A Serial Killers Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay is an exciting and yet somewhat dark story of a couple that has grown up on different sides of the social spectrum and yet have the same underlying issues. Hazel and Fox both find an outlet in their desire for ridding the world of awful men who take advantage of women. But when they find themselves unexpectedly in the throes of family life, their personalities morph and they lose sight of who they are and what their marriage means to them. The story comes to a beautiful ending that is unexpected and refreshing.

Asia Mackay wove this story beautifully! I loved the relationship between Hazel and Fox. While the story and details themselves are dark and sometimes left me questioning my morals, I oddly found it relatable and kept agreeing with many of the relationship issues they were dealing with (albeit not the killing someone part!). Jenny was a great character who surprised me at every turn!

There were a few details missing that kind of got swept under the rug, but they didn’t detract too much from the story itself.

I give this story a 4/5 for the heartbreaking stories told and for a wonderful ending. I just found it to be missing details.

I am so thankful to Asia Mackay, Bantam Books, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for this ARC.

oh boy. a strong setup but to what end? i think that the choice of having the two protags be true adults was good, but this is a case where the story would have been well served if hazel and fox were both nonwhite. killing in the exclusive demographic of bad straight white men doesn't hit when the husband is literally 3/4 of those things. and let's not pretend that final 1/4 couldn't easily be reached for him. i dunno. maybe i'm alone thinking this.

4 stars- loved this! the author kept me laughing and i can't wait to read more of their work. thanks netgalley + the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage.

What happens when two former serial killers settle down and have a baby?

Probably not what you think,

Hazel and Fox are a married couple living an ordinary life in an affluent suburb with their adorable daughter, Bibi.

But they used to be a happy couple who murdered together until baby made three and they relinquished their murderous pasts.

Now Hazel is fighting the boredom of marriage and a monotonous life and Fox is dealing with the pressures of providing for his family.

It's hard to escape the 7 year itch, but what happens when the itch turns to murder?

I love the title but I expected a lot more murdering going on. I was hoping for more suspense, more drama and yes, more deaths.

This is really a narrative about marriage as Hazel mourns her youth and what she gave up when Bibi came along.

I wasn't a fan of the miscommunication between Hazel and Fox; it came of as silly and YA-ish.

You know you're reading a book when almost everyone is attractive, but especially the main characters. Fox is a super hottie and Hazel is 'exotic.'

The explanations about what Fox was doing came out of nowhere and though I liked the ending, Jenny and all those sudden twists made it very difficult to suspend disbelief for.

I wanted to like Hazel and Fox, but I didn't; I didn't dislike them. I just didn't care which is worse.

It didn't help that there was no chemistry between them; they seemed more like roommates than mates.

I guess that's what marriage is for some people.

Great thriller novel involving two married serial killers, and they kill Dexter-style! So much fun and win would definitely read more from this author

Trigger Warning: Suicide, depression, abuse, domestic abuse, sex trafficking, rape, and assault.

So two serial killers fall in love but put their murdering spree on hold because they end up getting pregnant.

If that doesn't spark your interest then I do not know what will. I think that this book spoke to me because of the motherhood aspect. For me of who you are before and after kids and how having kids just changes you dramatically speaks to me deeply. You want to be who you were but with kids...it's just never going to go back to what it was. Now I'm not going around killing people but finding your new normal post birth and still being able to engage in your hobbies is an easy concept for me to get behind. And, quite honestly, the men had it coming so I am all for this hobby/obsession.

I enjoyed seeing the FMC and the MMC grow and realize that even through their issues they were still trying to look out for one another and to protect each other. And even along the way the FMC found friendship and a way to be herself and still be a good mom. They had some great growth throughout the book from spoiled housewife to caring friend. I love that for the FMC.

I think this is a fantastic vacation book. Super easy to read and not too complicated that you get caught up in details.

I will leave you with my favorite quote of the book. "That's what every woman who's been let down wants. To be told it's all her fault. That they are overreacting."

If the murdering couple didn't reel you in, I hope that does!

I love a book where the characters are morally grey! We follow a pair of serial killers that get married and decide to settle down with their baby in the suburbs. As you can imagine the transition isn't a smooth one and the past doesn't stay buried for long. There is a lot of miscommunication, so if you're not a fan of that, then you won't enjoy this. But this was a quick read and the dynamics between Hazel and Fox were interesting,

Shades of "Dexter", in the best way, as our happily married serial killer couple weather having a baby, play dates, meddling dysfunctional parents, and work through giving up their "hobby" to fit in suburbia. Flashbacks to when they met and early days blend well with the current. Dark and some chuckles, maybe blood now and then - highly entertaining!

This was such a fun mystery/thriller.

The book focuses on a married couple Haze and Fox. They recently had a baby named Bibi who completely changed their life. You're probably thinking "yeah that's what a baby does" but it changed their life in a different way. Fox insisted that they put a hold on their eventful life of killing bad men to raise their child.

Haze isn't too fond of this idea and throughout the book we see her struggle in life by not scratching her murderous itch.

I found it amusing how the challenges in their relationship are so relatable when they are far from the normal couple.

Highly recommend this!

This was a fun time! I think it was just hilarious and also offered a perspective of communication and perspective. Fun time!

I typically don't enjoy comparing books to movies or other books, but the fast-paced and intriguing opening of A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage instantly reminded me of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (having watched both the movie and the series adaptation). I can honestly say this adrenaline-fueled, anxiety-inducing, and brilliantly twisty book offers a much better plotline and execution than both of them. It also shares similarities with one of my favorite steamy thrillers, Butcher & Blackbird, though this book surpasses it with fewer steamy scenes but smarter, mind-blowing twists, highly entertaining outcomes, and multi-dimensional character development. I absolutely loved it! I read it in one intense, restless sitting, and it was totally worth it because the story gripped my attention so fully that I couldn’t put it down. I had so much fun—giggling, shifting in my seat, and enjoying the mess of secrets and schemes between the couple! I found myself rooting more for Fox than Haze, though I also understood her tragic past, struggles, and how they were reflected in her art. This is an exceptionally well-written dark comedy, dark romance, and smart thriller!

Now, let’s summarize the plot: Haze, a passionate artist with a troubled childhood, is impulsive, sexy, and in her mid-thirties. Recently a new mom, she struggles with suburban life and keeping her promise to her husband not to kill anymore. Her unfulfilled bloodthirst leaves her feeling dull and questioning her life choices.

Her husband, Fox, is in his early forties, working in finance, trying to be a good father, and a bit controlling. He comes from a wealthy but sociopathic family that knows about his desire to kill but covered it up in exchange for sending him to Europe and banning him from returning to the U.S. However, it was during his time in Paris that he met Haze—his perfect match—while she was killing a dangerous man.

Their whirlwind romance led to marriage within six months, but their dreamy, dark, and steamy European vacation came to a halt when Haze discovered she was pregnant. Now, Haze feels trapped in the suburbs, struggling to paint, and forced to socialize with other moms. She eventually befriends Jenny, who initially seems needy and eager to please, but there’s more to her than meets the eye, particularly when it comes to her abusive ex, which intrigues Haze, making her think she could be Jenny’s savior.

Meanwhile, Fox is also struggling with secrets, keeping two women in his life hidden from his wife. Why do his parents want him back in the States so badly? What leverage do they have over him? Is he having an affair? And what’s really going on behind those closed doors with the eccentric strangers he meets?

Haze, on the other hand, hasn’t kept her promise—there’s already blood on her hands. But it was self-defense, right? How could she have known that man would approach her during her night jog? She doesn’t realize that breaking her promise just once could unravel everything, setting her carefully planned life on fire! And she may have chosen the worst possible person to befriend. Oh, Haze, what have you done? This time, there’s more at stake than just your marriage!

Until death do they part, Haze must find a way to fix the mess she’s made.

Overall: Wow! Just wow! This book is mind-blowing, intellectually stimulating, funny, dark, and utterly irresistible! You need to read it!

I’ve officially declared Asia MacKay as an auto-buy author, and I can’t wait to dive into her next release!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for providing this fantastic book’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts—I truly appreciate it!

The twists and turns in this book were so great and unexpected. I just want to re read it but now I know all the secrets so I hope I get to read more from this author because it was just a fast paced and fun read.

I mostly read romance books but I saw this book and needed to get my hands on it. This book is like none I’ve read before it is a unique book. Getting Mr and Mrs Smith meets season two of YOU, this book follows couple Hazel and Fox. Both serial killers who meet and get married. Upon having a child name Bibi they both struggle to keep their murderous instincts under wraps while also batting being unhappy with their lives. My favorite thing about this book is Hazel didn’t only deal with trying not to commit murder but also trying to keep her identity as a person when she became a mother. Because while readers might not identify with a serial killer, losing your self when becoming a mother is a big issue for women all over. I preferred Hazel’s pov chapters over Fox’s, however I appreciate we got both. This way we could see both were unhappy about the same things but not communicating with the other and the effects it had on their marriage.
Even though Matty was only around a few pages, losing him was heartbreaking. Any author that can make me care and be that heartbroken about a character who wasn’t even in a whole chapter is amazing. The heartbreak Hazel had felt so real like it was real life grief.
The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is I wished it would have had more dialogue. The book is mostly the characters inner thoughts and I as a reader prefer more dialogue.

I was immediately interested in reading this book just because of the cover. The title alone was enough to draw me in. It wasn't quite what I expected according to the title, but I was pleasantly surprised with the book. I did enjoy this book. It was fun, entertaining and I would love to read more from this author. By the way it was written it appears, and I am hoping for, a sequel. I will definitely keep my eyes out for that potential future book.

3.5/5

This was a fun and unique mystery/thriller.

And I love the different cover designs!

When you and your husband used to be serial killers but you decide to settle down and have a baby and live in the suburbs but you still wanna be a serial killer...you know, ordinary and very normal problems to have in life...not.

I really didn't care for all the baby content. I do not care for pregnancy in books but I thought this would be a fun and unique take on it. But I didn't really find that to be the case.

This couple kills bad men that do bad things, so I think it is perfectly logical for my biggest problem with this couple is that they want/have a baby (giggle giggle).

I did find that this dragged a bit at some points. There were pretty big gaps between the moments of action.

I did find their very normal marital problems juxtaposed with the very not-normal problems that come along with being a serial killer couple to be really funny (and I could see those martial problems being really relatable to some readers).

I think this is a good example of having a really great premise, but not letting it fully live up to its true potential.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I was immediately intrigued by the title of this book. I was ready for a serial killing duo, however, it seemed like the book was a very big miscommunication trope. I understand the authors need to keep things a secret from the reader for a big reveal at the end but I was a little disappointed that this couple who had been so connected for 13 years could not just speak to each other. It would have been amazing to see them working together and to see all of the cool ways Fox covers his tracks; maybe a sequel?? I will say though, I did devour this book. It was highly entertaining and I would love to read more from this author. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this one. The plot and writing were good but I hated the characters so much that it was hard to get through the book. I didn't get why they were even married in the first place.

honestly did not love this one. it was an interesting concept but it didn’t do it for me. it contained a lot of miscommunication things which i don’t like.

different point of views and this couple shares bloodlust and now she is a mom, and having to make friends and worry about a husband. Interesting book .

While I enjoyed the general idea, and the writing was solid...I found the main characters exhausting. At points, I had to force myself to keep reading. What made this book sound interesting, was the serial killer aspect but honestly, take that out and you just have another couple who are bad with communicating and trying to find that "spark" again after having a child. I have a feeling if it wasn't for the fact that they each had dirt on each other, they would've just ended up divorced. At times, I couldn't understand why they were even still married.

Some of the stuff that Fox (MMC) claimed to be doing that kept him away from home and working odd hours just seemed...out of the blue to me. Plus his added family drama and there was just a lot of things that I didn't think were necessary story wise. My favorite character was Hazel's friend, Jenny. She was the only one that felt multidimensional to me.

The story wrapped up a little too neatly. I kept waiting for a big twist to happen at the end but it never came. All in all, it just fell a little flat for me.