I am not sure what I was expecting, but at first I was thinking "this is not it". Marlene's husband gets killed by a faulty garage door. Handy that he had a life insurance policy for 1 million dollars. The group of friends are in their 60s and the marriages aren't what they were. After the men sunk their savings into a scheme which went wrong, they have money troubles. The wives look at doing away with their men for the insurance money and the barber may be able to help them. The men also have their own scheme .
I found the first 30% of the book hard-going. The book did not engage me, lots of misunderstandings and it was all too B comedy movie like. Later, as the plot started to make more sense I came to like the characters more and was more engaged in the book. The explantions were a little overdone and there was a need to sew up all loose ends unnecessarily . An OK read.
Thanks to Net galley for the ARC

This is a wonderful inventive book, with lots of plot twists that I didn't see coming. However, I did feel the book could do with a final edit to make it a bit shorter, it did drag on a bit. All those lines where 'X gets in the car, turns left and drives to Y', can be removed and there a lot of those kind of lines. It's almost cinematic, but not in the right way. It iwll be wonderful when all edits are done though.

The Retired Wives' Club, follows Marlene, Pam, Nancy, and Shalisa—who are fed up with their husbands and lost retirement dreams. What begins as venting about their marriages quickly evolves into a tangled web of hitmen, insurance scams, and explosive secrets.

This one is ideal for lovers of lighthearted reads, if that’s you, this will be a great pick for your next read.

I was pleasantly surprised by how relatable I found this group of angry wives whose husbands had ruined their retirement plans. The litany was of grievances was, if anything, a bit too compelling. Once the cat and mouse game began in earnest between the competing actions of the husbands versus the wives and the author began to reveal the men’s redeeming qualities I struggled to turn away from my initial impressions. The twists and turns of the plot kept it moving along at a brisk pace though the happy wife happy life mantra did start to wear thin. I could see this as a film, maybe the right cast would make the men more forgivable.

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

"Happy wife, happy life" to quote Hector, the barber.
But is it all it seems?
Marlene, Pam, Nancy and Shalisa are not happy. In their 60s, they expected more from their lives and their husbands.
Soon enough their lives become more interesting and they're enmeshed with hit men, missing millions, dead husbands and explosions.
Can all of this chaos help everyone reclaim their happiness?

I really enjoyed the vibe of this read and loved the twists and turns throughout the read. Always a great sign when I find myself laughing out loud as I read. The stops location I found very interesting and I could find myself picturing the characters. I will definitely look out for more reads from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

I loved this book
When I started to read this book I did not want to put this book down
I would 100% recommend it to family a d friends

I really enjoyed reading this. It's a quirky story and it works very well. I really wondered if they would carry out their plans but I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I would definitely buy it and recommend it to others.

Love love loved this book! It’s funny and witty with twists and turns on every page! One of the best I’ve read for a while 😍

A fun, lighthearted novel that serves as a reminder to never eat your partner's leftovers and to always be nice to dogs.

It was a perfectly good thriller and it hit the spot. I loved the characters, the plot had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged and the whole story was well thought out. I'm excited to see what else the author comes up with.

This was a thought-provoking and energising book that was hilarious, full of unexpected turns, and incredibly heartfelt.

The story’s location is intriguing, its pacing is excellent and its characters are compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is, I understand from the debut author’s own website, a project she carried out in the six weeks off she took some years ago in her fast-paced career as a Canadian television producer. I am sure other readers are equally glad, as I am, that she gave herself this challenge as the result, a hugely novel about what it means to ‘retire’ is now in front of us! The plot centres on a group of longstanding female friends who plan to retire together – but to do so, they need to divest themselves of the husbands they have slowly grown tired of. A big financial investment gone wrong and the unforeseen death of one of the husbands momentarily throw this female band of schemers off course, but they soon rebound. But perhaps the remaining husbands are pursuing a different, equally secret gameplan that does not involve their wives?
Despite the murderous game plans that are being hatched, elaborated and adapted here, the novel is actually a thought-provoking, often humorous novel about getting older, outgrowing relationships, and forging new plans. I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of Pam and the male characters and hope that Sue Hincenbergs will give them an even larger outing in a subsequent novel! I wish to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC that allowed me to read this debut novel and write this honest, unbiased review.

After a dodgy investment deal lost lifelong friends their retirement funds, and having led seemingly pleasant marriages, 3 women have decided enough was enough and they want that ‘fucking fantastic life’. Soon they become embroiled in an insurance scam, hitmen and explosions!

This book was full of coincidences and misunderstandings that were laugh out loud!

This book was such a great fast paced, fun escapist read and it would honestly been a hilarious TV or film adaption.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Everyone needs a retirement plan, but does it have to be as convoluted as this one? The four couples have been friends for many years, there have been money problems but when one of them comes up with a retirement plan all the problems may melt away until one of them ends up dead and the plan must change. The story was good, but the author didn’t seem to want to end it – when it had come to what to me was its conclusion another story started. It was as if the author thought, unnecessarily, that she had to tie up more loose ends and consequently a three-star rating from me. My thanks to Net Galley and the author for an ARC.

Loved the book! The dark humour in plot threads - provided excellent entertainment throughout. I read this book very quickly and was more than a bit sad to finish.

"Hectoro" - the man who does whatever needs doing - I loved the character.
In fact, all he characters were amazing - Padma was an outstanding creation. I loved her "inner voice" as she tried to impress her mother. Hank and Pam were significant too. I would take great delight in viewing the inevitable future TV Series. Netflix - are you listening?

Full credit to the author's creativity here. As the plot developed, I had to remind myself a few times that there was an underlying level of humour behind the scenes.

I would fully encourage anyone to buy and read this book. Totally outstanding entertainment.

Pam, Nancy, Shalisa and Marlene had a comfortable life until an unfortunate scheme led to the loss of their savings and the spiral down of their lifestyle. And sadly their husbands have become distant, and in some cases, unpleasant and after the accidental death of one husband the wives begin to wonder if life would be better without a husband, but with an insurance payout.

However, the husbands have plans of their own to recoup their lost savings, involving a local barber who can do a lot more for the right money.

There is a danger that the story becomes rather farcical, but it steps back from there and instead is an entertaining tale, a bit of escapism and offers a wry smile on married life and relationships. The characters, particularly the women, are well drawn and while the plot is a little fantastic, it is a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really disappointed with this book. I wanted to love it, it sounded amazing and completely up my street but it lacked everything. There was no humour, just sadness all around. I didn’t like any of the characters - neither the wives nor the husbands. They all sounded completely selfish, impractical and completely shielded on how the world works.

Their so called ability to jump to the correct conclusion over something so small (a letter and a bush being cut down) but didn’t know what either was planning or up to for 4 years is ridiculous. If these are supposed to be smart and intelligent people I don’t know what happened.

I hated the unrealistic element that they know one Salvadoran in their town/city (who knows it wasn’t confirmed) and it is assumed he is a hitman… basically racism from our grandparents time that is not acceptable now, especially for a book written in 2024.

Finally the Parma story line and her dating life.. pointless. For the amount of word space it took up as well I just didn’t understand the point of it all.

There may have been a satisfying conclusion but after spending 45 days trying to read it, I realised I was just wasting my life and didn’t finish.

This is a debut novel so maybe changes can be made or the next one will be better.

I loved this soooooo much!!!

The story follows three couples in their 60s who, unhappy in their marriages, plot to have their husbands killed after one woman receives a life insurance payout. They hire a hitman, but what they don’t know is that their husbands have been running a scam, stealing millions from a local casino. Now, they’re worried someone is onto them.

This book is hilarious, with lots of twists, quirky characters, and a fast-paced plot. I couldn’t put it down! It’s perfect for summer reading, and I can’t wait to add it to my shelf when it’s released in May.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher