The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards really had me in the first half. The first chapter was a little forced feeling–it had a tabloid-y feel- but it set us up for finding out more about her husband’s secrets and their marriage. This theme continued in the book until suddenly it didn’t and it switched to her rambling about the afterlife and psychics in some overly long, noticeably more poorly written chapters.
In the end, we learned very little about her husband, her marriage, and how she dealt with the information that her husband had a long-running affair (among other sexual indiscretions for lack of a better term) and seemed to have grossly mismanaged her money going forward. He never sounded like he was very nice to her and I could never figure out how they ever got together in the first place. Even in describing their first meeting, she talks about how unattractive he was and how she wasn’t interested in him at all. What changed? Why didn’t she trust her instincts? Did he just wear her down? Why did they decide to have a child?
It read like two books forced into one with one half being demonstrably worse. She didn’t take the book to the obvious places (why was he like this, did other people know and help him, what was their marriage really like before his death, what was his family like?) and instead it felt like she ran out of things she was willing to share but still had to meet her deadline so threw in some random chapters to be finished with the book and fulfill her contract.
I did read an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley but unless there was a full re-write, I don’t think they could save this book before publication. It does nothing that the blurb says it will– this doesn’t sound at all what I read:
“A riveting, difficult, and surprisingly beautiful story, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards is also a lyrical exploration of grief, mental health, single parenthood, and betrayal that demonstrates that the most moving love stories aren’t perfect—they’re flawed and poignantly real.”
There was no love story here. She didn’t fully explore grief, mental health, single parenthood, or betrayal. I do think that was what her proposal was about but the book did not deliver.
Rachel Reads Books 
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This is the kind of review I would like to see more of: comparing expectations (from advertising or recommendations or reviews) with what the reviewer got from reading the story.
Advertising copy written by a publisher can be too generic to be helpful (they have a lot of books to flog); advertising copy from a self-published author can be deficient in ringing the right bells for a reader (from lack of experience – writing a novel and writing praise for it are very different skills).
I’ve tended to go with what I would like to read in the description of a book pitched at me – and then add the comments of reviewers who’ve allowed me to use their words – as it feels fake or forced to praise my own writing, even in third person. Besides, the good reviewers have been fulsome and do a much better job.
But in the end, it’s all subjective – and reviews and feedback come from readers with very different expectations. You are very clear in yours. It’s refreshing.
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