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

I loved ‘How to Kill Your Family’, so was excited to read Bella’s new book.
I was hooked from page one, funny, dark I couldn’t put it down.

Anthony Wistern is dead, wealthy beyond imagination, a dutiful wife and four adoring children. But just how did he die? And as they all gather to claim a piece of his fortunes, perhaps nothing is what it seems. Secrets will come out whether he likes it or not.

Another fun, humourous and light hearted muder mystery from Mackie. I love the way she spins a family drama and then unravels it in unexpected ways. Highly recommend.

Another enjoyable and unique read from this author!
Having loved How to Kill your Family, I had high hopes and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed.
I loved the fact Anthony was stuck in an in between place while he tried to solve his own murder and there were lots of clever twists.
A wholly unlikeable family, whose downfall I very much enjoyed reading about!

Banter banter banter
Bella Mackie really knows how to make with laugh with the best sarcastic banter
I loved this so much
Brilliant funny crazy amazing characters
I also loved the cover
One of my favourite books of the year

I loved this book! I did enjoy Bella Mackie’s previous “How to Kill Your Family” but not as much as “What a Way to Go”. The life after death perspective was unique and gave a great twist to the tale. Although the characters were unsympathetic, I felt like they were somewhat less so than her previous novel. I was so engrossed in the last few chapters that other people were commenting on how focussed I was,

A brilliant story with a completely different viewpoint - coming from beyond the grave! Loved this book, it had some great comedy moments as well as being told from different perspectives.

What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie dives into a thrilling narrative where Anthony Wistern's extravagant facade unravels upon his mysterious death. Mackie paints a vivid picture of a family entangled in suspicion and greed. The story unfolds with suspenseful twists and turns, which kept me on edge until the very end. Mackie's writing seamlessly weaves together the characters' complexities, making them both relatable and intriguing. A masterful exploration of the dark side of wealth and privilege, What a Way to Go is a gripping mystery that will leave you questioning the true cost of ambition. Thank you to NetGalley for the early release copy.