I loved Bella Mackie's "How To Kill Your Family" so her new book "What A Way To Go" was a must-read for me - and it absolutely lived up to my expectations.
Full of wit and sarcasm, this book drew me in from the very first sentence. The twists and turns as well as the different points of view made it a highly addictive read. One of my favourite books of the year.

This started out so well and I loved the concept, but ultimately the action doesn't take place directly, rather we're being told what's happening by someone who is watching it or recounting it, and that gave too much distance. I loved Bella's first book but this didn't quite have the same hookiness I was looking for, though it's still a fun read and the characters are all awful, which is so much fun!

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I absolutely loved How to Kill Your Family so I was really excited to read this. At the same time, a little apprehensive whether it would be as good.

It was brilliant.

I always enjoy books with alternating chapters but I thought this storyline was really original with part of it being from Anthony’s point of view in the afterlife. I think if I’d known this beforehand, it might have put me off a bit but it really worked and wasn’t as weird as you’d expect.

The characters of the Wistern family were all unlikeable but that was the whole point. I particularly liked Jemima’s husband Will, I thought his character was really awkward and funny.

Trying to work out the murder suspect kept me guessing all the way through, there were sooooo many people it could’ve been.

I’ve already recommend this book to friends.

What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie is a refreshing and darkly humorous exploration of life, death, and everything in between. From the very first page, the novel grabs you with its original concept.. The take on the afterlife keeps the story fresh and engaging, inviting readers into a world that feels both familiar and entirely new.

The characters are unlikable, but their flaws are what make them entertaining. It’s fun to follow their journey, and Mackie’s sharp wit and dry humor shine through in every interaction. The mystery is intriguing and keeps you turning pages, eager to see how it all unfolds.

Beyond the engaging plot, What a Way to Go tackles themes of class and financial inequality with a deft hand. These elements add depth to the story, making it more than just a comedic whodunit.

In summary, What a Way to Go is an entertaining, thought-provoking read that combines humor with a unique narrative on life after death. Bella Mackie’s storytelling is as engaging as it is original, making this novel a must-read for those who enjoy a clever, offbeat mystery.

If you loved Bella Mackie's first novel, you will love this one even more! She has the same slightly irreverent cheeky tone and has created an uber- wealthy world full of utterly despicable characters that you just love to hate. The main character, Anthony Wistern, head of the family is a man without morals and is used by his 4 children purely for the privileged lifestyle he allows them to lead, however his death leads to many questions and a can of worms being opened. When an obsessive local true crime Podcaster gets involved, things take a darker turn. Compulsive reading! I absolutely devoured it!

What a Way to Go is a riveting read. Not one of the characters is likeable and yet they are all extremely compelling. I could not guess the ending, and I really couldn't figure out whodunit. I was absolutely gripped. The plot moves quickly despite the chapters from different chapters' viewpoints - a style which can be frustrating but certainly isn't here. If you enjoyed How to Kill Your Family you'll love this!

When I started my book blog in December 2022, the very first book I reviewed was Bella Mackie's How to Kill Your Family. Nearly two years later, my book life has changed so much. So many new friends, 2,400 followers, a wonderful community and access to new books, events, and authors.

I was therefore delighted to be granted early access to Bella's new book, What a Way to Go.

And what a book to read. Bella is brilliant at writing characters you love to hate. Everyone in this book, apart from the true crime fan, is absolutely vile, and I loved that. It begins with the death of Anthony at his 60th birthday. What follows is a hilarious romp through uber rich society as we try to find out what happened. Told from a multi person perspective - including the dead character - there is a lot of finger pointing, and speculation is rife. There are enough red herrings that it's not glaringly obvious what has happened. Instead, it's a twisty, turny plot that will keep you guessing till the end. I laughed out loud a lot throughout this, so read in public at your peril.

A wickedly funny thriller, Bella has smashed this genre. Death as comedy is rife at the moment and I absolutely love it but Bella is the OG for me. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Thanks to @boroughpress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and congrats to @mackie_bella for writing what will be another smash hit 💚

What A Way To Go by Bella Mackie is the story of Anthony Wistern, a very wealthy individual with the perfect life. But after he’s found dead at his birthday party, his family start coming under scrutiny, and the cracks in the perfect facade start to show.

This book was a strange one for me. I hated every single character, but I think this was the authors intention. It was a whirlpool of lies, deception and greed, with a healthy dose of humour and a double shot of bizarre. I really enjoyed how this one developed.

This started off okay with an intriguing premise but unfortunately it quickly became dull. The characters are all such horrible people. I get that that was the point but I hated them all and didn't really care what happened to them and the ending was disappointing.

Great cover though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I am not a fan of the gratuitous consumption of rich-person porn as exemplified by Succession or The White Lotus, but Bella Mackie's first book was so much fun that I grabbed the chance at an ARC of this one, and I'm glad I did. (My thanks to Netgalley.)
It has all the usual tropes, nasty rich people, their hideous families, allusions to all the "correct" tastes in decor, clothes, jewels, art etc, and - of course - murder. Mackie handles it all in her own inimitable style and humour, which is what gives her work that extra little kick other authors often lack. Told from multiple POVs, we get as-it-happens insight to the mystery, which should make it easy to foresee the murderer, but even past the veil, it turns out, there is still uncertainty.
Pretty much all the characters, even the working-class sleuth, are either obnoxious or unreliable narrators, but Mackie takes her time and builds up a great picture of both the event itself and the aftermath, as well as the characters themselves. I have seen the post-death POV done before, but not so credibly, and here it adds plenty of humour and depth.
The pace does drop off a bit in the middle, but - as potential perpetrators are eliminated - the drive to find out what actually happened will carry the reader through. And even when one finds out, the final epilogues are an enjoyable touch which round out the justice so deservingly served.
Roll on the next book!

What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie

The Book opens with what is Anthony Wisterns last few hours in earth.
He is celebrating his 60th birthday at a party arranged by his wife .
It's a funny read , and as the book goes along , we are encouraged to work out the killer as it was no ordinary death.

I really wanted to love this after I really enjoyed How To Kill Your Family but I just didn't get on board with this at all. It felt slow most the way through. The last quarter picked up but the ending was flat. Really dfisappointed

This was brilliantly done and such a good follow up of HOW TO KILL YOUR FAMILY by Mackie. Inhaled in one sitting!

I came to this book expecting big things as a fan of Mackie’s writing (I loved Jog on and HTKYF) and this did not disappoint. The premise is something different to the usual crime/whodunnit novels- which in my view makes it feel playful and keeps you interested. Anthony Wistern, stinking rich businessman with plenty of vices and secrets, dies at his own 60th birthday party. From beyond the grave he tries to find out who is responsible. It’s told through several voices (Anthony, his wife Olivia and true crime fanatic and amateur investigator “the Sleuth” whose social media prowess we see increasing as the story goes on. The characters were the kind you love to hate, awful to the point of caricature at times, which gives a kind of dark comedy feel that fans of Mackie’s first novel will recognise. There are twists and turns along the way and even though I thought I’d solved it halfway through I was wrong! I’d seen one review that suggested the plot was repetitive which I’d braced myself for but that was inaccurate. We see some scenes overlapping between POVs but this is cleverly done. I’d like to have known more about the Sleuth’s backstory I think- what happened to her Dad and her Mum’s health seemed to be peppered throughout the book but as a postscript as opposed to anything substantial. I also found that some of the characters were a little 2 dimensional but I think that’s true of many books of this genre otherwise there’d be no room for red herrings. This book should be on everyone’s autumn reading lists!

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bella Mackie’s new book, What a Way To Go (I love this title), is a dark comedy/thriller about family, money and unfortunate demises. This is perfect for fans of ‘Knives Out’.

Anthony, an ultra-wealthy businessman, is found dead at his 60th birthday party. The suspects? Well, no-one (according to the police), but his socialite wife, Olivia, and his four adult (or nearly adult) children look increasingly suspicious.

The book is narrated from three POVs: Anthony himself (in the depressingly mundane afterlife), Olivia and an online sleuth.

I initially struggled to get into the book, as I couldn’t easily distinguish between Anthony’s children’s characters - especially the women - although by the halfway point, I was fully immersed.

I really enjoyed Anthony’s narration from the afterlife, and the concept of the afterlife in general. I also enjoyed the online sleuth’s ‘blog’ and the increasing lengths that she went to in order to get more views.

The ending was a bit disappointing for me, although there were some events along the way that I found very satisfying.

I’m also not normally the grammar police, but I really struggled with the author’s allergy to semicolons. Some of the sentences felt a bit laborious to read. That being said, the dark, comedic writing was very well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is a very good read about a set of people who have few, if any, redeeming qualities. It is funny but not flippant in the way it deals with death, the story and the characters are great and it has a satisfactory and interesting ending. The characters are easily distinguished and I liked the three points of view.

I was drawn in straightaway and it is a quick and easy read. At one point I found myself thinking that there was a long way to go until the end and how would the author continue the story but I need not have worried. A lot of things happen and it is a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed Bella’s first book ‘How to Kill your Family’ and was not suprised to hear it is being made in to a Netflix series.
Because of this I was interested to see what her second book would be like.
It is essentially a ‘who done it’ but with a twist, the victim is the one investigating. The suspects? His own family.
I did enjoy this book, though it did trial off a little at the end. I would say it’s a good book, but not one I can see going viral.

I really wanted to love this: I adore dark comedies, I have a 'Succession'-shaped hole in my life, and I really liked Bella Mackie's debut book. But I didn't like this at all. The characters were unbelievably one-dimensional - for a book that's meant to satirise wealth and featuring unlikeable narrators, I needed them to have depth and surprises and they were just so cliched. I also felt like it needed a really good edit: it's a pet peeve, but nearly every paragraph had an obvious run-on sentence which a simple copy edit could have fixed, and it completely distracted me from my reading. Unfortunately can't recommend this.

Imagine living a life of unimaginable luxury—glamorous spouse, beautiful kids, stunning estates in France and the Cotswolds, and, oh yes, a whole array of mistresses. That’s Anthony Wistern’s world, at least until he ends up dead. Now, with his fortune up for grabs, each member of his dysfunctional family is a suspect, and their seemingly perfect world begins to crumble.

Mackie delivers a witty, fast-paced mystery that kept me turning pages. I found myself genuinely laughing at Mackie’s perfectly timed quips—her sense of humor definitely shines through every chapter. The multiple POVs really brought the story to life, giving us a front-row seat to the chaos of this outrageously dysfunctional family. The characters were well-written and even though I found them utterly unlikeable, I couldn’t help but want to know what happened next!

I loved how Mackie slowly fed us bits of information, keeping the suspense alive as I pieced together the mystery. The dark humor and the unfolding of secrets made it a quick and entertaining read.

However, I do wish the book had a slightly different structure—the build-up was so strong that I felt the ending could’ve used a bit more fleshing out. The length also could have been trimmed a bit to maintain the pacing. But overall, What a Way to Go was a fun, darkly humorous mystery that I ultimately enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC. What a Way To Go is terrific from start to finish. I loved the concept of sticking around to solve your own murder, and meeting the very long list of suspects. It is engaging, funny and a refreshing supernatural elements read. Five stars.