Thorn In My Side is the fourth instalment in CJ Skuse’s Sweetpea series. Unfortunately, it falls short of the charm and originality found in the previous books. Whilst the excellent first book was original, entertaining and captivating, and the second - a welcome follow up, book three became a little repetitive and predictable. Unfortunately, the fourth book continues this trend, portraying a tedious, and almost farcical romantic comedy, with a few murders thrown in. I found myself skimming through to an abrupt ending, which seemed more like a setup for the next book than a satisfying conclusion. Despite my disappointment, I would love a stand alone or perhaps a different series from this talented author. I think that this series has run its course.

Another banger of a book from Skuse. The fourth instalment of the Sweet Pea series certainly delivers a punch/stab/slash etc etc...
I’m ready and waiting to become a fully fledged member of the Bad Seeds!

Absolutely loved the first three books in this series but really struggled to get into this one, however once I got about 40% through I couldn’t put it down and read the rest in one sitting!

The Sweet Pea series is an absolute favourite of mine!! I adored the first two books (the third book in the series wasn't the best, but still seemed to fit into the series well) and would listen to them on audio quite often. I loved the mixture of comedy, sarcasm and crime/thriller! Back when the initial book came out, it was so original in it's mixture of genres - but a lot of books have since followed on the trend - but the Sweet Pea books were one of the first!!
That is why when I saw that there would be a fourth instalment to the series I was over the moon - I couldn't wait to see what our protagonist Rhiannon was up to now. (as it had been a while) I was initially worried that because it had been so long since the last instalment, I would need to reread the books. I decided not to reread them, and think that was probably a mistake as I just couldn't get into this one.

It took me a while to get into this book, and I was seriously debating whether or not to DNF. This book felt like a completely different book - it didn't seem to fit within the Sweet Pea world at all. Rhiannon wasn't the same - where was the comedy? Where was the humour? I really disliked this book. Just didn't feel the same and I really wish that C J Skuse hadn't written it at all. It puts a sour end to the fabulous series.
Absolutely gutted as it was one of my biggest anticipated reads of the year.

Never mind - hoping there will be no more Sweet Pea books, and if there are - they return to their usual form.

Long awaited but certainly didn't disappoint, great to see how Rhiannon is doing, another hilarious, gruesome but brilliant read.

Absolutely loved the first three in this series but this one just felt a little bit dissimilar from that. I couldn’t find the same humour or characters I’d grown to love and instead it just felt a little forced and repetitive. Some elements were still there of what I enjoyed previously and I’d absolutely recommend this series, it just wasn’t as good as the first!

Absolutely perfect ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one has left us wanting more....I can't wait to read the next book and find out what's going to happen to our favourite serial killer.

I'm loving this series, love Rhiannon who's a character on the grey side of the moral spectrum and have a lot of fun in following the tightly knitted plot.
A treat and a very enjoyable story that ends with a cliff-hanger
Hope the next book will be out soon
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was just so-so for me. Nothing really kept my attention, and I found a lot of very odd humor in it. I actually sat and googled a few things so I could understand the reference.
I think I might appeal to certain people but it’s not for me.

I received this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely squealed with glee when I was approved for this e-ARC, as Sweetpea is one of my favourite series!

I felt like Rhiannon went a bit soft in Book #3 (Dead Head), but she is BACK in book 4! Rhiannon in a relationship is interesting, but I much prefer a manipulative and rage-fueled FMC if I'm being honest.

CJ Skuse is the absolute queen of cliffhangers, and this book is no exception - I CANNOT wait for Book 5!!

Sidenote: Originally I thought I had read that Sweetpea was planned to be a 6-book series, but then more recently on the author's Instagram I think it mentioned it's now a 5-book series. I guess we'll see!

Rhiannon returns. As caustic as ever, it’s hard not to warm to her even when you know what she’s done.
It’s been over 800 days since she last killed. In her new guise as Ophelia she seems to have found happiness with Rafael but it seems unlikely that things will last.
Though she is, to all intents and purposes, dead, she remains in contact with her sister. She receives occasional news about her daughter, but with her new family Rhiannon has found people who care for her.
Even when she’s describing the things she does there’s a dark humour to the character. We get some increasingly bizarre situations…some of which prove to be of more significance than they first seem.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

This is the fourth book in the sweetpea series and while not as fast paced as the previous 3 it’s still a very worthy read .
Rhiannon/Ophelia is hilarious and her unique view of the world is fascinating.
Oh and the ending!!!! Please hurry on with book 5

This is book #4 in the Sweet Pea series and just as much fun as the first three. Our favorite serial killer is back!
Start with the first book, Sweet Pea and enjoy!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

Sweetpea is back for a fourth instalment and in love. Our favourite psychopath hasn’t killed for quite a while now although the lists of potential victims are as funny as ever. Eventually another violent man threatening a loved one pushes her over the edge. Rhiannon’s relationship with Rafael is a joy as she tries to keep her dark side hidden, well… minimised. CJ Skuse still manages to keep our sympathy firmly with Rhiannon and we continue to root for her. Hoping for book five.

Thorn in My Side by C.J. Skuse is the next book in the Sweetpea series. If you haven’t read the others, make sure you start there! I’m excited to see how they’ll turn this Killing Eve type into a tv series.

It was so good to catch up with serial killer Rhiannon and her unique sense of humour.
She’s known as Ophelia now and is madly in love with Rafael but she’s not quite put killing behind her.
It’s been a while since she felt the urge to take a life but soon she has no choice as a man is being abusive to a family member, and she can’t let this continue.
Raf is totally smitten with Ophelia but she worries if he’ll feel the same if he knew what she’d done in the past.
Soon their relationship is put to the test and Ophelia is surprised by the outcome.
This is a great addition to this quirky series and I can’t wait for the next book.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely loved this. I couldn’t put it down. It’s funny, emotional and just puts a smile on your face as you read.
This is book 4 in the sweat pea series and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s just brilliant, fast paced and thrilling with well written characters. I just love Rhiannon and Raf’s relationship.
Rhiannon or Ophelia as she’s now known is living in San Diego with her fiancé Raf, still has her murderous urges and writes her kill lists but trying to stay murder free which has lasted 800 days and counting.
There are some great twists and what a brilliant ending. I can’t wait for book 5.
Definitely recommend.
Thanks to #NetGallery #HQ @HQStories for an arc of #ThornInMySide in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book publishes 28th December 2023.

I was really looking forward to reading this as I've loved the other Sweet Pea books and this didn't disappoint! As always I loved Rhiannon's humour and wit, her lists of people she hates at the beginning of each chapter crack me up every time. Perhaps not my favourite of the series as this one was a bit more romance heavy than the previous books, but the ending has definitely left me wanting to see what Rhiannon gets up to next! Definitely worth a read for those who enjoy dark humour!

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

I’m not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I've given a rating due to the book description and book cover.

Thorn in my Side
CJ Skuse

No synopsis : 4th book in the Sweetpea series

Review
Bloody hell! I think my mouth is still 😮 from that ending! Wow!
I was super excited to secure an advanced copy of this, and overall it was a dark and funny read. The main storyline not quite as strong as the previous books and it did repeat itself slightly in the middle. The ending made up for everything, probably the best ending to any book Ive read all year. But my score also has to take into account the whole book.

Highly recommend this series of books.

Rated 4/5

Thanks to netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review