This book sucks you in and holds you there! I enjoyed the ride with Gia and Abby and the author was able to plant many doubts and suspicions in your mind.


It did however feel very similar to popular books I’ve read and it slightly bothers me that the conclusion isn’t fully wrapped up. I was hoping for a major twist that would separate the book from the rest but instead the reader is left with “well I think it’s true….”

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood was a super easy and fun read. It is a romantic, suspenseful thriller whose ending will definitely surprise you.
Gia and Abby are childhood friends who are more like sisters. Gia resides in Greece and lives the life of the rich and famous with her new husband who she has only known for a brief time. Then there’s Abby who has to work like crazy as an attorney to make ends meet. Gia is drafting a novel that is actually part of this book. So, it jumps back and forth between the novel and what is happening in real life. It sounds confusing, but it is actually quite interesting and makes you question what is real and what is fiction. Gia invites Abby and Gia’s brother to join her in Sweden to see the Aurora Borealis. Abby is not so sure that is a great idea because when Gia was going to marry her husband, Abby questioned her motive which caused a rift between the two friends. They wind up going and that is when the story gets really intriguing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the author’s descriptive writing as I could see all the scenery perfectly in my mind. This mystery was hard to put down and it keeps you guessing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Bantam for the ARC.

Loved the cover and title of this book! The story mostly delivered, in a familiar format of shifting between the present and the past and the viewpoints of different characters. Abby and Gia are longtime friends but became estranged when Abby disapproved of Gia's hasty marriage to a man she barely knew. Gia makes amends by inviting Abby to an all-expenses paid vacation in Sweden, but then doesn't show up. We learn what's been going on in the weeks up to Gia's mysterious disappearance through excerpts from her diary. But is Gia a reliable narrator?

Lots of twists and turns, and an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm a sucker for books about naughty, misbehaving rich people on Greek beaches, scamming and sleeping with each other's beautiful spouses (and house staff), swilling lemony cocktails and eating sun-kissed Greek appetizers. Even more appetizing was the strange connection which leads two old friends to reunite, where one goes missing and only leaves a manuscript behind for the other friend (and readers) to piece together a tawdry, engaging puzzle. Did I love this book? Yes I did! It's a perfect pool/beach/ airplane read, with a bit of sexy fun and a lot of good mystery, sure to satisfy summer 2024 readers!

**Potential spoilers!

Man, I really wanted to like this book. The story was interesting, for the most part, but there were too many unreliable narrators. And I usually love a good unreliable narrator, but this was too much. There was no resolution and I have no idea how the story actually ended. I could not put this down because I was so into it but then the ending was rushed and unclear. Many of the plot points that bother me are spoilers, so I won’t go into them, but it feels like there are a ton of things that’s didn’t add up.

Overall, this is a 3/5 for me. I liked the “keep you guessing” part until the book ended and I was still guessing at storylines. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

The book starts off a bit slow, some of the characters are very narcissistic, but the story does capture your attention. When things start to unravel, the reader is not sure what is true, what isn’t true, and where the story is going to go from there. I liked this style of writing, found it to be engaging, liked the slow way a romance was revealed, overall just liked it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood was a super fun, easy to read thriller that kept my interest and had me guessing until the end!

Abby and Gia are best friends, but after Abby doesn’t approve of Gia’s quick wedding to her new boyfriend, their friendship becomes estranged. The story is told in alternating POV’s. First, from Abby as she embarks on a trip across the world to meet up with her best friend Gia. And also from Gia’s current manuscript. This is a really fun and interesting way to read a novel because you’re reading one POV that is presumably true and then a manuscript which you have to constantly question if it’s true or if it’s fiction.

The ending left something to be desired for me, which is why I only gave it 4 stars, but overall this is a great read and I can definitely picture this in everyone’s beach bag this summer!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Bantam for the opportunity to read this ARC before its intended release date of July 9, 2024!

First of all... I have no idea why this novel is called Ladykiller. If anyone can explain, please do. The actual story, however, is sexy and fun. The locations are drool-worthy, there is a bit of good old-fashioned steaminess, and no one is trustworthy. Of course, it's not hard to figure out exactly what happened here, but this one is definitely worth a read just for the "damn I wish I was an heiress and I had a house in Greece" vibes. The end sort of falls off a cliff, but the ride is enjoyable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator. A beautiful setting that was very descriptive. It kept my interest and I read it within a few days.
I do feel as if the synopsis almost gives too much of the story away. I wish I had gone into this one blind or perhaps with a more brief and vague synopsis.
I didn’t care for the way the chapters were labeled. I think it would make more sense to just use Abby and Gia as chapter titles or Abby and Gia’s Manuscript. Adding the numbers on the chapters just made it confusing and very difficult to look back when I wanted to revisit a certain part.
I really enjoyed the ending, and didn’t mind that some things were left open.

Holllllyyy molllyyy this book was insane. Let's start with the setting like please I'm booking my trip to Greece now and no one can stop me, what a dream!! The characters were fun to follow and I normally love a besties turned crazy on a beautiful trip story but I don't think it was for me.

The mystery lacked a lot of excitement and I didn't like that the ending was so open. I would have liked more closure due do the pacing of the story. You can't drag me along and then also pull the rug out! One or the other!

Overall, it was an exciting read perfect for summer!

WOW! This was so twisty-turny that I could barely keep up and I LOVED it! This book was masterfully written, the author has some serious talent. I could barely figure out what was around the bend and some plot twists shocked me to my core! Gia is the definition of a Jekyll & Hyde, depending on which side of her you’re on. I loved how the book was left open-ended, it leaves it to your imagination what happened next! Abby is a fantastic character, flawed and virtuous while making you root for her through all of her mistakes. This was simply the KIND of book that I live for and I can’t wait to read more from her!

2.5⭐️ The title Ladykiller didn’t seem to fit all that well, and if I would suggest a new title I would choose Gaslit. That captures the relationship of the characters, but also how we are treated as a reader.

Summary: Heiress Gia goes missing while living at her home in Greece, which she is getting ready to sell following her father’s death and end of her simple gravy train. (Don’t get me wrong, she’s still immensely privileged and has money, but daddy willed all his money to charity and she can’t blow through money like she did when he was alive.) She is also newly married to Garret, who she met 4 months ago. Gia invites childhood best friend, Abby, and Gia’s brother, Benny, to meet her in Sweden, but never shows up. Abby and Benny team up to find her and the truth.

The book begins with an introduction of characters/family tree at Papa Hugo’s funeral. After that prologue the story is told during present day through Abby’s perspective. In between Abby’s chapters are chapters from Gia’s manuscript to get Gia’s perspective and information from the past couple months. The lines blur between manuscript and Dear Diary.

The writing itself was good. I felt compelled to keep reading. I don’t know how to describe this, but at times I felt like the flow was really good, but then suddenly it felt so disrupted. I’ve been trying to think of specifics, but really it was just a reoccurring feeling I had throughout. Almost like there were several good separate stories, but felt too forced altogether. Maybe if the book was organized in another way it would have felt better. For example: The actual plot mystery (Gia going missing) is not revealed until a third into the book. I actually forgot she would even end up missing until I randomly re-read the summary when I was around 22%. Ultimately the manuscript is meant to help solve the mystery but we start reading it before knowing that-it takes up most of the book instead of what I would have assumed would have been focused initially on Abby and building the crux of the story. I prefer to be pulled in from the beginning with at least an inkling of what the mystery will be.

The last third of the book was thrilling and page turning, but the ending was a dud for me. There is no confirmed conclusion. I have no idea what was real and what was fabricated and each possibility opens up another dozen questions/possibilities. I ended the book feeling gaslit. And not in a good “my head is spinning/I’m blown away” way that I like or in an intriguing “hmmm” way.

This had a lot of potential for me. The great writing is there and with some restructuring and a definitive ending this would have been a 4⭐️.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Wood, and Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 09 Jul 2024

Here I am at 3
am. Stayed up to finish
and will be tired.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide further feedback.

I gave this arc copy a 3. 5 I liked the thriller aspect of it the romance I was not a huge fan of but I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone this year and try newer things. Would I buy this book if I saw it in a book store ya I think so I was interested enough to read it now . Would I recommend this book also yes if you like romance a little and are a fan of thrillers I think you would enjoy this one. Thank you netgalley and to the publisher for this arc.

Who Do You Believe?

First, I would like to congratulate the author, Katherine Wood, on an exquisitely written novel. The main characters are well developed, somewhat mysterious in their own way, and each have their own interesting past. Gia, the wealthy, flighty heiress; her brother Benny, a successful businessman; and Abby, a struggling attorney. Brought up together in childhood and separating their lives as adults, they are brought back together in this story of love, deceit, and betrayal.

Abby and Benny fly to Switzerland to meet Gia to celebrate her 30th birthday, but Gia never arrives. Worried, they make their way to Greece where Gia lives but can find no trace of her. Gia’s husband is also missing and the mystery deepens.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There is so much to like, but the way the story was assembled, with back and forth chapters in time and circumstances, made it a bit confusing at times. The ending, if you can call it that, left me wondering and unfulfilled.

I received an advance copy of Ladykiller from NetGalley, Random House, and Katherine Wood, this is my honest review.

This one kept me on my toes - that is for sure! Once I picked this one up, I did not want to put it down. 4 stars from me!

I love a good suspense novel set in Greece—specifically a small rural island. It adds a mystical element. There is something about the sun and sea and going back to a childhood vacation spot that is such a draw for domestic suspense. I especially enjoyed the mythology that was sprinkled in!

The book starts out with a prologue introducing all of the characters and how they are connected to Papa Hugo who recently passed. Gia and Benny are his children (although they did not inherit his sizable fortune as it was left to charity). Abby is his chef’s child and Gia’s best friend. The story continues from there by moving between the POV of Abby as she is invited to Sweden by Gia and Gia’s manuscript where she is writing about her life with her new husband, Garret, on their Greek island home. Abby and Benny rush to Greece when Gia fails to show up to Sweden and as they catch up on the manuscript us readers have been reading along the way, truths and lies are revealed and confrontations are made.

This was such an enticing story about a woman’s quest to find her friend who disappeared from her remote Greek island estate. Using her friend Gia’s manuscript to piece together clues in order to make sense of her disappearance, Abby begins to discover that her friend is hiding some dark secrets.

With each new twist and turn, I was genuinely surprised at times and thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. I’m not usually into novels like this, but I’m glad I tried it.

Characters you love to hate, a gorgeous backdrop, and non-stop drama. This novel is for any girl wanting that fun “by-the-pool” read.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What in the flying fudge did I just read here? I mean, it's a good thing to start reviews off like that because you shouldn't trust a single soul in this entire book. Well maybe like one person but don't hold your breath.

From the very beginning, I was completely hooked on Ladykiller. Gia and Abby's friendship seemed interesting enough, but the overall mystery kept the pages turning. Don't even get me started on all these fabulous places that were casually visited throughout this book either. If I could be in Greece, on an island, while reading this book - well, it would have been the freaking cherry on top.

Back to the mystery, it's hard to put down a book when you truly don't trust anyone. If they were acting suspicious, then I automatically didn't believe a single word that was being said. I was happy when questions started to form around certain people, but in the end, I'm still left with so many unanswered questions. Which irks me so much.

So many things are revealed towards the end which definitely had me gasping. Heck, even the little reveals along that way had me screaming, "I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW IT!" Like I mentioned before, this book had me hooked and I wasn't going to put this down until I read the very last page.

In the end, I'm really happy that I dove into this mystery thriller. I'm (sort of) with how things ended but ugh, I just want to know - is she a killer? It will be on my mind forever and ever.

First off, thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so I have such mixed feelings about this book! On one hand, I didn't love it but it wasn't horrible either. When I saw this beautiful cover and read the synopsis about it taking place in the Greek Islands I knew I had to read it!! Ladykiller is a compelling, slow burn psychological mystery thriller that will keep you engaged and guessing until the very end. I loved the breathtaking descriptions of the setting and the plot was unique and so different from other thrillers. It's about friendships, lies, betrayals and the secrets of the glamorous people who seem to live perfect lives. The story started out really strong even though it was a bit slow but around the 50% mark things finally started to happen and I was hooked! Unfortunately, that didn't last long before it quickly lost steam and went a miss. We never find out what happened in the end and are left with more questions than answers! I normally don't mind an open ending in a book and can draw my own conclusions. However, I found this one frustrating because it was extremely vague and as a reader I was unable to figure out the truth. Overall, this book didn't quite meet my expectations and had an unsatisfying ending. I can only recommend this novel if you are okay with not being able to guess or know the ending. Personally, this book was just meh for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨I know many people will love this one so please see other reviews✨