What I liked -
🔪 Quirky female serial killer
🔪 Reminded me of Sweet Pea, How to Kill your Family and How to kill men and get away with it
🔪 Genuinely funny in places
🔪 interesting three dimensional backstory with goof character development

Things I didn’t love so much -
🔪 I didn’t actually like the main character
🔪 Plot seemed a little jerky sometimes

Overall a fun quirky read that’s a great addition to the female serial killer genre.

This book started well but it didn't hold my attention as much as I wanted it to. There does seem to be a lot of female serial killer books to choose from so we are perhaps a little spoilt for choice in this genre. That said, it raised issued around abuse of the elderly and vulnerable and Claire's efforts to right wrongs with her skewed approach to justice.

The tension in this book is palpable from start to finish. A true nail-biter that will leave you breathless, this is a one of a kind in my opinion and was just fab!!!!

What a little riot of a book You'd Look Better as a Ghost was! I've read a few books in the woman-becomes-serial-killer-for-payback/revenge genre recently and this one can hold its own!

Lead character Claire is definitely Marmite - she's both funny and annoying but engaging enough so you just go the ride with her. Ultimately I was sucked into the story and found I couldn't stop turning the pages - always a good sign!

You'd Look Better as a Ghost is a fast paced thriller, with the interesting perspective of being written via the perspective Claire an artist turned serial killer who returns grudges and frustrations in the form of sadistic brutal murder and somehow gets embroiled in a case of blackmail at a retirement home, something well outside her comfort zone given she is very much not a detective and more so the killer.

I would say if you have enjoyed books about a strong female lead that would be considered as anti-hero (e.g. Jennings Villanelle) then you'll likely enjoy this book.

I was intrigued by this book, however I did struggle to get into it. I may have a break and try again.
Thank you netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

You’d Look Better As A Ghost is the first novel by British author, Joanna Wallace. The only bright spot in Claire’s life as she accepts condolences at her beloved father’s funeral is the news that her entry into the Keiver Emerging Artist prize has been shortlisted. When she gets an apology email telling her that was in error, she veers between anger and wanting to swallow a handful of pills. Impulsively, she stalks the sender, Lucas Kane from his office to a nearby pub.

Pleased to have pulled an attractive blonde, Lucas willingly goes home with Claire, who has decided his sincerity is lacking and punishes him accordingly, then disposes of his remains in her back garden. He’s not the first, and won’t be the last, although she hasn’t taken her usual level of care. Claire is a serial killer with no tolerance of those who try her patience. She always feels her art is much better when she’s meticulously planning a murder

Attending a Bereavement Support Group at the suggestion of her GP demonstrates for Claire that each person handles grief differently. Quite a quirky bunch, they are: a Robust Welshman, a Camilla Parker-Bowles imitation, a relentless note-taker, and a weirdly-dressed hoarder, with an overweight touchy-feely facilitator. One of them latches onto Claire for an unexpected and alarming reason.

It turns out that someone knows about her occasional pastime, and intends to profit from it. But is it a good idea to blackmail a serial killer? At one stage, Claire muses “I thought it would be difficult killing someone as pleasant as XXX, but it turned out to be just as easy as killing all those people I didn’t like.”

What a brilliant debut! Wallace’s plot twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing right up to the final reveals. The narrative occasionally slips into Claire’s youth, giving a bit of background to her unusual tendencies. Wallace gives the reader laugh-out-loud dialogue with a good helping of (often delicious) irony.

For all their funny ways, her characters have depth and appeal, and are endowed with some insightful observations: “…having the word ‘care’ in a job title is not necessarily indicative of a caring nature” and “I’ve never given grief the respect it deserves. Drawing no distinction between strong, weak, rich or poor, it ploughs through everyone’s lives the same, leaving identical mounds of emotional debris behind.”

This is a clever, blackly funny and highly irreverent read, and more from Joanna Wallace is eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail/Viper.

Another week, another female serial killer novel. Don't you just love'em? I do! Other fans will enjoy this addition to this growing niche genre or rather subgenre in which women take their revenge on men or on anyone who gets in their way or who the killer believes should suffer for their crimes.

While most of these novels' main characters are women who kill, not all of them are funny. Claire is pretty funny. She's also not someone to mess with. She is portrayed as being not just fierce but quite complex; we also get some insights into her past and what led her to become who she is now.

Not much more can be said without spoilers. If you like the genre, give it a try. If a measly 3 stars seems a bit low, it's only because we are rather spoiled for choice in this genre for the moment and other books have just appealed to me that bit more.

Morally grey? Check! Female serial Killer? Check! Dark humour? Check!

I enjoyed this read! there wasn't anything refreshing about the plot, but I loved how it was told. I enjoyed the humour and appreciated the dark content as I believe it was intended to be read. It had more exploration beyond the masked dark humour surface and you actually uncover some very important topics that are expressed really quite cleverly - that I applaud.

Claire is a part time serial killer whose hobby is about to be discovered as she is being watched. When she's not killing people, she is attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to make a career out of her art. She will do anything to keep her secret hidden...

I thought I'd absolutely love this book because of it following a female serial killer but unfortunately, this one was just okay. I started off really enjoying the book but as the book progressed, I felt my enjoyment dwindle. It had two timelines - then and now - the then provided a backstory to Claire's character and her first kill, which was quite obvious who this would be and the now following her present day murders. I definitely found the then timeline to be more interesting as I wanted to know more about why she started killing, as well as what her childhood was like.

There were some things in this book that felt too convenient for me like some murders where it seemingly made all of Claire's problem disappear for a short while. At first, I did like Claire and found her quite funny but the more into the book I got, the more I began to feel bored by her and started to not like her as I found her to be irritating and rude. I didn't find the plot twists to have as much shock factor as I hoped, with some being very predictable. It also uses a lot of stigmatised language, especially around suicide and people with alcohol and substance use disorders.

⚠️ CWs: elderly abuse, cursing derogatory language, child abuse and neglect, alcohol use, grief, murder, blood, dementia, gun use, domestic abuse, person with alcohol and substance use disorders, panic attack, vomiting, cheating; mentions death, suicidal ideation, fatphobia, racism, animal cruelty resulting in death, miscarriage ⚠️

Thank you Viper and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Always interesting when you're not sure whether you should be on the side of the main character or not. Claire was such an interesting main character.. I laughed, I pulled my face into a grimace more than once and overall really enjoyed this.

Fans of 'How to kill men and get away with it' look no further. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, never quite knowing whether I wanted to route for or against our FMC Claire. The descriptions were so vivid I felt truly immersed in the story.

I listened to the audiobook of this and the narrator really did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life, I was even laughing out loud at various points.

The overall plot really did keep me guessing, with constant little reveals and plot twists - I went into this book semi-blind and I'm so glad I did, it felt as though I was experiencing everything live along with the FMC.

Definitely a fun book to read (or listen to), I devoured it!

You'd Look Better as a Ghost is a fun female serial killer book.

Claire has got a nasty habit of killing people who she believes deserve to die. Like a part-time Dexter, but with lower standards of evil. She's also newly bereaved as her beloved dad has died and she's joined a grief support group, which produces additional issues with people trying to get to know her.

An enjoyable romp for lovers of the Sweet Pea books.

Fun and original. A bit mad but I do enjoy the kind of premise of a woman going mad and killing people.
So when Claire enters a time of her life when she seems to have no luck, she responds terribly. Or entertainingly, for us.
I think for people that enjoy books by Mona Awad, Ottessa Moshfegh or She's a Killer, this is for you.

EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

Sometimes you just need a serial killer to come along and capture your attention… Wallace has created an absolute gem with this one. Everything about this book just oozes excellence.

Claire is brilliant. I have loved her, she is relatable, likeable and I’ve enjoyed the journey through this one with her. The negative, Claire is a serial killer. It feels strange to say that I have liked a serial killer but just something about her has been brilliant.

This is an addictive and unpredictable read. I have devoured this over the period of twenty four hours because I have been so unwilling to put this down. I am a converted fan of Wallace and already eagerly anticipating what may be coming next.

This is beautifully written and pulls you in quickly. Wallace has captured my attention and held me hostage until the very last page. I love the unpredictability of Claire and not knowing when she will strike next. Wallace has made me feel as though I have been watching this one play out ahead of me.

I love that we get glimpses into the past which allow us to understand Claire even deeper. Wallace has filled this book with grief, lies and murder. However, I have loved every moment. This is a book that has had me torn between wanting to devour quickly and wanting to savour every last sentence.

I can safely say that Wallace is definitely going to be an author to watch out for. This book is just completely fantastic, there is nothing negative I can say about this gem.

This book should be on everyone’s TBR. You’d be missing out not to read this one. It’s a brilliant read and one I highly recommend.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

Sometimes you just need a serial killer to come along and capture your attention… Wallace has created an absolute gem with this one. Everything about this book just oozes excellence.

Claire is brilliant. I have loved her, she is relatable, likeable and I’ve enjoyed the journey through this one with her. The negative, Claire is a serial killer. It feels strange to say that I have liked a serial killer but just something about her has been brilliant.

This is an addictive and unpredictable read. I have devoured this over the period of twenty four hours because I have been so unwilling to put this down. I am a converted fan of Wallace and already eagerly anticipating what may be coming next.

This is beautifully written and pulls you in quickly. Wallace has captured my attention and held me hostage until the very last page. I love the unpredictability of Claire and not knowing when she will strike next. Wallace has made me feel as though I have been watching this one play out ahead of me.

I love that we get glimpses into the past which allow us to understand Claire even deeper. Wallace has filled this book with grief, lies and murder. However, I have loved every moment. This is a book that has had me torn between wanting to devour quickly and wanting to savour every last sentence.

I can safely say that Wallace is definitely going to be an author to watch out for. This book is just completely fantastic, there is nothing negative I can say about this gem.

This book should be on everyone’s TBR. You’d be missing out not to read this one. It’s a brilliant read and one I highly recommend.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Claire is mourning the loss of her father and has been sent to a bereavement group by her GP however, all is not as it seems as Claire is a serial killer. I know you’re not supposed to love serial killers, but I loved Claire with her quirky but thoroughly honest outlook on life (and death). I just laughed out loud at the outlandish characters, and the quite absurd situations that Claire manages to get into ( and is it alright to want her to kill some of the people in the novel?). Having said that the novel also deals with some tough topics including child and elder abuse. I was enjoying it so much that I also listened to it on audio and the narrator is a genius and had me laughing even more. I will definitely be looking out from more from this author and this book is definitely one of my top books of the year. Many thanks to Net galley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

I love a female serial killer! Give me a morally grey, witty female protagonist who’s a bit stabby and I’m here for it! This one was no exception.

Although I feel like there has been an influx of this type of read as of late, this one managed to stand out and be original.

I loved Claire, she was a well developed and really likeable character. One who you know has done terrible things, but you root for not to get caught all the same.

The storyline was interesting and the supporting characters were well fleshed out and really added to the plot. The twists were interesting and well done, nothing felt out of place or done for the sake of it either.

I enjoyed the use of dual timelines to help build a better picture of Claire and her life. I definitely think this helped with character development and made her seem more real. Also relatable!

I really enjoyed it, will definitely be recommending and I’m excited to read more from the author.

*I did purchase the audiobook to read alongside and it is absolutely brilliant!*

I love the title of this book and I was intrigued to start reading. The story is told from the viewpoint of the main character Claire, who just happens to be a serial killer. It's an enjoyable read with dark humour throughout.

Before I talk about the content of You’d Look Better As A Ghost, I have to mention the cover. I love it. It’s simple, bold, bright (the hubby said garish) and for me, it’s got a slight pulp fiction feel to it. Striking is possibly the best word for it!

I loved meeting Claire. Yes she does have the best name and it is spelt right 😂 but she is a brilliant protagonist too. she’s wrapped in grief for the one person in the world who ever looked out for her, her dad. As I followed Claire around, she gave me snippets of her upbringing, showing me how her dad was her one true friend.

As I got to know Claire and got to “see” her righting the wrongs against her, I started to sympathise with her. She was mentally in a rough place losing her dad, some incompetent bar steward giving her a sniff of success before whipping it away from (stupid boy, soon paid for that mistake). But then Pandora’s box is opened when Claire meets Jenna at a bereavement group and a catalogue of events unfolded leading me through a very entertaining enjoyable read.

This reminds me of How To Kill Your Family and How To Kill Men And Get Away With It, mixed with a little bit of Sweetpea. It’s dark with its humour with a female lead who is ridding the world of people she believes need to pay. Wallace has created a remarkable tale that had me rooting from the killer, the one I’d normally want to be caught but in Claire, I wanted her to succeed in her mission

You’d look Better as a Ghost. Is a stand-alone debut book.

A story of a serial killer. It is full of quirky dark humor with lots of twists and turns.

A well-written fast fast-paced story with an abundance of likeable characters.

It is all murder, lies and abuse with a dash of kidnapping.

Loved this book a must for any dark humour fans.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.