3.5 stars

I downloaded this on a whim, and it did not disappoint. While there won't be many surprises here for those with any familiarity of the genre, the writing is engaging and the plot is wild, and this makes for more fun than frustration.

Saffy does not suffer fools, and since she determines, accurately, that there are way too many people out to get fools who are women, she goes for men behaving badly. She has all of the privilege that helps keep her serial killing in business without suspicion, so readers have to suspend any kind of disbelief and really lean into what her wealth and other identities offer her.

I found the premise of this one totally amusing and also can see that this would be a great starting point for a series. I'd have loved to see these characters evolve more in the setting of a cozy vs. a more traditional mystery/thriller. There's enough camp here that I think they'd be fantastic in this setting. That noted, I still really enjoyed this listen much more than expected, and I'll be on the lookout for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio book

I couldn’t finish this. I’m willing to read about unlikeable characters, especially unlikeable women, but when the main character was willing to adopt a dog from the shelter and then throw it down a well where it almost drowns all to have a “meet cute”? I just couldn’t anymore.

This was okay. It reminded me of a mixture between Dexter and Blood Sugar. It tries to be tongue in cheek during the narration and break the fourth wall but it doesn’t really land. Definitely intriguing enough but ultimately forgettable.

A captivating blend of Dexter-esque darkness with the vibrant charm of a fun-loving socialite. Its darkly comic and addictive narrative, coupled with its exploration of feminism and thriller elements, make for an engrossing read. The question it raises about the potential for a serial killer to find happiness adds a compelling depth to the story. With a morally gray yet likable main character, it promises a journey into the complexities of human nature and the blurred lines between right and wrong.

Great bingable book! The narrator was great and I liked this as an audiobook. The story wasn’t super unique but had a great twist at the end. I enjoyed the main character (a female serial killer is always fun!) and felt like there was good character development!

Bad Men
Julie Mae Cohen

Story: Grabs you right from the start. But the twist at the end is predictable. Overall, it’s definitely worth the read. It was fun and suspenseful.
I’d give it 3.75 stars. I will be rounding up to 4 stars.

Narrator (Nathalie Buscombe): Five stars to her! Her voice is like silk, and she tells the story so well.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the thrilling read!

An intriguing female serial killer with a dull sidekick.

3.5 stars rounded up.

When we first meet Saffy, a soon-to-be heiress three times over, she is just twelve years old and about to murder her evil stepfather. Flash forward to twenty-something Saffy, who has turned into a bona fide socialite - and a prolific serial killer. But she only kills men - and only bad men, at that. Quite like a female "Dexter", she is a vigilante - and equally snarky and fun.

That is, until she develops a crush on true crime podcaster and author Jonathan Desrosiers, who might just be one of the few good ones.
What follows is, sadly, less of Saffy's vigilante extracurriculars - we only get one, unsatisfyingly short murder and a few flashbacks - and more of her obsession with Jonathan/John, who is reeling from discovering his connection to a serial killer and who, frustratingly, is really quite dull. For all her feminist attitude, Saffy does a lot of swooning over Jonathan, casing him around and even resorting to some mild animal cruelty to orchestrate a meet-cute. We also start hearing a lot of the story from John's point of view, and he is just so much less interesting as a character than Saffy that it's a real shame his chapters get so much room in the book (it certainly takes away from the "feminist thriller").

The thriller aspect itself is entirely predictable, but the conclusion to it satisfying because it again highlights Saffy as a strong, fun - if morally ambiguous - character.

Overall, I enjoyed this quick thriller, though I do think it would have profited from focusing more exclusively on Saffy. There might be potential for a sequel in the book's future, and if there is one, I'm certain to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Bad Men" is slated to be published on May 7, 2024.

The audio production was great! The narrators did an excellent job telling this story. I have no complaints with the narration it audiobook version of this.

I also love the cover! The men heads in a martini glass is iconic. And the premise being a female serial killer who kills bad men had me so interested so I immediately requested this audiobook. It started interesting and had me hooked. The middle fell very flat and was honestly a little boring.
The characters were bland and felt neither likable nor unlikable so I didn’t care about them or what happened to any of them and the 60% POV from John who she has an obsessive crush on. I wanted more of HER! This is advertised as thriller and started to feel like a romance which was disappointing.
The ending picked up and had me hooked again.
I was thoroughly surprised by the twists and did not see this coming at all which is a plus.
Overall, this was okay with pros and cons, I was hoping for more going in. I did not love nor hate this book and would try this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book had so much potential but just didn’t go all the way for me. The motivations of the character are just really odd to me (and I’m not talking about the sociopath that I think we’re supposed to find lovable) and the end feels rushed. I’d be curious to read the next novel by this author as this is a debut and I think there’s definitely talent here. The execution just needs a little work.

Saffy Huntley-Oliver is a socialite/former model, on the boards of charities and just living her best life being glamourous and fabulous. She is also a prolific serial killer of really terrible men. Saffy becomes enamored with Jonathan Desrosiers, a best-selling author and podcaster, who puts away terrible people. However, Jon discovers a body on his doorstep the day after his wife leaves him and he becomes the chief suspect in the murder investigation. Saffy becomes a bit obsessed with Jon and clearing his name and orchestrates an over-the-top meet-cute. SHe volunteers to help him and find the real killer, at any cost.
You will never route so hard for a serial killer in your life! Saffy is better than Dexter. And her victims really do have it coming. ;)

*Special thanks to NetGalley and RB Digital for this Audio e-arc.*

Bad Men had some great things and so lackluster areas. The idea of the book is really interesting, a gal taking matters into her own hands can already be really polarizing. Obviously, in an ideal world the justice system takes matters into the hands of bigger creeps, but Saffy is not above murdering cheaters too! You have to go into this book knowing that no one is justifying her actions and saying "we should murder men!"

I was given an ARC of the audio and in terms of audio quality it was great! The narrator did a great job and leaned into both characters personalities.

Saffy put a dog in danger for some super selfish reasons, the murders are pretty intense, and a reference to previously murdered cats is referenced. Usually I'd just tell myself to get a stronger stomach, but this in addition to the dark premise just felt really unnecessary to me. A body part is also removed during the story which made me wonder what angle they were trying to accomplish. The entire thing feels really senseless.

The storyline progressed well but I found myself genuinely wondering "what is happening and why is this relevant?" sometimes. I never considered DNF-ing the book despite this confusion, but it was really distracting. The contrast between the two main characters, one being a women who murders men. and the other being a man who helps catch murders -- is really well done.

Unfortunately I didn't like Saffy and I found Jonathan boring. I wasn't rooting for either of them so I didn't care about their story and didn't mind if they got a happy ending or not! The curiosity about how this would end kept me around. The ending was eyeroll inducing, but we get the closure that we're looking for with a little twist and it action packed until the very end.

I'm not sure what I went into this book expecting, but it wasn't this -- however what I got wasn't bad! Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a fun time listening to this audiobook!
I laughed all the way through the story and one of the best aspects is that this highly sociopathic and narcissistic woman shared her vulnerability and sheer annoyance of catching feelings for a true crime podcaster who is literally the worst person to fall for considering her killing spree!
It was definitely on the lighter side of mystery/thriller even though at times was quite gruesome and covered triggering subjects.
The sole narrator did a great job in providing voices for every main character so differently and fit to their personality I was never confused as to what was going on.

This book was delicious. I loved Saffie and had a lot of fun with the diabolical murders. That sounds morbid lol, but the book had an air of lightness to it that made it fun.

4.5 rounded up.

YOU GUYS!! I was squealing. As someone who loves thrillers, has been meh on romance (though in theory I like them), and adores perspective flips (Disney Villains, Twisted Tales, etc.) this was SO up my alley I can’t stop raving about it.

Premise - a female serial killer who targets (you guessed it) bad men has a crush on a true crime podcaster… who’s now suspected of being a bad man!

Murder or makeout, what’s the play? This was *hilarious.* There were some plotty and character things that kept it from being a true 5, but I was ROARING at times.

Sorry to my husband and my friends, this book is all I can talk about rn.

DO NOT MISS THIS if you like:
- grey female leads
- fandom shenanigans
- sociopath snark (not irl, obviously, but in your characters)
- duplicity!
- romance WITH A PLOT and characters who show love can conquer all without becoming your whole personality
- laughter, fun, having a good time

Thanks, NetGalley and The Overlook Press, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.