I was really hoping to love this but unfortunately it just didn't live up to my anticipation. I did enjoy the black humour and the deadpan nature and matter-of-factness of the main character. However, I don't feel that the book lived up to the title or the promise of the blurb. It's never really explained why or how the main character sees people as ghosts, which is the crux of the story. I don't know, I just didn't really get it. I think this one just wasn't for me, as many other people obviously loved it. I won't be reviewing on the blog as it was only a three star read for me. Sorry.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read “You’d look better as a ghost”

Brilliant read! I stayed up far too late and read this in 2 sittings, I was so engrossed.
Claire is a great character, disturbing but also really funny.
Love the perspective from Claire and the “Then” chapters.

You will not regret reading this book! I’ve already been recommending it!

Well I enjoyed it! Super funny and intense,
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

You’d Look Better as a Ghost is an entertaining English crime story about a charming serial killer whose hobby comes under threat when she learns that someone has been watching her. I was beguiled by the title, and liked the sound of the premise, despite generally trying to avoid serial killer plot lines. I agree with other reviewers who have compared Claire to Dexter and Villanelle from Killing Eve, and enjoyed the irreverent black humour that lightened the tone.

Claire is an aspiring artist, who works out her impatience with people who upset or annoy her by murdering them. Her father, who she adored, has recently died, and to help manage her grief she joins a support group, but when one of the other members shows an unhealthy interest in her, Claire must protect her secrets at all costs.

This is a wickedly fun thriller told in Claire’s sardonic first person present voice (yes I still hate it but it works better than usual here), with flashbacks to her childhood with the selfish narcissistic mother who turned her into a psychopath. Despite describing some of her kills, it’s surprisingly ungory and she manages to convince us that her victims all deserved their fates (arguably some do, but most actually don’t!) In spite of the title, there are no supernatural elements, and it’s a quick easy read, but does tackle some serious and sad topics, including bereavement and child neglect.
There’s definitely potential for a sequel, but even if there isn’t to be one, I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
#YoudLookBetterasaGhost is published on September 20th.

Thank you Netgalley and Viper for an advance copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows serial killer Claire who starts to attend a grief counselling group after the death of her father.

I am so here for a likeable serial killer and I weirdly really liked Claire! I’ve not got much to say (as I don’t want to risk any spoilers) except it is an easy, yet gripping thriller book which will make you laugh out loud throughout!

If you loved how to k*ll your family and Blood Sugar then this is definitely one for you!

Unsure what to make of this- sure it’s quick witted and at times quite funny but it’s quite lazy in the set up and the story itself is nuts you really have to place all sense of reality aside- the ghost part is pretty much not mentioned so makes the title very stupid. It was a fairly quick daft read that give me a giggle but it’s nothing amazing. Like an afternoon tea version of killing Eve.

An interesting read, full of humour and very descriptive murders.
This a cleverly written book about Claire, a serial-killer who attends a weekly bereavement class following the death of her father. Claire believes she sees people as ghosts before they die. She has no family, she has no friends and is quite happy living her life.
It is a brilliant dark comedy that also has a thrill with a very clever and compleyely surprising ending.
I look forward to reading more by Joanna Wallace

Brilliant book with a very likeable main character that you just have to love even if she's a serial killer!!

This is one of those books that is amazing because of the main character, with the plot playing a second role, although in this case, the plot was also very entertaining!

The writer did a great job of taking the reader where they pleased, so that all the twists and turns were overlooked and came as a real surprise.

We follow the story of serial killer Claire just after her dad died, and the start of her journey into grief as she joins a bereavement group.. The death of her dad is in a way what starts a series of events that will jeopardise the anonymity of her pastime. Will she be able to keep everything under control or will her grief push her to become someone else?

I can't recommend this read enough, full of wit and really really funny, it's certain to entertain, as well as pause for a thought here and there. I don't feel ashamed in saying that I laughed even when I knew I shouldn't have, as I agreed a lot with Claire's thoughts!

One of my favourite quotes:
" 'The funny thing is...' I stop listening. When ordinary people feel the need to announce how funny a thing is, the only thing you can be sure of is that the thing will not be funny at all."

Thanks to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail - Viper Books for the opportunity to read it and this is my honest review.

This was such a fun book to read but since I finished it, it's become a slight nightmare to me in trying to figure out how to describe it without repeating the synopsis or giving away spoilers but I think I figured it out!
Claire is not a normal thriller reader's killer/narrator, those are normally totally unreliable but Claire is very honest to us readers, she's possibly the most open of all the characters we meet and tells us why she does what she does and I have to admit that although I really wouldn't do what she did, at least one of them and you will know which one when you read this book, did deserve what Claire did to him!
I did find the story arc very entertaining and engaging, it kept me interested and turning the pages. Hearing about Claire's younger days was a nice insight into who she was and perhaps a view of why she may have become what she is. All of the characters were really well drawn so they fit into the rolls the author assigned them well making me either root for them or suspect them as was needed.
There was a nice twist in the latter part of the book that I really didn't see coming. If you fancy a slightly different feel good read, give this one a go, you will be entertained!

What a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and devoured it in one evening, I just didn’t want to put it down! I found myself rooting for the main character throughout, despite the fact she is a serial killer. Her character was well developed and I loved that the book was written by her point of view.

A credit to Wallace’s writing is that I had moments where I was in pure shock and others when I was laughing out loud. The plot was really well developed with so many twists and turns that were unexpected which I loved. The addition of mental health, care settings and dementia were also portrayed so realistically and importantly factually correct - I find this really crucial when reading due to my work and personal experiences and it made the book more authentic.

If you love thrillers and dark humour this is the perfect read and one I really do recommend! If you enjoyed Sweetpea, this would also be enjoyable read.

Original and funny, great beginning but I struggled to engage with the characters. Think I am just not the right audience.

What devilishly and delicious book this is.
You'd Look Better as a Ghost has some amazing dark humour and fantastic cliches from the main protagonist Claire.
But Claire has a secret that no one knows about. She is a prolific serial killer! And what ever you do never ever queue jump in front of her because you might just come to a very sticky end!

After the death of her father Claire seeks out a bereavement support group, this is were she meets group leader Florence and the rest of the group who all have stories to tell. But one person in particular seeks Claire out, Jemma who has recently lost her mother.
But who is Jemma and what link does she have to do with Claire's recent kill Lucas?
Poor Lucas he really should have double checked the email address before accidentally sending it to Claire.
I loved this book and the characters especially Claire even though she is completely unhinged.
This is definitely one of my top reads of 2023.

Lucas is at a bar and meets Claire but little does he know, Claire is a serial killer. One that loves her hammer. Does someone know about Claire’s hobby and what will she do about it?This darkly comedic novel, following Claire and the problems that occur following on from her murders.

The novel focuses a lot on dark humour, which I found entertaining, although it does have some more serious themes running through it and is done very well. I liked Claire as a character and would enjoy seeing her come back in a second book. There were a few twists and turns that were done well and I liked how it all came together. Although I enjoyed the overall premise of the novel I wasn’t able to become fully invested in the story and I found some parts slightly repetitive. This is definitely a great book for those who love light hearted, female serial killer novels. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

What a fabulously bonkers book. Murder, kidnap, blackmail & grief; all linked to Claire, the protagonist who happens to be a serial killer.

Despite her chosen hobby, Claire is a likeable character & has a wicked turn of phrase. Some of the dark, humorous asides & human observations are delicious. She finds herself in a bereavement support group following the death of her father & her story is told in the present & snippets of when she was a child.

Despite the subject matter, this was an easy, enjoyable read. Laugh out loud at times but also some very touching moments. I find it difficult to believe that this is a debut novel, but apparently so, I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

The night of her father's funeral. Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, even before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

This is a story of murder, kidnap, grief, lies and abuse. I never thought I'd find myself rooting for a protagonist not to get caught. Claire is a likeable character even though she is a serial killer. She's heartbroken from the death of her father. The story is told from Claire's perspective. We also learn of the time when she was a child. There's a lot of humour to this story. This is an easy book to read, and I quite enjoyed it.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #SerpentsTailViperProfileBooks and the author #JoannaWallace for my ARC of #YoudLookBetterAsAGhost in exchange for an honest review.

You’d Look Better as a Ghost follows Claire, a serial killer who has start to get suspicious that somebody may be close to finding her out.

I went into this book not really knowing much about the plot and I think that’s the best way to do it! It’s so brilliant - funny and sharp, and really does have you rooting for a cold blooded killer.

It’s told between present day and flashbacks so you can start to piece together why Claire is the way she is which is a really interesting aspect of the book, and contrasted really well with the more funny, quick-witted present day extracts where she fights with her inner monologue and kills people off left, right and centre.

I loved Claire as a character - she is completely awful and kills a LOT of people but I was rooting for her and I actively didn’t want her to get caught.

I’m sure it’ll be compared to How To Kill Your Family but I think it can very much stand on its own. A seriously impressive debut, and i’m looking forward to read whatever Joanna Wallace does next!

Stories about female serial killers are popular at the moment. The thing that marks Claire out is that she sees her victims as translucent ‘ghosts’ before she kills them. Also, she doesn’t just kill ‘bad guys’ but very much chooses her victims based on her own moral judgements.

Claire has entered an art competition and is overjoyed to hear (at her beloved father’s funeral) that her artwork has been shortlisted. Only there has been a mistake, and the email was sent in error. Claire decides that the sender isn’t sorry enough and decides he must die. Unfortunately Claire hasn’t done her usual research on her victim and soon finds herself out of her depth. Is she going to be found out?

I wanted to like Claire, but I found it hard to get past her relatively insignificant reasons for killing someone. I did find myself rooting for her though, and wanted her to get away with it.

I expected that Claire seeing her victims as ghosts would be a more significant part of the story. While a nice touch, it didn't really hit how I thought it would.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with its very dark humour and dry wit. When I tried to describe it to my husband he thought it all sounded rather revolting: a serial killer who kills without remorse but has a unique way of picking her victims because they themselves aren’t good people and then linking each death to the victim’s initial crime. I really loved the thought processes Claire goes through in what to most people would be normal situations and conversations, some of which made me laugh out loud - but maybe I’m a bit weird! I’ll be looking out for more books by this talented author..

A brutal and delicious thriller! I would recommend to those who love a sociopathic, hammer wielding, strong female protagonist.

Hilarious and dark in equal measure - I loved it.

Claire isn't the same as ordinary people, though she has learnt to respond as she should to conform to society while she quietly, cautiously knocks people off.

Ha, Claire you are a wicked one. And what a ride you take us on. From bereavement groups and care homes to the insides of a psychopathic mind! I enjoyed the characters and it kept me guessing all the way through, I suspected most people Claire came in contact with was on to her, which was fun! I wasn't sure of the title though, I understood how it was decided on, but not sure it gels very well with the content.

A quick read, a found it difficult to put down as the action didn't let up. Thanks Netgalley and Viper for the early copy :)