Ladykiller is a story told from 2 different points of view; one being Abby and the other from Gia’s manuscript. Abby is Gia’s best friend growing up but they are polar opposites. Gia’s dad paid for all of Abby’s schoolings and provided for her while Gia is a rich girl with a trust fund. Gia, Abby and Gia’s brother, Benny grew up together. This book, both a thriller and a murder mystery, has many twists and turns.
The story takes place on a Greek Isle where the rich and famous come to play. Gia is there to fix up the house to sell. While there she meets Garrett whom she marries after not knowing him very long. Abby, Gia and Benny are to meet up in Sweden but Gia never shows. What follows is the mystery of where is Gia and why?
The book does slow down in the middle and the ending was not the least bit satisfying.

What? WHAT? This was very unsatisfying and unsettling. After weeding through the entire story, I ended with a head shake.

Loved this fabulous novel as it's fast-paced and thrilling! Gia and Garrett have been married for 3 months and really know next-to-nothing about the other (except that Gia's rich after inheriting family money. Gia's best friend, Abby is invited to her 30th birthday and they have plenty to catch up on! Unfortunately, it's not all good as there are secrets involving them both from years ago, and each one harbors her own insecurities and suspicions about the other. It's a great, convoluted tale (my favorite kind) as we go back and forth in time and discover infidelities, kidnappings, drug use, but also beautiful islands and friendships that withstand the test of time. So dive right in and enjoy; you'll be ready to book a flight immediately!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

WOW! This was a delicious and juicy and scandalous look at the wealthy and their lives. I loved every second of this twisty book of secrets and lies. Did not expect either of the twists in this book!!!

I love Katherine Wood books! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this book.

A solid mystery with an alternating POV of a manuscript with a version of events and the friend who is trying to solve the writers disappearance. Engaging but I felt a little unsatisfied with the ending. Would still recommend to readers who enjoy the genre.

I really liked this book and was impressed by how often the twists surprised me! I devoured it and was having trouble putting it down. The dual POVs kept me guessing and I enjoyed feeling like I never knew what was coming. I really liked the settings of Greece and Sweden too. The characters felt fully formed and although some were unlikeable, they were fun to read about.

Rich people get away with everything because they can afford better lawyers. But sometimes their victims manage to get revenge. Or do they? This is a story all about it.

I loved the synopsis of this book and couldn't wait to get into it. It's a good thriller even though some things were easy to predict. I think overall it was a good read and it kept me engaged the whole time.

LADYKILLER by Katherine Wood had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last!

Gia, an heiress, and Abby have been best friends since childhood. Gia invites Abby and her own brother, Benny to meet her in Sweden to come celebrate her birthday. Abby has reservations due to the fact that they fought over Gia’s recent wedding to Garrett. When Benny and Abby arrive in Sweden, Gia is nowhere to be found. After receiving cryptic texts and emails about being delayed, they finally decide to go to Gia‘s property in search of answers.

When they arrive at Gia’s, she has disappeared along with Garrett, but they find a transcript for a book she’s been writing, which gives them clues regarding Gia’s marriage. Bernie is confused as he was just visiting with Gia and Garrett one month prior and things appeared to be going well. However. houseguests Timeo and Emelia added an interesting, yet weirdly anxious vibe to the whole visit. As Abby and Benny piece together the clues from the manuscript of what was really going on with Gia, Abby keeps hidden one of the truths that cemented and held together their bond from when they were eighteen and Abby was the one in trouble. Should she come clean to Benny? Will it help find Gia? And what of the renewed attraction that Gia feels for Benny.? You GOTTA read this one to find out.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I could feel the breeze off the water and felt my pulse racing as I read the manuscript Gia left behind. I believe this is m first Katherine Wood novel but she will definitely be added to my fun author list. (I needed to start a list because my TBR pile kept falling over!)

Shout out to NetGalley and Bantam Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This is a totally great summer thriller that I think a lot of people are going to love. It's definitely popcorn and can be finished in a day. I didn't love the ending, but I think that's because I kind of expected it. I do think this is great for people who are just starting to read thrillers or who are summer thriller readers. I have to say I also loved the setting and the alternating POVs.

Thank you to Bantam Books and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unofficial Synopsis:
Gia and Abby have been best friend since they were young girls. Abby is from a humble background, Gia is an Heiress.

Years later, they had a falling out over Gia’s sudden marriage and then Gia goes missing. Abby and Gia’s brother, Benny set off to find her. When they arrive in Greece, they find a manuscript detailing the dark truth behind Gia’s new marriage. Now Abby and Benny race to find Gia as tensions rise. Will they find her before it’s too late?

Review:
This was a fun book told through Abby’s perspective and the perspective of Gia’s Manuscript. This story started really strong and continued to be strong up until about the 75% mark for me. The writing was vivid and descriptive and you truly felt transported to the beautiful places with the characters. I really enjoyed the build up and the anticipation that the author created. There was so much intrigue and suspense, so much wonderment. But then things started to unravel. Rather than provide the reader with a conclusion she left so many things ambiguous that I was just frustrated. I’m all for a few loose ends but in this case, I felt like I got zero answers, and I was just upset that I spent my time reading this book for it to end this way. I’m still annoyed thinking about it!

I recommend this book to readers who are okay with wide open endings but enjoy a twisty journey.

The cover is what immediately drew me in. This book is an excellent vacation/ summer read as it’s set predominantly in the Greek island.

Brief Summary:
Childhood best friends Abby and Gia were born of polar opposite circumstances–Gia, a rich heiress, and Abby, the daughter of the family’s chef. As Gia’s father had grown fond of Abby, he generously paid for her schooling, bringing the two girls closer together. Twelve years after a tragedy at Gia’s family’s summer estate in Greece (detailed in Gia’s memoir), the girls and Gia’s brother Benny are reuniting in Sweden for Gia’s birthday. When Gia doesn’t show, suspicions grow, causing Abby and Benny to race back to Greece for answers. What they find at the house is chilling: an unfinished manuscript in which Gia unveils the ominous summer events leading up to her disappearance, involving her husband and two additional guests. But where is Gia now? Is what she wrote in her manuscript true?

My Thoughts:
This was so good. I loved the chapters where you're reading Gia's Manuscript. The characters are well-developed, and their motivations and vulnerabilities are explored in depth. The plot is filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing, and the tension escalates as Abby races against time to uncover the truth about Gia's disappearance.The greek setting was written so beautifully, it really made you feel like you were also on the island enjoying the sun, beach, and greek food. But in the end, I was left wondering with more questions than answers.

This was my first book by their author and I will be checking out Katherine work in the future.

This one kept me in suspense until the last page. And I still am thinking about possible outcomes.

If you like suspense and character development and a new kind of plot twist, it's for you. I'm surprised that I enjoy it as much as I did. So ...

For readers of suspense, travel, society, and just plain good fiction, this one's for you.

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood is a novel set in the Greek Isles but also jumps to other locations. Gia and Abbie are best friends, but when Gia suddenly marries, Abbie is concerned but when Gia doesn't show up for a planned meeting in Sweden, she becomes worried. Gia has disappeared and the twists and turns they go through to find her are confusing and to be honest, got boring... I just wanted the story to end. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. I felt the characters were uninspiring and selfish and although the author had wonderful descriptions of Greece they couldn't redeem the cold characters for me

The Greek islands.. Rich people being bad.. murder…mystery.. twists and turns.. This book has all of that.. and more. And yet…
I did not love it..

First, I need my ending to answer my questions, and this did not. At all. . I also found it to be a little boring at first. Maybe it was me, but I struggled to keep going. I wanted to love it much more than I did. So many people loved this book – I just feel like I missed something.

Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? No. I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC. This obviously did not affect my opinion.

I felt like I was transported directly to the greek islands! And then toss in a murder mystery, suspicious behavior, spicy lust, and rich people behaving badly, and you have it all!

I truly enjoyed it. However, I was left with more questions than answers by the end. I never care to have my thrillers wrapped up in a pretty bow, but the ending just wasn't for me. I wanted more.

What a ride, though! Would recommend to everyone. It was a page turner. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you for this opportunity to be an early reader!

4 Stars!

This story transports you to the exotic Greek Islands to live the life of a carefree, newly married woman. However things aren't exactly what they seem. In this compelling new thriller, Gia is newly married and is renovating her Greek home left to her by her father. She is getting ready to sell it so that she will have some money after being left nothing when her father passed. She hopes to get together with her best friend Abby and brother. Abby is excited to see Gia since they haven't spoken since a falling out she and Gia had after Gia said she was getting married. There is so much history between these two. When Gia doesn't meet Abby in Sweden, Abby is worried something is wrong. Luckily Gia has left a manuscript that will shed light on what has been happening.

The novel gives Abby's view point and Gia's through her manuscript. There is so much to delve into and you won't want to stop reading this novel. I loved that it was a thriller but also a mystery rolled into one. The setting also makes this book one you won't want to miss. I actually felt like I was on a Greek island as I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. My only critique is I wanted more from the ending. I feel like I still need to know more. Overall, a good thriller.

Thank you to Random House/Bantam Dell for this ARC

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review. flew through this book. I will be posting spoilers so be warned. I really enjoyed it overall but do wish we knew exactly what happened. I want to know if Gia is innocent or if she is guilty. Im not sure from the clues. I was hooked from the prologue and really wanted to know what happened. Unfortunately, we never really know, which I do not love.

We meet Abby, who is best friends with Gia. Gia and Benny are siblings and children to Papa Hugo, who was a rich man who had hired Abby’s mom as their chef and so Abby got to become close to Gia and Beny that way. At Papa Hugo’s funeral, we meet them all. We find out that he left his fortune to his charity and so Gia must sell their Greek house to make money back. Abby and Gia have a falling out when Gia marries Garrett after 3 months. They had gotten away with a homicide when they were younger and since then Abby has felt guilty because Noah was actually not the assaulter Gia thought he was. Abby believes Gia found out about them and killed him on purpose. However, Gia says she didnt know. While Gia is trying to sell the house, they meet Timeo and Emelia, and they stay in their house with them. Later on, she finds out they were all conning her for money and that Emelia is actually Noah’s sister trying to get revenge. Gia could be pretending and Abby isnt so sure about it. Even months later, Abby is still unsure. No satisfying ending here.

An interesting cast of characters and any or many of them may be guilty. Overall I enjoyed this book with it’s twists and turns, but was ultimately a tad disappointed by the ending that left me hanging a bit.Scenery and character development were good, but there were a number of loose ends left that were not spoken to.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on July 9, 2024.