this was a pretty fun read!! for the most part it was just really quite enjoyable and entertaining. however, i wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style and the pacing felt a bit off. despite that though, i thought the concept and setting was done really well and i loved that aspect of it! overall, it was an alright light read

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. There were too many pacing issues and lots of subplots going on in Ruby's POV chapters that made it difficult for me personally to keep track of what was going on. Also, the magic system wasn't fully explained or developed which I thought was a major part of who the main characters are. Ruby can mindread and Guy can shapeshift, but it was never explained why or how they have these abilities and none of the other characters in the story can/have their own set of powers. I did like Ruby's career ambitions and the concept of being an "angel killer" who went around quietly killing men who were hurting women and the setting of the Roaring 20s though!

I wish I had an easier time getting into this book!
It's a combination of all my favorite things. Jazz era mystery, psychic abilities, and a love story.
However a combination of the writing style and the world building left me wanting more. The magic system wasn't explained all that well and the slang felt forced and out of place. Every word every thought was so dramatic and I found myself rolling my eyes more often than not.
This might be a case of getting too excited and ultimately being let down by my own expectations. The synopsis just sounded SO GOOD and this fell a little flat for me.

An absolutely gorgeous cover that matches the delightful to read plot of this book.


This book truly holds a place in my heart and I plan on buying a physical copy of it as soon as possible.

Set in the roaring 20's with politic intrigue, superpowers, a soft yet brilliant romantic interest and an amazingly written female lead who brings up important issues such as justice for those who couldn't easily get it and high lights the power of female friendship this book is everything I could of asked for and more.


I cannot recommend this book enough. It was physically difficult to put it down, and I congratulate Kulper for writing such a masterpiece.

3.9/5 for Murder for the Modern Girl

AHHHH
I loved EVERY moment of this book.

First of all, I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed the reading experience. Everything was just so well written and put together that I couldn't help but falling in love.

Thank you Net Galley for the book, but this is my own opinion.

This book was ab-so-tive-ly delightful! I had a wonderful time with the characters, each of which was so rich and defined. Our POV characters, Ruby and Guy, were each an absolute blast, Ruby with her clever wit and Guy with his endearing vulnerability. I also loved Ruby's best friend Maggie, who is so energetic and honest and loyal.
The story itself was captivating. I've been looking for a good mystery to read and this is it. There are several layers to the story that blend flawlessly into each other, keeping me guessing and gasping around every shadowy street corner. It has elements of political corruption, human rights, and supernatural abilities, which make an amazing mystery when pulled together artfully.
I'm also a sucker for a romantic subplot, especially when both characters are so sweet.
Honestly, I would gladly read an entire series about these two and I'm sad it's a standalone novel so I won't be able to get more of them.

This book is exactly what it promises. A thriller, murder mystery, powerful female, adorable love interest, and so much more. While the first half of the book dragged, I started to love it around 50%. The ending was amazing. Maggie is a friend I admire to have and to be and Ruby is such a strong powerful female lead. Guy, ahm, is so sweet, kind, and over all sunshiny. Such a fun book. Thank you Netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book focuses on Ruby, an aspiring lawyer who can read people’s thoughts and with a penchant for murder, and Guy, a shapeshifter looking for answers to what he is. Throughout this book, they get tangled up in political and criminal messes, as well as with each other, but will their secrets be enough to tear them apart?

Things I liked:

I really enjoyed all the supernatural aspects of this book. I thought they were ingrained in the plot very well to where they didn’t feel out of place. I also enjoyed all the murder (murder is always good).

The characters were very dynamic and relatable despite being from a different time, and both Ruby and Guy’s POVs were engaging to read. Additionally, getting snippets of other characters’ POVs through the thoughts Ruby hears was a really unique way to flesh out those characters and get a lot of needed characterization out of the way without large exposition dumps.

Things I disliked:

The pacing of the book made it extremely hard to get through at times, despite the entertaining cast of characters and plot, and I found myself in almost a reading slump trying to get through certain parts of it. This may have been partly due to just how many elements this story had to flesh out (because trust me, there were a lot), and I commend the author for attempting to write such a complex story, however, I feel that working in those intricacies could have been done in a more concise way.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read, but I’m not sure I would read it again, which is disappointing as I was really really excited to read this.

This book was truly a masterpiece. Most everything about it was absolutely amazing.
I found that the beginning of the book was kind of slow, but it did pick up super quickly. And once it did pick up, I didn't want to put it down!
I loved all of the characters so much and completely felt that I was right there with them for the entire journey. All the characters were fleshed out super well and they all fit the timeline well. I loved how the plot progressed and how we found out all of the information right when we needed it, I found it made the story much better and kept me on my toes the entire way through.
The book is super well done, and I'm very impressed and will definitely read more of what she writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an eARC copy of this novel.

These characters were amazing. I loved Ruby and Guy’s relationship throughout the story and Ruby’s badass best friend Maggie. Maggie was a very loyal friend and wasn’t going to let Ruby go down without a fight. This book alternated between Ruby and Guy’s POV which I loved.

This was just so good. I fell in love with the dark, glamorous, glitzy city and its captivating characters. It was the type of book that had me giggling, crying, screaming, shocked, terrified, and swooning all in the span of a few minutes.

The plot was really interesting and fairly fast-paced. It left my heart pounding at times, that's for sure.
The murder mystery aspect was so much fun to read about because of... well, you'll see.
There was a bit of forensics, which I loved, as well as a fair amount of politics, but it wasn't too bad. Politics always goes over my head, so whatever!
It did take a while for the story to really get rolling; the beginning, in particular, felt really convoluted and messy, but it got much better as the story progressed, and the ending wrapped up pretty neatly.

The characters were my favourite part. Although the side characters were fairly fleshed out, it was sometimes hard to keep track of all of them. I especially loved the strong friendships—we all need a friend like Maggie.

As you know, one of our MCs, Ruby, is an extravagant, sweet, endearingly dramatic flapper with some clever secrets. She is secretly a murderous little vigilante, and we love her for it! Imagine a mix of Juliette from these violent delights and Evie from the diviners. I loved seeing the mask she wears slowly fade away to reveal a kind, caring, fiercely loyal soul who just wants to do good. She's also like, so incredibly smart. I want a lawyer like Ruby, please. I love her.

Then we have my love, a guy. You'll find out the guy's real name once you actually read the book, because I refuse to ruin the surprise. He started off by constantly getting on my nerves because of how naive and nervous he was. I get that he was supposed to be shy, but omfg this man could not get a single word out without stuttering.
But-character development! We gradually see him gain confidence and, omg, I am absolutely in love with him. His backstory is just heartbreaking. He's a soft-spoken, honest, brilliant, little genius with a heart made of actual gold. I loved seeing him open up, and his character arc was my personal favorite. Also, he's hot.

The absolute swoonworthy ROMANCE Oh my gosh, I adore these two. Ruby's outspoken, flirty personality combined with the guy's gentle, reserved nature was so cute I ca. If you're looking for a case where the guy falls first, look no farther!! This man was down bad for her and would quite literally do anything for her. Their growth together, individually and as a couple, was just so perfect. Just look at this quote.

“All right,” I said, shaky. “So who am I?”
“Smart,” he said without thinking. “Curious. You like asking questions and learning things. You let people underestimate you. You keep your real self at a distance. You wear masks, just like me. ” He reached out and touched a finger to my cheek, and I felt a shiver roll from my spine to my toes, which would probably stay rooted to this floor for the rest of my life.
“Am I right?” he asked, with the kind of smile that turned my insides to goo.


OK, now the two things that slightly bothered me. First the writing. It took me a while to get used to the prose; it was like the author had just researched every single slang term ever used in the '20s and tried to shove them into every single sentence. Because of that, the writing felt stilted and awkward for most of the first 15-20%. It got so much better after that, and I could actually understand what they were saying.
Idk, the story in general just needs a little bit of editing to polish things up, and I can just hope and pray the final edition is much cleaner.

The second thing is just something that won't stop nagging me: the whole "fantasy" aspect. Our two main characters had these special magical abilities: Ruby could read minds and Guy could shapeshift into any human. OK, but is that it? Is there anyone else that has these abilities? Why was no one else curious about how they both had these powers? The IK guy wanted to research the science behind his ability, but that was kind of it. I wish we got more on that whole world-building.

Overall, I can not recommend this book enough. It was a near-perfect murder mystery set in the dazzling roaring '20s, with characters and a romance to absolutely die for.

Thoughts

This book was fun, funny, and somehow still missing the sort of spark needed to really make it great. The historical worldbuilding is atmospheric. The characters--especially Ruby--are campy in the best way possible. Many people will, undoubtedly, fall in love with this book. It just didn't stand out to me. Not particularly.

Pros
Malapropisms: You know what I just can't resist in a character? Malapropisms. I love when characters, like real people, fumble with well-known words and phrases. I especially love when characters just embrace these phrases like absolutely nothing is amiss (we all know somebody like that, right? Just so confident in their own lack of correctness). Ruby is a smooth-talking and confident character who embraces some words that just aren't right, and I love that. It helps to make her character shine.

Campy Historical: There's something so fun about a book that embraces its extra-ness, and this book works even better for being set in such a glitzy sort of city in such an iconic era of American history. The glamorous parties, the speak-easy lifestyle, the moonshine and a side of murder--this book has all the historical trappings to make it fun while adding a level of camp usually resigned for steampunk.

Grisly Consequences: As fun and silly as this book's concept might be, it doesn't steer entirely away from the consequences. Books that feature a lady murderess are usually very nonchalant about the consequences--perhaps a perpetual threat over the villainess's head but never actually coming to fruition. Here, in this world of gangsters and bloody crime, there are some truly grisly consequences for those entangled in criminal proceedings, and that helps to set this book apart and give its campiness a level of reality.


Cons
Exceptionally Incredible Detective: It seems like such a huge coincidence that the shapeshifter wanna-be mortician (who wants to be a mortician only so he can figure out his shapeshifting abilities) would also be so observant--more observant than anyone else in the morgue. That this man, who has no real passion for morgue work, would be such a good crime scene detective is purely coincidental, but it feels too convenient. It makes sense for Ruby to be good at what she does, to some extent. She was trained by her lawyer father, after all, and she can read minds. But to have Guy be such a prodigy, too? It's too much.

Slang Heavy: I know this was used for the sake of era-immersion, but Ruby's abundant slang was too strong. Immerse me in the period, sure, but don't hit me over the head with it! I felt mildly concussed by the end of the first Ruby chapter, I'll admit. It's heavy-handed.

Loudmouth Plot Hole: The one thing, the one thing, that I had a hard time believing in this book was the tattle-taling. I could suspend my disbelief with everything else--even with the hyper-coincidence that was Guy's detective skills--but why would these women who love and appreciate their "angel" murderess so much go and tell on her? She's rescuing them from abusers. They pray to her. Why would any of them tell detectives about her? I just don't get it. Guy needed to know about the "angel" somehow, of course, but was this the best we could do? I don't buy it. It makes no sense.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10

Anyone looking for a magical twist on a familiar time period after Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan should check out this mind-reading flapper. Those who enjoy a bit of blood and guts in their campy historical fantasy like the grisly world of Elizabeth May's The Falconer will like this new book of gangsters and murderesses.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper is an original blend of different genres: historical fiction, thriller, romance, and supernatural. It was so hard to characterize this book, but that made it so much fun to read. The story revolves around Ruby, a girl who is a party-girl at night and a murderer of bad men even later at night. She also has the power to read minds. The story also revolves around Guy, a janitor at the morgue with a supernatural power. What will happen when the two meet?

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Ruby's perspective:

"TIPS AND TRICKS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MURDER:
1. Locate the target.
Fellows like Francis Mather weren't hard to come by. Good-for-nothing drunk bum bad husband worse father rang through minds from Hyde Park to Uptown more often than the chorus of "My Blue Heaven." But as much as I would have liked to take the business end of my hairpin to every deadbeat in the city, the ones who earned a visit from me had to have something truly evil in mind. In this case, three trips to the hospital for Mrs. Mather within a year - illnesses that only seemed to get worse, like terrible rehearsals for something even more awful - followed by a visit from the life insurance man got people talking. And worrying. And whispering. And that got my attention."

Overall, Murder for the Modern Girl is a lovely novel that felt like The Great Gatsby meets X-Men. The most similar thing I've seen to this is the anime Baccano, because it also involves some supernatural elements in the same time period. One highlight of this book is the setting. The author really made the setting seem real, and I felt like I had been transported to 1920's Chicago. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that Guy's power felt too a bit too "out-there" and requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of the 20's, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

Ruby Newhouse is a fierce and fiery young flapper with a heart for justice and women’s rights.
This book was wonderful and I was not disappointed in the slightest.
It’s fast-paced, full of mystery and intrigue and an absolute page-turner. While romance isn’t at the forefront of this book, when it is there, your heart melts and you get butterflies just reading it.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of criminal justice, the dazzling 20s and strong female main characters.
This ARC was provided by NetGalley and Holiday House in exchange for an honest review.

It took a little bit to get into this book due to some formatting errors and the language, but I grew to really enjoy Ruby and Peter as characters, and especially enjoyed Maggie. Overall it was a quick and fun read! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I wanted to like this read, as the premise sounded amazing and reminded me of one of my all time favourite series - The Diviners. But sadly the book didn't end up delivering for me.

For starters I didn't connected with either Ruby or Guy. Ruby was my favourite, but more from the fact that more interesting things happen to her than to Guy, than me actually liking her character. Non of them had a lot of dimension to them, which in these kind of books where the whole story balances on the two of them is a drawback. Not to say that Ruby was all bad, she wasn't. I really enjoyed her spirit and goal-oriented mind, as well as her choice to off really bad guys. But a big problem with her was that had this tendency exaggerate some words by dragging them out like 'posi-lute-ly'. I just found it annoying after a while.

My biggest problem with the book was it's magic system, which never was properly explained. So is Guy and Ruby the only people that has any kind of magic abilities? How did they get them? The only mention is Guy's boss paper which theories about the possibility of his ability. But that's is, which is lacking. Especially since this sense to be a stand-alone book, so it isn't that this is a build up for the second book.

So this book wasn't for me unfortunately.

Set in Chicago in 1927, Murder for The Modern Girl is all about that Roaring Twenties charm and I loved it!

Ruby Newhouse is 18 years old and the daughter of the state's attorney...oh and she can also read thoughts...an ability she uses to get revenge on men who are about to commit a crime (mostly against their wives).

Guy Rosewood works as a janitor in the morgue...only that his name isn't Guy Rosewood...He can shapeshift and turn into a completely different person. He desperately wants to talk to Dr. Keene, who also works at the morgue, about his special condition. While sneaking into parts of the morgue he shouldn't have access to, he discovers that a lot of the bodies there died of poisoning. This leads him to try and find out more about the apparent "angel killer."

What made me notice this book at first was its brilliant glamorous cover, which represents the story very well. The plot is fast-paced and so interesting that I couldn't put the story down. I absolutely adored the love story between the two main characters, partly because they are polar opposites of each other - Ruby is very extravagant and Guy can barely get a word out without stuttering - but also because they are just so immediately taken with each other.

Both characters are extremely fun to read about because they both have such fascinating abilities. In combination with the 1920s setting and the whole murder aspect, this is just the perfect book! There is never a point in the story where it gets boring and I have to say that I really felt like the characters developed during the course of the novel.

I would absolutely recommend "Murder for the Modern Girl" to anyone who loves books like "The Great Gatsby" or "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue."

OMG this book was everything i imagined and even more !! our girl Ruby, being able to read minds, basically said “law school? too long. murdering bad men who abuse women? sounds good.” and honestly, good for her !! god really is a woman huh
i LOVED the romance, i just want to give a big hug to Guy (i will not say his real name just read the book and thank me later <3 ), the only man i currently will admit to stan. i really appreciated the representation of anxiety through Guy’s povs and his character development, starting to get more confident and opening up more about his past.
also i stan ruby’s bestie Maggie and love her with my whole heart :)
if you liked stalking jack the ripper definitely check this out because i am in love !!

*thanks again to netgalley and the author for the eARC in exchange of an honest review!*

When I first read the synopsis I was immediately grasped by the idea of an avenging angel murderess protecting the women and children of 1920s Chicago. However, this story just falls so flat. While the premise of the story is sound, the mechanics, characters, and 'magic' system do not size up.

We follow two characters, Ruby and Guy. Ruby, the murderess, is a flamboyant, energetic character who over pronounces select words (which drove me CRAZY) and can read minds. She's 'modern' in a world where others don't like how she dresses because she's too provocative (in some instances). There's one point where she's going to investigate a theory at some dinner party with her father and her first thought is that she needs a new dress, one that's flashy and definitely not conservative for the period and her father says nothing? Not everyone is that progressive, it would have been better if they at least acknowledged how it might be frowned upon (especially since this story is rooted in feminism). I also found that she had two emotions: cheery or protective of her family. There just wasn't a lot of dimension to her personality.

Then there's Guy, a nervous man working as a janitor for a county morgue who can change his appearance at will. He stumbles upon Ruby while pretending to be a doctor so that he can perform autopsies on dead bodies after hours to practice on. He also starts to piece together that there is a killer going after bad men. But then he and his boss (a doctor that got his research funding pulled by publishing a paper about Guy's ability) decide that they are going to be the ones to investigate all the murders coming in and find the killer themselves. In what instance would this ever happen? Doctors do not become detectives just because they want a new grant for research.

What bothered me the most was how the 'magic' system was explained. As in it really wasn't. I find it extremely surprising that in the entire book, we only know Ruby and Guy to have magical abilities and there is not even a mention of someone else. The only other connection is Guy's boss' paper but that's all theory. How did they get the powers? They were born with them (I'm assuming since there was no talk of any accidents) yet their parents, siblings, or any sort of relations don't have any powers or know about them? It doesn't make sense.

Finally, the mechanics. I've mentioned above that Ruby likes to exaggerate some of her words. But she exaggerates even in her thoughts. As in written on the page is the word 'posi-lute-ly' and a select other few words were also drawn out like this. I thought at first it was a spelling mistake (positively vs posilutely) and then I searched it up because she kept repeating the exaggeration across the pages to the point that it grated on my mind and threw me out of the story. I don't mind italics for emphasis but hyphened words are a bit much.

Just not for me.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Murder for the Modern Girl.

Star Rating: Three stars
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: May 31, 2022

This book was a nice surprise, and it was a good historical fiction. The first 1/4th of the book was a bit of a struggle because of the lingo, but once I settled into the story, I liked it. I really like the Gatsby vibes the story gave me! I really liked the characters in Ruby and Guy, and I wanted to know more about them. This was a fun, quick read, and I think historical fiction lovers will enjoy it a lot. The ending left a bit to be desired, but overall, this was an easy read I enjoyed.