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morv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Blood and Vomit
miss_marvel_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.75
well that was hella twisted but at the same time so well written that i couldnt stop during the last 170 pages
(at the beginning it may have benn a little bit slow but the end made up for it)
loved that there were just a dozen of characters so you couldn't get them confused and all of them at the right amount of screen time (as well as message M which was more dominant at the beginning but played an important role until the end)
(at the beginning it may have benn a little bit slow but the end made up for it)
loved that there were just a dozen of characters so you couldn't get them confused and all of them at the right amount of screen time (as well as message M which was more dominant at the beginning but played an important role until the end)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Drug use, Murder, Sexism, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Sexism, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Outing, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
alpa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Sooo good! Throughly enjoyed all the twists and turns in this book. Just when you think something’s going right another surprise comes along
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
chapters_and_pages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I absolutely love mystery/thrillers and I haven’t read many where the main character is the killer, but I really enjoyed it!
Millie is sick of men who hurt or intimidate women, so she starts Message M, a hotline for women and girls to call when they need help. A creepy guy following you home? A weird date gone awry? Suspect someone has put something in your drink on a night out? Message M. But Millie quickly realises helping the women isn’t enough, she needs to take out the source of the problem…
Books like these are always tricky to review because I know I shouldn’t root for our serial killer main character, but I kind of can’t help it. Is Millie a good character? God no. Can I understand her motives? Absolutely. A vast majority of women will understand the motivation Millie has because we have all, at one point or another, been made to feel unsafe by a man. Unfortunately, that’s the harsh reality of being a woman, and even though it’s not all men, it doesn’t change the fact that women have to be cautious of every man.
I’ve read a few other books similar to this (Katy Brent’s How to Kill Men (and Get Away With It) comes to mind) however I think this is the first one I’ve read where our main character is an actual psychopath with no remorse, even when she unintentionally kills an innocent man, thinking he’s someone else. I really enjoyed this because sometimes killers, serial killers especially are just insane, and don’t care about their actions.
To be honest, I don’t really mind that Millie got away with it in the end, and that she and Nina framed James. The one part I wasn’t to sure about was Nina. Obviously, I can’t speak from experience, but I think if I were to find out that my best friend was a serial killer who had killed about 9 (I think it was around that number at that point…) people, including my boyfriend, I highly doubt I would just get on board and help with the next one. Would I understand her motives and reasoning? Hell yes. Would I want to give her a chance to turn herself in? Possibly. Would I decide to say fuck it and join in? Absolutely fucking not!
On a completely unrelated note, I loved that the author is from Bristol and the book was based in Bristol because I rarely see my home in books!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely read Eve Kellman’s future books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Domestic abuse, Gore, Stalking, Self harm, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Rape, Blood, and Sexual assault
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
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
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