This is a nice escapist read. It is about two very rich siblings and their poor friend that their parents also supported. It is set in a mansion in Greece and in some other expensive exotic locations. The characters are kind of shallow. The plot is ok. it was fun and very lightweight read.


I received the book from Netgalley

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read "Ladykiller." Unfortunately, I did not enjoy reading this book. I didn't find it exciting. I found flaws in the writing. Some of the characters were suppose to be learning English and one moment they speak broken English and in the next a perfect complex sentence. Some of the actions of the characters I found unbelievable, which made the book hard to enjoy.

This book was just ok for me, I think I wanted it to be something more than it was. I loved the idea, but just couldn’t get into the actual book. I think in this case switching between present day point of view and Gias manuscript didn’t really work for me.

Where is Gia? Gia and Abby have been lifelong best friends and are even more closely bonded as a result of the tragedy they experienced when they were eighteen. Twelve years later, Abby and Gia’s brother arrive in Sweden but Gia is nowhere to be found. This story unfolds through a manuscript Gia wrote about her life and it is difficult to tell what is true and what is not. I really enjoyed this way of storytelling, it kept me engaged and constantly thinking about what was happening. This was a very twisty tale and I am still undecided about the unresolved ending.
Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

An incredibly fun impossible to put down thriller. I loved everything about this one including the fun Greek setting. I would love to see Greece.

As always, I can't help but love a book with multiple POVs. We gets Abby's as she tries to figure out what happened to her best friend, while we get Gia's through the manuscript that she's left behind. You can't help but feel for Abby, who clearly tries to live in the here and now. Gia is harder to root for as the spoiled rich girl that seems to constantly drag Abby along. However, as you dig further into the story, you start to realize that Gia may not be all she's cracked up to be.

I wanted to read this book because it mostly takes place in Greece, a place I have always wanted to visit. Wood creates this twisty, suspenseful story that you just don't want to put down because you have this deep need to understand what's going on.

With a novel like this, you worry that possible not everything will be discovered by the end of the book, but the author pulls it off flawlessly. I genuinely enjoyed this novel, it would make a great vacation read (but maybe not if you're in Greece).

I’m not a fan of ambiguous endings to a mystery/thriller, so when I heard that from other reviewers about this book, I decided to DNF because I wasn’t loving the content anyway.

I enjoyed this! The plot was fast paced and I didn't see the ending coming! Would read this author again

I really enjoyed Ladykiller! I found the premise of reconnecting with a long lost friend intriguing and different. This book kept me on the edge of my seat!

I liked the sound of this book and the story starts out strong. The manuscript to tell Gia's story was an interesting change. I really liked the build up of the mystery and how it would all come together in the end. Twists and turns all throughout. However, some felt very unrealistic and the ending fell flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Once I started this I could not put it down. It was compelling. I just hated the protagonists. I feel bad about that. It is a solid book, it just was not relatable for me.

If you see a young, privileged, wealthy woman who is posing herself as the victim and keep whining about what it would be like to have a "normal" life, run for your life. Usually those are the ones to destroy you and everything you love in a jealousy fit. Gia was definitely one of them. In every two sentences, you would hear say "God, people are using me because I'm rich" or "Ah! how lovely it would be to have a normal dinner in a normal house with normal parents". Come! On!

Gia and Benny lost their father. Gia wanted to have a final rodeo in their summer house in Greece before she sold it. She might have good intentions to invite all these friends and her newly minted husband to the island, but she was getting more and more anxious with everyday passing. Did these people really care about her or did they have an ulterior motive to keep her around? As shiny and fun they were, Gia would need her BFF and her brother to feel secure again

Some twists were anticipated: when you have a transcript of events narrated by the person in distress and other chapters talking about her from the perspective of a close friend, you wait for the clash. And a crash it was!

"Ladykiller" ended up not being quite what I went into the story expecting.
The premisis surrounds two long life friends with unreliable narrators throughout.
"Ladykiller" took a little bit to get into, but overall a good read.

3.5 stars
The first 90% of this book was 4 solid stars.
The setting is gorgeous.
The characters are flawed.
The story is mysterious.
Once this plot began unfolding it was hard to put down.
Then we reach the last 10% of the book.
There is no closure.
There is too much mystery.
I was left with far too many questions.
Wish the ending had given a little more to the reader, but I would still recommend it.

"Ladykiller" by Katharine Wood is a new thriller set on an idylically beautiful Greek island. It is peopled with beautiful, charismatic, RICH folks who may just possibly be a teeny tiny bit...DANGEROUS. Yes, there are plenty of shady people here who possess, shall we say, some questionable moral character. Folks whose alliances shift faster than the white sand beaches of the Mediterranean Sea that surround that luxury hilltop villa where all sorts of shenanigans and schemes are playing out. Deliciously wicked voyeuristic moments abound!

A more perfect setup for a *spicy* thriller could not be imagined. And for much of this novel, this carries the story well, helping to build anticipation and allowing clues to be dropped and possibilities to be spun so that the reader remains engaged and entertained.

This novel was published on July 9, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced galley proof of "Ladykiller" by Katharine Wood.

This book was a bit too slow for my liking, but it was definitely an interesting story, just not a wow moment!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP-BALLANTINE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The stunning cover of Ladykiller helped me visualize the Greek oasis where Gia lives in this book. However, I found Gia’s character to be so obnoxiously spoiled that I nearly DNFed this one. While I predicted some of what took place (as a reference to The Talented Mr. Ripley should do for any reader), I was surprised by a few things - but I don’t know if that is reason enough to recommend this book to others. The ending wasn’t clear enough for me to feel one way or another, so I’ll just say if you want to read it for the *vibes* or because of the cover, I totally get it. For the plot? I’d look elsewhere.

I liked how we flipped between Abby and Gia’s manuscript but it was way too slow for me. It felt like not much was happening for majority of this one!

A twisted little number full of secrets, deception, an heiress, and perhaps even a few who aren’t exactly up front with their true identities. Katherine Wood’s Ladykiller is a perfect vacation read. I stayed up late in bed, but I could picture it poolside with a cold glass of chenin blanc and my toes warming in the sun!

I’m going to keep my review over here where we are spoiler-free a bit short. I’ll put the publisher synopsis at the bottom because it is juicy! But I also kind of thought it gave a bit more away than it needed to. I don’t mind things like that, but this is a book that has so many twists and reveals as it unfolds, that it could be fun to go in a bit more blind. Don’t worry, I’ll get into the spicy details on my spoiler review.

The story is completely immersive, centering around two friends, Gia and Abby. Abby is a bookish girl who has always been grateful for the benevolence of the vivacious Gia—an heiress who’s always shared with her best friend. Their friendship started at a young age, and solidified even deeper after a tragedy that happened when they were visiting Greece at the young age of eighteen. What was the tragedy? You’ll find out, but not for some time so just go ahead and order that second cocktail!

It's been twelve years since that tragedy, and Gia is back at her family’s estate with her new husband in tow, while Abby is working as an attorney. Gia and Abby have had a bit of a falling out over Abby’s concerns about Gia’s new husband and the quickness of their marriage. Gia extends a Greek olive branch from the family estate (lol) and Abby and Gia’s brother Benny agreed to come visit for Gia’s birthday. When they arrive, Gia is missing and isn’t answering her phone.

Told in two narratives, Abby narrates present day and the time leading up to her disappearance are chronicled in Gia’s memoir. If you think that is strange, it makes some sense after we learn that Gia had also published a popular memoir several years earlier about her own life. The novel is dominated by Gia’s perspective, and that worked perfectly because until the end it is the far-more compelling narrative. Abby comes off as the much more level-headed of the two friends. Gia is impulsive, vivacious, and slightly self-centered. Despite her upbringing, though, she’s doesn’t act as privileged as you’d expect. She is very “what’s mine is yours” with those she loves.

Gia’s memoir is a trail of breadcrumbs leading towards the answers Abby and Benny are seeking. Where did she go? Is Gia ok? It looks grim, but then again, Gia is a bit flighty. The guests at Gia’s estate were an interesting crew. Her husband Garrett honestly does seem a little bit slimy at times, but we are also colored by Abby’s view of him. The staff are gorgeous, as are their wealthy friends. There is so much drama surrounding Gia and the whole crew at the Greek estate that I was totally hooked.

I don’t know if every reader will agree but I actually liked Gia the most out of any character. She was dynamic, compared to the purity of Abby and Benny. We need those goody good characters, but are they the most interesting? Never. The trouble with Gia is that we (and Abby) are reading the events in a memoir, so there’s always the question of how accurately she portrayed things.

The ending was good but it did leave many questions unanswered. Everyone has their secrets exposed… but not all of their secrets. I didn’t mind the lack of definition at the end. I felt I was able to infer exactly what Katharine Woods was implying without the specifics. A dazzling beachy thriller about rich people, living lavishly, and the people they attract.

Thank you Net Galley for my arc. Every time I thought I had this book figured out, it took a left turn!

Originally, I found Gia to be vapid and two-dimensional, but she turned out to be much more than originally thought!