Member Reviews
This started strong for me. Jumping right into a confession, Millie telling us her story of how it all began I knew I would be hooked. It did get away from me a little in the middle, slow and repetitive, I found Millie’s character to be confused, was she always a killer and psychopath or had she just stumbled upon this? It wasn’t consistent. But the ending ramped up the intensity and made it overall more enjoyable for me.
Trigger warnings- suicide, abuse, self harm
The book is centred on Millie Masters - photo frame seller by day and saviour of women from predatory men by night. She runs a hotline called Message M where she comes to the rescue of women who are being harassed/stalked/abused by men. From her experience helping these women and what happened to her sister, Millie decides that more extreme action is needed.
I liked Millie and the way she was written as even when she begins to murder people, you do understand that her intentions are noble and routed in helping out other women. This isn't me saying I condone murder for good reasons - it's still a crime - but with her backstory and the ongoing and real-life epidemic of violence against women, you can understand it. It puts you in a tricky moral dilemma, given the men she's killing are odious human beings.
The book isn't horribly gruesome, but it does go into a lot of detail with certain deaths, especially the one in the bath. It's darkly humorous in a lot of places, which helps to provide some levity to certain situations.
My only criticism is that I thought the ending jumped the shark a little bit and didn't feel realistic. As much as I understand her intentions, there should have been consequences for what she did.
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways is both an incredibly dark and somewhat deranged serial killer book that is also somehow relaxed, a little funny and hugely easy to read. I devoured this book in one evening, as once it hooks you, you don't want to set it down until you see how it's all going to play out.
Rarely do you find yourself reading a serial killer plot where you really, really want the killer to get away with it, but Millie has you rooting for her even as her taste for killing becomes more and more dramatic. I LOVED the dynamic of perfectly normal woman finding herself in a situation where exacting revenge sort of falls upon her, and then the entertainment that unfolds as she finds quite the taste for said form of revenge. The grey area of morality of Millie's actions is delicious and you as a reader are left to consider what you might be driven to do if you found yourself in the same situation.
I don't want to give away even a hint of a spoiler, but I will say that for as dark as some of the topics get in this one (and they do get dark, don't be fooled by the adorable cover), Eve Kellman does a terrific job of crafting an overall story that keeps you utterly glued to the page and highly entertained from start to rollercoaster, explosive finish.
This is a must have for spring reading lists!
I was drawn in instantly by the prologue and thoroughly loved the brilliant, somewhat unhinged story that followed!
It made me laugh out loud at times, but there's also some quite raw, somber moments, not to mention some rather brutal murders. Those that need to should definitely check for trigger warnings.
A great addition to the female vengeance/serial killer genre and a fantastic debut from the author, I'd certainly look forward to reading more from them.
Huge thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
I think my final rating is a 3.5. I finished a few days ago and have sat with my thoughts a bit to fairly review it. This was such a great concept, and I was very excited to read it. It didn’t fully live up to my hopes though and to me the story itself didn’t represent the blurb that well. Fans of the shows Dexter or You will likely enjoy the tale of this modern day vigilante taking down guys who do harm to the female population, while unraveling a bit themselves, and there were some twists at the end that definitely surprised me. All in all, a moderately enjoyable read, but desperately needs some CW/TW for readers as there was some very unexpected sensitive content.
This book is mis-branded and billed incorrectly. It is an extremely well written - and thereby extremely disturbing - account of a woman devolving into psychosis around the sexual assault of her sister, and frankly, becoming a serial killer.
This book is NOT light. It is NOT a fun read. It is NOT a comedy, and it is NOT a hidden romance. It *IS* about a woman who hates men and is a rock solid case for a psychopath. It has truly very intense and disturbing references to horrifying traumas, and not only does the main character devolve into uncontrollable rage and anger, and resort to violence, but also her slow warping of reality to justify her actions becomes hard to watch as the reader.
Just about every trigger warning there is would qualify for this book. Contains references (and not just a few, but a lot!) to brutal sexual assault, anorexia, child abuse, child sexual assault, graphic and deadly violence, victim blaming, suicide / self-harm. I truly almost did not finish this book because the narrators head was such an awful place to be. I’m glad I did - some things became lighter in the last few pages, but if you have any innate sense of fairness or justice, this book will both address that AND totally infuriate you.
Recommended to people who want to live in the head of a very disturbed person - but a serial killer story about a WOMAN, targeting MEN. It’s interesting but hard to read. Be in the right mood for it.
I'm definitely in my era of loving female serial killer books, and this HIT THE SPOT!
Its a quick paced book that has you hooked from the get go, and i loved the dark humour !
🎧Audio Book Review🎧
How To Kill A Guy In Ten Ways
Eve Kellman
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Millie Masters is on a mission!
Running her Message M helpline, she rescues young girls and women who feel they're in need of some help - maybe a date feels wrong, or they are feeling threatened.
That is until one rescue attempt goes slightly askew and things start to snowball....
I absolutely loved Millie. Completely morally grey - but her intentions are wholly honourable! ....or are they!?
She's completely bonkers and some of the things she does, well, they will totally shock you! - but at the same time, she's completely lovable and even somewhat relatable too!
The story is told from Millie's Pov and it was brilliant being able to see her actions but also to hear all of the thoughts and feelings behind what she was doing and why.
I obviously don't advocate any of what she did....but it really does make you wonder about the whole process.
This isn't a book for the faint-hearted as there is a lot of murder involved!
It's not particularly gruesome as such, but we do run through each of them in fine detail.
I loved the writing style which although dealing with such serious topics - rape, abuse, manipulation and cheating - the author still manages to keep the overall feeling light and I have to admit to laughing out loud in many places!
I will just say that I found the first few chapters to be a little slow - I think I was expecting to get going right away, after the initial introduction, but there were a few chapters of character building which I'm not sure needed to be there - maybe this could have been better weaved into the storyline as a whole as I didn't gain much from them.
But once it got going, I was then completely hooked and finished this in just 2 sittings!
An absolutely stunning debut novel though and I can't wait to see what comes next from this author!!
💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕
Really enjoyed this debut. At the start I thought it was just going to be another one of the female serial killer type books around these days, incidentally which I happen to love!! But the drama and twists towards the later part of the book were gripping and there were a couple of serious OMG moments!!! There are some relatable characters and also some difficult themes relating to trauma and abuse for back story and context. But by the end I was rooting for 'Millie' the main character, and loved the loyalty of her best friend Nina. Great read!
Somehow, I seem to be drawn to these female serial killer type stories and I can't lie; I'm here for it. This book was packed full of murder (as to be expected from the title), humour and surprisingly, some emotional and upsetting plot threads. Every time Millie killed another man, I gave a sigh of exasperation as she became sloppier and more haphazard. My inner sicko found it comical.
Millie started as a hero figure to me. Her secret side job of helping women in distress at the hands of men was admirable and brave and I had a lot of respect for her. That started to slip as she started taking things a step too far, however her personal life and trauma gave me a level of understanding that made me kind of forgive her. That didn't mean that she didn't frustrate me. She could have fulfilled her main goal a lot cleaner and moved on with her life, but she allowed herself to get distracted by her own hero complex.
I had a great time with this book and read it super quickly. It reminded me a lot of Katy Brent's How to Kill Men and Get Away With It (which I loved). Packed full of drama, mishaps and a lot of dry humour, this was a very entertaining read, that I definitely recommend.
Revenge lit seems to be a growing genre right now, and this one definitely meets the criteria - a young woman tipped over the edge by the seemingly unstoppable male habit of abuse of vulnerable women. Not all men, she will acknowledge, but most...
This one takes the reader down a slightly darker path than usual, with the mental unravelling of our protagonist, the reasons for which are fed to us piece by piece, drawing us deeper into her world and giving us a rationale for accepting her solution to what is a growing issue - spiking, date rate, the abuse of power and general nastiness of men towards women.
As a mother of a young girl who was spiked (thankfully her friends spotted the signs and got her to safety) I can empathise with the fury our heroine feels, and the impotence of knowing justice will be impossible to find. Her solution may be extreme, but so are the acts that brought these men to her attention.
The account of her growing fury, and how it expresses itself is fascinating. The 'moral dilemma' it gives the reader - do we agree, or not agree - adds a twist, and the speed of the story development keeps you plugged in, making this a good read.
I did find one aspect of the story hard to swallow, which genuinely took the shine away from the remainder of the novel, but I won't spoil, you will have to decide for yourself on that bit. Hence my 3 stars - I think the easy way out might have been taken here...
Millie operates a helpline called Message M, aimed at assisting women who feel uncomfortable while on dates, a venture sparked by her sister's tragic assault. Throughout the narrative, we delve deeper into Millie's motives, gaining a better understanding of her character. Despite the somber backdrop, the author skillfully infuses humor into the story, making it both engaging and entertaining to read.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in return for an honest review
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways is a dark, twisty and humorous thriller. The book started out with a really strong epilogue, which got me hooked instantly. Millie starts running Message M, a service that helps women escape men, when they feel creeped out and unsafe, after her sisters rape. What started out as something to save women from terrible situations, quickly turns into a murdering men that hurt women or would eventually hurt women.
The book had a very quick pace and a lot of dark funny humour in it. I love a woman serial killer and Millie is very well portrayed as one.
I enjoyed this book but recommend that sensitive people check the TW before reading, as there are several trigger warnings.
I gave a four and not higher as I did not entirely love the ending of the book, but I still thought it was overall a good ending.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC, the above review were my own thoughts.
At the center of the story is Millie, the owner of "Message M," a phone message service designed to aid women who feel threatened or unsafe. With her sister and best friend being the most important people in her life, Millie finds herself entangled in a web of danger and intrigue as she navigates the complexities of protecting those she loves while upholding her commitment to helping women in need.
As the plot unfolds, readers are drawn into Millie's world, where she grapples with difficult choices and moral dilemmas. With each turn of the page, the tension mounts as Millie's actions blur the lines between right and wrong, leaving readers on the edge of their seats and questioning just how far she will go to save those who rely on her.
This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
MY REVIEW: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
👉 I am OBSESSED with the setup for this one! I love a lil vigilante justice, and I love that Millie set up a one woman rescue uber 🥺
👉 Yes, I know I shouldn’t be rooting for a female serial killer… but like, Millie’s so LIKEABLE and she’s targeting BAD MEN!!!!
👉 I could not put this down at any point, it absolutely filled my constant craving for thrills, while also exploring the very real reality that women live every day—I was angry right there with Millie every step of the way and completely absorbed for whatever was around 👏 every 👏 single 👏 corner!!
👉 Pick this one up ASAP if you love: dark humor, female rage, deserved revenge, and killer women 💅
Millie Masters works in a picture framing shop during the day, but when the sun goes down, she looks out for women who feel too scared to get themselves home and contact her Message M hotline. Millie set this up after her sister was attacked and she felt like she needed to do more to protect other women. She also thought it would be a great opportunity to try and find the mam who has reduced her sister to a shell of herself.
This book covers several serious topics - rape, sexual assault, drugging of women - but manages to still be darkly funny in places. Recommended for any fans of How To Kill Men And Get Away With It and other similar books.
Unfortunately this was a DNF for me @ 20% into the book.
The premise of the book had so much potential, however the book yapped on about things that felt totally irrelevant and external to that for such a long period of time, that I just couldn’t justify giving any more time to it.
Thank you Netgalley, publishers & author for the ARC & apologies for not being able to give it a positive review!
I loved this cover!!!!
When something happens to Millie sister she decides she is going to find out who did this and why.
She is running a hotline and if anyone feels in danger they can contact her and she will come and rescue who is on the other end of the line to make them feel safe. Millie soon finds out that there are not good men out there and as she is doing a rescue she finds this out.
Sometimes Millie is really annoying but you cannot help but like her but you find out there is more to Millie then you realize as you read further into the story.
I really liked the story and will read more from this author.
Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.
"How To Kill a Guy in Ten Ways" has a unique plot with an unending vat of twists. Some of the twists were predictable in order to build the plot, but others were perfectly executed to keep the readers guessing.
Millie runs a helpful service to help girls in need, but what happens when she takes those services too far? Millie finds herself in many predicaments where she is forced to make decisions and pull herself out of sticky situations. She is cunning and slowly starts turning rash decisions into well-calculated ones.
I prefer a murder mystery novel with an unreliable narrator, but in a way, this book provoked the same feelings. I was on the edge of my seat finding myself turning the pages quickly to find out what was going to happen next. All the characters were likable with great character development. On top of feeling on edge, I did laugh frequently at the small, witty comments along the way.
Thank you for letting me read this book! I will be recommending it to friends who like a variety of genres.
Wow, what an book. I really enjoyed reading this book in which we meet Millie. By day Millie frames pictures, by evening she uses her Message M service to rescue women who finds themselves in dangers situations with men. All it takes is one rescue situation gone wrong, to make Millie realise that she could go even further to protect women in danger from devious men.
I loved how complicated and nuanced Millie was as a character. It made for a more enjoyable reading experience, as I could never quite decide if I liked her or not or if I was rooting for her or not in her bloody mission. However I felt in the moment though, I was thoroughly entertained by her no holds barred dark humour.
If you like thrillers, dark humour and female killers, then congratulations, you have just found your next book.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.