What A Way To Go centres on the wealthy Wistern family after the unusual death of Anthony Wistern and what happens after with his wife and 4 children. An edge of sci-fi with an afterlife view from Anthony mixed with the perspectives of his wife and 'The Sleuth', a local true crime vlogger. I really enjoyed Bella's first novel, How to Kill Your Family, but I found the chapters very long. This book is the opposite! Short and snappy chapters that I could not stop reading! I absolutely love the style the book is written in and Bella does an excellent job at making you love to hate most of the characters. It's a very clever book, dark and amusing. One of my favourite books of this year and I cannot wait to read whatever Bella Mackie writes next.

The wealthy Wistern family are celebrating the 60th birthday of patriarch Anthony. His wife Olivia has spent months organising a lavish celebration at their Cotswold home and with their four grown-up children in attendance, they are ready to put on a united front, when an 'accident' leaves Anthony dead. But that is just the start of his problems!

Stuck in afterlife purgatory, Anthony needs to find out what happened to him before he can move on and he finds that watching his family in the aftermath of his death nothing like he was expecting and particularly eye-opening!

I have seen this described as what would happen in Succession if Logan Roy died unexpectedly with his children under suspicion of having something to do with it, and that is a great description!

Thank you net gallery and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the arc What A Way To Go was so excited to read it as I already have it pre ordered I fully enjoyed it the story is about the wisterns and about their death of their father Anthony I enjoyed the plot and twists in it and like the characters 4 star read

4.5/5 stars. Another fantastic book from Bella Mackie. I think I enjoyed this even more than How to Kill Your Family. Really enjoyed the dual perspectives, and the concept of the afterlife.
This book had many funny moments and kept me guessing right to the end. The Wistern family are so inherently unlikeable but you just can't get enough of them so it's a real page turner.
Thank you to Bella Mackie and the Publisher for giving me this advanced readers copy. Highly recommend this book to all for a fun, mystery thriller read!

What a way to go
A different take on a murder mystery.
With a dysfunctional family and heavenly setting A great page turner

I was already a fan of Bella Mackie, so I eagerly seized the chance to read her latest work. She has a remarkable talent for crafting intricate and unique plots, and this book was no exception. The premise of observing life unravel from the beyond was both intriguing and original. I felt deeply connected to the characters, as if I truly got to know each one through the narrative. It was the perfect length for a single sitting and, true to form, Bella Mackie’s humor shone through, even amidst the darker themes of murder and betrayal. This blend of wit and suspense made for a captivating read from start to finish.

This was elevated from an "ordinary" whodunnit by some horrible characters and clever ideas, particularly surrounding one's fate in the Afterlife and the monitoring of family affairs. It was also very amusing, often in a sly way which I always enjoy and was generally a fun read.
I definitely enjoyed it more than how to kill your family, and I'm looking forward to Ms Mackie's next book already.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book.

I love how Bella Mackie perfectly captures everything that annoys me about people who believe wealth gives them an excuse to behave badly. The perspective of having someone watching how life plays out after they have died is brilliant, as is the idea that we're all going to our own personalised 'heaven or hell.' I don't know how she manages to make these books so darkly comedic, but they are laugh out loud funny!

What a funny and twisty read! I loved the aspect of a waiting room in the afterlife, and enjoyed discovering who had done it. This book had the authors usual underlying humorous tone, and there were plenty of moments I had found myself giggling. Highly recommend.

Anthony Wistern is dead, but before he can leave purgatory and move on to the afterlife he needs to know how he died, so from above (or wherever he is) he watches his family and tries to piece together what happened.

Down on earth Anthony isn’t the only one interested in his death - a true crime vlogger has taken an interest in his case and is determined to find out what really happened to Anthony.

This was a fun book with absolutely terrible characters (in a good way!) they were all rich and self centred and truly awful. It was like Succession if Logan was killed and all his kids were suspects.

I really enjoyed the aspect of Anthony being able to look down on the life he left behind I found that really interesting and hadn’t read anything like that before really! It added another angle to the book as you were seeing his family through his eyes.

An enjoyable read which I raced through - I definitely preferred How to Kill Your Family and do think this was a bit longer than it needed to be and started to drag by the end but excited to see what Bella Mackie does next.

Anthony Wistern is rich, arrogant and a thoroughly detestable character. He is found dead at his 60th birthday party and this story tells us about what happens to him after his untimely death. He will not be mourned by his wife or any of his children…but are any of them responsible for his death? A dark and fiercely witty tale about greed, excesses, revenge and a highly dysfunctional family. Clever, funny, lots of twists and turns and a great read!

I liked this one much more than Bella’s debut “How to Kill Your Family” - this one has a much more compelling mystery element in my opinion. The heroine (or anti-heroine) Olivia is so deliciously vile and sarcastic, I actually loved her and rooted for her until the end. People have compared it to Succession but I’m not sure about the comparison, other than that it’s about an unlikable rich man’s inheritance. I loved the feminist agenda and links to the turkey world of true crime too.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Bella you do write characters that I despise and love at the same time!

What a way to go is a murder mystery based round the death of a wealthy, well to do man on his birthday. And the suspicious circumstances around it. The despicable children, apathetic wife and various lovers / work colleagues / people scorned all have a motive, but who did it? With the added element of a 'Sleuth' who is trying to uncover the truth this is certainly a page turner!

I enjoyed the unpeeling of Anthony's life and what unfolds is a thrilling ride. Not in a rollercoaster way, in a delicious ripening of a fruit way.

Brilliant!

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 💚