DNF @ 21%. This was a very intriguing premise, but I found it very difficult to connect with the story. The main character was quite unlikeable and immature, especially when compared to the more dimensional side characters who I found myself becoming more partial to. Thea's moral compass often contradicted her actions, which I often disagreed with. For these reasons, I will not be continuing with the book.

2.75 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A book with a great premise that didn't live up to its potential. It does too much philosophical waxing instead of posing and exploring the moral compass in a more general manner. Some of the moral dilemma questions were funny and the book was engaging but I found the main character to be a bit flippant for how much psychological depth the book tries to have. I thought this was an interesting spin on a hero story, and by the end, I liked the main character a lot more.

I was hooked by the premise of this novel - a moral compass of who deserves to live or die. It’s an interesting and reflective topic so I appreciated the thought provoking themes.

There were times where I enjoyed the ideas of our main character but I had a hard time connecting with her. She was immature and not very likable

An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris is a darkly intriguing and morally complex tale that blends supernatural elements with psychological exploration. The protagonist, Thea, discovers she possesses a unique and unsettling gift: the ability to determine how long someone has left to live simply by touching them, and the power to transfer life from one person to another. When her best friend, Ruth, is fatally injured, Thea's desperation leads her to save Ruth by sacrificing the life of the man responsible. This sets Thea on a path that challenges her sense of right and wrong.

As Thea grapples with her godlike abilities, she constructs her own "Ethical Guide to Murder," a set of personal rules for deciding who deserves to live and who should be punished. However, her journey into this moral gray area forces her to confront the complexities of human nature—what truly makes someone "good" or "bad"? And as Ruth’s borrowed time dwindles, Thea must confront the deeper consequences of playing god.

Morris weaves a compelling narrative that raises thought-provoking questions about morality, justice, and the weight of decisions that alter life and death. The book balances thrilling moments of suspense with a nuanced character study of Thea's evolving understanding of her power. Her internal struggle with what is right, the consequences of her actions, and the blurred lines between good and evil create a captivating psychological tension.

An Ethical Guide to Murder is a unique, thought-provoking read that will leave readers pondering the consequences of power and the moral dilemmas inherent in deciding who truly deserves life or death. Morris’s storytelling is engaging, darkly humorous, and filled with unexpected twists, making it a must-read for fans of speculative fiction with a psychological edge.

Such an interesting premise and it brought up a lot of questions about morality. I really liked how much this book made me think. The main character was very unlikeable to me which made it hard for me to get into the book and want to read it. But I really appreciate how it was written and it almost felt like a villain origin story to me. It was very interesting to see Thea have to figure out how this new power works and how to use it. It made me think a lot about how I would handle things if I were in Thea's shoes. I'm glad I'm not!

Questions I love: “Would I kill a bad person to save a good one?” and another being “How much would I eat a human toe for?”

Wow, this book was hilarious, dark, emotional, heartwarming, and giving me existential dread at the same time.


What an incredible story of one woman’s unbelievable ability to take years of life from one and give to others. It truly had me gasping, and reflecting on what I would do with such power? Would I take from someone that I assumed wasn’t worth living? Out of spite? For love?


While there was some good laughs, and I had some love for our leading lady—I was also a bit disappointed in the immense filler before the end. Where I thought we would have an ending came more plot? It was worth the effort to finish overall. Karma, and all.

Thank you HTP books and Netgalley for my arc in exchange for my thoughts.

One day, Thea figures out that she has the power to know how long a person has left to live. Not only that, but she can transfer time from person to person. When she sees her friend Ruth has very little time left, Thea kills a man and gives Ruth the years mere moments before her death. Thea then sets out to make rules for when and how to use her powers. But she quickly learns that things aren't very straightforward on how to decide right from wrong.

I wanted to love this one even more, but it was a bit all over the place towards the end of the book. I think the book may have been even better if it was shortened/condensed a bit, as much was repetitive to get Thea to the same ending. I did read the uncorrected proof, so that may have caused some inconsistencies as well.

But I did like how the author was able to wrap up everything so nicely at the end. Thea as a character was well developed and went through the transformation and growth that I was hoping that she would go through. As the title implies, many ethical gray areas were discussed and discovered. One thing I know after reading this is that I would never like to be burdened with this type of power that may, at times, accidentally be used on others.

Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and Jenny Morris, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review of this book.

it's 2025, we don't have time for women with mythical powers being told what to do by mediocre men.

40% in and the FMC irritated me enough that I had to bless and release! Cool concept just not the folks for me.

Ugh - this story had so much potential to be the greatest superhero paranormal story of all time but it just fell flat because Thea was so terrible. I couldn't stand her! She was super immature and dumb. It was awful and painful to keep reading this.

This book follows Thea’s story of gaining the ability to change fate by siphoning life from others to save those she deems more deserving. Unfortunately, Thea was a dreadful character to follow.

Maybe I'm not the right reader for a book like this. I wanted more from the story and characters than what was offered. The plot was repetitive and disengaging. It pains me to rate this so low because of the work the author put into the book. Simply, this book was not for me.

This book started off real great, Thea could tell how long someone will live just by a touch and she could be able to transfer it as well. The concept is nice but it did sort of repeat. Which I mean it makes sense it does as it is something Thea does. I like the inner battle of her being like well one more, and going after those who should be harmed. I mean it does make you think, would you take a life to save your best friend? What could you do with the knowledge of death and time. It was a fun read and I am glad to have been able to read it.

While I did not hate this one… I felt anger towards the main character and the ending did not make me feel content. There was no halt and it felt overly depressing. I would not read again

This book follows Thea, who has the power to feel the exact time people will die and the ability to siphon and give life. I thought the concept of the book was great. I found the book to be thought provoking, which I loved. However, I didn’t not care for a single character in the book. Thea was immature and annoying, Ruth felt entitled, Sam seemed disingenuous from the start. The side characters weren’t much better. I had a difficult time finishing this read because I couldn’t connect with a single character. The ending of the book was the saving grace. I found it to be perfectly emotional and a beautiful end to the story. Thank you to NetGalley for and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An Ethical Guide to Murder brought up so many ethical questions and left me thinking about those long after the book ended. The writing itself was easy to digest, which I think is important with a premise like this one, and the humor was well done (I even found myself laughing aloud at some points). Even though there weren’t any characters that I felt were “likable,,” and there were some elements in the book that I disagreed with, Jenny still creates strong a foundation for understanding why her characters act and think the way they do.

At no point did I know where the book was going, but that made the ending all the more beautiful and impactful. This is the first book I’ve ever cried in (and I’ve been reading books all my life). The selflessness and growth Thea showed in the arc towards the end was so well done.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for this arc.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Funny and gripping, the execution of the book is very well done. It’s a bit questionable 😂 I mean you follow HER rules/guide to why you should lose some living time, make you think though about herself. Definitely a fun read

I loved the premise of this book -- a woman wakes up one morning with the power to see when someone will die just by touching them. The tone of "An Ethical Guide to Murder" is dark and I enjoyed the philosophical questions the story raises. At times the pacing was a bit slow for a suspense novel, but the story was still engaging. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Pub date is May 20, 2025.

#AnEthicalGuideToMurder

at times i found the pacing meh, but this story was really interesting and asks a whole bunch of ethical questions. is it more moral to give a good person more life if it means taking that life from a person you judge as less good? what makes someone good? how do you truly know? can you ever? 4 stars. would recommend.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one at about 50% of the way through. The premise sounded amazing but the main character just irked me to no end. The character is in her mid-twenties but lacks the maturity you'd expect someone that age to have. She's a purposeful trainwreck and consistently makes the worst choices. Being inside her head as the reader is awful because of how negative and self-enabling she is. I had hoped to see character growth from her, and to be fair it may happen in the second half of the book, but I just couldn't take it anymore. There were a few things I enjoyed about this book such as the queer rep. The main character's slow descent into being less and less ethical was also interesting but overshadowed by the awkward pacing and general helpless to change her ways attitude of the main character.

One morning Thea wakes up and discovers that she can now see when people will die, just by touching them – and her best friend is going to die later that night. In her desperation to save her friend, she accidentally makes another discovery – she can change that fate – but it requires choosing someone else to die instead. This sets Thea off on a quest of both philosophy and murder. She has the ability to take life from those who don’t deserve it, and give it to those who do – but how to go about it? How to make those calls? What criteria to use? Thus she begins crafting: The Ethical Guide to Murder. But of course, you know what they say about good intentions….

This has a fairly sassy and irreverent writing style, particularly in the first half, so I think I was expecting it to be a sassy and irreverent book, and it very much was not. There is a simmering undercurrent of rage in the writing as well, alongside genuine philosophical ponderings, and that ends up being far more indicative of where the story leads. It gets extremely dark, and every action has unintended consequences and characters are pushed to their extremes. This book really prods at the morals and ethics of how to deem someone good or evil and what to do with that information.

I personally had a bit of a hard time getting through the book as I found absolutely every character to be unappealing. Even the “good” characters are kind of unpleasant, and the primary duo of Thea and Sam are downright unsettling as they moralize their way through quite a few murders in a short amount of time. But I also tend towards lighter fare, so that isn't really a knock on the book so much as it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Star Rating: 4.5/5 - Not at all the book for me, but I can't deny that it was very well-crafted

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.