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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing this book, with my honest review below.
When Harry met Sally is such a classic, but it was time for a twist with When Sally Killed Harry. Not at all reminiscent of that film (so it’s still safe if you’re a fan) this story dives into a woman who is out of revenge against a conman who slid into her dating app. What makes Sally’s revenge even better is that she’s not content to sit and take out her anger on Harry when she sees other woman being conned and treated badly, forming a vigilante support group to take justice into their own hands.
I need to disclaimer that Sally is disturbed pre dating Harry (literally) and so while this is a ‘you go girl’ feeling book it’s also not all fun and games as Sally is a complex character who has been hurt in the past and she’s incredibly morally grey, which may be to expected. Still, I had to support her as she helped bring other women out of their shell and empowered them. There were some opportunities to make the story smoother as there were times we jumped around in terms of supporting character’s personalities and development rather wildly to the point of disbelief, not to mention Sally’s own reckoning(s). But I did love the core story and Sally as a character was developed quite well.
When Harry met Sally is such a classic, but it was time for a twist with When Sally Killed Harry. Not at all reminiscent of that film (so it’s still safe if you’re a fan) this story dives into a woman who is out of revenge against a conman who slid into her dating app. What makes Sally’s revenge even better is that she’s not content to sit and take out her anger on Harry when she sees other woman being conned and treated badly, forming a vigilante support group to take justice into their own hands.
I need to disclaimer that Sally is disturbed pre dating Harry (literally) and so while this is a ‘you go girl’ feeling book it’s also not all fun and games as Sally is a complex character who has been hurt in the past and she’s incredibly morally grey, which may be to expected. Still, I had to support her as she helped bring other women out of their shell and empowered them. There were some opportunities to make the story smoother as there were times we jumped around in terms of supporting character’s personalities and development rather wildly to the point of disbelief, not to mention Sally’s own reckoning(s). But I did love the core story and Sally as a character was developed quite well.
If you saw this title and immediately added it to your TBR, we can be friends. I had to request the ARC from NetGalley as soon as I saw it.
A chick gets conned by a dude, she joins up with other women who have been victimized by men, and they form a cute little (vengeful) support group.
There were occasionally some odd (missing?) transitions between scenes, but that could be due to the ARC-ness of it all. It was good and pretty fun, just not amazing. But if you like vengeful-women stories, I think it’s solid.
A chick gets conned by a dude, she joins up with other women who have been victimized by men, and they form a cute little (vengeful) support group.
There were occasionally some odd (missing?) transitions between scenes, but that could be due to the ARC-ness of it all. It was good and pretty fun, just not amazing. But if you like vengeful-women stories, I think it’s solid.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Violence
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.
Sally is from London but now resides in Manhattan. It is clear that she has run from something and that there is major trauma in her past. She lives with New Yorker Priya who is a psychotherapist, and works in a job she doesn't enjoy.
One day she gets drugged and conned out of her money by suave Harry, and her sense of revenge gets awakened. Interestingly, within what feels like minutes she has assembled a support group of half a dozen women who have been hurt by men - abusers, rapists, financial con artists, catfishers, thieves, the lot. They call their group " Some Women" and meet weekly in a church hall of all places to pool their resources. First they just want to get their money back or humiliate these men out of their jobs but it very soon tips into murder, with Sally being at the forefront of the action.
It is clear that Sally is deeply damaged. She talks of a psychiatric ward in her past and compensation money and once we learn what happened we can understand how she is behaving now. Of course, with that many bad men around, even less damaged women might be out for revenge, and so one abuser and rapist after the other finds their timely end, with the women dividing up the work and helping each other out, making sure that nothing connects them to their respective victims.
There remains a complicated relationship between Sally and Harry - after all he did to her, she still gravitates towards him. She attributes that to her childhood but I still found it strange. Things do go wrong, one man survives an attempt, Harry taunts Sally, and there is an interesting but logical twist about Priya's boyfriend Steve.
I have a penchant for revenge novels and female serial killers, and this one delivers in spades, even though they all get away with it a bit too easily and the story ends a bit too neatly. The revenge theme is strong but we don't really get more than a superficial sense of the other women. I'm questioning whether the first person narrative is the correct choice and whether we need a mystery around Sally's childhood trauma instead of just being told straightaway. It is also lacking any kind of humour but that's not a bad thing. The story is however very entertaining and I read it in one sitting.
Sally is from London but now resides in Manhattan. It is clear that she has run from something and that there is major trauma in her past. She lives with New Yorker Priya who is a psychotherapist, and works in a job she doesn't enjoy.
One day she gets drugged and conned out of her money by suave Harry, and her sense of revenge gets awakened. Interestingly, within what feels like minutes she has assembled a support group of half a dozen women who have been hurt by men - abusers, rapists, financial con artists, catfishers, thieves, the lot. They call their group " Some Women" and meet weekly in a church hall of all places to pool their resources. First they just want to get their money back or humiliate these men out of their jobs but it very soon tips into murder, with Sally being at the forefront of the action.
It is clear that Sally is deeply damaged. She talks of a psychiatric ward in her past and compensation money and once we learn what happened we can understand how she is behaving now. Of course, with that many bad men around, even less damaged women might be out for revenge, and so one abuser and rapist after the other finds their timely end, with the women dividing up the work and helping each other out, making sure that nothing connects them to their respective victims.
There remains a complicated relationship between Sally and Harry - after all he did to her, she still gravitates towards him. She attributes that to her childhood but I still found it strange. Things do go wrong, one man survives an attempt, Harry taunts Sally, and there is an interesting but logical twist about Priya's boyfriend Steve.
I have a penchant for revenge novels and female serial killers, and this one delivers in spades, even though they all get away with it a bit too easily and the story ends a bit too neatly. The revenge theme is strong but we don't really get more than a superficial sense of the other women. I'm questioning whether the first person narrative is the correct choice and whether we need a mystery around Sally's childhood trauma instead of just being told straightaway. It is also lacking any kind of humour but that's not a bad thing. The story is however very entertaining and I read it in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Gaslighting, Alcohol
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I like the setting of wronged women teaming up to take out bad men but this one was not good. To name a few problems:
- The characters are flat and defined entirely by their relationship with men
- Everything happens almost by magic to make the plot move along (like you talk to someone over a cigarette break and 5 minutes later they have shared their whole life story and are ready to join your secret avenger group???)
- Every storyline ends up the same, in the last 50 pages
- My favourite, the MC has been drugged and conned by a man she had 4 dates with, but she's still feels 'such a connection' with him???
I'm sorry but it just didn't work for me, but thank you Avon Books for this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault