This was a very quick read because I was hooked and could not put it down. It is an amazing debut! I loved the main character and her flawed candor. The other characters also drew me in too. I really enjoyed Koller Croft's writing style.Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. Hooked from the first line and could not stop listening to this one! And this is a debut! I wish Bea did besties, cause I would chase her down to be her bestie. I love reading books about smart women and this was just the right spot for me~!

just go read it- it matters not what the rest of my review should say- read the dang book!

5 big old stars- and would give more if I could.

There is so much to gush about in this book - a deliciously honest main character who is doing her best to find safety and security in the only ways she knows, jabs at the truly wealthy and their often bizarre behavior, plenty of psychological warfare, and incisive commentary on the absurd expectations of women at every age. I am very impressed with this book, even more so because it’s a debut. The only reason I gave it four stars is because I loathe endings that are that ambiguous. Look forward to more from this author.

From the get-go, we learn that Bea is not who she is. Between snarky observations and interactions with insufferable rich people, Bea reveals that she is trying to lock down a rich husband, Collin Case. The novel alternates between the present day and her childhood, where Bea learned the ropes from her conniving mother. She had a tough upbringing, always moving around to follow her mother's love affairs. Bea hoped not to turn into her mother, yet it is what she knows best...

This book was fun and over the top. Although Bea was quite into herself and not at all genuine to those around her, I enjoyed following her attempt to become a wealthy wife. Her mother was portrayed as an awful person, and I felt bad for Bea's struggles. Her commentary was pretty hilarious, and I couldn't get over her talking about Collin's large teeth. The end was a bit all over the place, but I flew through this one!

Stone Cold Fox is intriguing and riveting thriller with con artist drama that revolves around Bea and Gale’s cat-and-mouse game.

Like any normal psych thriller, all characters were unlikable, super despicable. I also didn’t like the innocent ones here but oh what a fun drama and thrill they all gave. Most of the story is written in present from Bea’s perspective but we get intermittent past chapters that take us back to Bea’s childhood and her life with her mother and how she came to where she is now.

Past chapters made me feel sorry for her. It was horrible what little Bea has to go through, how deprived of love and affection she was. I could get her desperation to please her mother to make her happy and get her love. And what her mother did to her was unthinkable. It put me in the dilemma of who I hated most, Bea or her mother.

Looking at her past one would think Bea would want a different life when she has to walk the path of life on her own, without her mother she might choose better but nope she was her mother’s daughter. She sure wanted to be different than her but at the same time better than her. It was interesting to see if she manages to get what wants and be what she wants.

The mystery and suspense is amazing. First half of the book is full of chase, I could see where it was going but the second half caught me off guard. Twists in this part are surprising. I didn’t expect the game will be extended this long. I knew what happened between Bea and her mother and how that will affect her present and still it was surprising to see it coming to bite her ass. I couldn’t at all say where this will end and what end it was!

Bea surprised me most in the end, I didn’t expect her to go in this direction and I’m surprised to say it actually made me like her. Some readers felt the end was rushed but I found it clever. It left me wishing to have another game between characters.

Overall, Stone Cold Fox is a clever, thrilling, and wicked page-turning con artist thriller with an amazing cat-and-mouse chase that kept me on the edge till the end.

This was fine. It was a slow burn and not action packed at all, but definitely rich people doing messed up things. I just wish there had been more thrilling aspects of it. So it was fine, but I don't think I'll remember much about it down the road.

If you’re in desperate need of a binge book, look no further. Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft is easily one of the most fun and entertaining books I’ve read in a long time.

Rating: 5/5⭐️

Read if you:
-want the most savage protagonist, Bea’s inner dialogue made me cackle
-like domestic suspense
-enjoy books set amongst the uber wealthy

Thoughts:
I have been recommending this book left and right. It’s the perfect mix of dark humor and domestic suspense, and you won’t be able to put it down. I find that some con stories are hard to believe, but Bea’s storyline is easy to follow and she was such a multi dimensional character, that it didn’t seem all that unrealistic. Her inner dialogue also made me actually laugh out loud, which made her all the more likeable despite her many unlikeable qualities. I thought the plot was fresh and unique, with characters described so vividly that I have a whole cast in my head already. The dual storylines also worked well together, and both were relevant to the story. Just do yourself a favor and read this!!

Wow wow wow! What a filthy, delicious, sinful novel! I love books about rich families who get everything they could ever want and still act like they are bigger and better than you! What a true delight of a debut novel. There was a Lifetime movie like this but it was mother and son! Ohhhh I had to read till the very last page. I hardly ever finish books in one day but I did it! Wow it was so so so good and I gobbled up every word and phrase. I loved Bea and HATED Gale but I think that was the whole point. I cannot wait to see what Rachel has up her sleeve next. She's definitely a force to be reckoned with.

I just finished whizzing through this book after 1 day. I really liked it - it was an amazing debut! I loved the main character and her flawed candor. The other characters also drew me in and Koller Croft's writing style was one that I enjoyed!

I love a domestic suspense with dark humor and I gobbled this one up! It’s magnificent on audio too.
I’m shameless, I had so much fun reading this book. It’s going to be in my top reads for 2023.

Couldn't put this book down! I wanted to know what Bea was going to do next, what happened in her past that made her who she was in the present, and the writing style was addictive. The link below is of my author interview for the Feminist Book Club podcast.

stone cold fox is a suspense/thriller novel following Bea, who grew up in a life defined by her mother conning wealthy men and subsequently living life utilizing their money and resources, and then moving on to the next. she is tired of that lifestyle from her childhood and she wants to settle down, but she is not gonna not marry rich, so she sets her sights on collin case, one of her wealthy clients. however, it’s not just collin she has to win over, its the family who sees her as an outsider, and especially collin’s best friend, gale, who has motivations of her own for keeping bea on the outs.

this is a hard book to review, because its one of those where almost every character is unsympathetic in some capacity. it is very fast-paced despite it not being overstuffed with plot, and the first line sets the tone for the type of character Bea is going to be. there are flashbacks to bea’s childhood layered throughout, so we get more of a perspective on the way that bea’s mother’s perspective on relationships has informed her own. When i started the book, i didn’t have much of a concept of what was going to happen plotwise, but i ended up listening to it in one day because i wanted to know what was coming next. if you like books with unlikeable morally ambiguous rich out of touch characters, this would be a fun one for you to read!

This book was so much fun - I couldn't put it down! I love a con artist story and this felt like a fresh take. I loved the slow reveals as the book went on, it's what made this one so addictive. It was so wildly unhinged. I kept gasping and frantically texting my friend who was reading this at the same time I was, I was so glad I had someone to talk to about it. All my predictions were wildly wrong and the end was satisfying to me, which is really all I want from a thriller! It gave me the same vibe as Ashley Winstead's The Last Housewife, but without being so gruesome.

If I could change anything, I wish we understood a bit more of the mom's motivations. But still really enjoyed it!

Genre: Thriller

Format: Audio

4🌟 - I liked it!

Our #btwbc pick for this past month! Such a fun con story with a few unexpected twists! I really enjoyed the writing style and thought it was really good on audio! Love a rich people problem story and this one delivers!

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Stone Cold Fox
AUTHOR: Rachel Koller Croft
FORMAT: Audiobook
GENRE: Thriller/Suspense
DID I CRY: No
PUB DATE: 2/14/23
RATING: 9/10
4.5 stars

Thank you so much @berkleypub for my #gifted advanced copy of #StoneColdFox out now!

MY THOUGHTS

What a book! This one very quickly picked up traction & filled my feed with glowing reviews and I can for sure see why!

I loooove a dramatic suspense. Books that make me feel like I’m watching reality tv in the best way make my heart happy & I find myself unable to put the book down because I get so wrapped up in the plot and the characters, and this was no exception. I felt like the writing was great, and it translated SO well into audiobook format. The narration was fantastic. The plot itself was also fun to follow. I’ve been loving con artist plots, specifically the suspense they bring to the story. The characters were outrageous & catty & almost felt like caricatures of real people but it made the story perfect.

I think the ending was a lot for me, it felt like it got kind of crazy & whiplashy. I would’ve liked if it were a little bit longer to help pace out the events that happen at the end, or if the ending was slightly less chaotic with a few more clarifying plot points.

All in all though this is a knock out debut & i am so excited for more from this author. & according to @emilybookedup this is getting adapted by Julie Plec so we’ll be able to see this drama come to life in the near future

This book had so much potential. Loved the storyline but it was very disjointed and jumped around a little too much to stay focused.

I’m surprised how much I loved this!! The con elements, unlikable narrator, WASPs behaving badly, and family trauma came together to create this unputdownable read.

This certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea — lots of content warnings. This reminded me a bit of When we were Bright and Beautiful and Luckiest Girl Alive; if you liked those, you’ll enjoy this.

This is an intriguing thriller that is told in past and present leading up to the end result of a childhood filled with abuse and neglect. Bea seems to be cold-hearted and vengeful, yet vulnerable and childlike at times. Her ongoing battle with Gale was very entertaining and there were a lot of memorable secondary characters. The audiobook is so fun to listen to and Carlotta Brentan did a fantastic job narrating.

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for my free book and audiobook! My thoughts are my own.
#penguinrandomhousepartner

I can already tell you, this novel will be one of my TOP READS this year! I started this novel late on a Friday night, and devoured it over the next day, even switching to the audio version while I ran my Saturday errands and cleaned my house, because I could NOT put it down! This novel has everything I love in a thriller…deceit, twists, female competition, murder, and a complicated (lovable?) evil main character that I found myself rooting for!

Bea learned from the best, her own beautiful mother. She watched as her mother repeatedly chose a wealthy target and conned him into marrying her. Bea lived a few content years in each household until the target met with a suspicious end. Then Bea and her mother changed their names and moved to the next mark.

As an adult, the stunningly beautiful Bea wants a more stable life. So, she chooses a target she intends to stay married to — a wealthy man who comes from old money. The family has several houses, cars, chauffeurs, household wait staff, and more. When Collin Case falls deeply in love with her, Bea just needs the approval of his family.

But Collin’s childhood best friend, Gale Wallace-Leicester, sees through Bea, and what starts out as merely an amusing competition for Bea turns into a fight with everything at risk! How far will Bea go to get what she wants?

This story is told from Bea’s perspective. I had to laugh at Bea’s less than flattering assessment of those around her, especially Gale Wallace-Leicester! Bea’s internal dialogue was highly entertaining as she assessed everything from the fashion sense, hairstyles, and makeup choices to the household decor of those around her. This novel was thoroughly entertaining and I highly recommend it!

This is Rachel Koller Croft’s debut novel!! I can’t wait for her next book, as she is already an auto-buy author for me!

okay this was honestly so fun. as in fun the way that fiction should be- unrealistic to real life and incredibly entertaining! Bea is a top tier con artist with her sights set on marrying the filthy rich Colin Chase. Bea’s last big score in is sight, once she can get through Colin’s best friend Gale Wallace-Leicester.

Bea is wild. smart, mean, quick, gorgeous and ruthless. She belongs on a reality show amongst the most notorious Bravo Housewives! i honestly loved reading her internal thoughts- it was the epitome of intrusive thoughts come to life. a juicy suspense that thriller fans do not want to miss!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing & Netgalley for this stunning gifted copy!