I was immediately drawn in by the idea of a female serial killer, I am a true supporter of women's wrongs! I wanted this to be along the same vein as 'They Never Learn' by Layne Fargo, and unfortunately, it didn't quite measure up. It leaned a little too into the romance, which isn't a bad thing, I just wanted it to be more thriller with just a side of romance. It wasn't what I was looking for.

I thought the premise of a FMC serial killer was great but I think the plot missed the mark for me a little, I think I wanted more thriller than romance. Overall good book and excited to read more from this author.

**Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Publishing for the eARC of this title!**

Based on the synopsis describing a female serial killer taking out men that deserved it - I thought this one was going to be perfect for me. Unfortunately I couldn't connect with the FMC at all and didn't find this one to have very many elements of a thriller, instead leaning towards romance.

I didn't hate the writing at all, and I do think this one probably has a strong target audience out there! It just didn't work for me. Late review past publication due to struggling to finish this one and summarize my thoughts on it.

i have never quite read anything like this and i think it's a standout for novel of the year in a way that stuff like nightbitch has been for me. a little american psycho, a little...everything else. LOVED IT.

The story of a female serial killer was an interesting take. I enjoyed the dry humor of the main character but I felt like the character development was a bit off. The ending left much to be desired as well. However, I was on board throughout the book when the author inserted witty quips and drew some parallels between current events and politics. Anything with a feminist tone that cleverly rejects misogyny always catches my interest. Overall definitely worth a read!

Bad Men missed the mark for me. Although it was a good story it was executed poorly and could have been better in my opinion. I still can't wait to read more from this author though. 4 stars from me!

3.5 stars. This book stressed me out from beginning to end. And wow, what an end.

I know recently a movie came out with a very similar plot, however I believe this one is different. Saffy is a serial killer, but she targets "bad men" only. Men who are rapists, child predators, violent abusers, and men who target women for murder. After years of tracking and taking men out, Saffy finally finds a man who she believes to be in love with, and she'll do anything to get him.

I could not put this down because I was so worried she was going to get caught, but also like she should get caught because she's killed so many men. It was a lot to read about so I'll put some trigger warnings below:

•Animal abuse
•Sexual abuse of a child
•Descriptive murder scenes
•Stalking
•Physical violence

And there's probably more, but those were the biggest ones that I saw throughout this book. The animal abuse was probably the most shocking to me because it didn't feel totally necessary. There was also a very Saw-esque scene that was absolutely gross.

I'm not sure I can necessarily recommend this book, but I do think if you enjoy horror and this type of plot you will most likely enjoy it.

Saffy is a glamorous socialite who is also a proficient serial killer. For the past 15 years, she’s hunted down evil men. But leading a double life has left her lonely. Saffy thinks she’s finally found a good man in Jonathan, a true-crime podcaster. When a decapitated body shows up on Jon’s doorstep, he becomes the prime suspect. Saffy’s crush becomes an obsession as she orchestrates a meet and volunteers to help Jon clear his name, using every trick to find the real killer and get her man—no matter the cost.

BAD MEN is an entertaining story about a woman serial killer who preys on evil men and her crush, who has no idea what’s in store. Saffy, at first, is a likable character who is protective of her sister, even if she isn’t all there mentally. I mean, she does kill, after all, even if those scumbags deserve it. I enjoyed observing her psyche, but that later changed when she did something questionable. It wasn’t even the killing men part; I was down for that. 😂

Now, I was excited to read about a serial killer woman with feministic vibes. Sadly, the plot didn’t quite deliver that premise. It was more about Saffy pining after Jonathan. I get it; Jon was a decent guy. But I wanted more killing and fewer heart eyes. The story mainly focused on him instead of Saffy’s. As for the reveal, I wasn’t surprised. A bit cliched. BAD MEN had great potential, but it lost its way a bit. I will say that Julie is remarkable at developing her characters and pulling readers in with her words. I look forward to seeing what else she cooks up next!

I'm not sure if I would call Saffy a serial killer. She is actually doing everyone a service by removing rapists, murderers, domestic abusers, and other men from the streets. It might little bit of a vigilante justice, but someone needs to keep those guys away from our kids and fellow women. Her being a socialite is a plus to get herself out of trouble and do it fast.

When she met this new guys, who was a podcaster with a headless body dropped by his door, Saffy felt something moving inside. She liked this guy. He wasn't one those above. She didn't need to get rid of him, but she could help him get rid of his problem. With her vast knowledge in doing the deed and hiding it well, she could help her podcaster to identify his dangerous stalker.

I loved how Saffy made herself someone she was not just to protect her relationship with this dude. She was doing all the cringey things you wouldn't expect from an socialite with everything laid under her feet. Also, I'm not going to lie, I'm very impressed by the description of that walk-in closet.

Pub date: May 7th, 2024
Huge shoutout to @netgalley for this fun read

When I hear female serial killer, I come running. Also helps when you have a little serial killer girl gang to buddy ready with 👯‍♀️ This book was so fun! I snagged the audio from Hoopla to listen to while at work and the narrator was amazing! I personally loved the character of Saffy. I thought she was witty, smart, a vigilante, and maybe a little obsessive and stalkery 😂 I wish we would’ve had more about her ✨vigilante ways✨ in the book. I enjoyed the dual POV between Saffy and Jon, and we got breadcrumbs throughout the story of why Saffy is the way she is. If you want a quick, cutesy thriller/romance definitely check this one out

I was surprised to find my self so interested in this book, since I struggled to get invested in the first half. In the arc, it would have been helpful each chapter to have an indication as to who the pov was from. Overall I was a fan of this book! Thanks so much for the early review opportunity

it had a good premise and i was expecting a book more serious and with deep feelings and explanations of how and why she turned into a serial killer but i got a very weird looking romance and more pov from the man than the supposed main character so i was disappointed.

it had its funny moments but that was not why i was reading it for, the plot was very predictable from the very beginning.

the writing was very childish and unserious (as i already said) so i really wasn’t enjoying it.

thank you netgalley for the advance copy in exchange of an honest review.

rating: ☆☆.5/5

Bad Men was a tale of a female serial killer that seeks revenge, and she so happens to fall in love along the way. The premise of killing bad men, like rapists, domestic abusers, and murderers was intriguing and I thought it had its funny moments...and she was GLAMOUROUS to boot! I'd recommend the audible version.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bad Men is the story of Saffy Huntley-Oliver, a female serial killer who develops a crush on a true crime podcaster.

My favorite part of this book was the humor. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud lines, particularly when Saffy was inner-monologuing about murder and sociopathy. The line, "Fortunately I had the gloves, which were basically hand condoms" will never not be funny to me.

I'm also a huge true crime and mystery fan, so I found the plot engaging, albeit somewhat predictable. I enjoyed the morality discussions around murder and I liked that Saffy's humanity was developed a bit throughout the book. She has her own moral code that she refuses to cross, which made her more likable. That being said, there were a few things she did that were hard to get past, particularly one of the actions she took at the beginning of the book that risked an innocent life. I have a feeling that that particular scene will prevent some others from connecting with her as well.

Overall, if you want a fun thriller with a very morally gray (like dark gray) character, then this would be a good book for you! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

If you know me, you know I love a smart woman who kills bad men 💅 Add in a lil intrigue, a lil romance (heads up: not spicy!), a lot of vigilante justice… I'm fully sold! Couldn't put this one down, it was "light" without being corny or dumb, and it was so, so satisfying.

Pick this one up if you love: thrillers that should be read on the beach, women who know what they want and how to get it, and a well-thought-out plan to take matters into your own hands.

This was SUCH a fun vacation read! I read this last week while traveling and it was the perfect book to help me shift from work mode into vacation mode.

The perspective shifts between first person narration from the POV of Saffy, a wealthy socialite - and a serial killer, but one with a conscience, who only kills men who deserve it for their bad behavior toward women. We also get chapters told in third person perspective, showing us Jonathan Desrosiers, a true crime author and podcaster who withdraws from his career after getting a little too close to a case. Saffy engineers a meet-cute with Jonathan (if your idea of meet-cute involves a little mild animal endangerment), and the story unfolds from there.

I don’t want to spill any details, but trust me, this is a great thriller. The shift between POVs keeps the pace moving right along, and Saffy is a fantastic character - on the one hand, you can kind of understand why she does what she does, but on the other hand, she is clearly unhinged… but in a likable way? While there were some things that were clearly foreshadowed, there were enough twists and surprises to keep me engaged.

This makes for a great summer read, or you can take a page out of my book and bring it with you on your next vacation. If you enjoy thrillers, or your favorite Taylor Swift song is “no body, no crime,” then you’ll also enjoy this new release.

thanks netgalley and the overlook press for the eArc!

i had fun this one but i can’t say that much was surprising to me (had one gasp). it’s pretty clear what happened but the explanation of how we got there did have some interesting twists. second half picked up speed for sure.

some of the “feminism” was stupid but i liked the general concept and motivation fueling Saffy. Jon was kinda boring.

A frothy book about a bad men-targeting serial killer who finds herself with a crush.

Saffy has family wealth and doesn't have to work, so her time is free to off bad men (rapists, murderers, domestic abusers). And that's her passion. But recently she's developed a fixation on Jonathan, a popular true-crime podcaster.

Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen featured more of Jonathan and his perspective than I was expecting. It was less a juicy feminist revenge plot and more a story of a woman trying to get what she wants, other people be damned. To be sure, there are plenty of "women's wrongs" described, that was just less of the focus - a lot of the plot is driven by Jonathan and what's going on with him.

Still, I found this a fun read, especially the audio narrated by Nathalie Buscombe. She really brought Saffy to life.

This book was fun! The concept of a killer of bad men was interesting and different from acting I’ve ever read. It did drag on a little on the middle, but the end was satisfying without being too predictable. I always enjoy dual narrators and liked the perspective of both main characters.

I don’t think this book is what it promises – a feminist serial killer thriller. The synopsis sells this as a female-lead American Psycho, but the plot is a lot different than that. But not in a bad way? You start with Saffy Huntley-Oliver, who leads a double life as a model by day and a murderer by night. Her meticulously crafted lifestyle is threatened by a horrible disaster – a crush. Her obsession with true crime podcaster Jon leads her to orchestrate a complicated meet-cute that only gets more complicated when she learns he’s being framed for a murder he didn’t commit. Now she has to help him catch the real killer or risk her new man being put behind bars.

One of the most unexpected things about this story is that it is half in Jon’s perspective. Saffy’s chapters are funny and ironic and her backstory is twisted and entertaining, but most of the plot is conveyed through Jon. He’s likable enough, but the story unfolds more like a fucked-up romcom than a true thriller. There’s definitely more dates than crime-solving and every conversation that involved two women revolves around the men that they want to date. This book just isn’t the “feminist thriller” that it is marked to be. It’s a romcom with blood.

That said, I had trouble putting this one down – it was fast-paced and it wraps up in a way that worked for me. So, I’d recommend this to anyone who is looking for something like that, but I do think the way this is presented could be a turn-off to people who would be looking for something grittier, but I still liked this for the light humor, mystery and romance.