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.

So Freaking FUN!

Two former serial killers are trying their best to settle down and live the middle class dream. But it's harder to give up the thrill of the kill than they thought. Add in a cop hoping to make their way back into the good graces of their bosses and it's a race to figure out who is killing some of the denizens in town.

I loved this book and will read anything Asia Mackay writes next. Bonus, if we get to meet Hazel and Fox again - they were so charming and quick witted! If you like a light murder mystery and a bit of comedy with your kills, this is a book for you!
#randomdhouse #asiamackay #aserialkillersguidetomarriage

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this book, with my honest review below.

If A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage has you considering picking it up based on the blurb and you’re looking at reviews wondering if it’s worth a read, count me in as the angel on your shoulder telling you to pick it up. With a unique premise it isn’t gory or really dark (shocking given the married couple at its heart are serial killers) but an entertaining look at two mysterious characters who were drawn together by their love of justice and now struggling to tamp their urge down to play family for their daughters sake. Of course that urge is hard to control and reading about the issues they raise to do so is hilarious.

Haze and Fox are as glam as their names indicate until their daughter Bibi comes along and they pack up their socializing for life in the suburbs. An artist and a stockbroker by day, they met each other over a shared interest, murdering bad men I think we would all agree deserved bad things to happen. Haze is struggling both in her art and in life by not scratching her murderous itch, and while she’s quite upfront to readers about this, Fox is a bit of a mystery at first. With some undertones of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, we get to see where their impulses take them when they’ve been tamped down too long. I loved the mystery of whether the two would fully turn on each other and the side stories of Haze’s new mummy friend, Jenny, and Fox’s family. While there are times things/people are mentioned that I had to flip back to see if I missed (I didn’t) they add to the mystery and are all brought to light by the end.

I really enjoyed this book and felt I was on a mini adventure, not getting so bored at the suburbia setting due to the callbacks to this couple’s traveling and murderous past. If there could ever be such a thing as ‘good’ serial killers Haze and Fox are it, which doesn’t lower the stakes but has the reader on their side. Give it a whirl!

This was a great book. It was funny but also a thriller. So you can laugh but also have a bit of a thrill. I loved the characters. I kept wanting to read to see what would happen with Hazel and Fox. I would pick this up if you want something different than just a regular thriller.

This was fun fun fun. It reminded me somewhat of Bella Mackie’s “How to Kill Your Family” in that the protagonist was a largely unlikeable character with a traumatic past who murders people who, in her eyes, deserve it. And to her credit they are bad men. I’ve read a lot of fiction over the past couple of years in which a woman is taking revenge on awful men, so the formula felt pretty familiar to me, but I liked the addition of her husband and I liked that we got chapters from his perspective as well. I had a good time with this! It’s quick and good if you’re in the mood for something with a little bite.

I loved the idea of a former serial killer element to this book, it had that overall feel that worked with what I was hoping for. The characters had that element that I wanted and enjoyed going on this journey. It had that humor element and it worked with the mystery element. Asia Mackay has a great writing style and I wanted to read more.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for allowing me access to this eBook! I read it immediately when I got the email and I got swept off my feet with the first chapter OMG!

In A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage we follow two former vigilante serial killers, Hazel and Fox who struggle to bury their past and adapt to a life of domesticity. Hazel, which was my favorite character between the two, finds herself suffocating in the mundanity of motherhood, craving the thrill of her former life killing bad men. Fox, on the other hand, has taken to fatherhood with meticulous ease—until Hazel acts on her murderous urges without him, throwing their carefully constructed facade into chaos.
Honestly, I had an amazing time with this book which I read in almost one setting, I just could not put it down! I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a fast pace thriller!

SO GOOD.

It gave me Mr. And Mrs. Smith vibes all the way and just the deadpan humor throughout tied this up for me. I have been really enjoying these types of books lately and I am pleased to say that this did not disappoint in any way.