This was a DNF for me. I think the plot as well as campy vibes did not mesh well with my reading style and I could not get myself to finish it

It kills me to say this, but this is a DNF for me.

rating: DNF
finished percentage: 49%
genre: mystery, suspense

After getting almost HALFWAY through this novel, I still have no idea what's happening. And while I enjoy the writing style and the overall tone of the FMC...I just can't bring myself to keep going. Every chapter brings a new question and it seems like a lot of the book is the FMC getting drunk or high and blacking out for hours at a time.

The audiobook was enjoyable though! So I would recommend that route if this is on your list!
I also enjoyed the writing enough that I'd definitely check out Michelle Gagnon's next book! This one just wasn't for me, unfortunately.

Really funny novel. Love the characters. Love the trouble that seems to follow. Such a fun novel. I must read for those that need a good laugh.

What a fun book! The main character is so likeable and the characters that come along the way are certainly fun. This book was very snarky and funny and that, in itself, kept me reading. Throw in a serial killer and murders and you've got a great book! I really hope this author puts more books out with the main character.

This was unexpectedly a fun read! Amber is about to become a victim of a serial killer but she is mysteriously saved. She becomes obsessed with tracking down her unexpected savior and instead finds herself inserted in a game between two people that has been going on for years. Will she be so lucky next time the serial killer comes around?

I'm deliberately being vague in my review because I don't want to give away any spoilers!

This was a fun thriller with Finlay Donovan vibes, but not as silly.

This novel is fast paced, a lot of twists and turns, dark humor and backstories, and an unexpected group of characters teaming up to take down a serial killer in Vegas.

I enjoyed this read! If you’re working on your list of thrillers for the fall, definitely throw this one in. It’s a lighter novel with dark undertones, like serious subject matter but a narrator with a sense of humor. A nice break from the typical thriller.

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A hilarious thriller with a queer representation? Heck yes!

After Amber escapes a serial killer " things start to get weird".

This book was a delight. You may have to have a bit of a dark sense of humor for this one but it was such a fun ride. I read in one day and I cant tell you the last time I've done that. I loved how authentic the characters felt and I was invested in each of their stories. The plot was intriguing and kept me guessing with one particular twist that I did not see coming. If "cozy thriller" was a genre I think this would be it. This was a 5 star read for me and one that will stay with me in the long run. I look forward to reading more from Michelle Gagnon.

This was cute. Our protagonist is a hot mess. She escapes a serial killer with the help of a contract assassin. She goes to the Vegas strip to scam some money and meets a connected motel matron and a charming prostitute. But once she starts investigating the killer, everyone's life is in danger. This book was fun. It is structured like a cozy mystery with a cozy sense of humor, but a more suspenseful plot and with noir themes. I enjoyed it. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC copy.

This book was fun and quirky and I definitely enjoyed reading it! It wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but definitely something I would recommend to friends

I'm not sure what I expected in this one, but whatever the answer would be, it definitely was not that. This one is very unique, quirky and ironic. Grabs you from the start where "Amber" is abducted by a serial killer. She manages to escape with the help of a serial killer hunter, and then it gets much more bizarre. I'm a fan of suspenseful thrillers, and with this one, you just knew something bad was coming and you walked into shed full of chainsaws anyways. It was definitely a veer from my traditional genres. The characters were flawed and unreliable, which added depth to the story as well. Definitely interesting, but didn't really leave me wanting more. Thanks so much to Michelle Gagnon, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

Amber Jamison is street smart. Raised by professional grifters, she is not easily conned, so when she is abducted by a white van in the middle of the day, she is more ticked off than afraid. She knows better.

When she discovers she has been kidnapped by a serial killer, her bravado fades. She begins to panic, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation, when a women dressed in all black surprises the killer and comes to her rescue. Seems like a happy ending right? It’s not. Turns out her rescuer is hunting serial killers.

Despite being saved, her troubles are only beginning. After contact from the FBI, Amber with her own shady past, flees to Las Vegast where anyone can disappear. With help from a noir-obsessed motel manager and a hooker, she ends up trying to figure out why she is on yet another serial killer’s radar. And she is still trying to figure out her lady rescuer, Grace, who is connected somehow.

Amber is funny and follows her own moral code, that is a little askew considering her upbringing. The people she encounters in Vegas are colorful and hilarious. The tension between her and her rescuer is palpable, and Grace is just odd enough throughout that you question her motives and believability. Killing Me is a fast thriller with a heavy dose of dark humor.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author Michelle Gagnon for the advanced copy of the book. Killing Me is out now. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.*

Killing Me is the first book by Michelle Gagnon that I have read. My love of all things mystery/crime, and serial killer tangental lead me to opt-in.

The book starts strong, with street-savvy Amber getting pushed into a windowless white van and on the road to what she can only surmise is a serial-killer's lair. When she is freed by a mask-wearing, terrifying woman, who breaks in and kills her captor, she gets wrapped up in the search to find her rescuer's brother. Who just happens to be another serial killer.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was clever and dark and the writing was fun. I'll look for more by Michelle Gagnon.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Such a fabulous quick read. A thriller with sarcastic and dark humor which I loved. Despite it being about gruesome murders and horrible childhoods, this is a surprisingly light book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was too campy/ out there and just didn't work for me. I wasn't super engaged in the plot & didn't find myself wanting to pick it back up.

I love a book that has anything to do with a serial killer and this one was just fantastic. A comedy about being a serial killer victim? Count me in! Amber is funny and witty and sometimes I wondered to myself, "How did she get herself into this situation?" Loved this book!

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley!

This was an entertaining thriller about a serial killer survivor turns fugitive turns serial killer hunter. Filled with great banter and humor. The twists kept you on your toes until the end. I really enjoyed this,

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon is the best kind of cat and mouse thriller. Filled with humorous characters of all types, Killing Me is a suspense novel that also makes you laugh out loud and quickly draws the readers into the crazy plot. Killing Me is the perfect novel for fans of Elle Cosimano and Jesse Sutano. I will absolutely be checking out Gagnon's other works!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read this novel.

I could not put this one down! A very unique story with characters that I became invested in. A lot of mystery/thrillers have become generic with the story line, and Killing Me was a breath of fresh air.

This book started out strong. I really liked the premise and flew through the first 30% of the book. Once Amber got to Vegas though the pace really slowed down. I ended up switching to audio and that really helped me to finish the last half of this book. This book didn’t live up to my expectations but I would try another book from this author in the future.

Killing Me started off strong but ultimately didn’t work for me. The character development felt a little stilted. It felt like her character with her con background was kind of thrown at us, rather than shown through her actions and words.

The plot in which she is abducted by one serial killer, escapes, and then is tracked by a second serial killer was extremely far fetched and very hard to grasp onto. I found myself not caring because I found this connection so unbelievable that I couldn’t get invested.

I think if the story was dialed back, and maybe the connection between Grace, Amber, and the killer was less forced I could have been more invested but ultimately this was a miss for me.