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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
annamorgan27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Misogyny, Alcohol, Child abuse, Murder, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Stalking, Body horror, Violence, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Gore, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
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
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
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
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
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