3.5 This was a fun little darkly humorous revenge on a conman scenario that read quickly and don't require overthinking. We love these types of books for being a smooth ride not requiring a literary dissertation. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was so disappointing. I didn't think a book about kidnapping and murder could be so boring. But the writing made me feel disconnected to the characters and the story and it took way to long to actually get to anything with potential.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was excited to receive an arc of this book because I enjoyed Bad Men also by Julie Mae Cohen. I must say I did not enjoy this book as much as Bad Men. It was in no way a bad book, it just wasn't my favorite. I think I may try the audiobook out when it is released and see if I like it better....

Zander did them all wrong and now Marina, Lilah, and Opal have banded together. Yes, he's locked in a basement while they figure out what to do about them and that's part of the story. But this is really about female bonding and, yes, empowerment. They are three very different personalities with different backgrounds and each of them sees growth. It's dark but it's also funny. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This was a fun dark humored John Tucker must die thriller- I loved these 3 very different ladies they made this a must read!

This was a very interesting read with twists and turns. The relationship between the 3 women was quirky and fun but also sweet. Would recommend.

Such a wonderful book about finding love in friendship. These three women come together because of a horrible man, but they found so much more. They each go on an important self-love and healing journey. It’s finding love in something other than a man. Kidnapping and killing just make the journey more adventurous.

A darkly humorous and thrilling novel that centers around three very different women—Marina, Lilah, and Opal—who find themselves united by a common enemy. Marina is a divorced mother struggling to make ends meet, Lilah is a shy librarian who recently won the lottery, and Opal is a post-menopausal fitness guru trying to maintain her online persona
The story kicks off when these women discover they've all been deceived by the same charming man. In a twist of fate, they end up holding him hostage in Marina's basement. As they navigate this bizarre situation, they form an unlikely bond and face various challenges that test their resolve and friendship

Julie Mae Cohen skillfully blends elements of suspense, comedy, and drama, creating a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The novel explores themes of betrayal, empowerment, and the complexities of female friendships. "Eat Slay Love" is a raucous and engaging read that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

Fun, Dark and Fasted- Paced! 3 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 4/8/25.

Three women from different backgrounds - Marina, Opal, and Lilah - come together after discovering they have been deceived by the same man. They end up holding him hostage in Marina's basement, which brings them closer together. As they navigate the challenges that come with this shared secret, they must also deal with other dangerous situations that arise.

This is my second book by this author, and it is just as comical as the first. I thoroughly enjoy this lighthearted dark comedy. It's entertaining and provides a great escape from the real world through fun reading.

In this book, we are introduced to Opal, Marina, and Lilah, each with their own unique point of view. These characters are gradually developed, and you can't help but empathize with them and hope they become friends by the end. Different circumstances can bring people together in ways that others may not understand.

If you appreciate fast-paced dark humor, this book is perfect for you. While it has its moments of laughter, it also delves into themes of strangers becoming friends, self-discovery, and overcoming obstacles, which may or may not involve kidnapping or murder. As you can tell, it is a humorous and engaging read!

Thank you, Abrams | The Overlook Press, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I didn’t realize that this was the same author who wrote Bad Men, but it shouldn’t surprise me. This book was another knockout. I loved Lilah, Opal, and Mariana. Their characters shine bright throughout this book. Each is unique in their personality in all the right ways. This book is filled with twists, turns, laughter, friendship, honestly it has it all. I already recommend Bad Men all the time, so I am so excited to start recommending this one as well. I have already talked it up with a couple of people and they are excited to read it.
Thank you to Abrams and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This book is about murder as you can deduce from the title, but it’s also about friendship. It’s about trusting others even when you’ve been let down in the past. The plot was unique enough to me and I didn’t see all the twists that unfolded. Out of the three women, I found Marina to be the most likable and the one whose pov I wanted to hear most. There were a few moments in Marina’s plot that felt unnecessary to her character. Readers can understand how she may feel lonely as a single mother without the random moments. There were a few moments in the book when I felt a bit queasy so take this as a warning people of weak stomaches. Overall, this book was enjoyable but a little darker than anticipated.

Book Review: 3.7/5 ⭐️

I’d give this a solid 3.7 out of 5 stars. This book gave me MAJOR John Tucker Must Die vibes, and I was totally here for it! It follows three women—Marina, Lilah, and Opal—who discover they’re all involved with the same guy (Zander, aka Zachary, aka Xavier). Plot twist: He’s been scheming and scamming them all! Of course, things get messy, and they end up... dealing with him. 👀

The book has some dark humor sprinkled throughout. The whole situation is pretty wild, and the way the characters handle it definitely had me laughing more than I expected. The women’s bond and their growth were surprisingly sweet, especially with all the chaos they go through. It’s a quick, fun, and easy read with just the right mix of suspense and humor.

The ending left me with some questions about the ladies' futures, especially Opal’s. It definitely feels like there’s potential for a sequel to dive deeper into what comes next!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this! Can’t wait to see what the author does next.

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!!!!!