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nisforneville's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Millie has a hotline for women to call when they need help getting away from a man at a bar or don’t feel safe walking home alone. She has flyers up in pub bathrooms that tell the women to “Message M.” But then she ends up killing a man while helping a woman escape. She realizes that M can also stand for murder…
In fiction, I’m a big fan of vigilantes. Two of my favorite superheroes—Green Arrow and Batman—are vigilantes. So, a book where the main character is a serial killer who kills men who drug, harass, and sexually assault women is right up my alley, but the main character is very judgmental of pretty much everyone, and it made me not really like her at times. Despite that, it was a wild ride of a story and the plot did entertain me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
shansaunders's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder
gemloukay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Millie Masters is a picture framer by day and runs a safety hotline for women at night following an attack on her sister. But when one of the saves becomes an accidental murder, Millie decides that preventing further attacks is more satisfying than simply saving people. Of course her new boyfriend being a detective might be a small hitch in her vengeful plans…
The was a sharp and witty tale in which the main character reminded me of Villanelle in Killing Eve. She’s blunt and funny despite her murderous streak and you actually want her to get away with it all!
The was a sharp and witty tale in which the main character reminded me of Villanelle in Killing Eve. She’s blunt and funny despite her murderous streak and you actually want her to get away with it all!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcoholism
nmf16's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Millie, quiet and unassuming, starts on a heroic mission that accidentally turns sour because of a family tragedy. It’s a slow burner to start but the pace really picks up towards the end.
Some funny scenes in it which made me laugh out loud.
I neither loved nor hated this book. It was a good read, would probably make a good holiday book.
Some funny scenes in it which made me laugh out loud.
I neither loved nor hated this book. It was a good read, would probably make a good holiday book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Stalking, Death, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Rape
harleyqueen's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Millie runs a help line for women who have run insurance with men who don't understand the word no. But when she gets a call and accidently kills one of the men she questions why should they live and goes on a vigilante killing spree to find her sisters abuser . Maybe the answer she's looking for was a lot closer to home then she realised
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Self harm
ninarivagf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Incest, Murder, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Rape
moakham's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
beate251's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Things are not going to plan, but I’m only a quitter when it comes to work, hobbies, relationships, diets, and most friendships. Not murder."
This is a debut novel? Seriously? I can hardly believe that. It was so unputdownable I spent an entire Saturday in a reading daze, and while I must have had food and gone to the bathroom etc, I have no recollection, I was that engrossed. I love a good revenge novel, and this one had me enthralled. When was the last time you rooted for a sociopathic vigilante serial killer? Dexter maybe? And the ending, wow.
Loved, loved, loved. Such dark, clever, tense fun.
Also, has someone already commented on the nice riff on "How to lose a guy in ten days"?
"No point crying over spilt blood."
This is a debut novel? Seriously? I can hardly believe that. It was so unputdownable I spent an entire Saturday in a reading daze, and while I must have had food and gone to the bathroom etc, I have no recollection, I was that engrossed. I love a good revenge novel, and this one had me enthralled. When was the last time you rooted for a sociopathic vigilante serial killer? Dexter maybe? And the ending, wow.
Loved, loved, loved. Such dark, clever, tense fun.
Also, has someone already commented on the nice riff on "How to lose a guy in ten days"?
"No point crying over spilt blood."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, Pedophilia, and Sexism
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