𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧? 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

This one started off so strong, and if only it had kept that same momentum, this would have been a five star read. Saffy Huntley-Oliver was a child whose innocence was taken by someone close to her. When that same predator came after her sister, Saffy stopped him--permanently. She was twelve years old at the time. Fast forward to present day, and Saffy is fiercely intelligent, a wealthy socialite, and an experienced serial killer. Since ridding the world of that first Bad Man, she's made it her mission to do away with the worst of the worst, those who prey upon women.

She still keeps a close eye on her sister and is worried about her current choice of partners, but something else has caught her eye--a true crime podcaster, Jonathan Desrosiers, who made a name for himself by cracking old cases and bringing much-needed closure to the victims' families. The intense loneliness of living a double life such as Saffy's has her mesmerized by thought of being in Jonathan's life, as her intuition tells her he's one of the Good Guys.

But her plans are derailed when a decapitated body shows up on her crush's doorstep the morning after his wife leaves him. Is someone trying to frame him for murder or show that he's really a monster in disguise?

This is where the plot started to unravel for me. What was described as 'darkly comedic' came across as borderline slapstick. The first half was brilliant, and I did like the writing well enough to read the author's next book. Thank you to The Overlook Press for the early copy. This book is available now.

This book? Whew — buckle up, besties. “Bad Men” is a dark, twisty, jaw-dropping ride that had me clutching my coffee tighter with every chapter. Julia Mae Cohen serves up the perfect blend of suspense, secrets, and that deliciously unsettling vibe we all secretly crave.

Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen

The concept of this book was really fun and interesting but the execution lacked some of the sparkle I was looking for. An FMC who kills “bad men” is obsessed with making a true crime podcaster fall in love with her (I thought that would sound more interesting than it actually does…maybe this book was set up to fail?). The first chapter had me so excited—showing the first man that Saffy ever killed at the age of 10, I thought we were set up to go on a bit of a wild ride of her killing escapades. Some spoilers ahead: there were just absolutely no stakes. Saffy was never once in danger of being suspected and she (in my opinion) wasted her intelligence on a scheme to get this loser (that’s a little harsh but also true sorry) to fall in love with her. The book definitely did keep me entertained until the end but stepping back now I realize that I’m kind of disappointed that this book took the turns it did, focusing almost entirely on a man when I was promised a “feminist thriller.” I feel like I’m being harsh but I really did expect something really cool from this book so I’m feeling a bit let down.

3 stars

I mean, you had me at female serial killer who only kills bad men. The sarcastic and clever writing was compelling but I wanted a bit more Saffy and more mystery. A small quibble - I would be all in on another book with Saffy at the center!

Thanks to Abrams and the Overlook Press for a copy to review.

I really didn't love this one. A bit much and just not for me. I'm sure many will love it and I was so hopeful based on the stunning cover but I didn't didn't like it.

So. Good.
Saffy is in love with a true crime podcaster and will stop at nothing to get him. Her warped moral compass takes us to Scotland to stalk Jon, back to London where she daydreams of offing her sister's bum boyfriend, and to her perfect flat where she plans to make Jon fall in love with her. Hopefully, he doesn't find the skeletons in her closet...
Bad Men is part romp, part reflection of the consequences of our obsession with true crime. But mostly a vigilante serial killer romp.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

A serial killer dates a podcaster who becomes a suspect in a murder. Said serial killer decides to help her new crush clear his name. This was a fast fun read. I'm a sucker for the "women killing bad men" stores such as They Never Learn and My Sister is a Serial killer. While this one is in the same vein it didn't have the substance that I loved in They Never Learn. This is more of a fluffy fun beach read.

Absolutely loved this one. I am a big fan of books that center on women putting bad men in their place (grave?) and this one fit the bill. I have both the print and audio version ( the audiobook the narrator was fantastic) and it's a fun book either way you consumer it.

Great idea for a feminist thriller, but it was executed poorly. I had to DNF at 20%. I couldn’t get into this book.

Thank you so much to Abrams and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Men follows female vigilant serial killer, Staffy, as she falls for and maybe slightly stalks Jon, a true crime podcaster. Staffy starts her life being abused by and accidently on purpose killing her stepfather. She then grows up to find abusive (or 'bad') men and disposes of them. Poor Jon attracts serial killers like no one has ever seen before. Blame it on his exploitation of murder but Jon finds himself solving one serial murder, being befriended and later almost killed by another, being abducted by one who happens to be his biggest fan and last but probably most important, falling in love with one.

I found myself absolutely captivated by this book. When I first got the ARC I checked out the ratings and it made me a little nervous to start because it was pretty low so I thought I would find plot holes and poor writing but after finishing this book I can definitively say the internet got it wrong on this one. There isn't emotional depth or heartbreaking plot point but it's fun and amusing and what more do you need from a book. I was genuinely rooting for Staffy for most of the book- didn't love the dog bit but it certainly served to remind the reader that she is not a good person. This is absolutely peak morally grey. I also loved the woman being the murderer because have probably read about 100 books where the male is and he uses that to save the poor helpless girl. None of that here. Staffy is not a woman who needs saving and in her own way she does care about people. She kills bad men after all.

I love morally grey characters and female serial killers are certainly having a moment! I was excited about reading this and it started off strong, but unfortunately he kind of lost the plot for me.

The pacing was hard and the ending ended up being very predictable. The premise was definitely there but unfortunately it fell short for me.

I read this entire book twice and I could not tell you a single thing about it. Fell super flat and not feminist.

Camp!!! Like every heroine I ever wanted to write as a teen, (a triple heiress, bubbly, a philaaaaaaanthropist, glamorous) but with a dark twist. Unhinged and fun and sorry to say that if you hate a silly good ride, this book will probably not be for you.

I was really looking forward to this, but man. I was disappointed.
I kept waiting for the drama to pick up and it never did, I didn’t care about the characters and the “mystery” occupied maybe 5% of this book. Also, nothing was added to this story by Saffy being a serial killer. Literally nothing.
Very easy and fast read though.

What a fun book! I love the premise about the serial killer crushing on the podcaster who has caught serial killers.
I wish there was a bit more… murder? Difficult to say but I figured with the synopsis we’d get more. The dog was sweet comedic relief.

I liked the epilogue, but I felt there were loose ends. The sister, the ex wife, and the original ‘Axe’ serial killer!
Overall very enjoyable. Good writing. It was a good story.

"Bad Men" by Julie Mae Cohen presents a unique twist on the serial killer genre, featuring a morally complex female protagonist who follows her own code of ethics in choosing her victims—sort of like a female Dexter. The story is fast-paced and offers a fun, wild ride.

The book alternates between the perspectives of the two main characters, adding depth and variety to the storytelling. Although marketed as a thriller, the book leans more toward romance, with relatively few killings by the serial killer. This surprised me and might disappoint others expecting a darker, more intense exploration of the protagonist's lethal tendencies.

Cohen's novel includes feminist overtones, though some actions taken by characters seem to undermine these ideals. The protagonist is a morally gray (or rather, dark gray) character, driven by her personal code. While some characters come off as a bit cliché, the overall story is decent and enjoyable.

In summary, "Bad Men" is a good beach read. While not heavy on the thriller aspect, it is suspenseful and wraps up at the end. It’s an entertaining and engaging novel, though it may not fully satisfy those seeking a deep dive into the darker aspects of a serial killer’s psyche.

A phenomenal read by Julie Mae Cohen! It was dark, addicting, and kind of funny! I loved this cheeky read!

This book was so interesting and I had a great time with it. The opening chapter is shocking, but important to the plot so definitely check trigger warnings. Cohen explores the grey area between good and bad, and how morality looks for each individual.

Savy/Sarafina kills bad men
Men who abuse women. Men who hurt women. Bad men shouldn't exist!!
Savy meets Jonathan, a true killer pod castor. She loves him and will do anything for his attention.
Jonathan finds himself being blamed by the cops for a body that was dumped on his doorstep. He didn't kill the person, but someone did
How far will Savy go. Will she ever stop killing
Will Jonathan be able to prove that he's not a killer, or will he end up on her list