A review by novelty_reads
Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper

adventurous dark emotional mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book. It was very fun and pretty quick to get through. 

The book was set in 1920's Chicago where main character, Ruby kills the men who escape Chicago's clutches. Men who plan to do bad things to women including killing them. Genius boy, Guy is on the run. He changed his entire identity, running away from the man he was before. Working at the morgue under the professional who can help him figure out his gift for shapeshifting, Guy discovers that the string of deaths in Chicago are not coincidental. They are the work of a murderer. As Guy tries to figure out the identity of the murderer, Ruby goes to Guy for help on discovering who is targeting her father and wanting to kill him. All the time, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensures between the both of them as well as a blossoming romance. 

The book is told in two parts: Guy's and Ruby's. Personally I liked Guy's parts more as I found Ruby's personality and dialogue a bit annoying. Guy was also so innocent and sweet. I must admit, I didn't ship the two of them as I found Ruby taking advantage of him and his shapeshifting abilities. I wasn't really convinced on their chemistry and relationship because I felt like Guy was just being manipulated and strung along by her. 

While I liked the plot line and Guy, I didn't get a sense of the glitz and glamour of the 20's that I was expecting. We knew Ruby was a rich girl and a socialite but what about that allure during the roaring 20's? I felt like this could've been improved on in future books. 

Overall, this was a good read that was very fun too. I liked Guy but felt like the chemistry could've been better because I felt like Guy was being used in the relationship rather than actually loved. Maybe towards the end yes, but I felt like there was no romantic build up between the two and they got together quickly after their feelings were realised. 

ACTUAL RATING: 3.7 STARS 



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