Book Club Reporter Book Reviews

Housewife Chronicles Dark Comedy Murder Mystery Thriller

November 07, 2020 Laura Jay Season 2 Episode 27
Book Club Reporter Book Reviews
Housewife Chronicles Dark Comedy Murder Mystery Thriller
Show Notes Transcript

Welcome to Book Club Reporter Book Reviews Podcast. I’m your host and Book Club Reporter, Laura Jay.  

This is Season 2, Episode 27 - I may have indicated Episode “26" in my recording, but it is actually Season 2, Episode 27.

In today’s Book Review I will talk about Housewife Chronicles by Jennifer Snow. I will also take a look back at All The Lovely Pieces written by J.M. Winchester, which is a pseudonym for Jennifer Snow.

Housewife Chronicles is a dark comedy with a hint of mystery and a focus on unlikely female friendships.

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Hello gentle readers. Welcome to Book Club Reporter Book Reviews Podcast. I’m your host and Book Club Reporter, Laura Jay.   This is Season 2 Episode 27, actually Episode 26.

 In today’s Book Review I will talk about Housewife Chronicles by Jennifer Snow. 
I will also take a look back to All The Lovely Pieces (which was Jennifer’s debut thriller novel, which she wrote as J.M. Winchester).

 And before we get started, be sure to read all my book reviews, book news, book club reading lists and more at bookclubreporter.com. And you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Just take a look at the show notes for this podcast for all the info and links. 

 But, right now I invite you to sit back and enjoy my book review of: 

 Housewife Chronicles 

 I will lead off here with the Publisher’s Book Summary of Housewife Chronicles:

Finding out her husband was cheating on her two weeks before his death should have been the worst thing to happen to Beth Cartwright that year. But being a widowed, single mom in a community of upper-class housewives is proving to be far more difficult.

Living next door to her husband's mistress - Gina Thompson, a hot yoga instructor - has Beth wanting to pack up her teenage kids and get the hell out of the neighborhood. But when she becomes a suspect in her husband's death, she needs to rely on the other neighborhood housewives and her husband's mistress to prove she is innocent.

Housewife Chronicles is a dark comedy with a hint of mystery and a focus on unlikely female friendships.”

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Housewife Chronicles is a dark comedy with a hint of mystery and a focus on unlikely female friendships.

Okay, so here is my book review. Housewife Chronicles is a highly addictive read! I was drawn into this gripping story right from the start. Author Jennifer Snow is in top form with this murder mystery thriller novel with some dark comedy mixed in as well.

The story revolves around a 30 something woman whose husband has left her for a younger woman. And that pretty little mistress just happens to live right next door. And both women travel in the same women’s social circle.  Oh my, can you imagine?  I mean, how does that go? Well, we’re going to find out.

 Housewife Chronicles is a delicious mix of murder-mystery, thriller and romance. And that pretty well checks off my reading preferences. I would also throw in “dark comedy” for this captivating, genre bending story. The twists and turns in the fascinating plot kept me on my toes. In spite of my busy schedule, Housewife Chronicles was unputdownable! I finished reading it in record time! Really, just a  Great story!

 If you have not read any of Jennifer Snow’s books, I would love to tell you all about her. And not just what you can read anywhere. Rather, I would like to tell you my thoughts about Jennifer and what her writing has meant to me. So yes, I am going to veer off the path here just a little bit. But if you’re like me, that means you would love to know more about the person behind the book.

You may be wondering as to what’s with all the excitement, interest and curiosity over Jennifer Snow? I cannot speak for others, but as for me, one of the first things I learned about Jennifer is that she is a caring woman who I believe is also quietly philanthropic regarding the welfare of women. So what do I mean by that? Well, if you really want to know I would suggest you read All the Lovely Pieces, which Jennifer wrote under the pseudonym of J.M. Winchester. While I reviewed All the Lovely Pieces in a previous podcast episode, I feel it is relevant to speak of it here as well.  

All The Lovely Pieces was Jennifer’s debut psychological thriller novel. And All the Lovely Pieces was my first reading of one of Jennifer’s books. The story of an abused pregnant wife and her son, really touched my heart. 

As I read All The Lovely Pieces, I knew all too well how real and horrific abuse can be. I knew this because some years ago, I volunteered at a women’s shelter. While there I came to know the fear and the violence with which many battered women and their children lived. I listened to some really horrific stories of how these battered women had to grab their kids and flee their own homes in desperate attempts to protect themselves and their children. In fact, one woman came through her women’s shelter stay with flying colors. This is her true story. With assistance from social workers, she had landed a new job. She was able to rent an apartment, and was able to find affordable day care for her children.

I can only imagine how empowered she felt as she drove her second-hand car to her first day at a new job. It must have been a great weight off her mind, knowing her children were safe at day care. Sounds like a story with a happy ending, right? But no, she never made it to work. And she was not able to pick up her children at the daycare. You see, she was unable to do anything ever again. She had no way of knowing her husband was waiting for her. And as her car came down the road, he shot and killed his wife, the mother of his children.   

It was while reading All The Lovely Pieces, that I remembered the true story of the woman shot and killed by her abusive husband. And I know some of what we read about abusive spouses, fathers and/or wives sometimes sounds crazy and preposterous. Yet, it happens every day. 

Stories like All The Lovely Pieces, happen quite often. And if the story does happen to be covered in the news, it really just it kind of feels like a footnote. In most cases we never hear the rest of the story. Have we just accepted that “these things happen?”  Have we grown a thick skin to news stories about abuse? I won’t give away any of what happens in All The Lovely Pieces. J. M. Winchester (Jennifer Snow) does a fine job telling a story of a woman and her child. We learn how abuse affects their lives. They were moving in and out of the shadows, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots. We can’t help but wonder how much better their lives might have been without the dark despair of abuse.

So as you now may have guessed, there is a lot to say about Jennifer Snow. A quick internet search informs us of Jennifer’s many accomplishments.

·      Jennifer Snow is a bestselling author of over thirty-five romance and thriller novels. Jennifer is publishing with Grand Central, Harlequin, Berkley and Thomas & Mercer.

·      She has over ten years of experience crafting stories that connect with readers worldwide.

·      Her books have been translated into five different languages and have been optioned for film and television. Jennifer Snow has won the Booksellers' Best Award and has received Starred Reviews from Publishers' Weekly.

·      In addition to all this, Jennifer is also the writer of the Mistletoe series of screenplays. 

·      Jennifer is known for her romantic comedies and female-driven dramas for TV and film. In 2014, she was a finalist in the New York Screenplay Contest for her work "Mistletoe Fever." She's also written true-crime and thriller screenplays as work-for-hire assignments for various production companies.

Jennifer’s latest novel, Housewife Chronicles, will be available for purchase in January 2021! But you can reserve you copy now by pre-ordering your copy of Housewife Chronicles. In the meantime, feel free to pick up some of the other wonderful books written by Jennifer Snow/J.M. Winchester. And If you’re looking to add to your list of favorite authors, consider Jennifer Snow. I think it’s quite a bonus to be able to not only find a good book to read, but to know that the author is worthy of your respect as well. And Jennifer has most certainly has earned my mine.  

Thank you all for joining me today for this book club reporter book review. If you would like more info about today’s book review or a copy of the book check the show notes of this podcast episode or simply visit BookClubReporter.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, because there are many more book reviews to come. See you next time.