I’m a big fan of true crime documentaries and I never understood how someone could fall in love with a convicted serial killer. I remember Richard Ramirez aka the Night Stalker having loads of women coming to the trial and acting like he was a celebrity of some sort when I watched his true crime show. Reading this book kinda gave me
some insight as to why that happens. Hannah was a mess, out of touch, lonely and needed some therapy asap. This book as cringe as it was kept me captivated as I read. I definitely found myself laughing and shaking my head at Hannah and her way of thinking. If you’re a fan of trainwreck Lifetime Movies check this book out!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer is a very gen z romance thriller coated in humor with a perfect matter-of-fact delivery. Despite all her flaws, I am obsessed with our FMC and found myself laughing out loud at her commentary on more than one occasion.
William and Bentley are mysterious and enticing while our narrator isn’t particularly likable; she is sometimes relatable and often brutal in her honesty and perspective of a situation. I appreciate this in a FMC and always want to see more “bad” women. She talked about the shame she feels just for not living up to what she thinks are her parents’ expectations. She feels wholly inadequate in everyday life and this seeps into every aspect of her life deeply affecting her friendships and romantic relationships. William and their relationship takes on a life of its own as she relies on him so heavily for her self worth. She says at one point that “I knew I liked a man when I started to feel like I might die if he didn’t contact me” Relatable Toxic Queen. She often speaks of others as being privileged with no awareness of her own. She judges people for making snap judgements of her while she often does the same.
She takes this cavalier almost derogatory tone when it comes to speaking of other men that are not what she is looking for. Calling one “Dog Boy” which I found hilarious and very in line with how my college group chat talked about the boys we were seeing and dating at the time.
As a true crime girlie the commentary on the internet/ “the forum” I found hilarious. Her attitude is very meta and almost 4th wall, especially as she talks about writing a memoir and her only inspiration being serial killers.
This is just one more example of the narrative voice drawing everything back around to her intense skewed perception and manipulation. It’s quite masterful in my opinion. It reminds me of a season of “You” on Netflix with Quinn. Like when perfect horrible people are made so perfectly horrible for each other. The story captures the dynamic of loving someone society tells you that you shouldn’t, or that you know you shouldn’t. This was a fun and quick read that I highly recommend. It was funny, emotional, revealing and compelling.

Feedback
I wish the mystery had a little bit more meat to it, though I imagine it might make this story more approachable and digestible for someone less familiar with crime or mystery.
The Bentley reveal feels like it comes out of nowhere? I was looking for breadcrumbs for a twist ending and I’m hoping I missed them but this particular plot twist did not feel like it was supposed to happen all along. Maybe this is a product of our unreliable narrator though.


Some banger lines I loved:

“No matter how many layers I put on, I could never achieve warmth in the workplace”

“I was a widow, mourning the loss of a husband who never existed and who didn’t have a grave”

“If anyone was going to threaten my life I wanted it to be William”

“Listening to Taylor [swift] isn’t enough to erase all your sins, though it does give you a leg up over the last guy I dated who called her a “talentless hack””

“Sometime I feel like we’ve split between people who are promised a life that they’ll never be able to achieve and people who are living the promised life and don’t want it”

“The thing that everyone forgot when they talked about killing two bird with one stone is that the birds had to die”

Thank you to NetGalley, Tasha Coryell, and Berkley Books for this advanced reader copy.

I really enjoyed this book! I literally read it in one day. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen. I wish there was a little bit more from when she was actually with the killer and the ambiguous ending wasn’t really my taste. But overall would highly recommend if you want a relatable FMC who’s obsessed with a serial killer!

Let me start off by saying if you enjoyed the Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano, I think you'll also really enjoy this debut as well! Hannah's terrible ability to find a stable relationship leads her into the middle of an ongoing murder case, and literally throws her into the arms of a possible killer in this outlandish mystery.

While some might find Hannah a bit insufferable, I personally enjoyed her point of view and the ways in which she found herself in the situations she did. I think her unlikability was just a refreshing change of pace from the usual heroine, even though she was very frustrating at tines.

While I enjoyed this book enough to give it 5 stars, I do want to mention the ending, and how it just kind of fell flat. As enjoyable as the rest of the book was, yhe ending just didn't match up for me.

I definitely think anyone who enjoys a goofy, wild mystery will really enjoy this book! I'm really excited to see what Tasha Coryell comes out with next!

This was such a gripping thriller! Are you kidding me with the title? Loved the mystery, it kept me guessing the entire time. The ending, what an ending!

I had lot of high hopes for this book. But I think it fell prey to a few cliche tropes and underdeveloped plot twists.

I did enjoy getting into the headspace of a woman who willingly befriends a serial killer. But a lot of my empathy was diminished by the final parts of this book. That might be the intention though!

Thank you to Berkley for this digital arc!

I am not sure how I really felt about this read. The character of Hannah was a little hard to engage with. I believe that she had some sort of psychological disorder and while I know that there are people out there that are like that, it is hard to read a whole book about it. There were no real surprises with this one but I did find that it kept me turning the pages. I have thought many times about people who write to prisoners, are obsessed with serial killers (in a romantic way) or just seem to turn the other cheek. I see Gypsy Rose currently and how many people watch what she does and know that it is more of a fascination.

I didn't feel that any of the other characters were any more likeable, but that was just me.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell is a book like no other I've read. Hannah, the main character, lives a bizarre life and I found her to be quite unlikable. She has an obsession with serial killers and starts writing to an accused one named William. William writes her back and later on ends up being acquitted. Once he's released, Hannah moves in with him and decides she is going to solve the mystery of the killings herself. The story is dark, slow at times, but does have some twists and turns that held my interest.

Hannah is hilariously self deprecating and continually self sabotages so I don’t know why I continued to be surprised by things she did and thought throughout the book. She is all of us true crime junkies, but she crosses that line that most of us wouldn’t- falling in love with an accused serial killer. I loved reading this story and trying to solve the mystery along with Hannah! Highly recommend for anyone who’s a true crime fan and otherwise!

Thank you to net galley and Berkeley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

This was so interesting and different. Like I have never read anything like it. It's pretty nuts. I struggled with it though. I think it was the pacing. I kept picking it up and putting I down. I did enjoy the story, for the most part.

I had mixed feelings about the main character who I ended up disliking but the author went for it and I appreciate that Hannah evokes Such strong feelings. Mostly cringes and maybe a bit of contempt. But the story is a train wreck of women being killed by a serial killer and our fascination with true crime. Hannah may be an extreme depiction of the obsessed as she strives to insert herself all the way. Investigating on one hand and writing her letters. Predictable but still the train wreck that you can't look away from.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

{Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my review copy. }
This was FUN! In a weird, unhinged way. The story is definitely not what you would think it is, but it's something that compels you to finish it.

The story revolves around, I'd say, an unhinged woman. She is lost in life, and one solice she finds is in her letters with a serial killer. He's locked up, she is following his case. Until she decides to kind of get herself in the middle of it all. She goes to a state where the case/trial is taking place, and is trying to figure out who might have killed all the women that her pen pal is accused of, and at the same time get herself inserted in his rich family. She wants to be accepted by his family, and she wants him to be the actual killer. Weird? YES. But at the same time, WHAAAAT? It is such a weird plot. But I also really really wanted to see this story to the end. Obviously, you can see some red herring coming at you from a mile away, and I, as a reader, could tell this won't be as clear cut as it seemed. But the whole dynamic of this story is just too good to look away from.

It was slow in parts.. and predictable in some.. (I know you've heard that from me before), but this story is just unforgettable. It is of those women, who praise Manson, and you can't understand why - well you kind of get a close look at their psyche in this book.

In any case. A great summer thriller read. It was not disappointing at all.

Hannah, the FMC, works for a nonprofit organization and lives a pretty lonely and boring life. After the man that she was casually hooking up with ghosts her, Hannah spirals down a hole of self-loathing. When multiple girls come up murdered, Hannah decides to join a forum that follows the investigation, simply to keep herself busy. Initially out of curiousity, Hannah starts writing letters to the man expected of being a serial killer. Then that curiousity turns into an obsession. What happens though when the man accused of being a serial killer is found innocent and only has eyes for you?

I don't know what was in this book but it was so addicting and I could not put it down. Granted the FMC at times annoyed me beyond belief. I seriously think she is insane in a disturbing kind of way. Her actions were unbelievable and at times I found myself yelling at the book wondering, "What is wrong with you?" However, the overall plot concept was very unique and intriguing and I could not stop reading it. Before I started reading this I said that I wanted something a little different and that is exactly what this book delivered.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll admit the title drew me into this suspenseful story. Hannah is part of an online forum obsessed with a convicted serial killer, William, and his victims. As they sift through the evidence made public, they question William’s guilt. In the process, Hannah & a couple of others fantasize about a future with William. Hannah starts writing to him and their correspondence further shakes up theories around his case. Will they discover proof of his innocence or is he guilty as charged? When another murder happens, everything they thought they knew is called into question and Hannah’s bond with William suddenly seems too real. While the book becomes fairly predictable about halfway in, it was still an interesting premise and kept my interest. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley books for the ARC. This was my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

💌Delusional FMC
💌Murd3r Investigation
💌True Crime Junkie
💌FMC with an Obsessive Personality
💌MMC accused of Murd3r



I really wanted to love this one. The premise drew me instantly.

I found the FMC to be a bit much and highly delusional. Her obsessive personality was a big part of the story but I found it more annoying than I should have. The author did a great job writing the FMC character traits and bringing her to life. As the reader you can see the delusion and also understand how Hannah rationalizes her reasonings. The author did a very good job writing those aspects.

The FMC can never accept things as they are, she creates fictional stories in her head to justify what going on.

66% in is when you actually get a physical interaction between the FMC and MMC. Most of the story is how Hannah perceives everything and we have to guess what the MMCs intentions truly are.

Hannah start to become so wrapped up in the murder victims that she starts to dress and look like them.

There was a twist in the investigation, I suspected it but was not completely sure.

The end was a bit unexpected.

Fantasies and delusions all wrapped up in a murder investigation.

Hannah has a death wish. Why else would she write to an accused serial killer, falling in love with him over the written page, and agree to marry him on his release from prison? She must be crazy in love ... or just plain crazy.

Tasha Coryell's snarky fictional debut, Love Letters to a Serial Killer, plays on the "falling for bad guys and gals" craze, which sees both women and men writing to accused and convicted murderers and other nefarious criminals, and subsequently finding love. Or something resembling love. Because if love is built upon trust, and you have to sleep with one eye open for fear of your life, are you in love or are you just in danger?

In Love Letters to a Serial Killer, Hannah is aimlessly moving through life, or rather not, moving through, but stuck. Aimlessly stuck in life with nowhere to go, which might be why she reaches out to accused serial killer William, a handsome and wealthy lawyer who has been charged with the murder of several women. Hannah dances closer and closer to danger (and perhaps her own death) as she flirts with William through letters and picks away at his brain. What makes him tick, and why does she find it so darn attractive?

As much as Hannah plays with fire, she never expected William to be released, so when he is found not guilty, she suddenly finds herself being held to her word. Can Hannah vow to love William until "death do us part," if death has a good chance of coming sooner rather than later?

I did not expect Love Letters to a Serial Killer to be written in such a satirical tone, but sardonic it is, poking fun at those of us who go looking for love in all the wrong places. They say love is blind, and that is surely the case in this grim, yet darkly humorous tale about a young woman whose train has gone off the tracks and is perilously speeding closer and closer toward disaster.

While entirely predictable and at times a bit much (there are several places where this book could be deemed "problematic," and the author inserts race so often into her story, you can't help but notice how frequently it is pointed out), this is still generally an enjoyable read, albeit one that you will find yourself rolling your eyes at - it is just THAT outlandish and ridiculous.

The crazy thing about Love Letters to a serial Killer is that this plot could realistically and probably is happening today in real time.

Hannah, in her 30s, recently was dumped by her punk rock boyfriend. Feeling lonely, she decides to go onto true crime forums (reddit basically). There she learns about 4 women killed the SAME way and the man accused of killing them...William. What turns out as an "lol he won't write me back" turns into a wild ride as he responds. What's even crazier is he may not actually be guilty of murder. What happens when the supposed killer moves in with you and becomes your latest love due to prison letters? Hannah may figure it out... hopefully before it is not too late.

I picked this book up based on the cover as it gave me Mean Girl vibes. Also, I am semi in my true crime era. Y'all this book is bonkers because I truly believe people are fantasized with serial killers, even writing love letters to them! While this book isn't the best one out there (yikes with a pov shift I got a little bit ago), it's keeping my attention and making me yell WTF multiple times! The beginning and middle parts of this book kept my attention as I tried to figure out who was the "real" killer. The ending however; made me cringe as it wasn't what I expected and to me, felt like a letdown with all that it was leading up to. I definitely will pick up another by Coryell as I am curious about a) her writing style and b) her bonkers "realistic" plots.

Short synopsis: After a recent breakup, Hannah starts writing letters to an accused serial killer.

My thoughts: The concept of this one was so interesting, it makes sense to me based on what we learn about Hannah and her lack of self worth, that she would stoop low enough to become so infatuated with a serial killer.

The beginning drew me in immediately, the author did a great job at setting the stage and helping the reader understand Hannah and her thought process a bit more. The court case drug on a bit in my opinion, but the ending picked up really quick.

I did see the twist coming, but still enjoyed watching everything come together.

Read if you love:
- True crime
- Romantic thrillers
- Unique concepts
- Characters with issues

3.5 stars
As a true crime lover, I was really hopeful for this book, but it just didn't have me turning the pages. The story was slow and somewhat predictable, but I was intrigued enough to finish it.

This was a ride and I loved it. There’s a lot of hype around this book and it deserves it. I couldn’t put it down. Highly suggest you give it a go.