Many thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this advance copy of Ladykiller by Katherine Wood - this one screams summer with that cover and is out now!

3.5 stars for this one - I absolutely LOVED the scenery of this book, and I found the author did a great job of setting the scene and the Greece setting, it’s definitely one to read in the middle of summertime during your vacation. I struggled a bit with the pacing, it had some really thrilling parts that I wanted to speed through, yet slow areas - that’s why I’m landing a little middle of the road. I definitely think if you’re looking for an atmospheric slow-burn summer thriller, this one could be a good one to add to your list.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review!

2.5 stars rounded up, because I did have fun.

Sometimes you just want a thriller about rich people living wildly unrelatable, messy lives; this is exactly that sort of book. The first half of this was really enjoyable – pacy and engaging, the characters and their relationships were interesting and messy and at least lightly queer (and the narration had some fun unreliability), and the Greek island setting and light influence of mythology was really fun. I did, however, feel like it fizzled out pretty badly in the second half; it got predictable and a lot less propulsive, and the plot felt more and more contrived and less engaging. The ending felt quite anticlimactic.

Overall: some good, some not-so-good, on balance, not quite to my taste.

I found Some of this hard to get through. Gia’s manuscript was soooo descriptive and drawn out I didnt Enjoy those chapters. I found Abby and Bennys chapters more enjoyable. The layout of the manuscript chapters were somewhat confusing also, as they started before Abby and Benny even arrived in Greece to find out where Gia went. Overall just okay but would read the author again.

Katherine Wood (previously published as Katherine St. John) is excellent at creating soapy, atmospheric stories full of drama and bad rich people. The gorgeous Greek island setting contrasted with violence and secrets makes for a great setting and plot in this one. This is an ideal summer read for traveling, pool reading, or hiding in a nice cool house and armchair traveling.

This cover and the setting of a Greek Island caught my eye. I feel like this story has been done before and better. It was an interesting read but not an edge-of-your-seat kind of suspense. The predictability of the situation made the ending a bit of a letdown. If you're interested in a quick escape read, this would be a good one.

Gia and Abby became best friends when Abby's mom was personal chef for Gia's wealthy family. The women grew up together and remained close despite a tragedy the summer they were 18. Now Abby is an attorney in Atlanta and Gia finds herself significantly less wealthy after her father's death. She is spending time on their Greek island, readying the house for sale, with her new husband, Garrett. But Garrett not only keeps asking to borrow money, but Gia realizes he's been pilfering funds from the house account. She begins novelizing the experience.

When Gia fails to show up for a planned birthday celebration in Sweden, Abby and Gia's brother travel to Greece to see what's going on. Although they finally act on their feelings for each other, they begin to question Gia's veracity, and Abby also feels compelled to tell the truth about what happened that long ago summer.

What could be better than a suspense novel set on a Greek island? Neither Gia nor Garrett is particularly likable, and Abby is also borderline untrustworthy, but the novel is absorbing. The reader should keep in mind that they are reading Gia's novelized version of what happened and is not a reliable narrator. #Ladykiller #NetGalley

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHATTTTTT did I just read? I’m still mind blown and hope Katherine Wood gives us more in the future. Reading from both Abby & Gia keeps you drawn in and longing for what’s to come.

Ladykiller starts at Papa Hugo Torres’ funeral where we learn he left his entire five hundred million dollar fortune to the Torres Foundation that he and his second wife founded. Gia & Benny are Papa Hugo’s children from his second wife who was institutionalized for her mental illness. Abby is the daughter of the family’s former chef and Gia’s best friend.

Gia is free-spirited woman who falls in love and trusts too easily. After marrying a man she just met, Gia invites Abby & Benny to Sweden to catch up and spend quality time together, just the three of them. Only Gia doesn’t show up sending Abby & Benny on a frantic adventure to find her.

This mystery/thriller is a great one and very worth reading! I have a few speculations about the ending, but I’m still questioning what truly happened and hope for another book. I’d love to read what happens in the future to see if any answers are uncovered.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Wood and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Ladykiller.

Reading Between the Wines book review #71/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Ladykiller
Author: Katherine Wood
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: If you are looking for a book where you won’t know what (or who) to believe, this is the one for you. Gia goes missing, and Abby and Benny, Gia’s brother, will stop at nothing to find out what happened to her. The manuscript is a good clue to helping find Gia, but as a reader, I just did not know if I could believe what she wrote. What do you believe?

Cheers and thank you to @RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @Ladykiller.

#Ladykiller #KatherineWood #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I was hooked on Ladykiller from the beginning. The story is split between two timelines, Gia’s pov from her manuscript and Abby’s current pov. Even knowing that the narrators might not be accurate, it left me wanting to know the truth. The ending was tough to swallow but can only be expected in a book like this. I would definitely recommend.

Is any narrator truly reliable? This seems to be thematic of contemporary mystery writing and Ladykiller does a great job of using this to its advantage. It was an easy, enjoyable read with many twists and surprises. I wish the ending would have brought more closure, but I wasn’t disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for an ARC of this book.

Jessie and Gina have been best of friends since they were teens. All grown up Jessie lives in Atlanta and is a lawyer while Gina is living in Greece with her new husband, Garett however it’s not as it seems. Jessie starts getting emails about what happen that summer when Noah the Greek boy she liked died at the hands of Gina was it self defense so they claim. Now Gina doesn’t show up to there vacation in Sweden and trouble starts rise. Is it revenge or is it jealousy

I couldn’t read Lady Killer quickly enough!

I loved how the story was told through the dual perspectives of Abby in present time and Gia through her manuscript pages.

It definitely gave me some Hawkins vibes - like The Villa. The story was well-told, and the characters were all very well-developed with secrets of their own! It made reading very fun.

The ending was a little chaotic, as the author tried to tie up a lot of loose strings, but also left a little wiggle room for the reader to form their own conclusion. I would love to read a sequel (kind of like The Next Mrs Parrish/The Last Mrs Parrish!)

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC for review*

Out now!

I liked this story a lot. Some of the characters are entirely unlikable but it pushed the story forward. I thought Gia's manuscript was a great way to add a second voice to the storytelling. There were some twists I didn't see coming. And some characters I truly didn't expect what they'd turn out to do.

The setting is what really sealed this story for me. The descriptions of this Greek island are fantastic.

I did NOT love the ending, however, but not enough to lose a star over it :-D

I had to reread the first chapter a few times to fully get how everyone was connected and it still felt complicated to me. After that, I pushed through and did like this book with a good build up. The ending wasn’t my favorite and felt like it wasn’t fully developed.

A super fun thriller that I absolutely flew through. I think the plot was great, but there was something about the writing that really worked for me too. I picked this up for the cover, and now I can't wait to read more from the author!

Great character building. Excellent buildup. Ultimately it just fell flat at the end. I felt like there were 30ish pages that had just been cut from the book that just left me feeling……that’s it???

Fun, summer thriller with rich people problems and a beautiful Greek island, yeah for sure. I'll take it. Did I want a more twisty ending? Yeah I did but I'd still recommend for the thriller lover in your life.

Abby and Gia have been friends forever. Gia, an heiress spending the summer in Greece, agrees to meet up with Abby for her birthday at the end of summer but never shows. You get chapters from Abby's POV and Gia's manuscript of what happened all summer long. You don't really know who to believe but it's a fun and salacious ride!

Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gia and Abby have been friends since childhood, and bonded over the tragedy that occurred in Greece when they were eighteen. Now thirty, heiress Gia is back in Greece with her new husband, and Abby is working fourteen-hour days as an attorney. Gia invites Abby to Sweden to celebrate her birthday, and Abby’s thrilled to reconnect. Abby receives an odd email, and both she and Gia's brother Ben discover that Gia isn't in Sweden. They fly to Greece and find her estate deserted. The only thing there is a manuscript full of dirty secrets leading up to her disappearance. How much of it is true?

The story dovetails between Gia's manuscript and Abby's life, both starting with Gia's father's funeral. Gia had been the poor little rich girl, with wild behavior and escapades but no direct parental supervision. Abby was their family cook's daughter and Gia's best friend, going to the same schools due to Gia's father's largesse. Their lives diverged when Abby went to college and then law school, and Gia continued to party and spend like no tomorrow. Abby continued to work hard with little time off, and Gia got married; the manuscript outlined the way her quick marriage deteriorated and how the money started running out.

Once Abby and Benny arrive in Greece, the tension ratchets up. They try to find Gia and discover the truth; the manuscript has different names and details, and no one can identify what happened. It's especially engaging because no one is a reliable narrator,so even when we have an answer, we don't know if it's true. The question lingers, and is definitely open to interpretation, making this thriller stick in your mind long after you finish it.

Thank you @PRHAudio @thekatwritesbooks @randomhouse for the #gifted #ARC & #audiobook of #Ladykiller

This was my first #read by #KatherineWood & I really enjoyed it.

Gia & Abby are best friends since childhood when they bonded over a shared tragedy in #Greece when they were eighteen. Abby, the laidback bookish one, moved on by focusing on college, while Gia, the one who loves the spotlight, decided to put all of the details of the tragedy in a #memoir.

Twelve years later, Abby is invited to visit Gia back in at a Swedish resort for Gia’s birthday. However, when Abby & Benny (Gia’s brother who was also invited) arrive, Gia is nowhere to be found. Gia is sending them messages, though. But Abby & Benny aren’t buying Gia’s messages & excuses. They feel like something isn’t right, so they catch a flight to Greece to check on Gia in person.

Upon arriving at Gia’s #beachfront estate, it’s completely deserted. The only thing they’re able to find that it helpful in figuring out what happened to Gia is the #manuscript of the memoir she has been writing, which also details her relationship with her new husband, the frequent entertaining of guests & the events leading up to her #disappearance. Will Abby & Benny piece everything together before it’s too late?

There were many great things about this #book – quick & steady pacing, well-developed characters, an intriguing plot, just the right amount of suspense & twists, and most of all, the beautiful settings & Wood’s superb talent of painting vivid pictures of each location - - I felt like I was there with how well she executed the imagery.

My only tiff with this story was the ending. I am very much a person who needs everything tied up & answered by the end and I didn’t get that with Ladykiller. I know leaving an ending open to interpretation is something many authors & readers enjoy. So, it’s just a personal preference for me.

Overall 4 Stars & I recommend giving it a read as it was rather enjoyable!

#2024 #July #NewRelease #TBR #MustRead #Review #Audio #Bookstagram #Reading #Bibliophile #Bookdragon #Fiction #Adult #Mystery #Thriller #Suspense #Island #Killer #Lady

Gia and Abby have been best friends since their teenage years, but recently they have grown apart as Abby has settled down into her life as a lawyer and Gia continues to travel the world with her new husband. Gia asks Abby to meet her in Sweden for her birthday, but when Abby arrives Gia is nowhere to be found. As the events of Gia's last few months at her home in Greece come to light, Abby is worried that something tragic may have happened to her. After all, Gia's home in Greece is the site of another tragic night from their teenage years.

This is a great twisty summer thriller. It's the right amount of suspense and drama with a whole lot of untrustworthy characters. Without giving too much away, this is usually the type of ending I wouldn't like in a book like this, but somehow Katherine Wood made it work. Definitely worth a read on the beach (maybe in Greece).

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Ladykiller.