You see the title When Sally Killed Harry and I know what you’re thinking: it’s going to a crazy spin on the When Harry Met Sally movie. Well you’d be wrong. The book blurb proclaims “This is not a love story. This is a rom com gone rogue.” I’ll be honest, I’m not quite sure what ‘a rom com gone rogue’ actually means but I will say this book was pretty fun, just not really in the traditional comedic sense. This isn’t a tale of love but a tale of revenge. Sally already doesn’t trust men so when Harry does her wrong and she finds out she isn’t his only victim, she decides to do something about it. While I liked the concept and there really wasn’t anything wrong with the story, it still felt like something was missing. Often times I’ll have trouble putting a book down but that wasn’t the case here. I was never dying to get back to reading it. It’s like a show you’ll watch when there is nothing else on TV. Nothing really wrong with it, but also not something you get too excited about either. Would I check out another book by Lucy Roth? Sure, it just likely wouldn’t be my first choice. I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of When Sally Killed Harry.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RCDRE26OEOCNP/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Sally Parker is originally from London, but now lives in New York. She’s suffered some trauma in her life, which she has left behind in England, and now wants a fresh start.

She doesn’t have much luck with the online dating, but her flatmate, Priya, challenges her to find someone she can see more than just once.

In walks Harry Collins. He’s handsome, rich, and mysterious. Sally is immediately smitten.

Imagine her shock when after four dates, she finds her bank account totally empty. Harry is a conman and she vows to get revenge and her money back.

This book is all about the sisterhood getting together and taking out the trash! There is plenty of drama, a few twists, and women supporting and lifting each other.

However, at times I felt that the action was a bit disjointed and jumped too quickly for me. Sally meets someone and all of a sudden they are best of friends.

I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Thanks to Avon Books for approving my NetGalley request.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

As soon as I read the blurb for this book, I thought it sounded right up my street and I thought I was in for a good time. And thankfully that is exactly what I got!
Right from the start I was hooked. I was fully interested and invested in the characters and I couldn't put it down.
I liked the writing style, the characters and the setting. It really was such an easy, fast paced, entertaining read that had me smiling throughout.
I did like the fact that we follow the story solely through the main character Sally's POV. I found her to be likeable and I was fully on her side throughout.
This was packed full of good for her energy and was a great depiction of female friendships.
I'm not sure why I have seen so many bad reviews for this book as I had such a great time reading it, so if the blurb sounds good to you, I urge you to give it a go.
This is a debut novel from this author and I will definitely be reading more from her in the future!
I loved it!

Female rage is fast becoming one of my favourite genres - it's so refreshing to see women depicted as being driven by their base instincts rather than hemmed in by society's expectations. Obviously, I don't advocate running off and murdering men (even if they are truly terrible men) in the name of feminism...but it makes for fun reading! Also, I find that these books often show deep female relationships and that was definitely the case here.

The general premise is one that I think most women have at least second-hand, if not first-hand, experience of: being cat-fished/abused/conned/insert heinous behaviour by a man they thought was decent. The fallout from these encounters can last a lifetime and fundamentally change who we are. After being spiked and robbed of her savings, Sally decides to get her own back. Along the way, she meets Marie, whose husband beats and berates her incessantly. Together they create the 'Some Women' club to help each other and their friends/colleagues/women they randomly meet wreak their revenge.

The whole thing is ridiculously far-fetched and over the top, but that's what makes it so enjoyable. It's women in glorious technicolour roaming the sleek bars and rooftop terraces of New York and claiming scalps. There is a tender element to the book as well, both from Sally's earlier life, which we see in flashbacks, and in the joy she takes from the blossoming of Marie, who was probably my favourite character. Are the men in the book one-dimensional tropes? Yes, but we've had to put up with female characters being this way for eternity, so why not?

I was really drawn into the book at the beginning with the premise of a group of abused women getting revenge on their abusers. It started off strong but eventually some of the events were beyond belief. Male abusers can be really clever or really stupid - it’s a scale really. This book made it seem a lot easier to get revenge and get away with it than what it would be in reality. Like not one of the got interviewed by the police.

However, despite its lack of realism I would say that overall it was enjoyable and had some nice twists to it, especially at the end re: Priya and her boyfriend. It’s easy to read and gives you a nice feeling of schadenfreude when the men get what they deserve!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys feminist vigilante books and those that have read books by Bella Mackie, which this book positively reminded me of.

I was really drawn to the premise of this book—women banding together to take down a charming con artist sounded like the perfect mix of thriller, dark humor, and satisfying revenge. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me.

I found the narration style made it difficult to fully engage with the story, and while I appreciate a bit of exaggeration in this kind of plot, it felt over the top to the point where it lost impact. Instead of feeling sharp or suspenseful, the story often felt more chaotic and unstructured. There were so many dramatic incidents happening one after another that it started to feel repetitive rather than exciting.

I also struggled with the main character, Sally. For a revenge plot to be satisfying, I like seeing characters plan things out cleverly or at least adapt to challenges in a way that makes sense. But Sally often felt reckless rather than resourceful, making choices that seemed more convenient for the plot than believable. The support group of wronged women had a lot of potential, but their dynamic didn’t feel fully developed—trusting each other instantly and discussing plans too openly without any real tension or hesitation.

That said, I can see how this book might appeal to others, but for me, it didn’t quite deliver what I was hoping for.

Sally lives in New York and wakes up one morning to realise she has been swindled out of money by Harry, a man she was dating. Furious she wants to get revenge and sets up a group with other wronged women to try and take back control.

I liked the title of this one and the twist on the famous rom com. I found the start was strong and I was enjoying it up to a point. I don’t know what happened but the chatty writing style started to become repetitive and tiresome as the story progressed. I found the dark humour entertaining and found Sally intriguing as the main character.

The overall story is quite similar to the general female vigilante, serial killer trope that is popular at the moment, which although is enjoyable, makes it hard to stand out. Even though I had some niggles this was a fun, easy read and I would pick up more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the published for this copy in return for an honest review.

This was such an easy read. Really enjoyed reading it. Loved the FMC who was a bad B.
After reading Bella Mackie, Katy Brent & Eve Kellman books, part of me was thinking “not another female hating men book” but…

Loved the female support group and omg the twist where we think Pirya is happy with Steve BUT he’s a bad guy (or was).
When I thought Sally was gonna sleep with “Harry”, I was gonna be annoyed but she didn’t.
Love that she made Harry help with getting her own justice.

I did think it was very heavy on the “I hate men” vibes and there wasn’t a single nice guy in the book… at all!

This theme of book seems to be very popular at the moment and I am living for it. All of these female characters taking back power (a bit too much) but the stories of these female serial killers are told with a hint of humour. When Sally Killed Harry fit this description perfectly.

I found this a really easy book to read. The plot was engaging and the characters were all likeable (apart from the men, of course). This was very paced and a lot happens once this group of scorned women get together, but it was equal parts thrilling, funny and heartbreaking. If I thought too much about it, what these women went through and the hands of men made me incredibly sad, but then a smart one liner or an outlandish scheme would pop up and make me laugh.

Sally was a great main character. She was riddled with baggage and all of it was catching up to her mentally. However she put that aside to help the women that had crossed her path as well as plotting her own devious revenge.

If you're a Katy Brent fan, you'll love this book as much as I did. Super snappy, witty and entertaining. A great read.

When Sally Killed Harry is not a sweet laugh out romcom. It is a twisted psychological cat and mouse thriller about a woman, Sally, who was conned by a guy she met on a dating app, Harry and sought out to seek revenge. Not just for Harry but for a slew of women in her circle who have also been wronged by men. This book is an ode to female empowerment, to women standing up for themselves (albeit a bit too far!) and to women being strong, independent and loyal to each other. I loved how twisted and clever it was until the very last page. Just a fun wild ride. Out this week.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 is the first revenge thriller from Lucy Roth, the pen name of author Lucy Nichols.

The title plays on the classic rom-com, but the cover makes it clear that this is one gone rogue.

The first 20% or so focuses on Sally's dating history, whilst not my usual style, the humour and Sally's brilliant character kept me engaged. After that, strap in, because we’re firmly in feminist thriller territory. Oh yes!

Sally, is a single Brit living in NYC with her housemate, Priya. It is gradually revealed why she left London and also what has bonded the two so closely. Venturing back into the dating scene, Sally meets Harry. He seems perfect and she’s doing her best not to catch or give into feelings. He’s perfect – until he’s not. One morning, Sally wakes with a raging headache, realising she has been spiked and her bank account emptied. It isn't a rom-com Sally is in after all, it's a rom-con.

This leads Sally to befriending a wide range of women. This is a group that wouldn't necessarily usually hang out together – we have women of all ages, backgrounds, faith etc. However their unlikely friendship is forged by the fact they have all been wronged by bad men. Together, they form a clandestine group, meeting under the alias of the Thursday Feminist Book Club.

"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯."

You’ll be rooting for them and as the book progresses, we get a real insight into what drives Sally. Funny, thrilling and full of great song choices!

Many thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing this free copy in return for an honest review]

Dark but extremely funny! Sally has been badly treated by men since childhood and it has made her streetwise and definitely not easily fooled. She goes out with men for one night only because she is so wary of getting involved – until she meets Harry! Sally sees Harry as being different from the rest. He is charming and empathetic and Sally goes out with him several times until he spikes her drink and steals all her money. However, he chose the wrong woman to mess with and Sally is determined to get her revenge. She gets together with a group of women who have all been abused and one by one they get their own back on all the men who have treated them badly. The last one to be revenged is Harry and Sally has had to work hard to track him down and deal with him. Great characters, great story and great humour! Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this funny book.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced copy of When Sally Killed Harry.

Sally has recently moved to New York City and she is looking for love. She goes on some dates but then meets a man named Harry who seems wonderful. They have a few dates but she finds out he is a con man. Then she finds out she is not his only victim. His victims form a group and plan their revenge.

This could have been such a good book but it was just not at all. The characters were not likable and the plot fit more ridiculous as the book went on. I was not a fan.

2.5 ⭐️

This started off slow and it took a bit for me to get the motivation to read it, once the story picked up I was able to read faster but I definitely didn't enjoy reading. There were times when I was engaged but for good chunks it was a bit flat and I felt like I was just going through the motions.

The title and description gave me high hopes but it just didn't deliver on its promises. Where the 'rom-com' in this story was I don't know. Not sure how Sally can feel such a connection to a man she barely knows, I mean 4 dates is not a lot.

I felt like we could understand more of our main characters motivations if key details were revealed sooner. Her past is a devicive plot point and we find this out very late on. Also our FMC goes above and beyond in her bid for revenge and basically becomes a serial killer at this point. All of our vigilante women conveniently get off Scott free which would certainly not happen in the real world.

Unfortunately I didn't connect with the characters or feel invested in the story but there are lots more positive reviews out there so you might disagree with me.

Great characters good storyline. Hooked from the first chapter. Thanks for letting me review. Would continue the series

So I did unfortunately DNF this book. I felt that the title was alluding that there would be some When Harry Met Sally connections but there wasn’t. Also I know this isn’t a straight up romcom, but it says a romcom gone rogue and there wasn’t really any rom and not any com I personally enjoyed.

The MC sense of humor wasn’t for me personally. And even though I enjoy a man getting what’s coming to him, I do not enjoy the hating of all men trope. I could see where some people would really enjoy this book, but it wasn’t for me and I couldn’t finish it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read this book!

Londoner Sally is a survivor. Now living in New York, she's seen her share of the damage caused by some men and is wise to their moves. When she meets Harry on a dating app, it's all going so well. Until after the third date, when she wakes up realising she's been spiked and all her savings are gone.

Not one to take this lying down, she is determined to get payback. To not only get her money back but to make sure Harry doesn't pull this on anyone again.

While the main story is about title characters Sally and Harry, they're a catalyst for other women taking back control of their narratives. Along the way, Sally ends up forming a group with other wronged women waiting to reclaim their own lives and deal out justice that has long evaded the men causing the damage. Seeing the strength that the women gain from opening up to each other and sharing their stories makes the novel an enjoyable read. Each of the women are from different backgrounds, but find a commonality in how they've been treated, and as a reader, it's easy to root for all of them.

I don't know if Sally would normally be a character I could relate to. She's bold and brash and uncompromising and outwardly confident; sassy and snarky, occasionally reckless. As Roth peels back the layers, we see begin to see why she is the way she is, making her more likeable than she maybe ought to be. Roth is excellent at writing flawed characters with heart; no one is perfect and we're all fighting unknown battles, and shouldn't be judged for them.

What I did like was Sally's empathy. She's focussed on taking her own revenge, but in forming the support group, she doesn't take over as "Leader" prioritising her own problems. Sally's confidence and determination to get even is contagious, emboldening the others in the group to take their own futures in their hands and to no longer be defined by the things done to them.

If you read this, and I hope you do, try to be around soft, unbreakable things because some of the women's experiences will make you want to scream and throw things. It's even worse because nothing the women in the novel have gone through is far-fetched. It's all too believable and relatable. And even when the media focusses on these types of stories, the focus is often on the male perpetrators. As Roth notes, "Like, we're nobody in our own stories". Sally knows this has to change and she's determined to be the one to spark this change.

This is a sharp, brilliantly written, addictive revenge thriller that is so easy to get hooked on.

Thank you to the author, the publisher Avon and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel for review.

I do love a book about female rage and women taking back their power, so I knew this one was going to be a hit.

It wasn’t super pacy, but that worked for the plot. The mystery surrounding Sally’s past was a great way to keep the intrigue going through the book and I thought that was going to be the only big reveal…

**** spoiler alert! ****
Did I suspect there was something up with Priya? Not until nearer the end, but I did think hmm there’s more to this Steve story than meets the eye.

I liked how the women each represented different kinds of abuse, it really shows that it’s not just about the physical harm people can cause.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyed and will defo recommend! Especially to fans of Katy Brent’s How to Kill Men and Get Away With It and Eve Kellman’s How to Kill a Guy in 10 Ways.

Loved it (rounded up)

Okay, I'm not quite sure how to write this review. There was a lot I liked and some I didn't, so I think I'll just break it down that way.

What I liked:
-Never underestimate a group of women with a central cause. All of the women in this story have been wronged by men in some way and band together to get revenge on their man together. They work together and while not all of their revenge tactics work out the way they hope, they don't back down or stop trying. Women looking out for women and supporting other women is always great.
-The internal monologue and banter/dry wit of Sally the FMC. She keeps chalking it up to being British, but, honestly, I'm the same way and I'm not British. So, that kind of dry humor is right in the sweet spot for me. I found the book to be quite hilarious.
-How each of the women didn't just "lie down and take it." They did something about it. Granted, I don't condone some of the things they did, but knowing your worth and realizing you don't have to stand by and be a doormat for anyone while also realizing it's not weakness to ask for help from those around you is great.

What I didn't like:
-If you're going to use a title like this, then there *𝓱𝓪𝓼* to be some sort of WHMS-ness to the book. There's literally 1 line when Harry and Sally are on their first date where they have a laugh about it and that's it!
-How obsessive Sally was with Harry. I mean, he conned her and and got her revenge but even after she got back what he took from her, she was like a dog with a bone and kept at him. She also kept coming back to this 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓃𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 that they had, when she was just a mark and he was just a con. One night of good sex a connection does not make.

Thank you, Lucy Roth and Netgalley for the ARC.