I’m typically here for the unhinged thriller.

You want me to suspend some disbelief? No problemo.

For some reason, KILL FOR ME KILL FOR YOU felt like too much of an ask. The premise really drew me in–two women meet and make an arrangement to kill for the other. Steve, I was with you for the first half. I really was. But you lost me. I couldn’t get behind the WHY that these crimes were committed and I really didn’t buy into the motive.

I really loved THIRTEEN which arguably has an even more outlandish premise, but this one fell a bit short for me. Readers seem to be enjoying KILL FOR ME KILL FOR YOU so I think my opinion is likely to be a minority one.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness but this was a twisty turny thrill of a ride that went in so many different directions that I didn't expect, in the best possible way. Cavanagh's writing is crisp and perfectly paced for this type of story, and his characterizations were fantastic. He has a style that is very well suited to a dark peek behind the curtain of humanity, managing to create characters who are sympathetic and believable even in their darkest moments.

I loved the weird and unusual directions this took - it felt truly original, a riff on classics of the genre rather than like the soft-boiled retellings that so many thrillers feel like these days... I was engaged from the start and had no idea where things were going to go, which is something I can rarely say in fiction these days given how much I read. I loved it and cannot wait for more from the author!

“Would you really do that? If we found the guy and you knew he was guilty, but you couldn't prove it? You’d take him out?”

In a grief counseling group, Wendy and Amanda meet by chance. They connect so well that they decide to continue their discussion over drinks. There, they make a dangerous pact against the men who destroyed their families. If you kill for me, I’ll kill for you. Meanwhile, Ruth is home alone one night when her home is broken into by a madman. He stabs her seventeen times and upends her whole world and disappears Will she ever feel safe again? How do you go on when life as you know it is over?

When I saw this compared to Gone Girl and The Silent Patient (two of my favorite thrillers ever), I had to have it! And after reading it, I feel like it absolutely belongs in that category, as it truly was a fantastic thriller! The pacing was perfect and the multiple points of view really added to the story bit by bit. I couldn’t wait to see how the different storylines were going to come together, and when they did, I was absolutely blown away! I’m also a sucker for revenge plots, where the bad guy gets what he deserves (especially when he seems to have gotten away with it before)! But this was a whole different level of vigilante justice gone wild.

This was a book I stayed up late reading two nights in a row and didn’t want to put down - when I did have to stop reading, I kept thinking about the story! This was the first book I read by this author and apparently I have really been missing out! Easily going to be one of my top books of the year.

Thank you to Steve Cavanagh, Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC! This was also my Book of the Month selection for March :) “Kill for Me, Kill for You” releases March 19, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This fast-paced plot with multiple, jaw-dropping twists is the best thriller I’ve yet to read! A heart pounding, edge-of-your seat, WOW story throughout.
Excellent writing with an intricate plot that comes together beautifully and ends with this reader absolutely mind-blown!!
Highly recommend to All thriller lovers!! I can’t say enough about this fantastic book.

I thought this book was very interesting. It was a little slow in places but one neck of an ending!

First time author to me. It was a great read!

This felt like an overdone and very predictable story. I really did not like it because it felt so unbelievable.

This was the first book I have read by Steve Cavanagh and I'm so glad I got to read this book. I was happy to get the chance to read this book after a guy I follow on TikTok recommend it and the authors writing. I felt like the beginning was a little slow but I feel that way with most thrillers. I felt like it picked up speed really quick though. This book is told through multiple perspectives, the suspenseful narrative kept me hooked until the very last page. This is a thriller that sets you on an emotional roller-coaster along with its characters. So buckle up and get ready for all the twist and turns in this book. I would definitely recommend this book and I can't wait to read more of Steve Cavanagh's books.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I'm super appreciative to Netgalley, the publishers and Steve Cavanagh for this ARC. But I have NO idea what this book was even about. I know I read it, but I can't remember anything about it to review. Generally, that's a pretty bad thing in the book realm. I'll give it a solid three stars because I might be confusing it with another book?

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange of my honest review.

OMG what the heck did I just read?!?! Kill for Me, Kill for You is a moderately paced read at the beginning but picks up about halfway through and then it’s the fastest roller coaster I’ve been on to the end. The twists were completely unexpected and even though the multiple POV’s didn’t seem to have a connection for the majority of the book, it was like a brick hit right when it was revealed. It made me question how I felt about the “bad guy” and it made me think hard about what made most of the characters bad guys. Everyone seemed to be in that grey area and I didn’t mind it, I was genuinely fighting my feelings and emotions on these characters. My jaw literally dropped a few times and I love it when a book shocks me. Highly recommend for any thriller lover out there.

In high school when I read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, the big question was "How did the author make the reader want a murderer to get away?" Cavanagh has that one figured out!!
I am so so so glad I was able to read this book quickly because it's one of those books you end up losing sleep to read! Pretty much everyone knows Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train (or the '80's comedic remake Throw Mama from the Train) and it is what immediately comes to mind when you read the title of this book. With that knowledge, we know a myriad of things that can go wrong. Cavanagh does an excellent job still surprising us with how things go and weaving together two storylines that we follow throughout the book. I was totally satisfied--even with the things that weren't so satisfying because they were done well and it really is how this genre ends most of the time, so expect that.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonandSchuster for the ARC

Ruth was brutally attacked while alone in her home and no one was ever convicted, even though she remembers his face and voice. Amanda lost her daughter and husband to a man whose name she knows yet he was never convicted. The two women meet at a trauma therapy group and after a few drinks come up with a plan for revenge - if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you. 😱

This was a fast-paced cat and mouse thriller and I truly didn’t know what would happen at any moment. The first night I started this, I looked up and had already read 15%. And there was a point near the end where I had to just sit and stare at the wall to put all the pieces together in my head!

I would definitely recommend this one if you like thrillers you can rip through that keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Comes out next Tuesday, 3/19!

I loved this thriller! It's very fast-paced and perfect for getting out of a reading slump. The twists were twisting!! I was (attempting) to guess what would happen next throughout the entire book. It's a bit dark (i.e. death of a child) so reader be aware. You may need to suspend disbelief a bit. It will make your reading experience all the more enjoyable! I highly recommend this one from Steve Cavanagh. It comes out in one week (3/19)!

4.25 stars

This is truly one of the absolute best books I have read in a while. I could NOT put it down, and I mean that literally. I ignored my chores, my husband, and my children because I refused to tear myself away from it. A perfectly paced and flawlessly written thriller with an utterly phenomenal twist. Wow.

Have you ever wanted to avenge someone’s death, someone you loved more than life itself? Given the chance, would you kill for them? Kill the one who killed them? The one that caused their death? Take a thrilling ride within the pages of Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steven Cavanagh. It has easily moved to the top of the list of best books read! Thank you NetGalley for another astounding ARC!

While this is my first Steven Cavanagh book, it is definitely not my last. Wow. I loved everything about this book. My jaw dropped numerous times…but that ending…my jaw is still hanging open! 😮 This book had all the twists and turns I love in a psychological thriller. What an absolutely shockingly amazing book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy reading, y’all! 📚❤️📚

#KillForMeKillForYou
#StevenCavanagh
#NetGalley

I enjoyed this twisty thriller! Many of the twists were predictable, but this was still so fun to read!

A very clever plot with suspense filled pages. There were many twists that I didn’t see coming.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first book by Steve Cavanagh and I can definitely say it will not be my last. This book kept my attention, the plot was clever and I did not see the twists coming. There were points in the book where I had to stop and regroup because the direction of the story totally changed. This one was a very entertaining read that kept me guessing! I only give 5 star ratings to books I can’t put down and this was definitely that!!

Although I recognize some of the titles attributed to Steve Cavanagh (Thirteen, The Defense), I can’t recall reading any…but when I read that Kill For Me, Kill For You would be great for fans of Silent Patient or Gone Girl, I thought I’d give it a try (loved Gone Girl, neutral on SP).

It’s a fascinating premise: two strangers, Amanda and Wendy, happen to meet. Over a few drinks, they share eerily similar stories about their trauma and desire for revenge against the men whose actions destroyed both their families. Their “perfect plan” is that each of them will kill the others’ hated enemy. And in another part of the same city, a woman named Ruth is attacked in her home, leaving her terrified.

As you might expect, these stories intersect, and there is a terrifically twisty plot with some surprises. The story can be summed up with a quote: “Trauma changes you. Losing a loved one to violence provokes a response. There are two common responses: either thy don’t want anyone to ever hurt like they do, of they want everyone to hurt like they do.”

It is well written, with some memorable lines: “Some people, those with money and the ear of power, never pay for their rimes the way ordinary people do.” And “Amanda was coming around to the view that what was legal and what was right were often two different things.”

I don’t often want to immediately reread thrillers, and there were some things that were a bit too neat—not to the point of seeming contrived, but just enough to make me want to figure out if I missed something, or (often more accurately for me) “how did I miss that?!?!?”

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review. Four stars.

This was a solid thriller and reminiscent of Peter Swansons A Kind Worth Killing. It definitely stands on its own though and made for a quick and entertaining read. It went in directions that I didn’t predict for which I appreciate as an avid thriller reader: This is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

4.5 stars

Oh. My. Gosh. If you need a book you cannot put down and will binge until the very end, this is the one for you!

I feel like I can’t dive into it without giving too much away, but stayed up way too late because I needed to finish this! I love the different POVs and the twists were so unexpected. As someone who reads mostly thrillers, mystery, crime and suspense- this book was unlike any other!