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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Insatiably funny and gloriously unrepentant in its vigilante-style (serial killer) shenanigans. Eve Kellman’s dark, satirical and fabulously witty take on revenge and feminine rage, was an engaging and utterly unputdownable read —that fans of Katy Brent and Julie Mae Cohen don’t want to miss!
Feminist revenge thrillers have quickly become one of my favourite sub genres as of late. I’ve pretty much devoured (and loved) every single one I’ve picked up—and Kellman’s debut is no exception.
How To Kill A Guy In Ten Ways masterfully explores the very real issue of violence towards women and girls, through the eyes of a morally grey protagonist who seeks to avenge them.
When her baby sister is sexually assaulted on a night out, Millie Masters sets up a hotline (called Message M) to help women who feel unsafe going home alone. But, even after all the late nights and countless women she’s saved from creepy men, Millie has realised something very crucial. Those men may have been thwarted once, but it won’t stop them doing bad things again. Eventually they’ll hurt someone else, someone she can’t save. Like her sister.
So, after one heroic plan leads her into accidentally killing a man, she decides to shift her focus. To really make a difference Millie must get to the root of the problem— creepy entitled men— and remove them from the world, permanently…
I absolutely loved this! The writing style was witty and sarcastically clever in its depiction of the simmering rage fuelling Millie’s vengeance. I also liked that, unlike many books in this genre (with characters who are already pros when we meet them), Millie is a virtual rookie learning the ropes and making mistakes that could very easily unmask her.
Which added to the suspenseful, edge of your seat tone that helped make for quite an intense reading experience. I had no idea whether Millie’s actions would see her get caught, but I was thoroughly invested in seeing how far she could go (and rooting for her to succeed) before things spiralled too far.
As a character, Millie was a well written and endearing character (despite her serial killing tendencies), whose self-deprecating personality, deep sense of justice and caring, protective nature (particularly when it came to her sister and best friend) quickly won me over. I also really liked Nina (Millie’s bestie) who, despite not being as in depth or detailed a character, was still a wonderful character to get to know.
Given the Dexter-esque premise, things do get pretty dark and gory at times (there’s one particularly graphic vomit scene you definitely don’t want to read if you’ve just eaten/ planning to eat) so do be sure to check the TWs beforehand.
Overall, a pacy, plot twisty and unputdownable read that has me eager of a sequel.
Also, a huge thank you to Maddie at Avon for the incredible proof and PR goodies (the Macaron was really delicious.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Rape
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Medical trauma, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Stalking
rahanahava's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5 stars
This book has a great premise, but I feel like the execution was a little off. Millie has good intentions, but we all know where those lead you. Her quest is noble and the path she's on was truly an accident and she ran with it. I get it.
She's tunnel-visioned with her quest and is bound to make some mistakes. However, the mistakes she DOES make legitimately are huge. Like she should've been caught a long time ago. She's also a person who I couldn't really connect with. She's a Debbie Downer. She's a pessimest. She hates EVERYONE (minus her sister and bff and possibly her new potential boyfriend). Like, I don't even understand why the love plot line was even in the story. I guess to create tension about getting caught for the murders, but it felt unnecessary for me. I just got mad because he's the only one (besides Katie) that I had any sort of feelings for one way or the other.
Make sure to check trigger warnings because there's some dark topics being discussed and talked about (child abuse, child molestation, rape, murder, sexual assault, to name a few).
It was a rough read for me (not because of the TW, I don't have any that I know of) because the first like 2/3 of the book I just was trudging through. The last like 6 chapters I was fully invested and things started to really pick up. Millie was no longer complaining. No longer drowning and we'd finally reached the top of the roller coaster and it was all downhill from there (finally). The ending made up for it a bit, so I gave back some points.
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC. These are my honest opinions.
This book has a great premise, but I feel like the execution was a little off. Millie has good intentions, but we all know where those lead you. Her quest is noble and the path she's on was truly an accident and she ran with it. I get it.
She's tunnel-visioned with her quest and is bound to make some mistakes. However, the mistakes she DOES make legitimately are huge. Like she should've been caught a long time ago. She's also a person who I couldn't really connect with. She's a Debbie Downer. She's a pessimest. She hates EVERYONE (minus her sister and bff and possibly her new potential boyfriend). Like, I don't even understand why the love plot line was even in the story. I guess to create tension about getting caught for the murders, but it felt unnecessary for me. I just got mad because he's the only one (besides Katie) that I had any sort of feelings for one way or the other.
Make sure to check trigger warnings because there's some dark topics being discussed and talked about (child abuse, child molestation, rape, murder, sexual assault, to name a few).
It was a rough read for me (not because of the TW, I don't have any that I know of) because the first like 2/3 of the book I just was trudging through. The last like 6 chapters I was fully invested and things started to really pick up. Millie was no longer complaining. No longer drowning and we'd finally reached the top of the roller coaster and it was all downhill from there (finally). The ending made up for it a bit, so I gave back some points.
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC. These are my honest opinions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Death of parent
kimwritesstuff's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? Yes
2.75
This book is like a combination of You by Caroline Kepnes and the movie Promising Young Woman. Which in concept would be perfect for me, but I just couldn't love this book. Don't get me wrong, the sarcastic, emotionally closed-off Millie is a good main character, but I had so many issues with the plot and writing style. The author uses the same phrases over and over, which made Millie seem neurotic in not a loving way.
In the beginning of the book, we discover that Millie started Message M because her sister was raped on New Year's. Message M is a way for Millie to help other women and young girls from predators. When Millie gets a text from a girl who has been drugged and is trapped, she rushes to the rescue. After knocking on the wrong door, Millie finally arrives to rescue the drugged girl. Millie breaks into a strange man's home to find the girl unconscious and with the creep in question taking staged nude photos. In the process of rescuing the girl who messaged, Millie lets her rage take over and kicks the perv down the stairs, resulting in his death.
At first, Millie is disgusted by her actions and she's sure she's going to be caught. She calls in sick to work and searches the local news, waiting for the police to arrive at her doorstep. When the police don't arrive, she settles into the resolve that the creep deserved it and, better yet, she can get revenge for her sister. She just needs to find her rapist and end him.
Obviously, this book deals with very dark subject matter with very real statistics. Millie not only wants to get revenge for her sister, but also for herself. Her dad was a vicious drunk - emotionally, physically, and sexually abusive. As a result, Millie has few friends and only one family member she really cares about. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for her to snap.
Of course, the love interest in this book is a detective who is obsessed with these "accidents" that are murders. Millie finally finds a guy she likes and of course he's a detective, and she's a murderer. Such star-crossed lovers. I hated this plot point; it just seemed so convenient and also kind of dumb. If you were a vigilante, why would you date a cop?? I could understand most of the character motivations, but this just seemed like such a bonehead move.
This was just an okay read for me, but I think if you like You the book or show, you'd like this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
In the beginning of the book, we discover that Millie started Message M because her sister was raped on New Year's. Message M is a way for Millie to help other women and young girls from predators. When Millie gets a text from a girl who has been drugged and is trapped, she rushes to the rescue. After knocking on the wrong door, Millie finally arrives to rescue the drugged girl. Millie breaks into a strange man's home to find the girl unconscious and with the creep in question taking staged nude photos. In the process of rescuing the girl who messaged, Millie lets her rage take over and kicks the perv down the stairs, resulting in his death.
At first, Millie is disgusted by her actions and she's sure she's going to be caught. She calls in sick to work and searches the local news, waiting for the police to arrive at her doorstep. When the police don't arrive, she settles into the resolve that the creep deserved it and, better yet, she can get revenge for her sister. She just needs to find her rapist and end him.
Obviously, this book deals with very dark subject matter with very real statistics. Millie not only wants to get revenge for her sister, but also for herself. Her dad was a vicious drunk - emotionally, physically, and sexually abusive. As a result, Millie has few friends and only one family member she really cares about. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for her to snap.
Of course, the love interest in this book is a detective who is obsessed with these "accidents" that are murders. Millie finally finds a guy she likes and of course he's a detective, and she's a murderer. Such star-crossed lovers. I hated this plot point; it just seemed so convenient and also kind of dumb. If you were a vigilante, why would you date a cop?? I could understand most of the character motivations, but this just seemed like such a bonehead move.
This was just an okay read for me, but I think if you like You the book or show, you'd like this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Stalking, Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
lostinthepaigeofabook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow!! This book shocked me in ways I did not see coming. It was unexpectedly darker than I was thinking it would be, but I surprisingly enjoyed it! My favorite thing about this book were the epic twists!! I never could have predicted what ended up happening. It was just nuts!! My mind is still reeling… A masterfully woven murder spree with just a dash of humor. It had me guffawing one minute and then reeling with nerves and dark emotions the next.
Perfect for fans of the shows Dexter and How to Get Away With Murder.
Also fans of the book: How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by: Katy Brent. Very similar but a bit darker.
Trigger warnings: does include some fairly descriptive killings and some less descriptive memories of abuse and rape.
Perfect for fans of the shows Dexter and How to Get Away With Murder.
Also fans of the book: How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by: Katy Brent. Very similar but a bit darker.
Trigger warnings: does include some fairly descriptive killings and some less descriptive memories of abuse and rape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape and Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse
sciencewhizliz's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was unhinged. It kept me turning the pages and delaying bedtime for way too long to find out what would happen next.
Was the ending realistic? Nope. Did I love the characters? Loved to hate them.
It was a delightfully entertaining read, but dark.
Trigger warnings for rape, murder, child abuse and domestic violence
Was the ending realistic? Nope. Did I love the characters? Loved to hate them.
It was a delightfully entertaining read, but dark.
Trigger warnings for rape, murder, child abuse and domestic violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
greerlouisa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, and Drug use
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
Minor: Vomit
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