The Last Housewife: A Novel

Product Information

Since the traumatic events of her college days, Shay Evans has built a quiet suburban life with her husband in Texas. Her one guilty pleasure is listening to a true crime podcast called Transgressions. One night, Shay learns via the podcast that Laurel, her best friend from college, has passed away on campus under suspicious circumstances. Up close, the [house] was somehow larger than how it had looked from the road. Are you being dead ass with this? and while the content is actually quite infuriating, its very intriguing. its the kind of subject that you cant help but have a morbid curiosity about, yet enrages you at the same time. the writing has good pacing, so add in the content and its easy to get hooked on this. Add to all that a podcast! I love books that incorporate podcasts, and I think this will make a great audiobook. It is all told from Shay's point of view and it worked so well. She wants to be a writer but has found herself married to a rich man and being a housewife. We learn so much about her and her friends from college, years that changed them all forever. When Shay was at these sex parties, it felt like she was in no real danger, she would walk away easily every time! And when she actually allows herself to be branded? And then just leaves right after?

Also the true crime podcast element - perfection. Especially the way it was used at the end 👀 I really enjoyed reading transcripts of interviews interspersed between the story. I think when I read the synopsis of this book.. what I thought I would be reading and what I got were two very different things. I read this in approximately 24 hours, and my mind still can't handle exactly what happened. The water was intoxicatingly warm, like silk against my skin. Silk.... isn't warm???? I think you meant "The water felt intoxicatingly warm and silky against my skin." Good try though.thank you to netgalley, ashley, and sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. august cannot come soon enough!!! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. The Last Housewife is the story of Shay who has just heard the news that she has lost a second friend from college to suicide. Shay is convinced that something is rotten in Denmark and another college pal Jamie feels the same so they decide to do some poking around.

I know that some people will connect with this story because overall there's a thread about female empowerment, but I felt it got completely lost within the abuse. An element that puzzled me throughout was Shay's marriage. It's such a non-issue in the first place, we never really meet her husband or get any sense of their marriage except through Shay's eyes, and it seems as if she enjoys his control. And yet, she cheats on him at the first possible moment and then breaks things off. I thought her marriage could have been left out and it would have had zero impact on the story. However, I highly recommend it if choosing the literal version of death drops or spinning rides at the amusement park appeals to you. This took my breath away. Please, please, please see the content warnings for this book before going into it. Be safe and make sure you're in a good place becuase this book is DARK! Why was Cal even in the book? Then she ends her marriage with him about 3/4 through the book, and then he/the marriage isn't brought up again! Maybe I'd performed for so long I wasn't capable of recognizing my real feelings. Were there even such things, or was everyone always reacting in ways we understood we were supposed to? When did the performance ever end?"Also why TF did the author use italics to denote Shay's thoughts WHEN THE WHOLE STORY IS TOLD IN FIRST PERSON???????? Where TF was the editor. And shit like " Move. I told myself. Run ." Bro you literally could've just written "Move. Run." and we would've been knowing that's what she said to herself because once again THIS IS FIRST PERSON NARRATION!!!!!!

Shay begins to stitch her life story together for Jamie on his podcast. Through this we get a better understanding of Shay and her choices. We see how she was controlled by men in the past, and also present day by her husband- although the situations are very different. I thought it was odd how everytime she got freaked out and managed to leave that she kept getting invited out and no one punished her.

Toys

Special thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.