3.75 stars

Dark and funny but with a serious undertone. This is in your face female revenge stuff. Three women, all wronged by the same two-timing, larcenous scam artist, band together to teach him a lesson. We have a divorced mother of three, an over 50 fitness freak, and a formerly timid librarian. Chapters alternate in their three voices and we find out the back story concerning their ex lover.

It is often hilarious if you have a twisted sense of humor. The sad picture of women abused and manipulated by men lays the groundwork. There aren't a ton of characters in the book - three or four men including criminals, murders, philanderers and *one* decent guy. It is also a tribute to the power of female friendship and sharing ones story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers at The Overlook Press (by extension of ABRAMS) providing this digital ARC in return for a honest review.

This is my second Julie Mae Cohen read, having read Bad Men last spring. I have been incredibly excited to drive back into Cohen’s writing as it’s extremely witty and enjoyable to devour.

Immediately I thought, okay John Tucker Must Die! Three women in completely different walks of life become interconnected due to one vampiric, manipulative, con-man who wishes to drain all of their resources through cheap affection and validation. Which would be a good plan in theory if reverse image search and technology in general didn’t exist - and if you are taking into account that none of the affected women may have a predilection toward murder!

WHAT an enjoyable read - Julie Man Cohen has definitely become an automatic author for me, I’ll read anything that’s penned by Cohen’s hand.

Our 3 women:

1. Opal - fierce, achievement-driven, power hungry in the eyes of many, no nonsense comes off extremely harsh from the jump, but there’s some great depth to this character and unveiling of backstory. Her grit and determination are essential to the story.
2. Lilac - loveable, library lore recluse who is every bookish person’s dream character, quiet but not meek, her character is emboldened by the friendship found in this journey.
3. Marina - surprising, head strong, genuine and spontaneous, her character melds easily with the other two and lends a lot of the action steps of the plot.

Between 9 to 5 and John Tucker Must Die is the sweet spot that this novel finds and fills with witty prose and sassy remarks - cleverly crafted, you’ll want to nab this one when it hits shelves.

I enjoyed this one so much! The premise was super fun and I enjoyed seeing some characters that weren't all 25 years old, plus having a mix of character ages and demographics. The little teaser at the end for perhaps another book had me squeaking with joy - I would absolutely love to read more about this trio and their crime-y girly pop adventures!

Phew. I’m not sure how to feel about this one. I learned to love the three main characters, and found myself rooting for them. I laughed out loud at some parts, cringed at others, almost stopped reading, and then binged the rest.

I called it. A little over a year ago I read Cohen’s Bad Men as an ARC and wrote a review about finding myself a new favorite author. Well, I was right and I loved this one even more.

We start off the story with a bang. Three women (Opal, Lilah and Marina), a dark basement, and an unconscious man. From there we travel back in time to learn more about each woman and how they ended up on said basement. Each woman is a breath of fresh in their own right. The character development was vivid and the story was well paced and kept me guessing. I felt the connection between each main character and picking a favorite felt like picking a favorite child. Similar to Bad Men, it deals with a gruesome subject matter, yet was surprisingly hilarious in parts and overall a heartwarming thriller. Yes, those exist.

It’s been a while since a book kept me up way past my bedtime. Such a fun ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book does have an amusing writing style (the reveal with Marina in the second epilogue had me literally laughing out loud) and there are some amusing parts with biting children and overly aggressive hamsters. The plot as it happens in the modern day is fairly fast paced, with everything taking only a couple weeks from the first text messages to the final wrap up.

The friendship developed between the three women seemed a little fast, but they did seem like true friends at the end. The character arcs as a whole were pretty nice. Admittedly, I found most of the women almost annoying at first, but they grew on me as things went on. And I did like the ways they helped each other near the end and the hint at a possible sequel.

My biggest struggle with the book was in it's themes. It's clearly a feminist take and it knows it's stuff... at the surface level, at least. Coercive/emotionally abusive relationships, cheating, the extra labor put on mothers, unfair beauty standards, unfair expectations put on girls by their mothers, women being underestimated, and the cultural trauma shared by all women. But it's all of that PLUS the goofier thriller plot in under 300 pages. As a result, nothing gets more than the most surface level, drive by explanation. Add to that, a couple of these things occur to the grown woman as sudden realizations in the text. It reads like Feminism for Beginners.

To clarify: I'm not against Feminism for Beginners. If the Barbie movie taught us anything, it's that a lot of people still need the 101 of the whole thing. But the result of so much in such a little time means nothing gets truly explained in depth. And what does get explained is more told in direct conversations that are painfully on the nose. At one point a character literally points out that their conversation passes the Bechdel test. While I hope this book could help someone that hasn't had these realizations yet, it almost read like the syllabus to a gender studies class with a goofy story thrown in for effect.

I wish the author had narrowed down her feminist theme to a specific point or two, engaged with those in depth, and let the goofy thriller fill out the rest. Drawn out the crimes the women were committing and how they got past them. Drawing out the secondary mysteries of the stalker and Opal's past. The last sixty pages or so was where things got the fasted paced and most interesting they ever were and I wish that had been vibe for the rest of the book.

Overall, not a terrible book and one that could genuinely help people get started on the journey. But if you've already been reading Mikki Kendall or bell hooks, it's not going to add more. Still good for a quick jaunt, though.

This was a fun read featuring an unlikely trio. I personally loved the three women. This book reminded me of the movie The Other Woman but not a romcom, more of a thriller-com. I think it also touches on the importance of friendship. Overall, a great book with an ending I didn’t quite expect but thoroughly enjoyed.

Julie does it again!! This story was so perfect for the time, in a world obsessed with true crime and scammers, but also revenge and anger.

I think Julie had a great way of really giving dynamic and relatable characters with such depth. Each woman in the story could stand on her own and relate to someone. I was routing for the characters while I laughed and cried with them. Even the secondary characters like Nana Sylvia was a whole character on her own.

I think she really took on a difficult subject and one close to a lot of women's hearts and made it funny, heartbreaking, and frustrating all at once.

Overall the story itself was so clever! I think the way it was written really allowed for comedy alongside the tragedy. I think she also had me as a reader wondering how it was going to end and what would happen, I could not have predicted the ending and I still don't know how I feel about it, BUT IN THE BEST WAY. I will forever be talking about what could have or should have happened!

The covers for each of her books are so good and grab your attention!

I will read anything Julie writes!!!!!

Julie Mae Cohen's Eat, Slay, Love was an absolute delight. If "delight" is watching the rise and downfall of a corrupt and cruel man (which it is, for me). I love the recent rise of feminist thrillers, and Cohen's latest adds to the canon brilliantly.

Love the title and the cover of the book. I think this will draw a lot of attention and also be a good read, especially probably for an older crowd? Not for me but still grateful for the arc

Fun like quick ‘vacation’ read! I don’t love romances so quick reads like this are the perfect vacation or beach read for me! Lilah is totally insufferable but does redeem herself. The character development felt smooth and you can see each character change and grow.

Skip the mystery and pass the witty comedy with a side or two of murder. Revenge. Feminism. Female empowerment. Say no more, it's a winner.

This is the second book I've read by Julie Mae Cohen. It was very enjoyable as was her first novel, Bad Men. Women banding together (or alone) to rid the world of very bad men has quickly become one of my favorite tropes!

Three women are involved with the same man. One who is married to him, one who is his fiancé, and the third who is freshly divorced and ready for some fun. What happens when they all realize he's not who he's pretending to be?

This was a fun read and highly recommended. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Eat, Slay, Love was very unexpected in that it was just as much a story about empowerment and sisterhood as it was a suspenseful story about murder. The three main female characters in this book are wildly different, but all are the targets of a con man who has either stolen their money or was looking to do so. Rather than go to the police and quietly hope for justice these ladies figure out a conclusion all (or mostly all) are happy with. There are a lot of heartfelt parts to this book as we learn more about these ladies (Marina, Opal, and Lilah), but my favorite parts focused on their revenge and their friendship.

Very unique and titillating, I recommend this for anyone who wants to see a comeuppance literally served hot.

this is the most joyful book about murder i've ever read, and that's a VERY good thing. all the bonding and good times and understanding in the book doesn't merely go with the murder, but draws it into itself, making it almost funny! 5 stars, tysm for the arc, would read again.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where offbeat crime and WF is popular.

When I saw Julie Mae Cohen had written a new book, I jumped at a chance to read it and it did not disappoint! It included it all - love, betrayal, murder, gore, heartbreak, but most of all friendship. I really enjoyed the plot. It was fast-moving, and kept me entertained until the last page. Was it realistic? Maybe not, however, it was great fun! It made me feel powerful and I was singing "Single Ladies" when I finished it. If you love a good feminist read - read this one! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Such a good book! I love that these women get to take out their revenge and that they stick up for one another. It was an entertaining read. Possibly a bit unrealistic, but not like over-the-top so it was still very enjoyable!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Eat Slay Love is a funny and killer novel that passes the Bechdel Test!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Overlook Press, and was excited since I recently finished Bad Men, also by Julie Mae Cohen.

This novel focuses on female friendships, the patriarchy, and finding yourself. It had lots of funny moments, and a murder here and there. It isn’t much of a mystery/thriller as the title suggests, but I loved the character development.

I also loved Godzilla.

I loved this! You normally see the scenario of three women and one man in romance novels or empowerment stories. But this was different and funny. It was so good!