Kitty Collins is an influencer, a socialite, and the vegan daughter of a meat processing tycoon. She's also a serial killer.

After being followed home by a drunk man who threatens her with violence, Kitty pushes him and accidentally kills him. Unbothered, and perhaps pleased, she decides to start killing the kind of men who shouldn't get to live - predators, ghosters, men who hurt women. What follows is a romp reminiscent of My Sister, the Serial Killer, but told from the perspective of the serial killer.

This book was fun, but didn't quite hit the mark for me. It wasn't irreverent enough to just be escapist fun and it wasn't reflective enough to process seriously the number of people killed by Kitty in this book. I would have appreciated either more of a moral reckoning for Kitty or for her to be a more full-blooded sociopath. The mix didn't quite work for me.

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It will be out June 13th, 2023. A perfect beach read or light-hearted October book.

Thanks so much to Katy Brent and Harper 360 for this ARC through NetGalley!

On the day the physical ARC of this dark, twisted, and audaciously funny novel showed up on my doorstep I knew I was going to love it when I read it simply from one little thing that has since been removed from the cover but was on my copy: If you look in the lower left hand corner of my picture, in very fine print, it says, “For legal purposes: a novel”.

Cheeky. I snickered over that small bit of fine print for a little bit and even took a pic of it and sent it to my bestie because I thought it was that cheeky.

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It isn’t a cheeky book, however. It’s dark, twisted, wicked smart, tragically funny, merciless in its anger, and unforgiving in its social criticisms. Katy Brent managed that rare feat of literary alchemy of perfectly weaving exposition into narrative without skipping a beat or losing a single bit of momentum in what had to have been a hard book to keep on track and keep even in both tone and pacing.

While men are the most obvious target of anger and criticism in this book, don’t think that a single character (including Kitty, our protagonist), is immune to being a target of the book’s criticisms. The second largest set of people this book targets with anger and criticism are people who are glued to their social media accounts and what they’ll do to grow their accounts, keep their followers, and keep the money from collaborations and sponcon coming in. The third largest set of people to be razed and criticized are the rich and their tendency to do things purely for the power of virtue signaling (eco-tourism, holding huge charity galas, visiting orphanages in war-torn countries, adopting war orphans only to have nannies raise them, etc).

Kitty Collins is the vegan heiress to a meat corporation. She’s been on her own since she was 18 and her mom moved to the south of France. Her dad went missing a couple of years before then. Kitty may be rich, but her posh apartment was set up for her by her mom before she left the UK and Kitty doesn’t spend any of the money she gets from being the heir to what she thinks of as blood money: she gets plenty of money and free products from just being Kitty Collins, one of the most popular influencers on Instagram. Her only family are her fellow astronomically-high follower count influencers, who she fully admits all have eating disorders, daddy issues, and absolutely have love affairs with alcohol and drugs of different shapes and sizes. They don’t tend to hang around other people, because who else is really worth their time?

Kitty doesn’t really like people, but especially men. When one follows her out of a bar after she turns down his advances they have a physical argument and the man falls onto a broken half of a champagne bottle, which goes straight into a major artery. Kitty can’t help him and knows it wasn’t completely her fault, so she leaves the man there and goes home.

The next day, she feels revitalized. She feels like she’s glowing. She doesn’t feel any guilt or remorse for what happened. She feels energetic and better than she has in some time. She took out a predator. A man who wanted to take what she wasn’t willing to give. She has no issue with that. She wouldn’t change a thing.

I love how Katy Brent engineers Kitty Collins’ “code” for killing to make it look like Kitty is doing her own kind of virtue signaling by committing these vigilante murders: No kids, no women, no disabled people, no veterans, no homeless people, etc. As if murder isn’t murder no matter how you frame it. Not to mention, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and rules were made to be broken. As Kitty sits down to write herself her “code”, you can’t help but get the feeling that this code is going to come back and bite her in the butt later. You have to be careful with murder. You can’t risk recklessness. That’s how you get caught.

The barbed, mocking tone that permeates this book is a joy to read simply because it matches up so nicely with the vacuousness of social media culture. Think of how easy it is to mock the people who are famous simply for being…them? How does one get famous and rich simply for being spotted at that one party that one night at the same time as that one celebrity and now somehow they have 10K more followers on Insta and are being sent sponcon and asked to collaborate for companies that aren’t scams? But once you’re up there with the influencers who have more followers than the population of a decent-sized city, what else is there? Who else is there? All day, every day, you’re just treated like an empty piece of meat for the public to consume. What will you do about it?

I was provided a digital galley of this title by NetGalley and the author. I was also provided a physical ARC of this title by the folks at HarperCollins through their influencer program. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Read/Dark Comedy/Murder Thriller/Psychological Fiction/Satire/Suspense Thriller/Vigilante/Women’s Fiction

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It follows Kitty, a social media influencer by day and Tinder vigilante/serial killer by night. Kitty makes it her mission to kill men who have wronged women, but what happens when her nighttime hobby catches up with her?

To start this off: I absolutely loved this book. It was an easy read that flowed smoothly, I could not put this book down once everything started to get rolling, but what made this book special is how the author wrote Kitty as a true morally gray character. You know what she is doing is wrong, but you oddly cannot stop rooting for her. The ending was incredibly satisfying and tied everything in the story together nicely. This was an engaging read for anyone who likes true crime, revenge, and that SNL skit about watching murder shows.

Something to keep in mind is that this book does get gory in regards to both humans and animals, and the author does not shy away from this aspect. If this is a trigger for you, I do not recommend reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit, I was immediately drawn to this book because of the title. Yeah, I know that’s a stupid reason to read a book, however, after reading the really brief book summary, I highly suspected that the story would be in the dark humor genre, but it was more like a tragicomedy, a term I recently came across. Has anyone else come across this term before? While it may sound like “dark humor”, it’s really not; there are subtle differences between the two.

The book summary basically just lays out the start of the story. There is also a secondary storyline of a creep who is stalking Kitty. While a lot of readers will find Kitty totally unlikeable, I actually found her entertaining. I liked how she stood up for her friends when they were treated less special than her at public events. No, she is not someone I would choose as a friend or even someone I would socialize with, but as an MC, she was so snarky and snappy, I couldn’t help but laugh at her, pretty much from the get-go. I love MC(s) that can make me laugh😊

That probably has a lot more to do with my attitude and opinion of Influencers than anything else. I find them absolutely ridiculous and so many of them remind me of Kitty. I have pretty much the same reactions to them whenever I come across them IRL. I am not ashamed to admit that quite a few of them have been just as unabashed about telling me what to do or where I can go when I have publicly called them and their behavior out at various establishments. That’s a whole other story for another time though

Anyway, as the bodies mount up, Kitty becomes committed to her mission to rid London of despicable men. She even makes a list of rules of dealbreakers of what she can and cannot do in her quest. I also liked how she didn’t take crap from men. When faced with an abusive man, she fought back! As soon as she became aware of red flags in her romantic relationships as well as men she dated, she made it clear that she wouldn’t put up with that crap. Some will say she’s entitled, but I say that she refused to be a doormat! Lmao A murderer with a moral compass and boundaries!!! How very Dexter-like!

For most of the story, Brent takes the reader on an in-depth journey of Kitty and her escapades and excursions from one murder scene after another. It’s deep into the second half that Kitty mentally, emotionally as well as physically hits a brick wall and her crimes and transgressions begin to take the proverbial toll and she crashes and burns (figuratively). The end gets a little messy, which can be the difference between a 3star and 4star rating, at least for me.

I highly suspect that a lot of people are not going to like this book because they will not find Kitty likeable. I totally understand that; I am the same way. However, in this case, I actually liked Kitty, in spite of the fact that I often ridicule her kind (Influencers). Once again, her antics and shenanigans made me laugh, while at the same time were incredibly sad too (tragicomedy). This makes her a good MC in my book. And this folks, is why I prefer to read fiction instead of non-fiction! A story doesn’t have to be believable for me to enjoy it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Harper360 #HowtoKillMenandGetAwaywithIt

I had to DNF this book at 10%. And it had nothing to do with how the book was written, the narrator, but everything to do with how real it all felt. The book felt a little too on the nose for how I have been perceiving life lately and was giving me some anxiety.

I was intrigued by the description of the book. After reading it I would describe it as Dexter meets Sex in the City. Kitty is a socialite/social media influencer with a group of long time and quirky friends and their various love interests and all the drama that entails. There is a need to suspend belief with some of the plot but it is fun read with a good twist at the end. I really enjoyed Kitty's character and her somewhat twisted sense of purpose in her choice of victims. I will definitely be recommending this to people I know who enjoy a witty main character with a bit of a mystery.

FIrst of all, I read this book based on the title alone. The rest of the book was ehh. It was a fast read from the start, but incredibly predictable. The characters were not anything special, I found them to be flat and at times annoying. All that being said, the book was incredibly engaging. The title, amazing. The premise, amazing. I just wanted a little bit more from all of it.

Kitty, a wealthy influencer, finds herself on a killing spree. After being followed home one night, she pushed him, he fell on a broken wine bottle and died. The rush was so good that she found it impossible to stop killing the bad guys. But is there an issue with it when it is for revenge and the safety of women everywhere?

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was A LOT darker than I expected from the cover and definitely warrants the reader to read any warnings about this book before diving in, but it was also pretty hilarious and sardonic. I enjoyed reading this book even if I did have to skip a few pages here and there for my own sake

Kitty Collins a socialite and influencer who suddenly finds her purpose in life when she accidentally kills two lecherous men. Kitty decides to take out all problematic men and make a better life for her fellow ladies. The circumstances are a little far fetched but despite that “How to Kill Men and Get Away With It” is fun! Kitty becomes the female Dexter/Joe Goldberg but instead of being brooding and dark, she’s decked out in designer outfits and glowing. While she’s finding the undesirables, she’s also navigating a new relationship and being stalked. There’s a lot going on here (not to mention her dad has been missing since she was a teen).

Kitty’s turn as a serial killer is unrealistic. Yes, it’s fiction but I had a hard time completely accepting the reality of the book especially with true crime being so popular. If you can get around the many times your brain says “that would never happen” or “she’s definitely going to be caught because of this or this” you’ll be able to enjoy this a little more than I did. And perhaps there is just too much going on. The book has a lot of potential but is juggling too many plot points. It looses itself before the climax and there were a few instances where I suddenly felt Kitty was an unreliable narrator. The author threw a few twists in that I had a hard time reconciling with the character she’d built.

If you’re a fan of chick lit, characters with too much money, dark humor, and film noir (Ava Gardner in The Killers), you’ll enjoy this book. Despite it being unreal in certain parts, it’s still great escapism especially because the chapters are quick and the plot is fast paced.

Thank you to Harper 360 for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was fun! Love any female empowerment in books that actually has me rooting for the FMC easily. Really enjoyed it!

''Meet Kitty Collins.

FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

He was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone.

I hadn’t intended to kill him of course. But I wasn’t displeased when I did and, despite the mess I made, I appeared to get away with it.

That’s where my addiction started…

I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder. Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, How to Kill Your Family and Killing Eve will love this wickedly clever novel!''

This is a great mix of humour albeit the dark kind, there are weird disturbing vibes from the online stalker to say nothing of the threat from some people Kitty and her friends encounter on their nights out. This is a really good debut and an author to watch in the future.

It’s absolutely entertaining, smart, twisty, riveting psychological thriller! I’m rounding up 4.5 to 5 extra surprising, sarcastic, darkest stars! I absolutely had so much fun!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Super fun, vigilante justice with a influencer veneer. Really enjoyed this read!! Thanks for the ARC copy

Kitty is insufferable but that’s the point right?! I think it’s important readers go into this with a satire lense, otherwise it could be really hard to read. Having not taken it too seriously- I enjoyed! It’s like hate watching reality tv! Perfect pool read this summer!

Wow! So this is definitely Dexter-esque, yet incredibly unique and original. Just like in Dexter, Kitty is a very likable character- honestly, even her vain friends are likable.
Unputdownable!
Some scenes were a little gory- which isn’t really my thing, but it was necessary for the storyline.
Occasionally I was confused by some of the lingo the author used, but I figured it out.

This book started off really great and then I had a hard time keeping my interest. I loved the concept of Kitty getting revenge but I really didn’t care for the influencer lifestyle aspect. This ending up being pretty middle of the road for me.

A contemporary story that puts a twist on the #metoo movement. One woman, a social media influencer, takes matters into her own hands and goes on a killing spree to serve up her own kind of justice. Sort of a female Dexter. I liked it!

Kitty Collins is a beautiful woman. She loves wine and shopping and traveling with her girl friends. She’s an Instagram influencer with over a million followers, giving health and beauty tips. She’s also a brutal killer.

You see, Kitty is sick of men. Sick of their wandering eyes, lecherous hands and their blatant disrespect for women. She doesn’t like having to walk the streets with a weapon, to have her friends text her to tell her they got home safe. This has some “Promising Young Woman” vibes, only Kitty and her friends don’t have to pretend to be drunk. Men will still try to take advantage.

This book goes through the story of Kitty and her killings, which go back quite far. This vegan pacifist has decided she’s like a female Dexter, killing sexual predators and saving womankind from them. Soon, the killing escalates as her anger intensifies…can she really keep getting away with it?

This was obviously very tongue-in-cheek, with the protagonist being quite humorous in her own dark way. The ending started to get a bit more serious, and I’m still on the fence as to whether I liked it. Overall though, this was a fresh and funny debut novel that gets a solid four stars.

(Thank you to HQ, Katy Brent, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

The premise of this book really intrigued me and I have enjoyed a few other books that feature a female serial killer as the main character. I really expected to love this one, but unfortunately the main character just annoyed me far too much. I did not enjoy how much she thought she was above everyone else. I'm sorry to say I would not recommend this one.

Kitty is an influencer who discovers she has a thirst for killing men, specifically men who have wronged women.

I wanted to like this book so much based on the premise. However, there was too much romance (but not even like truly romance), and not enough intrigue. I think if it had more like Finlay Donovan vibes with humor and chaos. Plus I think Kitty being an influencer was a weird choice for protagonist. it made it harder to connect with her.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ — Wow! The first few sentences of this book really hooked me!! This was an exciting story about a vigilante Instagram Influencer, getting justice against men that have wronged women. Kitty was quite the character. I can't say that I loved anyone from this story, in fact I found Kitty pretty unlikeable, but it was interesting, and fast-paced narrative that I was able to fly through.

I think this is a story you can't go into very seriously. At times, it almost feels like satire, and I couldn't tell how much of this was the author intending to make fun of influencers/Instagram and being chronically online. The story kind of reminded me a bit of "Finlay Donovan is Killing It," in the comedic aspect, and also a bit like "They Never Learn," in terms of female mcs.

There is zero chance Kitty would have gotten away with any of the crimes she committed in the book, and we never actually get a tutorial on how to kill men and get away with it. Kitty, a young, pretty, Instagram influencer, just happens to know all the ways to clean up crime scenes and dispose of bodies. Not at all realistic, but fun to read if you go into it expecting a comedic crime story!