Thank you @berkleypub @prhaudio for my complimentary audio and digital copies. My thoughts are my own.

WHAT DID I JUST READ?!!! Judging by the cover, I thought this would be a romance, but it turned out to be a DARKLY COMEDIC THRILLER, and in the most delightful way!

When thirty-something Hannah finds herself at lose ends she impulsively writes to a man awaiting trial for multiple murders. To her surprise, he writes back to her, and they continue writing. The story gets crazier from there!

I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, so that is all I will say! But be ready for a wild roller coaster ride with the CRAZIEST, most UNHINGED female main character I read about in quite awhile! I could NOT put this one down! I found myself laughing out loud, and totally puzzled at the same time by the inexplicable mindset of Hannah!

I had my suspicions about a few things, but I was totally unprepared for the ending! I’m not sure I liked the ending, but it was perfect for Hannah!

Thriller lovers, PLEASE treat yourself to this book!

Hannah's life is boring, and she's lonely. So, out of the things she can do, she writes to a serial killer and unexpectedly hears back. Even though he hasn't been convicted due to circumstantial evidence, Hannah and William move in together. Um, girl, what are you thinking!?

Her life decisions were a hot mess. She was so desperate that it made her unlikable in so many ways. Even with that, it's still a binge-worthy read. It was sadly predictable but deranged and fun overall!

I accidentally submitted the review prematurely and am unable to delete it. I will come back to this as soon as possible once I am finished.

This follows the thought process of a thirty-something woman who is trying to find her footing in the world.

Hannah works for a non-profit, has commitment issues or has issues letting go once she becomes committed. Soon a string of killings start happening, and she is like most people. Let's get online and speculate who the killer is, because that's how most thirty-something women handle break-ups...right?

We follow her and her obsession grow into something tangible. As long as he promises not to kill her.

Thanks you to NetGalley and Berkley for my #gifted advanced readers copy! My opinion is voluntary and my own!

Hannah, a 30 year old, loving a mundane existence becomes obsessed over the deaths of several women in Georgia. The victims of a serial killer. When the handsome, lawyer serial killer is uncovered, she starts writing to him and they eventually fall in-love. Hannah has fallen for a serial killer and it’s exciting yet terrifying, yes definitely exciting!

Hannah’s life falls a part, partly because of her obsession over William and his victims, and also because she gives up, wanting to start over. She moves to Georgia during William’s trial and is dubbed “one of those girls”… you know, those obsessively weird serial-killing murderer lovers.

As the trial proceeds, Hannah stalks his family and plans a future with her accused murderous boyfriend. Thinking he is guilty but loving him still. His proposed murderer status tantalizes Hannah…. she really is a weird woman.

William is found innocent when another murder victim is found in the exact spot and in the same way as the other victims. Hannah is whisked away to William’s home and they become engaged…while all along, Hannah believes he really is guilty.

Hannah sneaks about, trying to gather evidence about the man she loves, making innocent and guilty columns and filling them in with clues. Is William really a serial killer? Why does that even excite Hannah and will she really marry a man she thinks is a murderer? Will Hannah finally discover the truth before it’s too late?

My thoughts:
☁️
Woah! This book was phenomenal! I do t understand how some readers found it disappointing because I sure LOVED it! It held my attention and I found it EXCITING and THRILLING! Oh, and such a KILLER twist!! Really, really loved this one and can’t wait to read more by @tashacoryell

Well that was a weird and wild ride. Our MC Hannah becomes obsessed with a true crime case which leads her to falling in love with a potential killer. I got through this pretty quick, I loved the short chapters and the switch in time occasionally but my biggest complaint is that it felt so repetitive. I swear I read the word lamented more times then I want to count… otherwise this was a weird little thriller with a frustrating (in a fun way) MC. Thank so much to NetGally and the publishers for an advance copy for review.

This book was an interesting read! I didn't really know what to expect going into it so for the first 25% of the book I couldn't put it down. I was super interested to see where it was gonna take me. I slowed down a bit in the middle when I was sure I figured out the whodunnit but I was still enjoying it. The ending was a little anticlimactic for me but there was a pretty solid twist at the very end that I didn't see coming which brought the book up to a 3.5 star read for me. Overall I enjoyed it and the story!

Hannah's most recent relationship, if you'd even call it that, ended fairly recently and abruptly. She wanted something very different from her ex and she was taking it poorly. Her best friend recently met someone and their relationship is strained. Hannah finds herself on a true crime online forum of armchair detectives after several young women are found murdered several hours away in Georgia. William, a good-looking attorney is arrested as the accused serial killer. Hannah decides to write a letter to William and they begin a relationship via letters. The attention that William is giving her is unlike anything else, though she has a certain level of shame and is keeping the entirety of her situation away from those close to her. Hannah becomes obsessed and ends up losing her job. With her time now freed, she travels to attend the weeks long trial. Upon the discovery of a new victim, William was acquitted and shortly after he showed up at Hannah's hotel and tells her he wants to marry her. Still suspicious, Hannah continues to snoop around and investigate the murders of the five young women. This puts Hannah in a very dangerous situation.

This was certainly one of those books that you finish and wonder what you read.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Usually, thrillers that involve serial killers or the "do they have the right guy" trope are really fun... and right up my alley. This one, however, felt quite bland and repetitive. In addition to that, it was incredibly predictable and I had the entire plot figured out the second someone other than the main characters was introduced.

Diving in a little bit deeper now: I actually enjoyed a bit of this book. I liked the delusional main character to an extent - though her shtick got old very fast. I really liked the unreliable feeling that I got from reading her perspective... it just felt very surface level and I think it would've been fun to see that aspect of the story expand past what it was. The delusion was repetitive and really didn't add as much to this story as I was hoping it would.

I also did not care for how this book was written the pacing seemed all-over the place as if the FMC was rumbling. It was a struggle to read and unfortunately I ended up DNFing the book.

2.5 stars

A woman becomes obsessed with an accused murderer and begins writing him letters, only to fall in love with him. As they become pen pals and then lovers, the woman must decide whether she believes in his self-pronounced innocence and that he won’t try to kill her next. Author Tasha Coryell crafts a compelling narrative with an unlikeable protagonist and a paper-thin plot in her debut novel Love Letters to a Serial Killer.

Hannah White’s life is slowly falling apart. Her boyfriend has ghosted her; at least, she thought he was her boyfriend. He certainly didn’t mind sleeping with her and her coming to the concerts he put on with his punk band. But the minute Hannah tries to move the relationship forward, suddenly he’s gone.

It doesn’t help that her job as the communications person for a nonprofit in Minneapolis pays peanuts and she has no passion for it. The job was supposed to be an in-between kind of thing until she found something better, but somehow Hannah has gotten stuck in that weird space. She hates her job, and it’s looking like it hates her back.

Thank goodness there are plenty of distractions. The latest is an awful crime out of Georgia. Upstanding lawyer William Thompson is facing the accusation of murdering four women, and Hannah devours the details of the case. She joins an online forum where followers of William’s story are working together to see if they can definitively prove he did it.

Hannah is all for justice. Those poor women were murdered and thrown into a ravine like trash. In a fit of righteous anger, Hannah decides to write William in prison so he knows how despicable he is.

Except William starts writing her back. And before she realizes it, Hannah begins sharing information about her life with him. He does the same, although he always sidesteps her questions about whether he actually killed the women in question. Instead, the two get to know one another and Hannah comes to a startling realization: she’s fallen in love with William.

When his trial date is set, Hannah goes to Georgia to support him. There she meets other sympathizers and true-crime junkies like herself, but she knows she’s the only person who has a true connection to William. She still can’t quite rid herself of the doubt about his innocence, but the more important thing to Hannah is the love they share.

Then the unthinkable happens: a fifth woman is murdered while William is in prison. The jury lets William, and he turns to Hannah right away. The two pick up their relationship where their letters left off, and Hannah believes she’s found her happy ending.

There is that nagging doubt, though. Now, even as she’s consumed with the idea of spending her life with William, she’s equally overwhelmed with the possibility that he might murder her. And she’s trying to figure out which idea she likes more.

Author Tasha Coryell creates a deeply compelling voice for her protagonist. Hannah’s wry life observations and the deep irony with which she views her situation with William will keep most readers engaged through the first portion of the book. Her journey is similar to a long rabbit hole online where one click leads to another until it’s hard to remember where and when a person started searching.

The plot, however, feels flimsy at best. Much of the book is taken up by Hannah’s shocking declarations and revelations about herself and men. The actual sequence of events moves in stop-and-go motions. The result is a book that moves at a decent pace only to stop for Hannah to share what often sound like memes of her life and then start moving again. More astute readers may not appreciate the jerkiness of the narrative.

The ending too, while it may fit the overall tone and approach of the book, feels rushed and papered over. Those who want a quick true-crime fix may want to check this one out.

Not for me. I found this bland and a bit boring and the storyline didn’t flow fast enough for me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

This book was super interesting because it was nothing like I’ve read before. The twist was unexpected as I thought it could be a few people before it was actually revealed! Thriller books are always more interesting when you can’t figure out the twist early.
It’s fascinating to look into the mind of someone who could have fallen in love with a serial killer, as we all know how frequently that actually happens in real life.
Hannah, the FMC, made so many irrational decisions that I can’t even explain. She was not the most likable character I’ve read about in a book. In fact, she’s definitely not likable at all. It definitely keeps you turning the pages!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkeley publishing group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hannah is in her thirties, and not having the time of her life. She is following serial killer forums online, and when a suspect is arrested in Georgia, Hannah decides to write to him. Surprisingly, he writes back. Suddenly, Hannah is in love. With a serial killer. What could go wrong?

This book was a ride. The main character got on my nerves quite a bit and it was so hard to relate to her desires and motivations. I could never get past the delusions and enjoy the book because I kept getting catapulted back into reality and how absurd this book was. I couldn’t put it down so I would give that to the author but the story was so out of my ballpark. There are some of us who wonder what it’s like to fall in love with someone guilty but not me. I was curious but I kind of wish I stayed curious. It was predictable and a book that I finished relatively fast so thank you for that.

The cover alone was what drew me to this book. I know, I know. We shouldn't "judge" a book by it's cover, but I know we all do it anyway. This was the first thriller that I have read in a long time. It did not disappoint, that's for sure. It's the type of thriller that leaves you saying out loud, "what the actual fuck?". I thought this at least 15 times while reading.

Hannah's life is really in the trenches. She was in a situationship who she saw out with another girl, she is at a job she actually hates, she doesn't really have any prospective relationships and it seems that she doesn't really have that many friends either. One day she comes across a story of a missing girl who then ends up found dead in a ravine. Then 3 other girls are also found. Hannah finds herself so immersed in this that she joins a forum to see what other people also have to say about the murders. A man is then arrested and Hannah starts writing him letters. Hannah spends all her time on this forum and writing William and it completely takes over her life that she loses everything else. She then uproots her life and goes down to Georgia to attend the trials for William. Prior this this, William has asked Hannah to be his girlfriend, so you could say she is truly in the deep on this.

William ends up being acquitted (not a spoiler) and him and Hannah start living domestically. The thing is, she is continuing to investigate him on her own.

I kept going back and forth with who I thought could be the murderer. At the end when we find out who it was, it was a "duh" moment for me and I don't know why I didn't think that all along.

This book did have a lot of detail for me where I did skim through a bit, but overall I would definitely recommend. It did keep my attention activated. I would not say this was a "popcorn thriller", but it's easy to read and keeps you captivated the entire time.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Tasha for the ARC of this book!

One of the more unique and interesting books I've read recently, Love Letters to a Serial Killer somehow turns a mostly unlikeable main character with questionable morals and integrity into someone that you desperately want to understand. The character arc was compelling and the mystery was intriguing to the end.

Tasha Coryell's dazzling debut novel, LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER, is an entertaining, twisted, darkly funny, disturbing, and thrilling adventure of a woman who gets caught up in a relationship with a serial killer on trial for murder.

By the end, you will be shaking your head about who needs more counseling: the prey or the predator. Who is more disturbed?

About...

Before falling in love with a serial killer, thirty-something Hannah worked in communications in Minneapolis for a nonprofit. She spent more time on social media than doing her job. Unmotivated, she drank too much, dated men, got dumped, and ghosted by men and friends.

Then she joined an online crime forum about William Thompson, the good-looking, handsome, and wealthy attorney who is accused of murdering Anna, Kimberly, Jill, and Emma. There was nothing about him that screamed, "serial killer."

#FindAnnaLeigh was trending last spotted at the law firm in Georgia, where she served as an intern. Her body was later found in a ravine. This was just the beginning.

Hannah said she was not obsessed with killers but with justice. However, as we soon discover, that may NOT be the case. Hannah finds herself engrossed in a true-crime forum with a mission to solve the murders of four women in Atlanta.

After William is arrested for the killings, Hannah decides to write him a letter as she thinks this will be a good exercise for her anger and will give her a sense of empowerment.

However, William writes back. It is not what she expected.

She soon is obsessed, loses her job, and decides to go to Atlanta and join the other true-crime junkies to follow the trial. However, when a fifth woman is discovered murdered while William is in prison, the jury has no choice but to let him go.

Soon, Hannah moves in with William and is in a relationship, but she still does not trust him. She enjoys the family's money and prestige, but secretly, she is still sleuthing and keeping a notebook to see what she can find. He proposes, and they are engaged. Is this what she wants?

Why is she drawn to William?

However, the secret sleuthing, digging, and investigating may prove more harmful than she imagined. The mysterious matchbox will lead her to danger. What does Hannah really want? What if William is not a murderer and it is someone else? Will she lose the thrill and attraction? What if there is something more sinister going on?

My Thoughts...

LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER is wild and disturbing. You will be hooked by the smashing front cover and the opening page! It is a cat-and-mouse psychological suspense thriller—but who is the cat, and who is the mouse?

The author cleverly creates a compelling, disturbing, unhinged young woman with a brilliant character study. You will fly through the pages to see how this mystery will play out.

The author takes us inside the life of William's family with their dad, mom, brother, and relatives. What happens behind closed doors? She has no clue about this dark family.

The author's writing is witty, edgy, topical, and psychologically rich — a cautionary tale for the relatable millennials—an inside realistic look at the modern dating culture, social media, and crime-obsessed followers. Unputdownable, darkly comic, thought-provoking, and a shocking whodunit mystery —a wild ride for your summer reading. True crime-obsessed buffs will devour. What an ending!

A gripping debut, I would like a sequel to continue the story of William, the family, Hannah, and more! There is much more to explore, and I am in.
I enjoyed the author's writing style and look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
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I’m impressed with this debut novel! The title and cover is what led me to request it and I wasn’t disappointed. The main protagonist, Hannah, is not very likable and I found myself yelling at her through the pages, however, this did not ruin the story at all, I was that much more invested waiting to see what bad decision she made next; it was very entertaining! Although this is fiction, it’s also a satirical look at our serial killer-obsessed society. I enjoyed the read and look forward to this author’s future work. This would make a great book club pick as well. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

Thank you netgalley and berkley for an arc of this book in exchange for a honest review

This is about hannah who discovers that women are being killed by the same killer and starts investing the case whatever way she can however when the suspect for the murders is arrested and in jail she starts sending him letters and starts falling in love with him.

I thought the plot was interesting and i really thought i would enjoy it however i didn't like how the plot was written it felt like the romance between hannah and william was just overdone and exaggerated. I am a very character based person and i didn't like anyone in this book i found hannah to be very annoying and self centered she never thought that anything was her fault and she felt like she was always right, william was nothing special he was just a basic rich white man with no personality, hannah also became very obsessed with william and the case against him but it's more so how obsessed she became with death and the serial killer that i didn't like at all. It was fast paced but i honestly just didn't care about the characters or the plot even and i had figured out the plot twist before it was revealed and i didn't like the 'open ending' that we got. I just didn't enjoy anything about this unfortunately.

“There are ways to find goodness in even the darkest of moments of our lives.”

Oh I 💯 requested an ARC of this book because of the title. I mean haven’t we all wondered what kind of person falls in love with an incarcerated serial killer?!? Like WHAT?! I was intrigued. So I began to read…

And this book ended up being so much more than just love letters to a prisoner. It had heart and soul and made me truly understand how this type of scenario could play out. Reference below quote for what I believe to be the best explanation to that question that I have wondered about since the Menendez brothers. 3.5 stars!

“I’d always understood our relationship to be conditional, predicated on the notion that he would forever be in jail and I was the pathetic woman willing to date him while he was there. In that situation, I was the one with the power if only because I was the one who was free.”

Thank you to Netaglley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.