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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
It's only been a few months since I read it and a lot of the details have escaped me, but I know I was very into this story and read it super fast. Lots of intriguing mystery, rich people drama, Greek island vibes, etc. There's also quite a bit of spice that's on the raunchier side. The characters were all really interesting to follow and there are good twists I didn't see coming. Gia, the heiress writer character made me think of Caroline Calloway.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Audio wasn’t great and not sure what happened but an important revealing chapter played about 2/3 of the way through out of order and confused me for the last half and killed my interest in the end of the book so maybe I’m not being entirely fair.
2.5 Stars rounded up to 3
Set in Greece, the home of the Olympics, Ladykiller had a great running head start, a promising dismount with lots of expected and unexpected twists and turns, but ultimately could not stick the landing for me.
Told from dual points of view, Ladykiller follows Abby, best friend to heiress and author Gia, and Gia's reality based "manuscript" that she is writing as a second novel. While Abby wrestles with Gia's impulsivity and decides to accept an invitation for a vacation to make amends, Gia is navigating a quickie marriage to a man she barely knows and two mysterious houseguests that show up on her family's home island in Greece.
Both characters are unreliable, which in and of itself isn't a big deal. However, Gia for the first 75% of the book is such an inane idiot that I could not possibly believe anyone could be so stupid. Whilst Abby has her own secrets, as a reader, we really do not get too much insight into her thought process as the majority of the book is through Gia's manuscript. The ending was inconclusive and very open-ended, which for a mystery novel comes across as a cop out and for me personally, a complete let down.
The writing itself is well done and the dialogue flows smoothly. The book does move as a fast paced erotic thriller/mystery and there is plenty of spice, but little to no romance. The Grecian setting is not very descriptive, so do not expect to be transported - as the setting could have been on any island and I would not have noticed a difference.
Overall, an interesting thriller that fans of heiress in trouble type stories will love, but not one that was ultimately for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Katherine Wood for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
Set in Greece, the home of the Olympics, Ladykiller had a great running head start, a promising dismount with lots of expected and unexpected twists and turns, but ultimately could not stick the landing for me.
Told from dual points of view, Ladykiller follows Abby, best friend to heiress and author Gia, and Gia's reality based "manuscript" that she is writing as a second novel. While Abby wrestles with Gia's impulsivity and decides to accept an invitation for a vacation to make amends, Gia is navigating a quickie marriage to a man she barely knows and two mysterious houseguests that show up on her family's home island in Greece.
Both characters are unreliable, which in and of itself isn't a big deal. However, Gia for the first 75% of the book is such an inane idiot that I could not possibly believe anyone could be so stupid. Whilst Abby has her own secrets, as a reader, we really do not get too much insight into her thought process as the majority of the book is through Gia's manuscript. The ending was inconclusive and very open-ended, which for a mystery novel comes across as a cop out and for me personally, a complete let down.
The writing itself is well done and the dialogue flows smoothly. The book does move as a fast paced erotic thriller/mystery and there is plenty of spice, but little to no romance. The Grecian setting is not very descriptive, so do not expect to be transported - as the setting could have been on any island and I would not have noticed a difference.
Overall, an interesting thriller that fans of heiress in trouble type stories will love, but not one that was ultimately for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Katherine Wood for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very three star
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this eARC. All opinions are my own.
In Ladykiller we follow Abby as she tries to figure out what happened to her best friend Gia based on a written account of Gia's life in the weeks before she went missing, all while discovering long-buried secrets and their consequences.
I appreciated the suspense aspect of the story. Some things felt like they were obvious but it was hard to tell if it had been purposely set up this way by the author or just that the way the story was written transformed to this without any intent behind it. Either way, it was good at keeping the reader guessing.
I wasn't a fan of the characters. Again, I'm not sure whether they were purposely written with no depth -- it's entirely possible given the story -- but they were just flavorless, is the best way I can describe them. I wasn't quite rooting for anyone throughout the book.
I was torn about the ending because I like endings in a book a certain way, but I think the ending fit the whole of the book.
Overall I would recommend this book for those seeking some suspense and reading about vapid rich people.
In Ladykiller we follow Abby as she tries to figure out what happened to her best friend Gia based on a written account of Gia's life in the weeks before she went missing, all while discovering long-buried secrets and their consequences.
I appreciated the suspense aspect of the story. Some things felt like they were obvious but it was hard to tell if it had been purposely set up this way by the author or just that the way the story was written transformed to this without any intent behind it. Either way, it was good at keeping the reader guessing.
I wasn't a fan of the characters. Again, I'm not sure whether they were purposely written with no depth -- it's entirely possible given the story -- but they were just flavorless, is the best way I can describe them. I wasn't quite rooting for anyone throughout the book.
I was torn about the ending because I like endings in a book a certain way, but I think the ending fit the whole of the book.
Overall I would recommend this book for those seeking some suspense and reading about vapid rich people.
"Ladykiller" was an immediate page turner for me. I love everything that Katherine Wood has written (former pen name is Kat St. John) and this was no exception. If you do read this book, go in blind! Don't read the synopsis on the front cover. How will you know if it's a book you want to read, you ask? Okay, if you like: female led mysteries, toxic friendships that are driven by income disparity, some romance, foreign (to US readers) settings, and twists, then you'll like this book!
This was such a flat thriller. The author does a lovely job of setting a place and writing about its beauty and the lives of the rich that live there but aside from that the blurbs comparing it to Gone Girl are so false. I’ve seen the manuscript and an ambiguous ending done much better with Verity. I don’t mind an ambiguous ending if the story is interesting, this one… not so much. Save your time and try something else.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes