The Ex-GIrlfriend Murder Club

Kat, Elle and Olivia are an unlikely trio of women who are linked to one man and find themselves in the middle of his murder investigation. Fearing they'll be the target of the police; they cover up the murder of their ex and band together to solve the crime while also trying to stay off the radar of an overzealous podcaster who is also out to solve the murder - truth be damned!

This was a good debut that has some outlandish bits, a trickle of humour (not laugh-out-loud for me), some (unnecessary) romance and Insta-Friendship between the trio. I enjoyed the focus on female friendship and the word nerd in me enjoyed learning the etymology of various idioms that are liberally sprinkled throughout the story. And while their cover-up was really gross and immature, go into this mystery expecting a fun and farcical Stephanie Plum meets Dial A For Aunties kind of murder mystery with lots of she-nanigans. 

This is a light-hearted mystery with murder, chaos, girl power and lots of mayhem with an ending that I didn't see coming.

Disclaimer: Thanks to MIRA books for the complimentary digital copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Gloria Chao

Genre: Mystery

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: MIRA (Harlequin)

First Published: June 24, 2025

Read: June 17-20, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: In this laugh-out-loud murder mystery, three women dating the same man band together to get revenge, but when they discover his body, they'll need to solve his murder before they go down for it.

The body in the closet was going to be a problem. Kathryn Hu knew it. Yes, Tucker Jones was a cheating scumbag, and yes, she’d agreed to meet Olivia and Elle—Tucker’s other girlfriends—to exact revenge for all he’d put them through… But then they found him. Dead.  

Do they look guilty? Yes.

Do they feel guilty for having wished him dead just hours before? Maybe a little.

But—solid motive and a crime scene covered in their DNA aside—they’re innocent. They swear.

To clear their names, Kat, Olivia, and Elle team up to find the real killer. But as they go undercover and lie to everyone, including the hot detective working the case, they realize that every person in their ex's life had a reason to want him dead. Will they uncover the truth before they go down for a murder they didn't commit?

Filled with humor and shenanigans, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a romp of an adventure by award-winning author Gloria Chao, perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and John Tucker Must Die.

What you can expect in THE EX-GIRLFRIEND MURDER CLUB : Cozy Murder Mystery Full of Shenanigans Over-the-top Humor Amateur Sleuths Unlikely Female Friendships John Tucker Must Die meets Dial A for Aunties