This book had me on edge the whole time. John Marrs always seems to convince me that the story is going one way then completely changes the twist.

Another amazing book by John Marrs! Love his page turners and always guessing what is going to happen next. He does well building characters and the storyline.

I was absolutely FLOORED with this book. Twist after twist and was not disappointed. I devoured it in less than 2 days - if only my body didn’t need sleep to survive I would have finished it in one! The mind of John Marrs is fascinating. The stories he creates are addicting and “You Killed Me First” will be my main recommendation for 2025!

This was a fun book with a lot of great twists. I was enjoying the drama between these women for the first half of the book and then in the second half things got dark. There were a few twists i thought were pretty out there and didn't work for me but nevertheless it was an entertaining read and every thriller reader would enjoy it.

I did wonder how John Marrs would pull off a all-female cast, but I needn't have worried as he knocked it out of the park. I love multiple POV novels--esp when we aren't sure who to trust who who is leading us astray and this one did just that. A killer opening and a page-turning treat that had me guessing right up to the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.

Another banger from our king John Marrs. This one was really good fun! A real catty, bitchy experience that read like an episode of desperate housewives. I really enjoyed it.

The way this man writes characters is PERFECTION.. I mean don’t get me wrong these women were all vile..every single one of them is completely self obsessed and blinkered to the truth by their egos. But still.. they were perfect portrayals of those kinds of women. I LOVED the dynamic between them all.

The first chapter completely hooked me in. The foreshadowing for something that was going to happen later on in the book really helped build the drama.
The story as with all John marrs books is multilayered leans unravels beautifully.

Thank you very much for letting me read it early

This is my first read by John Marrs and now I don’t know why I waited so long! I’ve seen his name all over online book groups, singing his praises and recommending his books. And let me just say, it’s all justified! This book, You Killed Me First, will hook you from the first page. It’s full of twists, turns, surprises and characters you’ll love to hate! This definitely won’t be my last John Marrs read! 5 stars from me.

While this wasn't my favourite by Marrs, it was still entertaining and had lots of his trademark plot twists.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Title: You Killed Me First and John Marrs
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 399

What's it about?
Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in – she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret – and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?

What did you like about the book?
What didn't I like? This isn't my first John Marrs read, and it certainly won't be my last. To me, John, is the king of thrillers, as he never disappoints. I loved all the twists and turns, and I never expected the ending. I love the characters, Margot had to be my favourite, just because of her attitude, funny comments, and her whole personality. Some of the things she says, made me laugh out loud.

If you like being on the edge of your seat, short chapters, and being surprised - read this book!

What didn't you like about the book?
I don't think there was anything I didn't like about the book. I do wish that Brandon, Nicu, Frankie and the other kids were more involved in a way. As I think they would have been really good to include more of, but then again, maybe it's best they weren't, as I wouldn't want to miss out on Margot, Anna, and Liv, because they are the story.

Would you read another book by this author?
A thousand times, yes!

Your star rating.
4.5

This was bloody brilliant. I've read some of John's books, but none of his thrillers and now I feel like I need to get to them asap, because if they're anywhere as good as this one I've been missing out.
From page one, I knew this was going to be a 5* read. I couldn't get enough of it and sped through it so quickly. Who knew that a story about three catty suburban housewives could be so thrilling? Definitely keep an eye out for this one in 2025.

This book was wild! It took me so long to remember all of these people and what significance they had to the story. There was so many moving parts, so many lies, so many dark secrets, and just so much deceit. Everyone seemed to have dirt upon dirt on each other, and I don’t understand how they collected it. The way that everything unfolded was just series after series of unfortunate events. Just when you think they’ve completed screwing eachother over you’re hit with another twist. John Marrs did great with this one.

And the magic is back . Once again a 5 star read from the king of thrillers. . I devoured this book and want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for my copy

John is always entertaining but this was probably one with a deep, dark twist I never saw coming. And if you read John, you know he can be dark and twisty. This one does not disappoint. I didn't see it coming. Good stuff.

John Marrs is one of my favourite authors and after reading the blurb for this I couldn’t wait to start reading. I have to admit being a bit apprehensive as I didnt enjoy his previous book. I didn’t have to worry at all!

It was a super thriller which had everything I liked. It hooked me early with detestable main characters told in multiple POV, other characters that all had a part to play in the story, short sharp chapters which always left me wanting to read a little bit more which all made a fabulous story.

The only thing that confused me a little was the anonymous POV. It took me ages to understand this one which occasionally stopped the flow of the book for me while I was trying to work out what it meant.

Another super book by John Marrs, I hope he has more for me to read soon!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book! The concept of it was so clever and kept me guessing throughout. John Marrs has done it again! 🤩🎉

This was an entertaining read. It was fun to discover what secrets the main three women were hiding, and to work out who the unfortunate woman from the prologue would turn out to be. I thought that the book was well-paced and the plot held my interest.

I didn't love the sections in italics, I get why they were included but it took me out of the story and I found them confusingly written.

Overall. I would recommend this book.

It's hard to say much about this book without revealing too much. It's centered around 3 women, catty and competitive, living in modern suburbia.

It's addictive, and face paced, a popcorn thriller with some great twists. You not sure who is good, and who is not, until the end. And then still you question good and evil.

Unputdownable and highly entertaining!

One of John Marrs' best books yet, the characters are unbearable but in the best way, the plot twists are brilliant, the tension is always there. Absolutely loved it.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Thomas & Mercer for an advance reading copy of this awesome book by one of my favourite authors.

The story follows three women in a small neighbourhood who become friends, although they are not as nice as they make out as each has a dark side. This leads up to a woman being tied up in the middle of a bonfire stack that is set alight on bonfire night.

This story is gripping from the onset, with the usual Marrs platform of multiple POV's (the three women in this story.) This gives a unique independent look into the workings and sinister side to each character in a wonderful way. John has an amazing insight for realistic characters that carry a darkness within, and this book is no exception.

This story reads like a popcorn thriller, with short and punchy chapters with plenty of little twists and turns along the way. This book has the usual humour from some of the characters (literally laugh out loud with some of Margot's quotes) but also has some evil laced deep within, giving the signature Marrs experience.

Whilst not my favourite of his novels, this was a really fun ride. A little suspension of belief is needed from the reader. However, the unguessable twists and plot turns keep the reader engaged.

I can't speak highly enough for this author as he is one of my favourites, and this book is no exception. Don't miss it! Out March 2025.

I’ll start with saying I’m a huge John Marrs fan, and I’m very thankful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Now I haven’t read all of his books, but in comparison to the ones I have, I’d put this one at a 3-3.5 stars. I definitely enjoyed it, but don’t expect Black Mirror vibes from this one—we’re getting Desperate Housewives here, albeit heavier on murder. We get to know three female neighbors pretty intimately through alternating chapters from each one’s perspective. I will say, I do enjoy reading a book in which my feelings towards a character drastically change over the course of the story and I just don’t know who to hate more, and when it feels wrong to emphasize with a “bad guy.” Mr. Marrs certainly is adept at causing me internal turmoil in the best way!

We also get interspersed chapters from an unknown voice, which is deliberately vague and confusing—the more we learn from the chapters, the more confusing it is (at least in the beginning) and you know a twist is approaching. I did think these chapters broke up some of the early-on neighbor drama that was starting to feel a little mundane. It gets heavier, but you have to get through backstories of three main women, so it’s a lot up front. It’s also a bit explanation heavy as to why characters did something they did, often explaining how something just happened (past tense) instead of going through it with the character as an event was happening.

Overall, we’ve got a lot of big and little twists in this book, right up to the epilogue. I never know what word to use other than “fun” for books like this, but it’s certainly a dramatic ride with this one. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.