Book Review: One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose

If any "Real Housewives" show, "Selling Sunset" and a murder show had a baby this would be it. The life of the glitz and the glamorous isn't all that fancy when there is a murder scene. The story is gritty and at times confusing due to the different point of views and story lines. There were times were I had no clue which husband they were talking about. My point of confusion made it a little hard for me to really grasp the story. The character voices were also a bit obnoxious. I understand there had to be a need to separate the evil and the good characters, but honestly at times the voices of Olivia and Shannon were too much for me to read.

One of Us is Dead is a story of a fancy and rich group of married woman who are "friends," yet what they really are is envious of each other. Olivia, our Queen B is a really entitled and disgusting human being who exchanges insults like if they were compliments. Shannon, has recently lost her husband to a newcomer; Crystal. Crystal is not like the others, but her husband who is a well known politician pushes her to join the gang of women. Tensions are obviously high as the entanglements of the women really come to light.

The setting of the story is mainly in Glow; Jenny's beauty salon. Where all the girls spend their time pampering their looks and making sure they don't look a day older. The owner, Jenny, is really the puppet master of the whole show as she knows everyones darkest secrets. I also couldn't comprehend how these women were coming to the salon every week?

As Olivia's rage continues to ramp havoc over the lives of the other woman, they slowly start seeing her true colors and discover there has to be a way to stop her.

The story has one singular plot twist that left me in shock. However, one plot twist for a thriller isn't really all that incredible. I found myself more annoyed at being inside the women's brains than actually enjoying the possible storyline. It was pretty bland until the big shock at the end.

"We tend to gravitate toward people like Bryce, people that seem untouchable, like nothing bad could ever happen to them. Like the world exists because they're in it, and not the other way around"

The good thing is that it is a very fast read. With the chapters being sweet and short (keep a book for all the characters), I was able to read it in two quick sittings. However, I really didn't love it. I didn't enjoy reading about the characters, and although the end made it worth it, I also think the voices of the characters weren't developed as they should have been developed. I also don't think I am a huge fan of changing point of views and "housewives" books, but if you are this might be your cup of tea.

* thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ebook copy of this book in exchange for my honest review *

Overall rating: 2.5 stars