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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Katy Brent has become a favourite of mines. I loved her other books & this one, the follow up to “How to murder men and get away with it”, was everything I hoped for.
Another fast paced mystery, full of twists and turns. Kitty is a whirlwind of chaos. She’s been spiralling out of control & making mistakes, perhaps becoming too comfortable with her role as judge & executioner…
Kitty is a vigilante, murdering “bad” men to get a sense of justice in a society where women’s abuse isn’t dealt with seriously enough. The parallels between fictional ‘Blaze Bundy’ & real life “Adam Tate” were striking, highlighting how this angry, dangerous, misogynistic, rhetoric is spreading like wildfire amongst men. It’s almost cathartic to imagine a ‘Kitty Collins’ out there to scare the living hell out of these scumbags.
This was a really easy read, dark, witty & a little bonkers. It’s a nice change to be rooting for a diabolical murderess, trying to right the actions of the worst humanity has to offer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Murder, Alcohol
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Murder
dark
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the Kitty Collins books so much, I've been so looking forward for this one to be released and it didn't disappoint.
I finished it the first day.
But I will absolutely be listening to it again, probably several times, as I have the first.
The narration is spot on, Kitty and her world come to life on the audiobook. I loved the inclusion of the group as it diversified the characters and gave a couple of different perspectives on the feminine rage. The story was fun, changed up from the last one and I really, really hope there'll be a third instalment, especially with how this left off.
I finished it the first day.
But I will absolutely be listening to it again, probably several times, as I have the first.
The narration is spot on, Kitty and her world come to life on the audiobook. I loved the inclusion of the group as it diversified the characters and gave a couple of different perspectives on the feminine rage. The story was fun, changed up from the last one and I really, really hope there'll be a third instalment, especially with how this left off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
cw: misogyny, mentions of SA, DV, cancer, and hate crimes, on-page murders and graphic attempted SA
In the follow-up to 'How to Kill Men and Get Away with It' we catch up with Kitty as she tries to resist her urges to kill bad men. But those urges are tested to their limit when she becomes aware of anonymous influencer Blaze Bundy spreading his misogyny. How long can she ignore who she truly is?
I'm going to keep this review deliberately vague because I'm mindful of spoilers, but once again Katy Brent has crafted an intriguing vigilante story with the acerbically witty Kitty Collins. Please heed the content warnings for this book, as several scenes could be triggering,
Kitty was as darkly hilarious as always, but it was also fascinating to see how she fought her compulsions early on in the story. From the men spoken about in the AWA, to a certain therapist, you could just feel her will not to act dwindling with every single page. I did think some of her observations early on (while totally relatable) descended into diatribes, but given the current climate, I imagine it was quite cathartic writing this character. But Kitty often had THE best one-liners. She could also be absolutely ridiculous, in the best way. I cackled laughing at the name she used to try and get into the studio, and the reaction from the security guard was priceless. As for the aftermath, you could just feel the visceral relief from Kitty. Meanwhile, her list of potential murder modus operandi in chapter 29 made me snort laughing. But it was also interesting to dig deeper into what made Kitty into the woman she became. I found the recollection of her childhood and what prompted her compulsions very moving.
I guessed the identity of Blaze pretty much straight away, but the reveal was well-done, and, the scene with a certain person (no spoilers) in chapter 34 was SO well-written. As for the following chapter, my heart broke for both Kitty and Carmella in different ways. It left me desperately wanting to read Carmella's POV, perhaps in a couple of bonus scenes, pretty please? But even with the knowledge of who it was, it didn't stop me from screaming at the pages on several occasions, as Kitty made terrible decision after terrible decision, usually suffused in alcohol.
But, that's also why I like her as a character so much. She's fallible and makes mistakes, sometimes HUGE ones. One of the things I love most about Katy Brent's writing is that she has crafted this character who is, at turns, almost insufferable in her snobbery, who giddily murders (granted they're almost exclusively seriously terrible people), but who is, deep down, quite broken, vulnerable and oddly lovable. Even at her most diabolical, you can't help but root for her as a woman who's seen some of the worst in humanity. Chapter 42 broke my heart, even though I knew it was inevitable. But the following chapter was bizarrely hilarious, and strangely cathartic in a way I'm still struggling to explain. As for the moment Kitty truly saw herself in the mirror? I was sobbing alongside her. It was heartbreaking. Meanwhile, the wedding was so bittersweet.
We were introduced to a few new supporting characters in this book and I grew to love all of them in different ways. While I can't name them without potentially spoiling things they were amazing.
The penultimate chapter made me fist pump, but also tear up again. As for the ending. I hope it's the start of a new adventure because I'm SO not ready to say goodbye to Kitty just yet.
Another darkly humourous tale.
*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*
Favourite Quotes:
‘Thank you,’ I whisper into his ear. ‘Thank you for bringing me back.’
Today I’m thirty. The big three-oh. Halfway to sixty. The age where women hit The Wall, according to Blaze Bundy. I’d very much like him to hit a wall actually. A brick one, preferably travelling at a very high speed in a vehicle without brakes.
'What do you like doing? What gives you purpose? What gives you joy?’
Hunting deviant men and murderising them in the cruellest and most unusual ways possible.
No. Stop that.
‘Um . . . interiors?’
Melinda is one of the lucky ones in that her attacker was actually brought to justice and convicted. Melinda is only too aware that she’s classed as ‘lucky’ because justice did what it is supposed to do for once. Lucky because she got the bare minimum from the system.
‘It’s not even about what happened to me. It’s what is happening to us always. All the fucking time. It’s not fun to be a woman. No matter how much we think the world has changed, it really hasn’t. And it won’t while there are still men like Bea’s ex-husband and the men who hurt you walking around with no consequences. I just feel powerless. And it makes me so fucking angry and so fucking tired.’
We live in a world where monsters are praised and applauded. Where they’re promoted and enabled. Where they’re given even more opportunities with every vile action. Where they’re given slots on primetime television and OBEs and don’t even have to go through the public ballot for Wimbledon tickets. It’s hardly surprising that men like this hit the roof when they’re told no. They’re not used to it.
I really don’t want to go on the run. It seems like such a hassle. Where would I get my eyebrows done, for a start?
I forgot how physically exhausting a murder can be. I’m not in my twenties anymore.
He pulls me into him, kissing me like a starving man. Which he probably is, to be fair. The French really don’t cater for vegans.
'Why are you putting yourself in danger?’
'Because no one else is!’ I want to scream. ‘Because there are monsters like Max Macintyre and Blaze Bundy everywhere you look. And there are even bigger monsters behind the scenes, pulling the strings, enabling the monsters, creating a new generation of monsters. And I can’t just sit here and watch it happen. I can’t...'
‘You’re scared of me,’ I finally manage.
‘I’m scared of what you’re going to do to yourself, Kitty.’
Hopefully his death will be recorded as a misdemeanour. I have to hope for the best. Because people will notice he’s missing. And because he’s a white male, people will want to know what happened.
‘Yes [redacted], I meant to shoot you, for fuck’s sake. Keep up. Or has your brain been totally rotted by spray tans and Taittinger?’
‘Even after everything you’ve told me, you’re still not worthy of breathing the same air as her.’
‘Time to go home?’
'I’ll get the bags and pop them in the car,’ says [redacted].
The bags. Like we’ve done a big shop.
As much as we talk about justice prevailing, it just doesn’t, does it?
Not all the time.
Not for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer, Sexual harassment