This had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it wasn't a hit. I felt it could have used some more editing - the dialogue didn't flow smoothly and even some of the pacing, scenes felt extraneous- pulling me out of the drama and suspense. My thanks for the review copy.

Let me start by staying this was a good book, and so glad that I read it.
It was a quick read with some twists and turns, lots of secrets and kept my interest. I didn't want to put this book down (quick read) and well written.
This is the first book that I have read from this author. Looked to see what else they wrote and to my surprise this was a debut novel, for now I am really excited to see what they come up with next.
The only issue I had was that the end was a bit rushed feeling for me but that's not that big of a deal.
The main character is Erin; she is struggling through this whole book and her life. Her boyfriend was killed in a car accident (a year ago) right after her losing her dad from a stroke, she barely leaves her house (and her best friend; Fiona keeps bugging her to get back out there and out of her house). Fiona has met a new guy; Mark, She invites Erin to a party and Erin cant believe her eyes.....
Mark is a spitting image of her boyfriend (her dead boyfriend Sean) and she has no idea how to act around him. She is a mess. She is convinced that they should actually be together but Fiona is in the picture and she has to figure how to get her out of way.
Erin is a strange character and it was hard to like her and take her for real bc her thoughts and actions are off the wall. But that's the point of her and her character in the story.
This book was kinda a slow burn and the ending was interesting.
So much weirdness but it was a fun read.

Erin, a struggling girl, is urged by her best friend Fiona to get out of the house after her boyfriend's death. Fiona has met a new guy, Mark, who she believes is the spitting image of her deceased boyfriend, Sean. Erin is convinced that Mark and her are the two people that should be together, and she needs to figure out a way to remove Fiona from the picture. However, the book has issues with poorly executed dialogue, silly wording choices, and a pathetic, strange, and unlikable character. The book takes place in Boston, with references to Truro and Tesla, and the author's reluctance to call a woman an "airhead." The story also features a mysterious mouse, a mysterious mouse, and a character who calls someone an "asshole." The ending is convoluted and off-the-wall, earning a 2 star rating.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy for an honest review.

#HerDeadBoyfriend #NetGalley
Wow!!!
Erin’s life is not going according to plan. An aspiring author, her world shatters when her boyfriend dies in a tragic accident. Behind the walls of her Boston Brownstone, Erin hides away from the outside world. Haunted by her past, she tries therapy, but soon discovers that some doors are best left locked. Her loyal best friend Fiona stands firmly by her side. So when Fiona announces that she’s met Mark, an apparently perfect man, Erin attempts to share in her friend’s happiness. But Erin is stunned to discover that Mark bears an uncanny resemblance to her dead boyfriend. Inspired by her growing infatuation, she begins to write a story in the small hours, blurring the lines between her fictional and real worlds. As Erin’s fixation for Mark grows, the unbreakable bond between her and Fiona begins to unravel. With secrets hidden, it’s only a matter of time before someone is left with blood on their hands.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kingsley Publishers for giving me an advance copy.

I loved this psych thriller!

I enjoyed following along Erin’s journey. I was hooked from the very beginning! I love a can’t trust the narrator type book! Erin’s fractured mine was very fascinating.

I most certainly did not see the twist ending! I thought I had it figured out, but I can assure you, it was a true twist! I loved the authors writing style and the depth she gave Erin.

I will seek out books by this author in the future!

5/5 recommend

I liked this book but I couldnt say I loved it. I found it hard to connect to the writing. What I did like about this book was the short chapters.

There were some positives, however. With short chapters and a fast-paced conclusion, I found myself flying through the pages in just one sitting. Add in one heck of an unreliable, unhinged narrator, and my attention was well and truly held. Unfortunately, though, that just wasn’t enough. And, thanks to an abrupt, rushed conclusion, my opinion wasn’t altered by the finale. Needless to say, this debut tale of domestic suspense just didn’t do it for me. Although, I do have to say that the final twist was pretty darn good.

Honestly liked the book. It wasn’t at all what I expected going in reading it but I enjoyed it. It’s a thriller and honestly a bit horror in my opinion with some things in the book. Took me longer to read than normal because I’m a mood reader. Sometimes being a mood reader has its set backs!

Thanks to Netgalley, Xpresso Book Tours and C. Fitton, for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Her Dead Boyfriend was a riveting read. I was hooked pretty quickly, and I read it in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down.

I loved how I was kept guessing whether Erin had committed any crimes or if she would in the future. It was very well written. The twists were fantastic, I didn't see them coming.

I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author.
I highly recommend.

4 Stars from me. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

First of all, thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book.

This was a quick, twisty read filled with secrets, deceit, and an unreliable narrator. I was not overly fond of the ending as it all felt a little rushed, but overall, a great debut.

I did enjoy it, but I had the sense I'd read this before. The whole way through, I kept feeling like I'd read this before, but it hasn't been released yet, so I can't have. And it has been bugging me throughout.

Her dead boyfriend by C Fitton.
Erin’s life is not going according to plan. An aspiring author, her world shatters when her boyfriend dies in a tragic accident. Behind the walls of her Boston Brownstone, Erin hides away from the outside world. Haunted by her past, she tries therapy, but soon discovers that some doors are best left locked.Her loyal best friend Fiona stands firmly by her side. So when Fiona announces that she’s met Mark, an apparently perfect man, Erin attempts to share in her friend’s happiness.But Erin is stunned to discover that Mark bears an uncanny resemblance to her dead boyfriend. Inspired by her growing infatuation, she begins to write a story in the small hours, blurring the lines between her fictional and real worlds.As Erin’s fixation for Mark grows, the unbreakable bond between her and Fiona begins to unravel.With secrets hidden, it’s only a matter of time before someone is left with blood on their hands.
A good read with likeable characters. I did find this slow going. I didn't like Erin at all. The chapters were easy to get through. 4*.

After Erin's boyfriend dies in a car accident her best friend Fiona is her biggest support system. When Fiona starts dating Mark, she wants Erin to be happy as well, so she introduces Erin to Mark's brother Oliver. But it's not Oliver that Erin is interested in...... In this twisty psychological thriller, things are not what they seem to be. Is the past crippling Erin's present and future, or are there secrets and lies lurking underneath the surface? The author reveals her trump card at the very end. Shocking, shocking truths emerge that you would not expect.

The premise for this one was so intriguing and I was so excited to start it. I felt like the plot was underdeveloped and would have benefited from more. I did struggled with the main character and I think that's what truly made it hard for me to really love this one and be invested.

I was skeptical going into this one but it turned out to be fascinating! The storyline was good but most of the book was long-winded. It felt like the author was trying to prove they have an extensive vocabulary by using as many Scrabble-worthy words as possible. Then the ending felt kind of rushed and thrown together. Deff still a captivating read and woth grabbing.

I really had high hopes for My Dead Boyfriend, but... Instead I was met with a repetive story... And nothing really seemed to happen for most of the of time?

This has the mix of darkness and thrills rolled all into one. Loved how it all came together. It's not twisted in a messed up way but just enough to be very intriguing.

Title: Her Dead Boyfriend
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: March 22, 2024

⭐ 3.5/5

❣️ Obsession
♀️ Unhinged Woman
✨ Unreliable Narrator
📖 Short Chapters

Her Dead Boyfriend is a fast paced psychological thriller about a mentally ill woman's obsession and her drive to get what (or who) she wants no matter the price. This was a quick read with some interesting twists, overall a great debut!

Erin finds herself obsessed with her best friend's boyfriend after the death of her own boyfriend in a car crash they were in a year prior.

TW: binge eating, drug use, infidelity

Thank you so much @netgalley and Kingsley Publishing for the digital review copy!

Her Dead Boyfriend is a must read for fans of Frieda McFadden and Kiersen Modglin.
Everything from a tragic love story to starting over on your own to fantasizing over your best friends boyfriend. Add in a few sessions with a psychiatrist and I was hooked.
This book grabbed my attention and had me ignoring my responsibilities (kidding) to finish.

A solid read about a girl who becomes obsessed with her best friend’s boyfriend becomes he looks and acts exactly like her dead boyfriend. The story started off a little slow for me and I found the writing style to be long-winded with a few unnecessary sentences and descriptions (it pretty much includes what the characters do in their daily lives in great detail which I feel is not really needed e.g. putting sugar in their coffee) but it does pick up at the 50% mark. This is where things get more interesting with the main character Erin and her friend’s man Mark. We see as she becomes more obsessed and delusional and the side characters also start to become a little suspicious to me themselves and I start to question whether they are trustworthy people or not.

One thing that did irk me as a pharmacist is the use of fluoxetine (Prozac) to get high. One of the characters snorts the powder from the capsules at a club and I just want to say that I wish this was researched a little more because this drug does not give you an immediate high (especially at a standard dose of 2 capsules). Erin also seems to just take this medication whenever she feels like it for her anxiety and that is not how you take this med - it is an antidepressant that you take daily and regularly as it takes weeks or even months for it to have some kind of effect. I just wished this topic was researched a little more in depth.

There was so much to unpack near the end but in an exciting way as people show their true colours and secrets are revealed. The twists took me by surprise and let’s just say I ended up disliking another character more than our crazy FMC.

Thank you to netgalley and Kingsley Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

I actually follow C. Fitton on Instagram @Pugsandpages so that is how I found out she’s not only an active Instagram reviewer but also a debt novelist. And to my surprise a fellow Canadian, and I’m trying to read more CanLit this year so of course I requested Her Dead Boyfriend and was exciting to see my request on Netgalley was approved.
I was really drawn to the cover and the synopsis. I love mystery thrillers. I’m always on the hunt for a new book to surprise me enough I couldn’t guess any of the ending. This book did that for me. I also really enjoyed the novel inside the novel aspect. C. Fitton basically wrote two different books.
Throughout the book we are made to feel like our main character Erin is an unreliable character which she is… or is she? She does struggle with mental illness so I feel like that used against her to make her even more unreliable. She almost portrays a villain for most of the book, she’s not very likeable. As the story continues to unfold we learn more of what has happened in the past, sometimes again it makes her seem more unlikeable but then in some instances what we thought of her gets debunked. Mark, Mark, Mark. Our characters hold him o na pedestal but we know the truth about him. He’s not as great as they make him out to be. And poor, poor Fiona or so it’s seems.
I can’t really go into much more detail without giving away plot. Overall, I did enjoy this story. Again, like I mentioned earlier I was not expecting that ending. And I would recommend this to other mystery/ thriller readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kingsley Publishers for the copy.