I had a lovely time with this wonderfully terrible family; they’re all absolutely horrendous, but it’s so satisfying to get to know them as you try to uncover Anthony’s final moments. Bella has a gift for crafting addictive characters, even the ones you don’t necessarily like.

What I liked most about this book was the setup, it follows the recently deceased in a kind of purgatory, where they have to figure out how they died by watching their loved ones navigate life after their passing.

It was a fast paced, entertaining whodunit with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

2.5

now i don’t have much experience reading thrillers so maybe this is just me but HMMM

firstly, i love the premise of this story?? basically it’s set in a world where in the afterlife you need to find out how you died by watching your family & close ones (murder mystery vibes!!) which i thought was so so cool

however, the execution was a little rough 😭 it jumped between povs a LOT (each chapter was a new pov & they were like an average of 3 pages) & also it jumped between flashbacks & present time too so it was really hard to get a sense of what’s happening

the main plot was interesting-ish, but i struggled to connect with any of the side characters. it was a little boring from around the 20-80% mark, not a lot was said and it didn’t really add much to the story

i don’t know if this is spoilery, but i really didn’t like the ending?? it just felt so unsatisfying?? like something just feels so off & i can’t exactly put a finger on why but yeah

thank you so much netgalley & book buzz au for the arc!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bella Mackie for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give a honest and unbiased opinion voluntarily

I listened to this book on audiobook and I found it hard to connect with. I didn’t find the characters relatable. This was my first book I read from this author.

Well this was peculiar… but I quite liked it! All of the characters are AWFUL- from the rich crooks to the obscenely entitled offspring to the true crime ghouls. It’s hard to say if anyone had any redeeming features. Yet, in a book a wealthy man trying to solve his own murder after he died, the comedically dreadful characters is what’s called for. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I did find myself rooting for some of them in spite of how truly terrible they were. I am a sucker for hilariously petty parodies and dark humour after all. Although, in fairness, I especially enjoyed the true crime podcaster, with her seamless ads for products in the midst of her very serious “investigation”. Listening to the audiobook version, I also very much appreciated the multi-cast narration. As a mystery, it was a little slower paced and predictable, but as a character driven story, I wasn’t really after too much in the way of action (though there were some spiky surprises). Plus the ending was very amusing. So, if you like reading about unlikeable characters and you want an interesting spin on an afterlife story, then this book will be for you. Quite different to How to Kill Your Family, this was still quirky, fantastical and jolly good fun for those of us who like reading about nasty rich people getting their just desserts!

Rating: 4/5 bananas

Great story, such a clever concept. Really enjoyed it and loved the different narrators voice and tone throughout.

I did feel some aspects were slightly drawn out however I did really enjoy it. I didn’t guess the ending which is a total winner!

I will be posting on Instagram soon

This was a great audiobook! First of all, I loved characters' voices and multiple POVs style in the book. The story was very captivating as well and even hilarious in some parts. Definitely recommend checking this one out!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read / listen to this book - for an honest review in return.
I loved Bella Mackie’s last book so was really excited to get this, honestly though I can’t say I ever really got into it. It’s a bit of a slow burner for me and I didn’t want to not finish it.
The story is told from 3 people - Anthony, the main character - Olivia - his wife and Jade - the Sleuth. His character is a rich egotistical man and how after his unfortunate death, we try and work out who did it? The story tells us about his family and we are led down a few paths for who it could be.
I’m not sure it’s one I would recommend, maybe if you like who done it’s? But it’s not been my favourite.
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With nary a likeable character to be seen, What a Way to Go is a glib, cosy, and slightly fantastical murder mystery.

Mackie’s sharp and witty narrative was so engaging, and I couldn’t help but revel in the unpleasantness of Olivia and Anthony. The South Gloucestershire waiting centre was such a creative and intriguing setting and I loved the omniscient quality of the perspectives of the characters held there.

The narration was equally sharp and biting, and perfectly captured the banter between characters. I particularly loved the quality of Olivia’s narration - it perfectly captured her unapologetic self centredness.

Thank you HaperCollins UK Audio for a copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed are my own.

Very different to How to kill your family but I loved it just as much. Dark, funny and exciting, a modern day ‘who done it’. The characters were very love-to-hate And I can’t wait for the next one.

Sharp, clever writing that is both funny and makes you wince at the awfulness of the people described. Nobody is spared Mackie's razor keen observations. Anthony Wistern has the sixtieth birthday party to end all sixtieths, particularly for him, when he ends up impaled on a spike in his own lake. The book is narrated by the dead Anthony Wistern, his wife Olivia and a young woman called Jade, obsessed by true crime and convinced that Wistern was murdered. Blackly amusing and brilliantly plotted. I loved the audiobook because the three narrators were perfect for the characters and it brought the whole book to life.

This book started off well but sadly couldn't keep up the momentum, Apart from Anthony Winston, the dead guy and the after life bits, all the other characters were horrid, just lots of bickerng about the dead guys money and after a few chapters I jumped to the end, just to see what happened and that was underwhelming as well, but it made me glad I didn't waste anymore time on it. The narrators Kimberly Capero, Gabrielle Glaister & Colin Mace did an excellant job with the telling of the tale.

I really enjoyed listening to Bella Mackie’s book What a way to die. Millionaire Anthony Winston dies on his 60th birthday, getting skewered in the families ornamental lake. He ends up in the South Gloucestershire holding area for dead people where he has to find out how he died. He can see and listen to his family on a monitor to help him. Was he murdered, the Sleuth seems to think so.
It is funny listening to the very dysfunctional family, the sleuth and Anthony. Made me giggle.

The narrators were excellent, really capturing the characters

And the ending, I didn’t see that one coming

Oh my goodness, when you really want to listen to a fun absolutely bonkers story this is it. It tells the story of the afterlife in a completely different way and from the perspective of some completely selfish rich? people. and their family left on earth. I have loved Bella's other book and this didnt disappoint it worked so well.

Narration was perfect.

I really liked Bella Mackie’s other book, but this one wasn’t as good. All the characters were really mean and kept fighting with each other, like a bad TV show. At first, I was interested, but I got bored after a while and just wanted to finish it. The ending wasn’t very good either. It wasn’t terrible, but it was kind of boring.

3.5⭐️ Just didn't quite make the 4 on this one for me, which I will explain further on.

This, however, is an amusing take on a possible murder plot scenario with the novel opening with very well to do couple having an outlandish 60th birthday party for Anthony, which his wife Olivia has organised.

They have 4 children together, and this family can not be any more entitled than they all are shown to be in their own ways. Their are, of course, other characters such as friends, boyfriends, and husbands added into the mix to bring the twits and turns that we hear in this audiobook.

Then we have our young Internet inspector sleuth, who is determined to uncover the root of how Anthony died. Meanwhile, Anthony is in a holding place in the afterlife to figure out how he died. He has to remember before he can move on and transcend to the next part of his journey.

Where I felt this audiobook was overall Well written, funny and well narrated the first half had me gripped however from litrally 50% till around 70/75% of the audiobook it lost me a little bit, just felt like it was a little unnecessary detail and just dragged a little for me then it picked up pace again for the end.

This is where it went from 4 to 3.5⭐️ the humour was absolutely brilliant, and the plot commendable was a fantastic different approach that I've never read before, and I'd definitely read this author again.

With thanks & gratitude to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK Audio & Bourough Press for this ARC in return for my review.

Bella Mackie is an author I've had on my list of "books I'd like to read" for quite a while, so when I had the opportunity to read this new book, I was really pleased. Even better that it was on audio as I had received a recommendation for a previous book of hers on audio.

I was able to get through this entire book within an evening/night. Once I had started, I couldn't stop. The characters and the plot were super engaging and I think the whole vibe off the book was a great balance between enough mystery to keep me guessing, but light hearted enough to keep it fun.

My favourite aspect of the book was 100% the South Gloucestershire processing centre. The idea of a place like this existing between death and after life (whatever that looks like) really struck a chord with me and I loved the idea of everyone sat there, watching and judging their family members after their death. These were some of the scenes that I found hilarious.

Every character in this book was vile. Entitled, spoilt and rotten. But I loved reading their antics, seeing them scramble around to protect themselves and in most cases, fail miserably. This was such a fun listen and I had a great time with the story.

The three different narrators do this audiobook make the story easy to differentiate and follow.
An interesting premise of the afterlife, with the dead stuck in Sorting Centres until they find out how they died. Anthony’s cause of death is kept secret until the very end, with a very appropriate ending.

Cosy crime with humour.
The different voices and perspectives in this book were terrific. A great light-hearted read for walks and house-keeping

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio | The Borough Press for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this entire character group are all insufferable. The story itself is fine - it's not breaking any boundaries, though having a third POV from the dead character in the 'sorting' centre was definitely something a bit different that was enjoyable. The plot is your typical whodunnit playing on the rise of true crime bloggers but whenever it feels like we're about to see something unique the plot takes the obvious route and loses the chance to make What A Way To Go memorable.

Having not read anything else by Bella Mackie, I can't say I'd reach for another of her books, however the cast for narration were great and I would keep an eye out for their works going forward.

I listened to this on audiobook with great narrators. Best way to describe this is a crime with comedy along the way. Multiple points of view in a story which starts with a death and basically the book is about how it happened.

Definitely recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy