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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Revenge thrillers have been my thing lately and this one was a bit different as it was more silly than the others I’ve been reading. Parts were definitely far fetched but as this doesn’t take itself too seriously it worked. Sally was pretty one dimensional but I wasn’t looking for much from her as you knew what she was after. Overall, a quick read that was captivating and a good escape.
dark
funny
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
London born and bred Sally has moved across the pond to Manhattan and is finding dating to be a nightmare. She's been mansplained to, stood up, catfished and bored. So when her psychologist flatmate Priya tells her that she's choosing all the wrong types of men in the app due to her childhood traumas she gives in to the challenge of having 3 dates with someone or her friends will find her a date. So Sally meets Harry, who at first is lovely, attentive and oh so good in bed. It is all going well and she starts to let down her defences and let him in. That is until she finds herself with a huge gap in her memory and an empty bank account and this becomes a tale of revenge.
On her mission to find out who Harry really is, get her money back and make him pay for what he's done, Sally meets lots of other women who are fed up with men in their lives and they form a support group of wronged women. They start to help each other get their own back Strangers on a Train style.
I liked the premise of this book, and although Sally is justified in her anger and need for revenge, it was all a bit "men are all awful and so we're full of female rage". I mean the men in this story are, but still, it got a bit old after the 3rd tale of woe. I did love the Priya twist, and the fact that the women didn't cower to the horrible men in their lives, but surely not every man in the book had to be an aggressor, a rapist or a con man?
Give it a read if you want women kicking ass and getting their revenge.
On her mission to find out who Harry really is, get her money back and make him pay for what he's done, Sally meets lots of other women who are fed up with men in their lives and they form a support group of wronged women. They start to help each other get their own back Strangers on a Train style.
I liked the premise of this book, and although Sally is justified in her anger and need for revenge, it was all a bit "men are all awful and so we're full of female rage". I mean the men in this story are, but still, it got a bit old after the 3rd tale of woe. I did love the Priya twist, and the fact that the women didn't cower to the horrible men in their lives, but surely not every man in the book had to be an aggressor, a rapist or a con man?
Give it a read if you want women kicking ass and getting their revenge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Murder
Minor: Grief, Death of parent
dark
funny
medium-paced
When Sally Killed Harry is the first revenge thriller from Lucy Roth, the pen name of author Lucy Nichols.
The title plays on the classic rom-com, but the cover makes it clear that this is one gone rogue.
The first 20% or so focuses on Sally’s dating history, whilst not my usual style, the humour and Sally’s brilliant character kept me engaged. After that, strap in, because we’re firmly in feminist thriller territory. Oh yes!
Sally, is a single Brit living in NYC with her housemate, Priya. It is gradually revealed why she left London and also what has bonded the two so closely. Venturing back into the dating scene, Sally meets Harry. He seems perfect and she’s doing her best not to catch or give into feelings. He’s perfect – until he’s not. One morning, Sally wakes with a raging headache, realising she has been spiked and her bank account emptied. It isn’t a rom-com Sally is in after all, it’s a rom-con.
This leads Sally to befriending a wide range of women. This is a group that wouldn’t necessarily usually hang out together – we have women of all ages, backgrounds, faith etc. However their unlikely friendship is forged by the fact they have all been wronged by bad men. Together, they form a clandestine group, meeting under the alias of the Thursday Feminist Book Club.
“But in reality, you find the love of your life in the form of other women.”
You’ll be rooting for them and as the book progresses, we get a real insight into what drives Sally. Funny, thrilling and full of great song choices!
The title plays on the classic rom-com, but the cover makes it clear that this is one gone rogue.
The first 20% or so focuses on Sally’s dating history, whilst not my usual style, the humour and Sally’s brilliant character kept me engaged. After that, strap in, because we’re firmly in feminist thriller territory. Oh yes!
Sally, is a single Brit living in NYC with her housemate, Priya. It is gradually revealed why she left London and also what has bonded the two so closely. Venturing back into the dating scene, Sally meets Harry. He seems perfect and she’s doing her best not to catch or give into feelings. He’s perfect – until he’s not. One morning, Sally wakes with a raging headache, realising she has been spiked and her bank account emptied. It isn’t a rom-com Sally is in after all, it’s a rom-con.
This leads Sally to befriending a wide range of women. This is a group that wouldn’t necessarily usually hang out together – we have women of all ages, backgrounds, faith etc. However their unlikely friendship is forged by the fact they have all been wronged by bad men. Together, they form a clandestine group, meeting under the alias of the Thursday Feminist Book Club.
“But in reality, you find the love of your life in the form of other women.”
You’ll be rooting for them and as the book progresses, we get a real insight into what drives Sally. Funny, thrilling and full of great song choices!
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:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This theme of book seems to be very popular at the moment and I am living for it. All of these female characters taking back power (a bit too much) but the stories of these female serial killers are told with a hint of humour. When Sally Killed Harry fit this description perfectly.
I found this a really easy book to read. The plot was engaging and the characters were all likeable (apart from the men, of course). This was very paced and a lot happens once this group of scorned women get together, but it was equal parts thrilling, funny and heartbreaking. If I thought too much about it, what these women went through and the hands of men made me incredibly sad, but then a smart one liner or an outlandish scheme would pop up and make me laugh.
Sally was a great main character. She was riddled with baggage and all of it was catching up to her mentally. However she put that aside to help the women that had crossed her path as well as plotting her own devious revenge.
If you're a Katy Brent fan, you'll love this book as much as I did. Super snappy, witty and entertaining. A great read.
I found this a really easy book to read. The plot was engaging and the characters were all likeable (apart from the men, of course). This was very paced and a lot happens once this group of scorned women get together, but it was equal parts thrilling, funny and heartbreaking. If I thought too much about it, what these women went through and the hands of men made me incredibly sad, but then a smart one liner or an outlandish scheme would pop up and make me laugh.
Sally was a great main character. She was riddled with baggage and all of it was catching up to her mentally. However she put that aside to help the women that had crossed her path as well as plotting her own devious revenge.
If you're a Katy Brent fan, you'll love this book as much as I did. Super snappy, witty and entertaining. A great read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-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
dark
emotional
funny
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Londoner Sally is a survivor. Now living in New York, she's seen her share of the damage caused by some men and is wise to their moves. When she meets Harry on a dating app, it's all going so well. Until after the third date, when she wakes up realising she's been spiked and all her savings are gone.
Not one to take this lying down, she is determined to get payback. To not only get her money back but to make sure Harry doesn't pull this on anyone again.
While the main story is about title characters Sally and Harry, they're a catalyst for other women taking back control of their narratives. Along the way, Sally ends up forming a group with other wronged women waiting to reclaim their own lives and deal out justice that has long evaded the men causing the damage. Seeing the strength that the women gain from opening up to each other and sharing their stories makes the novel an enjoyable read. Each of the women are from different backgrounds, but find a commonality in how they've been treated, and as a reader, it's easy to root for all of them.
I don't know if Sally would normally be a character I could relate to. She's bold and brash and uncompromising and outwardly confident; sassy and snarky, occasionally reckless. As Roth peels back the layers, we see begin to see why she is the way she is, making her more likeable than she maybe ought to be. Roth is excellent at writing flawed characters with heart; no one is perfect and we're all fighting unknown battles, and shouldn't be judged for them.
What I did like was Sally's empathy. She's focussed on taking her own revenge, but in forming the support group, she doesn't take over as "Leader" prioritising her own problems. Sally's confidence and determination to get even is contagious, emboldening the others in the group to take their own futures in their hands and to no longer be defined by the things done to them.
If you read this, and I hope you do, try to be around soft, unbreakable things because some of the women's experiences will make you want to scream and throw things. It's even worse because nothing the women in the novel have gone through is far-fetched. It's all too believable and relatable. And even when the media focusses on these types of stories, the focus is often on the male perpetrators. As Roth notes, "Like, we're nobody in our own stories". Sally knows this has to change and she's determined to be the one to spark this change.
This is a sharp, brilliantly written, addictive revenge thriller that is so easy to get hooked on.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Avon and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel for review.
Not one to take this lying down, she is determined to get payback. To not only get her money back but to make sure Harry doesn't pull this on anyone again.
While the main story is about title characters Sally and Harry, they're a catalyst for other women taking back control of their narratives. Along the way, Sally ends up forming a group with other wronged women waiting to reclaim their own lives and deal out justice that has long evaded the men causing the damage. Seeing the strength that the women gain from opening up to each other and sharing their stories makes the novel an enjoyable read. Each of the women are from different backgrounds, but find a commonality in how they've been treated, and as a reader, it's easy to root for all of them.
I don't know if Sally would normally be a character I could relate to. She's bold and brash and uncompromising and outwardly confident; sassy and snarky, occasionally reckless. As Roth peels back the layers, we see begin to see why she is the way she is, making her more likeable than she maybe ought to be. Roth is excellent at writing flawed characters with heart; no one is perfect and we're all fighting unknown battles, and shouldn't be judged for them.
What I did like was Sally's empathy. She's focussed on taking her own revenge, but in forming the support group, she doesn't take over as "Leader" prioritising her own problems. Sally's confidence and determination to get even is contagious, emboldening the others in the group to take their own futures in their hands and to no longer be defined by the things done to them.
If you read this, and I hope you do, try to be around soft, unbreakable things because some of the women's experiences will make you want to scream and throw things. It's even worse because nothing the women in the novel have gone through is far-fetched. It's all too believable and relatable. And even when the media focusses on these types of stories, the focus is often on the male perpetrators. As Roth notes, "Like, we're nobody in our own stories". Sally knows this has to change and she's determined to be the one to spark this change.
This is a sharp, brilliantly written, addictive revenge thriller that is so easy to get hooked on.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Avon and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel for review.