The writing was light and drew me in. It was in what I would describe as a "chatty style" with the main character speaking to the reader. We were told her thoughts and reasons for acting the way that she did. The whole story was from her point of view, which was interesting. I also liked that every so often there would be a couple of paragraphs that took place in the main character's past, specifically when she was a child. You could easily tell when we were in the past because the font was in italics. This helped to give the reader more of a background to the character. The book had a good flow to it and kept my interest. I think that going back in time added to the intrigue.

The chapters were long which meant that you got a good chunk of the story before moving on. The story never dragged and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

The main character was excellent. I haven't read about anyone quite like her, and the way that it was written allowed you to see things from her point of view, which was interesting. The supporting cast of characters were also good and highlighted the main character's personality well. The other characters added to the suspense of the story. You never knew quite where you stood with them.

Lastly the settings. These were very much in the background as it was a character focused story. I didn't mind though as I was enjoying being on the main character's journey.

Overall a great story full of suspense.

I have to preface this review with a confession. I am a massive Sweetpea fan, Rhiannon is my girl, so any books in a similar vein have a lot to live up to...

In You'd Look Better As A Ghost, we meet Claire. After a horrible childhood thanks to her nasty mother, it is kind of understandable that she has a few issues, which have manifested themselves in a side-gig of murder! While dealing with the death of her beloved dad, she is the subject of a mixup around an art prize. Instead of accepting the mistake gracefully, she sets out to find the person who caused the upset and make them pay. What she doesn't realise is, someone is watching her...

This was a dark, comedic tale about a troubled young woman who has taken a unique approach in dealing with her problems. It also highlights some disturbing yet current issues in certain care homes which were unfliching in their portrayal.

Also, I try not to judge a book by its cover, but this one is 🔥

Hi and welcome to my review of You’d Look Better as a Ghost!

That cover does pop, doesn’t it! And the description, well. I knew I was a goner! I can never resist a serial killer thriller, and when the killer in question is female, that’s just the cherry on top.

You’d Look Better as a Ghost is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a dark but humorous thriller featuring a protagonist who might be described as a bit of a female Dexter. Dexter and his dark passenger only kill people whose crimes he feels deserve such a final and lethal punishment, and in You’d Look Better as a Ghost, Claire does the same. And she does so with panache. And most often, a hammer. (Although she might need to reassess her standards cos it really should take more than being an annoying parent who has a problem with camels, just saying 😬)

The blurb immediately reminded me of C.J. Skuse’s Sweetpea series. If you’re a fan of Sweetpea, picking up You’d Look Better as a Ghost is a no-brainer. I was afraid it might read like a bit of a carbon copy, but it really doesn’t. Claire is her own person and Joanna Wallace has her own writing style, which, by the way, I really enjoyed, so despite its similarities, this is a completely different book.

I loved many aspects of You’d Look Better as a Ghost, most notably Claire. I do love an acerbic, sarcastic main character. I had oodles of fun with her and her dry comments and her antics. And the story itself was rather twisty with various reveals that I did not anticipate and that kept up the pace and the tension. Surprisingly, there were also quite a few thought-provoking bits, it does pack a bit of an unexpected punch.

However, I did have a few minor niggles. The chapters that take the reader back in time to Claire’s childhood, her origin story if you will, are, to my mind, a bit of an exploration of nature vs. nurture, but in a manner that was a little too superficial for my tastes, and perhaps also too much of an obvious choice. Although I have to admit that they were fun to read, Claire as a kid was a hoot and a half and her mum a character I loved to hate, and I was terribly relieved that the most obvious option of all was not taken. I also wondered about some of the forensic evidence, but that’s probably just me having read too many police procedurals. And obviously, this isn’t one, and we don’t learn anything about any police investigation. But that didn’t stop me from considering gunshot residue, or lack thereof, and DNA, and fingerprints.

All in all, I think You’d Look Better as a Ghost is a story that you just need to enjoy while giving your inner armchair detective a bit of a rest. I found it very entertaining, it’s suspenseful and funny and if you’re looking for a serial killer thriller that will make you laugh as well as thrill you, you should definitely give You’d Look Better as a Ghost a go.

You’d Look Better as a Ghost is out on 21 September in digital formats, hardcover and audio, with the paperback to follow next year.

Many thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this thriller with added black comedy .Such a great read, completely bonkers ,a serial killer who thinks she is normal ! Full of twists and turns a very enjoyable unique read .Look forward to reading the next book from this Author .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .

I really enjoyed this! The dark humour was well written, and the characterisation of the main character had me rooting for her even when a serial killer. The book tackles subjects like grief, and it really kept me engaged. Would definitely recommend to a friend!

2.5 stars
Unfortunately this book was a struggle for me to enjoy.
At first I had high hopes that it was going to be filled with dark humour and the main character would have me cheering her on. But this wasn't the case.
Whilst there is some dark humour in this, it is sprinkled very lightly throughout but is never a main component to the book.
The plot and writing style didn't grab me at all and I wasn't invested throughout. I had no interest in what was going to happen, mainly because I was finding the whole thing so dull, boring and flat.
There was no tension or intrigue to the plot and it did feel a bit drawn out.
The main character Claire only became 3D because of the flash back chapters, which I found the most interesting thing in the whole book.
In my opinion this needed something more, maybe different POV's? That might have added more depth to the story.
The background characters also felt like a let down, there could have been more done with them.
I'm not sure what I was expecting going into this, but it was a big disappointment. If this hadn't been an ARC I might have DNF

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and never would have thought that I’d be rooting for a serial killer!
This is an original novel covering child and elder abuse, grief, loss and dementia and somehow manages to be extremely humorous as well. The final twist was unexpected to say the least. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

'You'd Look Better as a Ghost' is a funny, fresh novel featuring a vigilante who sees her next victim as a ghost before acting on her impulses.

Themes including grief, abuse and how society treats its vulnerable members are tempered with wry observational humour and excellent set pieces featuring fantastically imagined characters. The dialogue is excellent.

It is gruesome at times with some torture so consider this a warning!

There is a lot to recommend this highly original debut.

I initially thought this was a bit clunky but as I got to know Claire is became clear this was an excellent technique to showcase her personality. She doesn’t care about niceities or the minute details of life unless they directly effect her - I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book and I loved the development of the plot, the mystery didn’t lapse into nothingness at any point. Her personal development into friendship was refreshing but I loved that certain aspects of her character didn’t change.

I really enjoyed this - there seems to be a real trend of dark crime novels since Bella Mackies (which, btw I thought was, fine)

I thought this was brilliant and enjoyed the flipflop between the old days and now, ultimately knowing how it was going to end....

Enjoyed the dark humour in this book and whizzed through it!

Following childhood abuse delivered by her despicable mother, Claire becomes a vigilante serial killer and has been leading this life for many years. Following her father’s death, she is referred to a bereavement support group - a great deal of the tale takes place within this setting. It was at this time that I found some of the themes to be repetitive and I struggled to fully engage with the book – flicking through the pages as opposed to savouring them. However, I did enjoy the thread of black comedy running through the tale, which actually made me laugh out loud in more than one place! As some other reviewers have touched on, the book also has a compassionate side and deals with personal exploration of grief, dementia, and abuse of elderly care home residents.

I feel the concept is interesting and I enjoyed parts of the tale, but overall, I didn’t love it.

This is a brilliantly twisted take on the serial killer genre - a woman who kills bad people, or just people who really annoy her! Claire had a difficult childhood with an emotionally abusive mother, and since the death of her father she's been on quite the killing spree - but they would all look better as a ghost!


Claire is a brilliantly humorous character, who looks at the world differently to everyone else and I would love to see more from her in the future.

A really great and fun read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

Ever since she was a child, Claire has seen people as ghosts before they die.

Claire meets Lucas in a bar, the night after her Dad’s funeral.

Claire takes Lucas back to her house and kills him, but what she doesn’t realise is that someone is watching her and knows what she’s done.

This is a compelling and different kind of read. I enjoyed seeing the pieces of the puzzle come together.

There were some real laugh out loud moments, as well as true darkness.

I came to like Claire and didn’t want her to get caught! The characters throughout the book were relatable. I enjoyed the twists along the way.

I hope to read more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Joanna Wallace has written such an enjoyable serial killer story that I cannot recommend it enough! How she has managed to make such a likeable and funny serial killer I will never know! I saw a press release saying Dexter meets Killing Eve and whoever wrote that needs a raise as it couldn't be more accurate!
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Long story short... buy this book!
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Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!

"You'd Look Better as a Ghost" is a book I've described in my notes as "batshit but incredibly readable" - I flew through it, but it's definitely not for the weak-stomached.

Claire, an artist, is dealing with the recent loss of her Dad, who she misses dearly. Her mother was truly horrible to her from a very young age, and we get to see snippets of that in flashbacks.

When Claire is mistakenly informed that she has won a prestigious art prize (think a Moonlight/La La Land situation), she is mortified, insulted, and determined to track down the man responsible for the mistake. Lucas Kane doesn't know how dangerous she is - and he better watch his back, because Claire has killed before - and she has no problem doing it again.

But is Claire really as inconspicuous as she thinks she is? Or will her past crimes finally come back to haunt her?

This was so gruesome, so if grisly torture and murder aren't something you want to read about, I'd choose a different book. However, there's a thread of black comedy running through it that made it more palatable, leading me to burst out laughing several times (even when I knew I shouldn't be laughing). It's been far too long since I've read a decent thriller with a woman at the helm - this is everything I wanted "How To Kill Your Family" to be.

It's also a sharp commentary on how society treats its most vulnerable members, with a part of the book set in a care home where some of the staff are just truly horrible people. I did have to suspend my disbelief at times, but overall this was a hell of a ride, one I'd recommend if you like books led by slightly unhinged women who you can't help but root for.

What a great debut!
The comparisons to "Killing Eve" ring very true especially regarding fashion, but the author has made Claire her own woman, and has the reader rooting for the anti- hero. While it is an enjoyable, easy read the author also has has some profound things to say about grief and the invisibility of older people, particularly those with dementia, and it was no surprise to read that the author had faced these in her own life.
I look forward to many more books by Ms Wallace
Thank you to netgalley and serpents tail/viper/profile books for an advance copy of this book

This was such a fun and at times laugh-out-loud read!

Maybe being shortlisted for an emerging artist prize will help lift Claire's spirit and help her to deal with the grief of losing her father but then she gets another email to say that it was a mistake and that the mail was meant for another Claire......
How dare this despicable man called Lucas Kane tell her that he is "terribly, terribly" sorry?! Claire decides to pay him a visit and soon it becomes very clear that Claire is the last person you want a visit from because Claire sees ghosts but the biggest problem is that Claire is the reason for them beeing ghosts.
She has been doing this since a very young age but did she make a mistake this time because someone is on to her?

"In this tangled web of blackmail and murder, I no longer know whether I'm the spider or the fly."

I found the dialogue extremely funny and although Claire does terrible things you feel so much empathy for her when you know her whole story.

I love the comparison of Dexter meets Killing Eve! It is spot on.

A very entertaining read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Serpent's Tail, Viper and Profile Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

A quick light hearted easy read.
Claire is a serial killer who joins a bereavement group after the death of her father.
As the murders continue the twists start and keeps you reading till the end.
Different from your normal murder books with likeable characters and humour throughout.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Darkly comic thriller with larger than life characters; many of whom are not as they appear. It also tackles big themes such as grief, dementia and abuse of the elderly. It’s strange how you feel drawn in to rooting for Claire to get away with her crimes.