Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought this was going to be a silly fun time about two serial killers falling in love.
So why was I sobbing 80% in to the story?
This is, at its core, a deeply emotional story about death and life and taking care of people (both in a nurturing way and an ending their life sort of way). As Jake says, "I love taking care of things - and people. It's my MO"
At the beginning, I didn't really know where this was going - what are the secrets these two people hold close to their chests? Which one of them is a murderer (and there are a couple - though they're not really who I expected them to be!)?
But around halfway through, this story showed itself to be about grief. And loss. Grief for lives cut too short, the loss of a future. The loss of all those roads not taken because there just wasn't enough time. And though it was ostensibly about death from the beginning, it became even more so. at this point About how to die, when to die, and even who gets to cause our death.
And it's also about love. Because those two often go hand-in-hand so nicely. The love we accept when we don't think we deserve it. When we know that allowing the love will hurt all involved. It's about two people scared to allow themselves to be noticed, and the growing circle of family they choose to keep around them (and the ones they push away). I enjoyed it so much.
Kate Posey's writing is top notch, and this is such an impressive debut. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for review. All opinions are my own.
So why was I sobbing 80% in to the story?
This is, at its core, a deeply emotional story about death and life and taking care of people (both in a nurturing way and an ending their life sort of way). As Jake says, "I love taking care of things - and people. It's my MO"
At the beginning, I didn't really know where this was going - what are the secrets these two people hold close to their chests? Which one of them is a murderer (and there are a couple - though they're not really who I expected them to be!)?
But around halfway through, this story showed itself to be about grief. And loss. Grief for lives cut too short, the loss of a future. The loss of all those roads not taken because there just wasn't enough time. And though it was ostensibly about death from the beginning, it became even more so. at this point About how to die, when to die, and even who gets to cause our death.
And it's also about love. Because those two often go hand-in-hand so nicely. The love we accept when we don't think we deserve it. When we know that allowing the love will hurt all involved. It's about two people scared to allow themselves to be noticed, and the growing circle of family they choose to keep around them (and the ones they push away). I enjoyed it so much.
Kate Posey's writing is top notch, and this is such an impressive debut. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder
It's weird to read something that feels like a budding romance against the backdrop of serial killing, is it not? It propelled me to finish despite spending a good portion of the first half wondering what type of book this was. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The mix of romantic comedy and serial killers was just far fetched and ridiculous for me
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This just wasn't for me. More a collection of tropes and a dark romance masquerading as a rom-com. The first part seems alright, but then it just goes off the railes (Las Vegas) and stays off the rails. There were so many sudden reveals (expected and otherwise) that it just came across as a mess. The marketing plays it as more of a light romp, but there are some serious issues explored and a real darkness behind some of it. I think some people who are into this sort of dark romance will enjoy it, but as someone who prefers lighter stories...it just wasn't for me. 3 stars (for the writing - which really is good).
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own and are uncompensated. Serial Killer Games is out April 29th and you can preorder it now.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own and are uncompensated. Serial Killer Games is out April 29th and you can preorder it now.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
📚 ARC Review 📚
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my free copy of this book.
Dolores dela Cruz knows that the new temp Jake Ripper is a serial killer. His strangler gloves, good looks, and charm make him the perfect one. Jake Ripper is happy to have a distraction with this new woman. She is combative, fun, and can follow his flirting. He wonders if he has found his perfect match. Until one day she asks him to dispose of a body.
This book had such great potential. I loved the premise so much, but it honestly didn’t live up to it. The description is deceptive and didn’t lead to where I thought, but not in a fun twisty way. It was kind of like oh ok. Not much really happens in the book. If you want details DM me and I can spoil it for you. The flirting was fun and different. Overall it was ok but don’t go into it thinking you are getting like a cute version of a darker book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my free copy of this book.
Dolores dela Cruz knows that the new temp Jake Ripper is a serial killer. His strangler gloves, good looks, and charm make him the perfect one. Jake Ripper is happy to have a distraction with this new woman. She is combative, fun, and can follow his flirting. He wonders if he has found his perfect match. Until one day she asks him to dispose of a body.
This book had such great potential. I loved the premise so much, but it honestly didn’t live up to it. The description is deceptive and didn’t lead to where I thought, but not in a fun twisty way. It was kind of like oh ok. Not much really happens in the book. If you want details DM me and I can spoil it for you. The flirting was fun and different. Overall it was ok but don’t go into it thinking you are getting like a cute version of a darker book.
Not quite sure how I feel about this one...
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Posey, and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Plot:
Dolores and Jake both work in the same office. Dolores has a sneaking suspicion that Jake is actually a serial killer. Meanwhile, Jake thinks Dolores is the most interesting "vampire" he's ever met.
My Thoughts:
I kept the plot so short because it was difficult for me to summarize what is happening in this book. I think the actual summary is a bit misleading. I thought this book would be more of a comedy between two killers like the popular Butcher and Blackbird series, but this was not even close. Was it a romance? Maybe? Was it a comedy? Kind of. Was it a book about serial killers at all? Barely.
The writing in the book was great. The author creates great tone and immersion and I did read through this book pretty quick even though I had no idea what was going on most of the time. She gave just enough information to keep me reading to see what was going to happen next.
I found the FMC to be unlikable as the story progressed and I leaned more toward the FMC, but I still couldn't get a read on either of them until the last five chapters.
I think this author would do great with a thriller or mystery. I didn't see any of the twists or turns coming, but I am so glad they did. The last five chapters of this book are what brought in those last few puzzle pieces.
Overall, great writing, great potential. It just took too long for me to understand what this book was actually trying to be.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Posey, and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Plot:
Dolores and Jake both work in the same office. Dolores has a sneaking suspicion that Jake is actually a serial killer. Meanwhile, Jake thinks Dolores is the most interesting "vampire" he's ever met.
My Thoughts:
I kept the plot so short because it was difficult for me to summarize what is happening in this book. I think the actual summary is a bit misleading. I thought this book would be more of a comedy between two killers like the popular Butcher and Blackbird series, but this was not even close. Was it a romance? Maybe? Was it a comedy? Kind of. Was it a book about serial killers at all? Barely.
The writing in the book was great. The author creates great tone and immersion and I did read through this book pretty quick even though I had no idea what was going on most of the time. She gave just enough information to keep me reading to see what was going to happen next.
I found the FMC to be unlikable as the story progressed and I leaned more toward the FMC, but I still couldn't get a read on either of them until the last five chapters.
I think this author would do great with a thriller or mystery. I didn't see any of the twists or turns coming, but I am so glad they did. The last five chapters of this book are what brought in those last few puzzle pieces.
Overall, great writing, great potential. It just took too long for me to understand what this book was actually trying to be.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've thought about this book so much since finishing it. Based on the initial description I had a vague idea of what I was getting into, but it ended up being delightfully different than I expected. While I was a bit confused at first, I loved the way the book was written, the distinct voices between the two main characters, the mystery, the banter and dark humor. This felt so different than any other book I've recently read and it was like a breath of fresh air. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would absolutely recommend it to anyone else.
im really happy i decided to randomly request this one as it was a lot of fun!!!
it immediately sucked me in and i just didnt want to put it down for anything. when i was a little over halfway in the book kind of hit a plateau for me, i found myself finally realizing this book is not at all what i had thought it was going to be for the first 50% but thankfully it was able to suck me back in a bit later on.
i think this is a phenomenal debut and i really look forward to checking out what kate releases in the future, the writing is super strong, very funny and engaging. jake & dodi matched each others freak so well and i loved them so much, the rest of the supporting characters were also *chefs kiss*
there are some things i wouldve liked a bit more closure on (they are spoils so im not mentioning specifics atm) however i like to think that maybe its just because those things will get their time to shine in a future novel
it immediately sucked me in and i just didnt want to put it down for anything. when i was a little over halfway in the book kind of hit a plateau for me, i found myself finally realizing this book is not at all what i had thought it was going to be for the first 50% but thankfully it was able to suck me back in a bit later on.
i think this is a phenomenal debut and i really look forward to checking out what kate releases in the future, the writing is super strong, very funny and engaging. jake & dodi matched each others freak so well and i loved them so much, the rest of the supporting characters were also *chefs kiss*
there are some things i wouldve liked a bit more closure on (they are spoils so im not mentioning specifics atm) however i like to think that maybe its just because those things will get their time to shine in a future novel
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes