Living With B

Celebrity chef Maria Capello is a household name—famous for her cookbooks, hit TV show, and signature sauces. But behind the polished image lies a mystery: the disappearance of her husband, renowned chef Damien Capello, twenty years ago. Maria’s never spoken publicly about it… until now.

She’s writing a memoir. She’s rejecting major publishers. And she insists that it be edited by Thea Woods, an editor on the verge of being fired. Drawn to Maria’s remote estate, Thea finds herself caught in a web of secrets, fame, and a recipe rumor that just won’t die—did Maria kill Damien for his recipes and legendary “secret ingredient”?

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My Thoughts

I added this book to my TBR not long ago, and crazily enough, I was gifted the eARC shortly after. Something about a popular chef’s husband mysteriously disappearing, and the internet’s endless theories, just scratched the thriller part of my brain. Something about it reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Martha Stewart. This ended up being the perfect weekend getaway read!

Thea Woods is a mom with a less-than-perfect husband and a lot on her plate. She’s supporting her mother financially, even draining her savings, all while trying to raise a child. She makes mistakes, big ones, including leaking info about a high-profile memoir to a journalist, putting her job on thin ice.

Despite that, her idol Maria Capello chooses her to edit said memoir. The catch? Thea has to live at Maria’s remote farm and will receive one chapter at a time.

Of course, Thea’s thrilled. Who wouldn’t be when your lifelong idol wants you to work on the story everyone’s been dying to read since Maria’s husband vanished? If she nails it, she might even save her job.

But the cracks start showing. Thea’s gut tells her something isn’t right. Maybe those Reddit theorists were onto something all along…

Overall, the story has solid bones and an original plot that keeps you curious. But Thea’s character development left me wanting more—and maybe that was the point. She wants to be good, but she’ll stoop low enough not to be.

While I liked it overall, it did feel slow. Even as the climax built, I found myself getting bored. The twists surprised me, but they were dulled by the constant “how much longer?” playing in my head. Not gonna lie, I did celebrate finishing it.

Do I Recommend ‘The Dead Husband Cookbook‘?

Sure! It’s not bad by any means, and it keeps you engaged. I just think it could use a few more rounds in the editing room.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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‘The Dead Husband Cookbook’ will be published on August 05, 2025.