commentary with HTKYF and this book not only did that worse, but made it even shallower.

Some of the characters, particularly the sisters, could have been really interesting, but it felt like any character development was then immediately erased with a "aha! isn't she so rich and dumb!" moment. I was hoping for a twisty payoff but the ending fizzled out more than anything.

When someone dies, it is usually considered a tragedy. But, when Anthony Wistern dies (in a fairly spectacular way, it must be admitted), it is more of a cause for celebration. Of course, his family cannot admit this but finally, they can access his money. And then the fun really starts...
What A Way To Go is one of the more unusual novels that I have read in recent years as we have one deceased protagonist who is investigating his own death, a living investigator and an angry family!
With a wry commentary on life and excess, this is a whip smart and funny novel. I absolutely recommend that you read it - you won't regret it!

Anthony Wistern, a rich patriarch, dies embarrassingly at his 60th birthday and finds himself in purgatory. To move on, he has to figure out how he died by watching his dysfunctional family scramble for his fortune. Whilst the ending isn't very dramatic, the unique plot and dark humour keep it engaging.

This book is perfect for fans of dark humour and family dramas, if you enjoyed "How to Kill Your Family”,I’m sure you'll enjoy "What A Way to Go” too

This partially filled the void that Succession had left, ever since its finale. I loved the black comedy and the horrific rich family dynamics. I did find it began to drag in the middle, but the overall concept of watching your own families and having to figure out how you died was a fun modern take on the afterlife.

This book started well, but tended to drag a bit in the middle. I really enjoyed all the wonderfully horrible characters but it just got a bit much. Too many side tracks about something irrelevant just when we are in the middle of the action. The ending wasn't as dramatic as what I had hoped. Still a fun book, and I love the dark and twisted humour.

Well this gives a whole new idea of 'life after death' which is genuinely amusing. There's a lot of dark satire and a whole lot of unlikeable characters. Overall it's a good read but it never really takes flight and after a while becomes a bit of a slog. 3.5 stars

Thank you net galley for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc.

While I did enjoy it, it did get a bit weird/far fetched in places and the ending fell flat for me.

What A Way To Go - Bella Mackie

What A Way To Go? Well it certainly is for Anthony Wistern. Dead, in a horrifically embarrassing way at his own 60th birthday party, disgustingly rich and the patriarch of a money centred, dysfunctional family.

Imagine - you’re dead, stuck in purgatory and unable to leave the bland and boring equivalent to a hospital waiting room until you figure out how you died. The fun part? You get 24/7 access to your very own reality TV, observing how your family is coping with your demise.

Your brain switches off 30 minutes before death to make the trauma easier. So Anthony has no recollection of what happened, making it difficult to move on… And his family are more concerned with where their future fortune is.

Enter, The Sleuth. A true crime fanatic, determined to discover the truth behind the supposed ‘murder’ of her rich neighbour but all is not as it seems.

Bella Mackie has the ability to make you point fingers in every direction with every page turn. Hilarious and well-written with some brilliant character development that had me both loving and hating each member of the Wistern family.

From the perspectives of Anthony, his wife Olivia and The Sleuth, the mystery over whether the CEO of Wismere Holdings is a murder or an accident slowly unravels as you get to know the main characters, including his children, Jemima, Lyra, Freddy and Clara.

This book is full of twists and turns mixed with dark humour and has you unintentionally becoming a detective alongside The Sleuth as each clue is revealed.

Highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed ‘How To Kill Your Family’!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in return for an honest review!

Funny in places, real dark humour. As good as this authors previous reads with lots of unexpected twists