I am a big John Marrs fan, but I have to admit this was not one of my favorites. For most of the book I was confused, I didn’t understand where some of the people fit in, but then it all came together and I ended up enjoying the book.

This book starts off hot – quite literally! A woman is trapped in the middle of a huge bonfire, perilously close to being burned alive. Who is she? Who put her there? And the biggest question of all: Why?

We’re then taken back nearly a year to when all the drama first started. A new family moves into the neighborhood, and newcomer Liv quickly befriends Anna and Margot. But beneath the thin veneer of friendship, something darker is lurking – jealousy, backstabbing, and deadly secrets. As the plot drives closer to Bonfire Night, things start to unravel between the three of them.

Although this one starts as a bit of slow burn as we get to know all of the players, you better buckle up, because John Marrs is gonna take you on the kind of wild, twisty ride that is his trademark. The cattiness, infighting, and sly insults are delicious, and the tension that ratchets up as we head toward Bonfire Night and beyond had me glued to my AirPods. John Marrs is so diabolically clever that every time I thought I had the whole thing figured out, he threw me for another loop. My jaw was literally dropped multiple times! It’s all a bit over the top in a Desperate Housewives kind of way, but that’s the fun of the whole thing! The audio is really well done with multiple narrators giving each of the narrators a distinct voice and personality.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

John Marrs you have done it again. How this man keeps coming up with these stories and make them so addictive and fun to read is beyond me but I hope that he keeps doing it for a very long time to come.

I was so disappointed to miss out on the ebook for this and delighted when I was approved for the audiobook l I could not stop listening to it once I started . These women were just so awful! A full cast of narrators, including the fabulous Clare Corbett brought this crazy story to life. They were all fantastic giving a voice to these characters.

Multiple timelines and points of view make this a fast read that impossible to thinking about. There are plenty of twists that will shock you and John Marrs is not afraid to go that extra mile. The secrets and lies in this book would make Pinocchio blush! i just loved it so much.

Go in blind, the less you know the better.

Thank you so so much to Brilliance Audio for my advanced copy to listen to. I will be telling all my friends to read this.

YOU KILLED ME FIRST is a fast paced thriller you're not going to want to put down. It has a lot surprises throughout the book that make you question what's happening. The ending really had one of the best twists that I've read in a while. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my copy. This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to publication date.

Sex, lies and videotape. Desperate Housewives. What an adrenaline filled twisty, turny thriller. The multiple povs at tge beginning were a bit confusing but all worked out at the end. So many twists and reveals will leave you with whiplash!

The cast of narrators were amazing.  Top notch quality.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and Netgalley for the ALC!

Buckle up because this is one wild ride!

The story opens with a woman trapped in a bonfire, with no idea how she got there. As the story unfolds, we learn about three women - Margot, Anna and Liv. Their relationships are a bit dramatic and the level of cattiness at some parts had me laughing out loud - even at some parts I wouldn’t think I would laugh at! The way Marrs balanced out suspense with dark humor was brilliant.

It took me a little bit to get into this, but I promise you I’m glad I stayed with it because then I simply could not put it down! The mystery surrounding the woman at the beginning and the events leading up to the bonfire kept me on the edge of my seat, and the level of tension was palpable. Shocking twists and secrets made my jaw drop.

“You Killed Me First” releases March 4, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I must admit this book had me at the Cover/Title – This totally peaked my interest – it has friends, new friends and friends with secrets. This book was fun, mysterious and I couldn’t put it down. I was blown away at the twists and turns – you will be too! Shout out to the narrators – they made this so much fun as if you was right there with them! Thank you for the ARC Net Galley #YouKilledMeFirst#JohnMarrs #NetGalley

This reminded me of Local Woman Missing.

Three women hiding secrets all manipulating each other, all greedy and selfish but putting on a front.

Sadly, this didn’t stand out from any other thrillers I’ve read, and I don’t typically read a lot.
Instead of getting the Black Mirror vibes i adore from his other works, we get Desperate Housewives

I also wasn’t a fan of the random interjections in between chapters which I won’t go int due to spoilers - however, I don’t know if this was a bad depiction of mental health, but I wasn’t a fan.

This was a case of missed expectations from an author I normally really enjoy for unique plots and psychological impact.

Audiobook arc gifted by Brilliance Publishing.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for allowing me to listen to an audio ARC of this book.

I have read a decent number of John Marrs books -- my favorites being Keep in in the Family, The Good Samaritan & What Lies Between Us -- but have also read the books in The One Universe, and those were not my favorite. You Killed Me First, Marrs' newest book joins the favorites category, and is a tense thriller you won't want to miss!

The prologue immediately grabs your attention - a woman wakes to find herself tied up inside of a recently lit. She is unable to escape and no one can hear her pleas for help. Someone has given her a Bluetooth earpiece though, and mockingly informs her "You killed me first". And so begins the madness that is this book.

Then the timeline jumps back about a year, and begins to detail a friendship between 3 women: Anna & Margot, and Liv who just moved in. Each woman has a different, seemingly normal backstory, yet each of them are hiding dark secrets. The chapters are told, with the timeline getting closer and closer to the fire in the prologue. We learn everyone's dirty secrets and how these women are a really connected. And it will definitely surprise you!

I was so excited to get a copy of this audiobook. The mixed-voice cast did a fantastic job. Each of the characters were unique and came through individually, and the women quite literally stole the show. The pacing was good and the plot, while slow at first, really got rolling around the halfway point and never slowed down! It was a whirlwind of twists-and-turns, a cat-and-mouse game and lots and lots of dirty secrets. All of the individual stories really came together in a way I wasn't expecting, and I LOVED it!

If you like dark, twisty mystery/thrillers, with girl drama and lots of secrets, you will love this book! I would definitely recommend it for your next book club read!

Once again, I am on outlier island! 🏝️

John Marrs’ What Lies Between Us remains the standard by which I compare all his psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, nothing he has written after this book has come close to reaching this high bar.

I was super excited to receive the audiobook ARC of You Killed Me First, as the limited quantity of ARCs flew off the NetGalley shelf faster than I could hit the request button! The audiobook includes an all-star cast, but I had a very difficult time distinguishing the three women’s voices from each other and the reader who voiced Drew screamed through his portion.

This game of cat and mouse feels overly contrived, and it took way too long to get to the first twist (not until 50%), so I was super lost. However, I decided to just go with it and hoped that it would come together.

The plot eventually began to make sense, but at that point I didn’t really care about any of the characters. They are all so unlikeable that I had no one to root for. Yes, there are lots of twists, but they are so over the top!

John Marrs fans seem to really be enjoying this one, so please check out other reviews.

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Expected publication date: 3/4/25

Trigger warning: Although there is one scene of animal cruelty, no animals are actually harmed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance publishing for the ARC of You Killed Me First in exchange for an honest review.

Woohoo for a full cast audio! This fun popcorn thriller has the perfect mix of cattiness and secrets that any Desperate Housewives fan will enjoy. I loved the twists and turns and felt it was such a cleverly written thriller. John Marrs is great. I thought the audio was well done and would definitely recommend that route!

3.5-4 stars

After seeing some rave reviews, I had high hopes for another winner from John Marrs. While fun and desperate housewives-y, this one was "fine," in my opinion. I spent the first 60% a little confused about how some of the pieces connected. While I finally learned their connection, it was a little OTT in my opinion. Still, the audio was well done.