I’m not entirely sure how this book ended up on my NetGalley shelf other than it probably had the key words of “queer” and “thriller” in the mix. Whatever the case, I had a tough time finishing this one. I wanted so much to dive in and instead, I found myself skimming the text just to get it done. The singular strength was that the tension of attraction between the two gals was believable and well written. The twist made sense even though it was a bit obvious… so if the fact Evie only found Jae in the wall because she heard her call out and yet suddenly Jae is mute nagged at your brain like to did mine, there’s a reason for that. I wish I had paid heed to it and figured out who the villain really was early on and then spared myself the hours of slogging through this one. This one wasn’t for me, even though it really should’ve been.

Killer Potential is a modern take on Thelma and Louise, except one of the girls doesn't actually know what's going on and the other girl is very unhinged. At first, Evie is unlikeable and a little more pretentious than we'd care for. As the story unfolds, we learn more about Evie and the girl she "rescued" from the mansion and its horrors. Evie and Jae are on the run from the police/FBI for murders that happened at the mansion Evie and Jae met at. No spoilers.
This is a fast, twisty read. I had no idea how it would end since I didn't want Evie to be arrested, she is an innocent bystander. Jae, I knew had to be caught eventually but the end had me chefs kissing for Jae. I feel Evie didn't have a great character development. I wish she would have came out better by the end but maybe she didn't really deserve something better? I will say Evie and Jae were complex characters who had to grapple with things they never thought they would have to figure out, what is "murder" in the sense of self-defense or premeditated. And asks the reader what they would do in their situation.

I can't even begin to describe how absolutely perfect this title is. Once I finished the book and reflected on it a minute, I looked at the cover again and thought - damn, this title really says it all and in a way that you didn't really expect.
<i>Killer Potential</i> feels like a Thelma & Louise on the run type of story, but the book described them more as two Bonnies with no Clyde. Either works, I think. Mainly its a story about life on the run and the reflection on regrets and what could have been. There was a lot of narrative - A lot - laced with rhetoric. I felt like the author was twisting in their outlook on the world while also telling a story.
While I appreciated the potential this book had, it wasn't my favorite cat and mouse chase story.

KILLER POTENTIAL is the women on the run book I never knew I needed to read. Deitch crafted two characters that are engaging and complex.

I will say that this book is more about the characters. The mystery level isn’t as high as I thought it would be. However, this didn’t take away from what the story was. It is a cause-and-effect situation. Evie discovers a horrific murder scene and a woman asking for help. She has to make a decision and this decision sets the course for the whole book. This is not to say there aren’t twists and turns along the way, even some somewhat shocking reveals. The tension is palpable as the reader gets further entangled in the escape from law enforcement’s pursuit. It is a crazy ride.

With wit and candid reactions being wanted for murder, the author brings to life Evie and Jae. KILLER POTENTIAL is entertaining, suspenseful, and has a bit of action to it. Deitch delivered a great debut.

Audiobook Note: This dual narration by Kristen Sieh and Daru Oda did a wonderful job of bringing the characters and story to life. It was nice when we got to hear from Jae she quite literally has her own voice. The pace and diction of each of the narrators is good. If you are an audiobook listener, I would highly recommend it.

Killer Potential is a wild ride from start to finish—I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The premise alone hooked me (straight-A scholarship kid turned murder suspect?? yes please), but the execution was even sharper than I expected.

Evie is such a compelling character: brilliant, frustrated, caught between wanting to prove herself and wanting to burn it all down. Her accidental entanglement in a double murder and cross-country escape with a silent mystery woman had me turning pages way past bedtime. And that twist? Did not see it coming.

There’s a lot packed in here—satire, social commentary, media obsession, class rage—but it never feels heavy-handed. The writing is smart, punchy, and surprisingly emotional in moments. It’s a literary thriller with real bite, and I’ll definitely be watching for whatever Hannah Deitch does next.

Perfect if you like your thrillers fast-paced, thought-provoking, and just a little unhinged.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

Let me start by saying I think this would've been better as an audiobook.

There are a lot of reasonable things I can stand to throw out the window when I'm reading fiction, but the whole "let me just flee the country before even talking to the police about this crime I might possible be charged with" trope just isn't for me. I didn't even know that was a trope, but here I am, having picked up several books this year with a similar premise. The writing is very conversational between the two main characters, which is why I think an audio format might've flowed better through the times I thought it felt choppy.

That being said, this was a quick, entertaining read - and a fun debut! Thanks to NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my review.

Killer Potential was a fun, twisty exploration of class consciousness. It started as a stressful, fast-paced story periodically interrupted by a slow meandering examination of Evie’s psyche after her involvement in the events. While the storytelling seemed somewhat repetitive, I felt that it was a great representation of Evie’s state of mind. Evie was pretentious, but was an interesting, multi-faceted and all too relatable character. I did feel that the chapters toward the end clashed in terms of pace, as the present chapters were so introspective that i found myself losing interest. I also thought the inclusion of the romance was strange and didn’t work for me personally, because I felt that the chemistry was lacking, though I did chalk it up to trauma bonding. Ultimately, the twist more than made up for the things I didn’t like, making this an enjoyable reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Hannah Deitch, and publisher William Morrow for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Killer Potential was WILD!!!! I hadn't read my ARC when I got it due to lack of time, but when I saw Mackenzie Newcomb promoting it on social media and highlighting that it was sapphic, I immediately moved it up on my TBR list. And I'm so glad I did!! This is your true definition of a page-turner; at no point did I know where the story line was going, and I didn't want to put it down. Evie is definitely a complicated and unreliable narrator, and I enjoyed seeing the story unfold through her perspective. You definitely have to suspend your disbelief at points in this read, but honestly, that's what makes it so fun! The sapphic aspect was great, and I think the chemistry between Evie and Jae was great. There is a plot twist that comes before Part 3 that maybe some readers will see coming, but I definitely didn't lol. That then makes the last third of the book even more of a wild read as the book wraps up. I do wish maybe a bit more time would have been spent in Part 3 just to better flesh out the characters and the events, but in keeping with the jaw-dropping of the book, that's how I felt about the ending. Honestly, the perfect juicy read for summer time and the most fun I've had reading in a long time!

May 13, 2025
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Rating: 4.2/5

I had no idea what to expect going into this book—but it definitely wasn’t this. What a wild ride!

Killer Potential blurs the lines between right and wrong so skillfully that you find yourself questioning your own moral compass. Is it okay to root for the protagonist? Probably not. But do you anyway? Absolutely.

Evie Gordon, a SAT tutor for a ridiculously wealthy family, suddenly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation—fleeing the crime scene with a bound woman in tow. From that moment on, things spiral into absolute chaos.

There’s no shortage of high-stakes action here. Both main characters pull off some wild stunts to avoid getting caught, and while some of it stretched believability (I mean, how were they on the run that long without getting caught?), it still had me hooked. Every interaction they had with the outside world felt risky, unpredictable, and nerve-wracking—in the best way.

And that ending? I love trying to guess the twist in thrillers (even though I'm rarely right), but this one completely blindsided me. It was clever, unexpected, and pulled everything together in a way that made the whole ride worth it.

The whole book has an unhinged, edge-of-your-seat energy that makes it hard to put down. If you’re into fast-paced thrillers with morally gray characters, adrenaline-pumping escapes, and twists that slap you in the face—this one’s for you.

Highly recommend for fans of You and Gone Girl.

#killerpotential #mysterybook #thrillers #hannahdeitch

Killer Potential had…well, potential to be a great book. Two women, on the run, but the twists just fell flat for me. I appreciated and liked that the author set this up in three parts, and they made sense just as Gone Girl made sense in multiple parts. There were aspects that I really liked - the hidden hallways and rooms gave me an Only Murders in the Building/Matilda in the TrunchBull’s House vibe. Overall, I think the big reveal and ending were just ok. Nothing really new or unexpected, and I felt bad for Evie. Her life really sucked after this entire ordeal.

Interesting concept, just felt the delivery was a little show and drawn out. I kept thinking how Evie was just adding to her own problems and could have avoided almost all of what happened to her. The ending picked up some, semi predictable twist but still over all a good and enjoyable read!

I requested this one based on the cover--it's so pretty and unique. I enjoyed the book but felt a little slow for me. Thanks so much for the gifted copy!

What it lacked in pacing, it made up for in a unique genre-blending story. However, I didn't like any of the characters, many aspects of the storyline were incredibly unbelievable, and the ending was dumb as hell. The big twist was predictable and it turns out that the genre-blend of thriller and weird unbelievable romance is not for me.

Evie’s story is a wild ride of twist and turns and this was so hard to put down . I loved how the story is told from her point of view but as the story progresses no one can be trusted. A total mash up of Thelma and Louise for modern times.

This one’s tough to review. I really wanted to love it. The concept had killer potential (pun fully intended), but the execution just didn’t work for me.

As someone who reads a lot of thrillers and mysteries, I guessed the twist early on, which is always a bit of a letdown. But what really pulled me out of the story was the main character’s behavior at the beginning. Rather than adding tension, it just felt like she kept making things worse on purpose. I kept thinking that she didn’t need more problems.

The irony is that the main character is obsessed with her own “potential,” which is kind of how I felt about the book. So, so much potential, but it never quite landed. I did finish it, mostly because I loved the idea of a Bonnie and Clyde vibe with a modern thriller twist. But the ending didn’t stick the landing for me.

The prose itself is great, no complaints there. But strong writing can’t always carry a plot that feels predictable or frustrating. If you’re new to thrillers, you might enjoy the ride. For seasoned readers of the genre, it might fall short.

I inhaled this story in just a couple of sittings. I loved the characters and the build of the external and internal tension between and around them. Great twists and a good mix of character development and plot kept the story moving. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great mystery/thriller combined with a look at what forces drive us to act in any given situation.

Dnf:/ this book just didn’t have as much momentum as I expected. I have a lot of books that are from highly anticipated authors to read next, and this just didn’t not grab my attention enough to continue, unfortunately. I may give it another try in the future when I have more time.

I believe I am in the minority here but I really did not enjoy this. I hate every character and all their choices, the writing is not bad just seems unnecessarily complicated and it was a slog to get through. That being said, I do think this will end up on a lot of bestselling and critically acclaimed lists, just not for me

an incredibly fun little romp through forgotten corners of the country for two kinda-innocent women. i was agnostic on the twist but evie gordon is a wonderfully thought out character and her charisma really bleeds through and papers over some of the other storytelling choices, which weren't bad per se but also not to My Taste. NetGalley doesn't do spoiler tags so you'll have to find my commentary on the twist over at goodreads.

Wow, this was one helluva debut. I loved how immediately engaging the prose was; genre wise this author is melding line level literary fiction with sapphic thriller and even a bit of horror. There were elements of this that verged on so creepy it gave me intrusive thoughts. The larger critiques on class structure and social hierarchy perpetuated by higher education were uniquely woven into the lives of the dual MCs, and provided really good discussion for our book club. Thanks to William Morrow for the digital arc.