This book is totally chaotic and that's why I adored it. Lalla Rook is such an interesting read, and I found myself firmly rooting for her despite some ... Flaws. This book is chock full of twists and turns and I would gladly read more!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Fiction & M.K.Oliver for the ARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was so gripping it felt like the pages were turning themselves. The main character was such an enigma I just needed to know what she was going to do next.

I’d recommend this to fans of ‘How to Kill Your Family’ and ‘My Sister, The Serial Killer’. If you’re looking for a book that does escapism really well, with humour and high stakes, this one is for you.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish and found myself laughing out loud throughout, the dark humour was right up my street!

The main protagonist Lalla cracked me up as she navigates her way through life with her husband Stephen and two children. The characters within this book are all really interesting but I particularly liked Lalla, Nellie and Cait.

This book is extremely funny and well written. I would have liked to have learned more about Lalla's back story and how it made her the person she now is but nonetheless as I said earlier I loved this book.

I'd recommend this if you enjoy dark humour with a side order of murder.

A wife's lighthearted guide to murder.
To outsiders, Lalla Rook is perfect. She has the perfect house and the perfect family but all is not what it seems, for underneath it all, Lalla is not a very nice person. In fact, she is a complete and utter sociopath, with no care for anyone else except for her own well being. Even her own children come second to her own wishes and desires. She has list of certain life goals that must be met no matter the cost, and she is determined to make sure that her life follows this list to the letter.
What a brilliant & humorous read! I loved every page, and wizzed through it in no time. Even though Lalla isn't a nice person, I couldn't help but like her. She is a woman on a mission to get the best from her life.
I will definitely look out for more from this author.

A chaotic read with so many twists. I loved it and read it in one sitting. It’s so enjoyable and could easily be made into a Netflix series! It’s fun and dark in equal measures, a great holiday read .

M. K. Oliver's A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage is a wickedly amusing and brilliant story that immerses you in the tumultuous life of Lalla Rook, a wife and mother with a secret that is far from a fairy tale. The story begins with her dealing with a stranger in her living room, who, let's be honest, really shouldn't have shown up, and swiftly spirals into a wild journey of covering trails, framing friends, and holding a four-year-old's birthday party while everything goes wrong. The central tension is how she manages to keep her family together, her secrets hidden, and her sanity intact; proof that even the "perfect" existence is frequently a skillfully crafted façade.

Lalla is a flurry of skill, humor, and sheer resourcefulness. She's the type of person who, when confronted with a dead person in the living room, is more concerned about her husband's promotion than the cops banging on the door. Her ability to manage several crises while cracking jokes is both entertaining and strangely admirable. Supporting characters, such as her inattentive husband Stephen and the precocious children, contribute to the comedy by delivering moments of levity throughout the pandemonium. The family's strange, sometimes bizarre, relationship is exaggerated yet somehow sympathetic, much like real life, only with a lot more dead bodies.

The novel takes a satirical look at society's expectations of "perfect families," mocking the constant push to be prosperous and happy. Lalla's outrageous antics call into question the premise that we always know what happens behind closed doors. Themes of control and chaos are served with a hefty helping of dark comedy, leaving you wondering how much of our lives are carefully maintained facades, especially in today's social media-driven society. It's a smart statement on appearances versus reality, packaged in a narrative that will have you chuckling even as you cringe.

Oliver's writing style is direct, humorous, and pleasantly satirical. His vocabulary is sharp without being arrogant, and the tone is a wonderful blend of tense and humorous. The story moves quickly, with plenty of one-liners and genuine surprises. The comedy frequently arrives at precisely the perfect time, transforming otherwise dismal sequences into hilarious brilliance. This lively, fast-paced writing heightens the effect, making it impossible not to root for Lalla, even while she's in severe jeopardy.

This book stands out because it might make you chuckle at the chaos that many people try to ignore. Some instances, such as her fast thinking in times of crisis, are absolute highlights, think "covering up a scandal while baking cupcakes." While some plot points are absurd, that's part of the appeal.

If you're looking for a novel with comedy, suspense, and a woman who demonstrates that sometimes you simply have to laugh through the chaos, this book has it all.

Quite a chaotic read with many twists, you can't help but want the best outcome for her despite her flaws.

Holy cow! What a mother has to do to survive motherhood, and all the knitty gritty bits of life.

Lalla Rook is a sociopathic housewife, a mother of two, who has a husband that earns a lot but is a bit depressive (which you'll find out a why in the book later)... and basically she gets herself into trouble with violent men, as well as with her first husband who is still alive!

Had to try and stop myself from laughing in public a few times. It's a hilarious book on how to be a "normal" housewife but trying to bypass all the inconveniences by eliminating a lot of things and people. It takes a lot of effort, planning and many to-do lists to get what you want in life!

If you've read My Husband by Maud Ventura, then you will likely love this book. It has similar vibes but this one is much funnier.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Hemlock Press for this funny book!

This one is a wild ride, but in the best way possible - I'm a huge fan of dark humor in thrillers and it really elevates this project. What a main character!!!!

I hope so much for this to be a series.

Lalla Rook is a deliciously written Protagonist/Antagonist character. I don’t think I’ve seen a killer, ‘sociopath’ written with quite as much fun, or quite as much sense before. I understood her methods, obviously I wasn’t keen on them but she made sense and this novel soars because of it.

Her friends, husband and side characters all benefit from the character study. The setting of North London I know well and in this book it was its own character which made it impossible to stop reading as I was so invested.

There is no filler at all here and there is no need to suspend your disbelief and for me that was a huge bonus.
But the absolute joy in this book lies in Lalla’s intelligence. All to often these characters are written as one dimensional entities, and no one ever stops to wonder why they have been getting away with things. But Lalla, is intelligent, she fits in while standing apart, she knows what people like and she works to that premise. It is perfection to read.

I enjoyed this novel so much and I think that fans of any kind of dark humour will love it. It’s so carefully planned and such a good ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this eARC which I received in exchange for an honest review.

(Please make it a series)

This is a delightfully horrible and horribly delightful book. The main character must be an amalgam of all the pushy, entitled parents that the author met during his teaching career, with extra sociopathic tendencies thrown in for good measure. It is exceedingly funny. The main character is so totally without conscience that her horrendous actions actually seem funny. Her greed and self interest take your breath away, and the reader is stunned by lengths to which she is prepared to go in order to achieve her ambitions. Every so often, however, there are tiny hints of empathy and compassion, which simply serve to make her amorality even more mind blowing. I did really enjoy the book and look forward to reading more by this author.

This book was dark, witty, and wildly entertaining. The author does an excellent job of blending sharp dark humour with a fast-paced plot full of twists, manipulation, and morally questionable characters.

The story follows an unapologetic sociopath preparing to host her son’s birthday gathering when she unexpectedly finds herself with a dead man in her house — just as guests are about to arrive. As the day unfolds, a group of eccentric friends become entangled in her carefully controlled chaos, including a true-crime-obsessed friend who seems a little too thrilled by real-life criminal activity.

The humour was consistently strong, and the pacing kept me engaged throughout. There is a high level of criminal activity woven into the narrative, but it never feels overwhelming. Instead, everything builds steadily and comes together satisfyingly by the end. The character work, particularly the sociopathic perspective, is both unsettling and compelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a standout read. It earns a full five stars from me and has been added to my favourites list. I will definitely be purchasing a finished copy upon release in February 2026.

This was a chaotic wild ride of a read and I LOVED it.

Lalla has what appears to be a perfect life only - you guessed it - all is not as it seems. Nothing, and I mean nothing, not even her own children, will stop her from getting what she wants and protecting the facade of her perfect existence. What's a few murders to keep the life you've so carefully curated?

I could not stop reading this and every twist had me shocked and aghast. It has been a long time since I have loved to hate a character quite so much!

Lalla has a hidden past.
She has ambitions for her husband to become a partner in his firm so they can move to a more upmarket residence.
After being attacked in her home things start to unravel with disastrous consequeces along with that of her abused friend Cait.
An enjoyable light hearted read as Lalla seeks to control her emotions in trying to get what she wants.
Entertaining story with multile twists and turns. Woe betide anyone who gets on the wrong side of her.

As somebody who is very much into dark humour, this was a very enjoyable read!
I loved the concept and there were lots of great twists and turns to keep me fully invested.
A definite five stars from me!

Lalla Rook is the character we didn't know we needed! I absolutely loved how she was written. This book is funny and clever and will be a huge bestseller in my opinion.

Probably going to be my book of 2025!
Dark and very, very funny. Extremely enjoyable!
My thanks to NetGally and HarperCollins UK for this arc in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.