<b>TW: Language, drinking, death of child, death of spouse, cheating, divorce, weed, mention of 911, death by suicide, grieving, depression, SA of children, cutting, bullying, infertility, blood, gore, cancer, gaslighting, PTSD, stress, guns</b>

<b><big>*****SPOILERS*****</b></big>
<b>About the book:</b>
One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.

In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?
<b>Release Date:</b> March 2024
<b>Genre:</b> Thriller
<b>Pages:</b> 340
<b>Rating:</b> ⭐ (started with 3 and after ending settled on 1)

<b>What I Liked:</b>
1. Writing style was good
2. Book flowed
3. Some parts were interesting
4. Sections talking about grief were very sad

<b>What I Didn't Like:</b>
1. Never really felt like I <i>knew the characters</i>
2. Some parts rambled on
3. Predictable if you've read/watched Strangers on a Train
4. Throw away your disbelief of reality
5. 23 uses of the word camera
6. Book using mental disorder to cover murder
7. Ending was ridiculous

<b>Overall Thoughts:</b>
<b><i><small>{{Disclaimer: I write my reviews as I read}}</small></i></b>

We get pov's from:
Ruth
Scott
Amanda
Farrow

Take a drink everytime the word <s>sterilizer</i> is used within the first few pages.

This takes a quick turn in the sexual assault of children.

So I just watched a documentary on Fox Island in Michigan during the 70s and there were so many higher up people that got away with child abuse. They would get a slap on the wrist and it made me realize how under valued women and children really are. Whenever the offense deals with sexual assault of women or child it's a few months or a few years. Reading this book makes me mad that they got him walking away with her daughter on camera and he <b>still</b> get away with it. Plus they mention knowing he's bringing in underage girls into his apartment, but it's not the big picture the DA wants.

I was curious why Jess was in the park alone to be taken away.

So tired at how easy books make getting into the black web is, she just able to jump on and buy a gun. The black web is just the most simplest way now for authors to explain how people can get anything.

I think it's so weird that they would want to see Amanda's license. I just don't understand why a journalist would care that much about crimes that had happened so long ago enough that they'd want to trick these people.

<i>That’s when she heard a single, faint drip. Liquid hitting tile. She focused on the ground, watched another of her tears fall toward the white tile between her feet. Drip. She hadn’t even realized she was crying.</i>
You'd have to be crying so much and so hard to even hear your tears hit the floor. This part seemed far-fetched.

Love that Amanda and Naomi(Wendy) mention that they have no ties to each other I mean we'll except they went out drinking in public, in the same grief group, oh and texting each other. But yeah, zero contact.

Naomi killed Crone. They make out like it's just so simple to kill this man after a few days since they talked about it. Now he's dead.

Ruth sees the man that attacked her in her apartment and I just knew that Scott was going to murder him. This book treats murdering people like it's so easy.

Was it even mentioned that Croan has call girls to Naomi? Or where he lived? Why does Amanda have to help Naomi kill the person she wants that night? It's such a lame reasoning now why that Naomi. This is all completely confusing. First Amanda mentions this murder to Naomi and then Naomi just disappears only to show up and tell her that she did it and now she has to do it that night without any preparation. She might make a mistake and get caught. This is so much like Strangers on a train.

The man that attacked Ruth is in the hotel they are staying at and Scott thinks this must be because he knows that Ruth is the only one that can identify him, but that thought doesn't hold any merit since he just told Ruth that even though she can identify her attacker she can't prove it's him. Plus the man that attacked her by now must know there is nothing she can do to pin the attack on him, so putting himself in plain sight seems silly when he'd just wait until he could get her alone again would be his best opportunity.

Scott then attacks him in the hallway. Do cameras not exist in this place? They rode up the elevator together, talked, and then Scott follows him down the hallway.

I just don't believe that Naomi actually killed Croan. It seems odd that Amanda never asked how she had proof that she killed him. Noami wants Amanda do it that night so she has proof that Amanda isn't going to go to the police, but what proof does Amanda have that Naomi that did the murder?

Scott has an absolutely brutal fight with the man that attacked Ruth, somehow no one complains about the sounds (I've never been in a hotel that didn't have thin walls). He then walks down the stairs (that have zero cameras) and to Target where he buys bleach and gloves. I just don't know how the police wouldn't think to look at the last person that saw the man alive and was in the same hallway and then see that he went to Target to buy things you'd never need at a hotel.

Dna doesn't exist in this book because everyone kills multiple people in different ways and locations and there is no evidence ever left behind.

Told you that Naomi lied!! She did a typical thing where she rushed her past thinking.

How did Amanda get her car from outside of Frank's house? Is it just sitting there the whole time?

We find out that the man Scott killed wasn't actually the one that attacked Ruth. Oh so the camera that caught Scott for an odd reason was postioned from the back. What's the point of the camera if it only shows the back of the person? Also when Scott opened the door to look at where the camera was after the murder he said the camera was after room 1246.
<i>"There was a security camera fifteen feet to the left of the door, on the ceiling, pointing back down the corridor. His attack on the man would not have been caught by the cameras. They might pick him up following the man, but they wouldn’t have seen Scott lifting the bottle."</i>
Then in chapter 44 we get;
<i>"Footage from a security camera showed a hallway in the hotel with a man in the frame. It was Scott. But only from the back. The other image that flashed up was from the front, but he was looking away and his face wasn’t visible to the camera."</i>
How was he able to walk away from the camera and toward the camera but his face not be visible when in Scott's chapter he never mentioned blocking his face? Scott even mentioned looking toward the room numbers so it's not like he kept his face down.

Also for some reason Ruth is happy that this random dude is dead and his wife is in pain. Um okay.

Also also Ruth is watching the news conference for the man her husband killed because she misidentified him, when Dan Puccini comes on screen and NOW this is the man that stabbed her. Sorry Ruth you got it wrong before and a man died why should anyone believe you now?

Billy siding with Amanda and saying she shouldn't have been put in that situation is crazy. She isn't the victim here when it comes to this. Yeah, what happened to her with her family is terrible but killing someone still is a terrible act.

What was the point of Scott calling the police if he was just going to leave his wife alone after she is having this mental breakdown? There is no plan for her or what she is supposed to do.

Soooooo at this point is Ruth really Wendy/Naomi?

Confusing when Amanda asks Billy where he got the photo of Quinn and he says it's not Quinn, but instead it's Saul Benson. How could this be? Amanda mentions that she was at Frank Quinns house and it's even reported on the news that he was attacked, but Billy was waiting outside Frank's house, so how wouldn't he know that this Saul dude was supposed to be dead but was actually alive? How is Saul Benson, a dead man the same man as Frank Quinn and this never brought up to Amanda when talking to Billy?

Okay this is weird. All those years Ruth was in a mental institution to deal with that she was having a breakdown and she killed the man, they release her and she is still having the same issues. She goes around killing men that look similar to the man that attacked her.

Love how easy it is to find Ruth once we get to the ending. Jack cares so much about Ruth but two seconds talking to someone else and he is telling everything to Amanda. Like why? What is his reasoning to help them when he doesn't even know them?

Get the fuck out of here! Billy is the blue eyed killer!!! Hahahahahahaha hahahaha! Seriously are you kidding me!??? What a soap opera ending if I have ever heard of one! Okay okay.
<i>"He kept them open. His thumb and forefinger touched the eyeballs and then gently pinched, sweeping out the contact lenses. His brown eyes were gone. In their place, a pair of dead blue eyes stared through the gate at her."</i>
Is that the only feature that really made him stand out? So he just kept walking around with the contact lens with the chance that he'd run into Ruth? Don't worry he can wip the contacts out in a second and throw in another pair in 5 seconds. Seriously who can do that? He's holding the case open too while doing this?

So Billy just happened to find Ruth (via a fake name & no photo of her) on the internet. Also Ruth mentions never meeting targets in person but she goes to support groups and meets people in person. Am I missing something? What makes online targets different from in person targets? Upon hearing the blue eyed man was behind it all I kept thinking that why did he even need Amanda? He had the files and could have found her himself. Why would he think to keep waiting outside the house? How did he know that she would never let Frank live and couldn't move on?

So Billy tried this hard to get to her just so he have her recommited to the hospital? What's the point??

We learn that Amanda does art but did we ever learn that from her past?

We learn that Frank Quinn was a money launderer so I suppose at this point Farrow is just going to let Amanda go with murdering him after they find his Dna. Thing is though how can they do that since Farrow isn't the only one that knows this. Yep, she gets away with murder.

Amanda goes to a concert for Dolly Parton and just on chance Farrow has a CD from her in his car he puts on. Such chance!

Amanda gets a letter from Billy saying he needed Amanda as a buffer to get to Ruth and to get away from the police. I mean the police didn't even know who he was. He then says he killed Croan (he confessed to killing her daughter). Billy then explains that he lied about who he really was. So yeah, she doesn't care about who is or why he lied. Or even why he wanted to get close to Ruth. None of that matters to Amanda because now Croan is dead and she has a job. She got away with a murder and helped a murderer (she doesn't know that Billy is the real blue eye killer). At the end of the day I'm so confused why Billy even cared about Amanda enough to want to help her and let her live. She burns the letter.

<b>Final Thoughts:</b>
The writing was pleasing and the story was very emotional, but it just missed the mark for me to get to a 5 star. It deals with so much grieving and loss that it wears on your heart at times.

There has been such a resurgence for the book/movie of Strangers on a Train and they all feel so similar that it feels boring. This book followed in the way that Naomi rushes Ruth into doing a murder asap and it does change how things normally have went in retellings.

A big disappointment for me in this book was I feel like I barely got to know Amanda. Her story is almost passed over for other characters. It's all pretty vague on her family life before the death of her family.

Also it felt the characters were too similar to one another. Amanda and Ruth both have husbands that died by suicide. Their tone when reading the book was so similar that when I would switch between audiobook to reading the book I found the characters got confusing if I was sure of the name for each chapter.

It drove me up the wall that the book makes out like Amanda is a victim of the innocent man she killed just because he was a not so great person. I mean he wasn't a killer like Amanda he was a money launderer so I'd dare say Amanda is the worse of the two. She keeps talking about it like was tricked into this but she talked all night about doing it and even the next day was trying to get ahold of Naomi to confirm that it was what they were doing. She's worried she'll have jail time but she should have jail time - she should be charged with <s>attempted</s> murder. I don't care if the man defended himself because she broke in and she was holding an axe.

This book was missing so much. Things happened where I just kept wondering if there really were only two police officers in the book/town. I think the only way you'd get caught in this town is turning yourself in.

It felt the things that did happen made little sense. Still completely lost on why Billy was so motivated to find Ruth when he did nothing to her. Also how he easy he was able to find her on the internet. Like the internet! He was able to find her on a forum by searching for her when he didn't know her name she even used. It all seemed so far past the realm of reality.

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<small><b>Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two devastated mothers meet at a support group for grieving parents and meet later for drinks. During this meeting they both express their feelings about their daughters killers, who have so far never been charged due to not enough evidence. Amanda and Naomi become friends until one of then mentions the movie Strangers on a Train and thus their plans begin. Meanwhile across town Ruth is woken up by a noise and thinking it's her husband coming home, goes downstairs to see a man behind her in the broken window. Waking in the hospital Ruth learns of her attempted murder and becomes terrified of men with blue eyes. Her husband Scott tries to help but her fear is overtaking her life. Eventually they meet in a terrifying ending.
This book had it all for me, I went through a range of emotions from fear to anger and desperately wanted to help them all get justice. I wasn't expecting the ending at all and was surprised and disappointed that they all didn't get their justice but I would recommend the book to everyone. Thanks Netgalley and Atria Publisher for allowing me to read the arc of this book and I will be looking for this author again.

This book was pretty creative and entertaining, more so after you got through all the necessary backstory and the puzzle pieces started coming together. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines. I think this was the first time ever that I’ve ever correctly guessed a major plot twist!

Thank you to the author, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the e-galley. Also purchased a BOTM edition for March 2024!

This was my first book by the author. Really intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing was spectacular.

I was super excited to get approved for this book on Netgalley prior to release date! Unfortunately, life got in the way and I wasn't able to read it in the week before it was released. Nonetheless, I still wanted to get my review out there. The premise of this book, to commit a murder for someone else while they do the same for you, was intriguing to me. As there were essentially 3 characters from the beginning, I was confused how the 3rd person fit into the storyline. But as the twists and turns were revealed, I realized how the stories were intertwined and it really was remarkable how the author slowly allowed you to connect the dots. I couldn't put this book down and had to know what happened next. The ending twist left me with my jaw on the floor and an uneasy feeling. It honestly was a little much for me and didn't necessarily feel like justice was served. While I'll admit it was a good twist, the ending is my reason for the 4 stars. I'm not sure if it was the delivery or the scenario itself; I can't quite put my finger on it. I just wasn't a huge fan of the ending. But I did thoroughly enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Pretty good for a thriller but I do find that it was overhyped so I did have high expectations. Still fun even though it’s a bit unbelievable at some parts. I did call a few things that happened but it didn’t bug me at all surprisingly. I enjoyed this overall!

Thank you to Netgary for an advanced copy of this book!

This book genuinely needs to be a movie. The plot is so fast-moving you don't have time to even guess what's actually happening and how the story will unfold. I absolutely recommend it for people who love thrillers. Where it lost me a bit was how out there some of the scenarios ended up being. Some people love that but it's just not something I personally love in a book.

Superb! Had me on the edge of my seat the entire story. How did all these characters fit together? Great ending.

An edge of your seat thriller where two women meet after huge losses in their lives. They need to find solace somewhere- and that seems to be in revenge. They agree to seek revenge for the other person. What could be a rather predictable endgame has twist after twist and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This one begs the questions - how far will you go and whom do you trust? Huge thanks to NetGalley for this delight!

This is one of those books that literally had me hooked from the first line. Wow! Kill for Me, Kill for You is a new take on a classic, Strangers on a Train, but with a different twist that you won't see coming. I was so eager to find out how the different POVs would collide together. I flew through this one. If you're looking for a fast-paced page turner, this is a good one.

Trigger warnings for: suicide and death of a child.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and Steve Cavanaugh for the eARC.

Kill for Me, Kill for You is out now.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5 ⭐️
KILL FOR ME,KILL FOR YOU 🎧
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller
📖 351 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🦄🔫🔪🩸😢🪓😱🪟🗽

❤️𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲❤️

Thank you @netgalley @atriabooks for the #gifted copy!

I absolutely loved this! From the first page, I was hooked, diving into a whirlwind of twists & turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The suspense was relentless, making it impossible to put down.

Listening to the audiobook was a fantastic experience, enhancing the story's depth with its dual timeline & gripping flashbacks. The narrators brought Ruth & Amanda to life, making their stories even more compelling.

Ruth & Amanda are unforgettable characters with intriguing & complex backgrounds. Their alternating chapters always left me wanting more, each ending with a cliffhanger that had me eagerly anticipating the next.

The way the two storylines intertwined was masterfully done, leading to a jaw-dropping revelation that left me gasping. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, shocks, & excitement that I couldn't read fast enough. It’s a must read for thriller fans, I highly recommend!!

⚠️ suicide, death of a child

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ twist after twist
◽️ endless suspense
◽️ revenge
◽️ multiple POV

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: On a dark night in NYC, Amanda & Wendy bond over shared loneliness & a thirst for revenge against those who hurt their families. They devise a pact: "If you kill for me, I'll kill for you." Meanwhile, Ruth is terrorized in her home by a mysterious man with piercing blue eyes. She grapples with fear, wondering if she'll ever feel safe with him on the loose.

Kill for me, kill for you is my first novel by Steve cavanagh and I most certainly will be reading more of his backlist. Fast paced, violent and absolutely intriguing. There were lots of twists and turns! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

I’ve been in a book slump lately and this book just really didn’t hit like I thought it would. It was too much and nothing st all going on at once. I couldn’t follow who was talking.

✦Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh✦
★★★★★ 5/5 stars!

✦ my thoughts
First, let me just say - if you haven’t already PUT THIS ON YOUR TBR IMMEDIATELY. The hype is real & well deserved. KFM,KFY may be the most unexpected & exciting thriller I’ve read this year!

The multiple POVs were so well written & easy to follow, & it was so interesting to see the story play out from every angle. I never could’ve guessed how they all connected.

The tension & suspense were palpable - reading this gave me so much anxiety my heart was racing! It’s rare that a book makes me audibly gasp. I can definitely see this playing out as a movie or limited series.

I was on the edge of my seat until the VERY LAST PAGE... You will be saying “just one more chapter” until you accidentally finished the whole book way past your bedtime (that can’t just be me, right?) And that ending?! Literally mind-blowing.

✦ Read if you like :
-twists on twists on twists
-strangers on a train
-Dolly Parton
-New York City settings
-easy-to-follow multiple POVs
-short, bingable chapters
-unhinged action
-revenge
-books to get you out of a slump

thank you to @netgalley & @atriabooks for the ARC ◡̈

What a thrilling ride! This book takes you on a winding adventure that was so unexpected. While the main character is mourning her family she gets caught up with a friend who turns out to be less than truthful. As the two stories are shared you wonder how on earth they will intersect but when they do - wow! And the final twist too. I totally recommend this book.

Wow! This book was wonderfully addicting! It had amazing twists that I truly didn't see coming, and I was completely entertained from start to finish.

Kill for Me, Kill for You is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that follows two women and has multiple POV. Both women have had something happen to them that has destroyed their lives, and the men who committed these crimes have gone unpunished. Amanda's young daughter was kidnapped and murdered and Ruth was brutally attacked in her own home. Both women want revenge.

This book was amazing! If you're I the mood for a unique and twisty thriller, then I highly recommend this book.

Yooooo a new favorite thriller! Will for sure be recommending this one to friends. I did not guess even ONE of the plot twists. Obsessed.

Words can't describe how much I ended up loving this book! I will admit, the beginning did feel a little slow and I didn't find myself dying to pick this book up. But the I hit the 50% mark and couldn't stop. The twists and turns were phenomenal and I found myself with my jaw on the ground by the end!

This Strangers on a Train story had more twists and turns than a windy road! I was blown away by the ending and I still find myself going back to figure out what I missed. I usually describe the plot when reviewing books, but I don't want to give anything away. I will say this is a revenge story about loss and it will have you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much @sscav @netgalley & @atriabooks for the eArc.

This is a story about strangers on a collision course.

I loved this! I’ve enjoyed the author’s past works so I’m not surprised that this one was great- but holy twists batman. I’m still thinking about the fantastic & unnerving ending.