Going deep inside the mind of Hannah was wild.
This story reminded me of the women who would/still write letters to Ted Bundy and other serial killers. It's such an interesting take on your normal thriller read. I enjoyed every moment of this book!

3.5 stars - Our main character Hannah's life is in shambles, and she finds herself lacking the desire and motivation to hop back onto the path everyone expects her to be on. It seems that no one lives up to her expectations, let alone herself, so when young women start being brutally murdered, she becomes enthralled with an online forum surrounding the murders and the eventual suspect William. Hannah becomes quite literally obsessed with William (think Joe from 'You') and decides it's a splendid idea to write him a letter while he's in jail awaiting trial. Nothing could possibly go wrong, could it? He's in jail and she's far away tucked safely in society. As they begin corresponding the letters move from curiosity to something far more.

While I enjoyed reading the book, I didn't find myself particularly liking any of the characters on their own, and honestly found Hannah to be quite annoying. She was starved for attention and continuously liked anyone who showed her the smallest amount of attention. That said, the storyline was interesting and compelling and the head shaking moments kept me engaged until the very end. Also, I have to say - while pretty simple in design this book cover is perfect and was what really caught my eye!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for providing me with an advanced readers copy via NetGalley.

This was a very addicting read — as a psych major, I love reading/analyzing unstable/curious minded characters. Hannah is an interesting read because her love interest would be considered “taboo”.

Definitely not a MC that I felt connected to, but I was still very intrigued with her actions and mind.

A great fall read :)

This book was a real intriguing read! I recommend this book if you want to question your feelings about the inexplicable nature of feelings during heightened times.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for giving me the chance to read an advance copy!!

This is one of those books that I think would have been better if I read it audio form. This story is very unique but straight-up wild in some parts. Even though I did enjoy it, while reading, I noticed I would take a few days away from the book then remind myself I had to finish it. I am glad I finished because the end was bonkers! It was a solid read, but I wish I had tried a different format.

Well this was certainly something… I’m not sure what I was expecting from this but it wasn’t this. The ending made my jaw drop though. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This was delightfully deranged in the best way! A unique take on serial killer stories and its own kind of thriller, LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER pulled me in from page one. The voice was fabulous and stayed so throughout. A genuinely entertaining read, which is no small feat for a novel about a woman who becomes obsessed with a serial killer!

[I share books I love on Instagram @asjouhanneau].

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell
Narrator: Andi Arndt
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub date: 6/25

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing for my early copy and to PRH Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

Hannah is struggling in every aspect of her life. She’s been dumped by the guy she’s in love with and fired from her job, and her best friend is getting married and has forgotten she exists. When four women are murdered, and a very handsome lawyer named William becomes the suspect, Hannah takes to an online forum about the killings to do some investigating. In a moment of weakness, she writes a letter to William in prison, telling him how his actions have affected her life. In a surprise twist she didn’t see coming, he writes her back.

I wasn’t sure what to think of this book at first. I went into this one mostly blind, and I’m glad that I did. The story started off slow, as we get to know Hannah and her love for true crime, but part two picks up considerably as Hannah attends William’s trial and we learn more facts about the case.

The story is told from Hannah’s POV and she is insufferable. Her character is undeniably broken and neurotic and her decision-making skills are highly questionable. While this makes her hard to root for, it also provides a raw, unfiltered look into a deeply flawed psyche. She’s exactly the type of woman who would write to, and fall in love with, a serial killer.
The equally dysfunctional supporting cast adds to the novel's chaotic and intense atmosphere. Surprisingly, William, the accused killer, appears as the most well-adjusted character, highlighting the profound dysfunction surrounding Hannah.
Though the book lacks the intricate twists I was hoping for and features a cast of unlikeable, mentally unstable characters, it pulled me in. Fans of true-crime thrillers with a unique premise will find it intriguing despite its predictability.

The crux of this story lies with the reader feeling uncomfortable. The central character is arguably suffering from a mental health crisis/is morally ambiguous, aligning and devoting her entire life and perceived happiness around an alleged serial killer. Despite the dark subject matter, the story itself is somewhat lighthearted -- like a dark comedy that is a commentary on the rise of true crime interest and podcasts, especially amongst women.

While the story was wild in itself -- and often prompted me to wish the main character would cut bait and leave for safety -- the plot itself moved quite slowly until the final quarter and the final twist felt somewhat obvious throughout. Many scenes felt unnecessary or confusing, perhaps adding to the main character's mental instability.

Overall, it's strange to label this type of dark comedy as a "light read" given the context and relative subject matter. Ultimately, I'd recommend for fans of horror/darker material.

This is just so much its own unique thing and I consumed it so quickly it has spat me out and I don't know what to do with my life now or where to begin with this book.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC and PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC.

There was a second I actually thought this was supposed to be romance, a la Butcher & Blackbird if you will. Well let me clear it up that it is not. This is a mystery/thriller with an unlikeable narrator that leads you on a journey that I found more interesting than what was built up to be the big twist at the end. Honestly, I wasn't so concerned with the ending which maybe I should have been because that's what ended up letting me down and the reason for 4 stars vs 5.

We go along with Hannah, a 30s woman who is so bored with life and frustrated with men who keep ghosting her. She gets fixated on a string of murders but switches her focus to fixate on the man accused of committing the crimes. In an exchange of letters initially starting off hostile (on her end) she somehow falls into the rabbit hole of falling for this man. He's giving her everything she ever wanted from men- attention and adoration, and it's not like he can murder her behind bars. That is until he's released and the real risk begins.

At times this is definitely satirical and as unlikeable as the FMC was she feels like someone you know, like a hyped up unhinged version of stories you've heard about people fixated on crimes and who idolize killers. The lies she tells herself to rationalize and choices she makes I just couldn't stop listening because I had to know what hole she was going to dig herself into next.

There is a point and commentary to this all by the end even if it's just about what Hannah finally uncovers about herself and her own motivations and also the motivations of William and supporting characters. I just wanted more. That being said, I still don't regret my time with this. The narration was AMAZING. Major kudos to the narrator, I absolutely enjoyed the ALC and it was not overacted.

Hannah is one of my favorite characters as of late - just so totally bonkers it was really fun to be inside her head. This was such a unique premise for a story and I thought Coryell hit it out of the park for her debut. I'll be looking for more from this author in the future.

This book was just not it for me. I am a fan of dark romances as much as the next person, but this book was work to get through. I'm hoping it was written to be satirical more than anything else, as our female main character.....girl what are you doing. It's an unhinged book and honestly I've definitely read worse books, but truly not for me.

First and foremost, how incredible is this cover for LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER? @berkleypub really slays the game when it comes to covers, seriously. Now, this review will be controversial because the reviews for this book are legitimately all over the dang place, and for good reason. I totally understand why this book is getting mixed reviews, but honestly, doesn't that make reading and discussing books more fun?

LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER stars a hopeless romantic young woman named Hannah. Hannah is having a series of bad dates after being ghosted by her situationship, but her biggest passion is following true crime online investigators in forums to discuss what's going on with their crimes. When Hannah decides to write William Thompson, a good looking serial killer arrested for the murder of multiple women, she wants to give him a piece of her mind, but when he responds in a manner she doesn't expect, the two of them engage in a relationship. Hannah knows this is risky, I mean he's a possible serial killer, but the two have such a magnetic chemistry that she doesn't want to give up. Is Hannah drawn to him because she's lonely and wants a connection? Is she truly attracted to him or wants to try and see if she can "change" him? Is he truly guilty? Everything is up in the air, but when Hannah gets in too close with William, her life will be changed forever.

This book is so unhinged, bookstafam. I think because of my divorce I related to Hannah more than I wanted to and enjoyed this book more than I expected. Dating in 2024 is not what it was in 2014 when I was last single, I WILL TELL YOU THAT. This book is a slow-burn, and less thriller than you'd expect. It's more of a satirical social commentary on dating and relationships in the dating app world. I had a blast with this book, but understand why some may not. Go into this book with no expectations and I think you might be surprised.

To be honest, I don’t even know how to fully express how unhinged this book was. This is a perfect case of not judging a book by its cover because, even though it’s all pink and girly and gave Mean Girls vibes, it was so sick and twisted.

I went into this blind, and it had my stomach turning. If you ever wondered about the women who fall in love with serial killers behind bars and fetishize them, this is basically a character study on that. This is actually a legit term, and it’s called hybristophilia.

This story is about Hannah. She’s unhappy at her current job, the man she’s sleeping with is ghosting her even though she was hoping for a relationship, and she’s rapidly becoming obsessed with William Thompson, an alleged serial killer.

She starts writing him letters, and soon they become “boyfriend and girlfriend.” She leaves her old life behind to attend his trial, infiltrate his family, and avoid her own friends and family. She never gave much thought to the possibility that William would be found innocent, or how she would feel if he actually was.

This was a wild ride, and being inside her head was really unpleasant (albeit interesting). Even though this story was slightly predictable, I still felt like it was an enticing take on hybristophilia, especially since I never gave women who are sexually aroused by serial killers much thought previously. Truthfully, I never thought of them much because I devalued them as humans.

As uncomfortable as this was to read, if you are obsessed with true crime documentaries and murder podcasts, and ever wondered about women like all of the ones who showed up to Bundy’s trial in droves, this will be the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley & Berkley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah’s character is something else! She definitely has mental problems that need addressing. I did enjoy getting a look into the mind of one of those women who fall in love with serial killers. I guessed the twist in this book and I feel like it was obvious so don’t go into it thinking there will be a shocking twist. That didn’t keep me from turning the pages tho! I enjoyed this book except I wish the ending was different. I didn’t enjoy the ending and it wasn’t what I expected it to be.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was completely unhinged yet so intriguing and addicting. There is nothing about Hannah’s choices that made sense to me, yet I did see how such am aimless, drifting young girl could get sucked into a trial and prospective murdered. It’s that dark and secret longing for drama, for sensationalism, coupled with the awareness that it’s not only ethically gray at least, but also likely very pathetic and embarrassing.

Reading this felt like watching for TLC shows on addiction, strange phobias, or my 300 lb life. You want to be a voyeur into the messy, whetting your appetite for judgement, without getting your hands dirty.

While a smidge too long in the middle, and with an ending that left a little something to be desired, ultimately this was unlike anything I’ve ever read and I couldn’t tear myself away.

3.5 ⭐️
Love Letters to a Serial Killer was a fun, fast paced story. It opens with Hannah, the protagonist, tied to a chair by a serial killer and continues to tell us how she ended up in such a predicament!

Hannah is an 30 something year old whose life is all over the place when becomes obsessed with a a few cases of murdered women. When their suspected killer is put behind bars, she decides to write him an angry letter, not expecting him to write back… BUT HE DOES! She then finds herself falling for a potential serial killer that she has never met and decides to pack herself up and go to his trial. WHAT?! 🤯🤯

Hannah is extremely unlikeable but I literally couldn’t put this book down because I HAD to know what she was up to next! She’s crazy… almost as crazy as the killer. 😂

Though I found the ending predictable, that didn’t stop me from devouring it! I would recommend this book to all of my fellow crime junkies!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and Tasha Coryell for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 • 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 • 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 • 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 • 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦(?!)
𝘈𝘙𝘊 • 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦 25 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 2024

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @berkleypub 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺!

The gorgeous cover combined with the provocative title are 100% what first drew me to this book. Look, this was absolutely deranged, unhinged from start to finish. As such, it may not be for everyone but I was totally here for this book which I interpreted as a well done satire piece that is primarily suspense/mystery with dark romance subplot.

Our main character Hannah is that girl who is always making terrible life decisions in a way that reminds us of ourselves, but 100x worse. She has extremely low self self-esteem, seems to base her self worth on all the wrong things, is obsessed with serial killers and true crime forums although she’s also in denial of this fact.

Constantly chasing what she can’t have, Hannah finds herself in a pen-pal situation with a psychopath bad boy who’s in prison awaiting trial for the murders of 3 women. He also happens to be a smoking hot, deeply intellectual lawyer from generational wealth, and blessed with charismatic charm to boot. Will Hannah tame the proverbial beast? You’ll have to read to find out.

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀 - 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲!!

An addictive, binge-worthy thriller with an unlikeable fascinating main character...did I predict the ending? Yes I did (mostly). However, I’m very impressed with this debut title. Give it a look, coming out next month!

i kinda cringed the whole time and i’m so sad about it. the cover and description made me so excited but after 20% of it, i was just like ??? the whole time. thank you for the arc!

💌🔪𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝙻𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙰 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙻 𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚁
𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛, 𝚙𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚌
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟸𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟺.𝟸𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...Hannah becomes obsessed with the girl victims & their killer. She begins writing letters to him in jail & he writes back.

🤓𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢...That title, that pink cover👌🩷..I knew no matter what I had to read this one & I went in blind!🙌The premise was so unique. I loved the added humor into this insanely unhinged book! 😆I mean this girl is bad shit, but yet you can relate to her at times. I know.🧐🫣 I was so cringed out, yet couldn’t put it down. I can’t believe this is a debut. It was a total train wreck, yet also ton of friggin fun! Oh & I will be purchasing this one because of that cover alone! Obsessed! Bravo 👏