The book starts off with Victoria planning to murder her husband, Warren. She drives to a hardware store out of town and plans to buy all the materials she needs with cash. This woman has thought this through. However, Victoria’s plans get side tracked when a major social event is moved up to that exact night. The next morning Warren is found dead.
Another book where I am immediately hooked in to the story. I need to find out what happened! This was steady paced story throughout. I really liked the one scene at the Gala. I can’t talk about it because I don't want to give anything away.
I don't recall seeing this book all over Bookstagram, although I could have missed it. If you read this book DM me so we can chat about it!

Read This Book If:
🎭You want a twisty domestic thriller
🎭You want a steady paced book
🎭You want the villian to get what he deserved


Will be posted to IG ASAP

What the?! Clearly, I put off reading this author for much too long, and now that Mandy McHugh blew me away with It Takes Monsters, I definitely need to go back and read her debut ASAP. From the very beginning, I had no idea where the story was going to go, and it took me places I didn’t expect at all. The story is told completely from Victoria’s viewpoint, and I almost feel like that heightened the suspense even more for me. The climax is bold and completely wild, and while you will have to suspend some disbelief, it is totally worth it. One part especially shocked me and all I can say is hold on to your hat’s folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

I also have nothing but praise to sing about the audiobook which Alex Picard narrates. She made this an incredible listening experience and even if I hadn’t loved the book as much as I did, I still would have loved her. Her tone, pacing, and emotion were all perfectly on point, so you can’t go wrong by listening to It Takes Monsters. I also highly recommend going into the book as blindly as possible as that will just up the suspense and curiosity factor. It was truly a mind-blowing read that kept me guessing, and I can’t wait to see what McHugh will write next!

Victoria's husband wants to run her father's company. Solo, rather than jointly with her. He'd like nothing more than for her to become a domestic goddess. So Victoria is plotting to kill him.

However, before she can execute her plan, he turns up dead and it appears she is being framed for his murder.

I struggled with this one. The characters were all very unlikeable to the point I didn't feel engaged. Normally this is my type of book, but I felt disconnected.

I did love that Victoria was a baddie not standing for being made an (un) happy housewife. And the short chapters made for a quick read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers - Scarlet for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for It Takes Monsters since I loved Chloe Cates so much. Unfortunately this one was a DNF for me. None of the characters were likable and sadly the storyline didn’t hold my interest.

IT TAKES MONSTERS by @acmchughwriter was a slow and steady thriller with everything from consistent suspense to sinister characters.

Victoria was a delight with her thought play, while her husband Warren was, ugh, just Warren. Not a fan at all! I don't want to dig too deep because even though I caught on to the twist early, it's still shockingly messed up! If you're looking for rich people to despise, IT TAKES MONSTERS may be right up your alley.

Victoria has been married to her husband Warren for ten years--but things are not going as planned. He wants her to quit her high-powered job and become a mommy--something that really would cramp her style. What's a girl to do but off him? Unfortunately, someone gets to it before she can do the deed. But that doesn't mean all her problems are solved... someone knows what she had up her sleeve and is sending her messages. They KNOW. Plus, a detective is hot on her heels. This was a fun, twisty, deliciously dark read!

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re in a reading slump and need a dark twisty psychological thriller - go grab It Takes Monsters by Mandy NOW!

Married for 10 years Victoria Tate has had it with her controlling husband Warren. So she plans to kill him.. only someone else beat her to it. Now she’s off the hook but someone else knows she had plans and is sending her messages to make sure she doesn’t forget that she’s not completely innocent. With a detective on her trail and a stalker who knows the truth - You don’t know who to trust throughout the whole read!

Victoria confides in her sister Teagan and the witty banter these 2 have back and forth makes the book even better. The twists and turns will make you breathless and keep you on the edge of your seat. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and 3/4 of the way through I put it down because I did not want it to be over so fast!

Thank you Penzler publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this read.

#ittakesmonsters #thriller #psycholgicalthriller #mystery #whodunit #suspense #fallreads #newrelease #bookstagram

Victoria Tate has reached her breaking point with her controlling and incompetent husband, Warren. She's decided to plan the perfect murder to free herself from his grip, but the task proves more challenging than she anticipated. To complicate matters further, the social event of the year, an extravagant costume ball, is rescheduled for the very date she's chosen for her crime. Victoria now faces a race against time to ensure she can proceed with her plan. She immerses herself in crime podcasts, seeking guidance, but little does she know that a dramatic twist awaits her: Warren ends up dead at the hands of another, not her own.

Suddenly, Victoria finds herself entangled in a murder investigation where she is genuinely innocent. The true killer revels in taunting her, revealing that they were aware of her intentions from the beginning. As the police close in, and her neighbors turn against her, Victoria stands to lose everything she had hoped to gain from Warren's death, unless she can uncover who wanted him dead and the motive behind it.

This is the kind of book that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go. While the characters may all be unlikable, this only adds to the intrigue, making it harder to guess who the real killer might be since each character appears capable of such a crime. Victoria makes for an engaging protagonist as she navigates her circumstances and relationships following her husband's death, all while being taunted by the true killer via text messages, creating a suspenseful and thrilling atmosphere. The conclusion is nothing short of shocking.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one, my first by Mandy McHugh (I know, I know). It was full of twists, some I did not see coming and had me reacting as I read, which you know I always love. It’s always fun when many people want someone dead, it helps to keep you guessing and usually in this case I am wrong. Victoria was a great protagonist, I enjoyed how she navigated her situation and her relationships in the aftermath of losing her husband, the one she wanted to kill and didn’t get there fast enough mind you, and having the real killer taunt her via text was genius. The ending was wild, left me gasping and omg’ng, and just I love it when an author is not afraid to push it a bit, which absolutely occurred here. I loved this one so much, if you have not read it yet you must add it to your list!

Thank you to Scarlet Suspense and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for the digital copy to review.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5 on here)

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

“She had decided to kill her husband. But then somebody else got there first.”

I was drawn to this book by the cover and this first line! And man am I not upset about that at all! This book does not disappoint or let down the readers! It was such a good book and just kept me wanting more! I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know where the author was going to go with the storyline and how it was going to end. There were some characters that I just felt like they were from the Real Housewives and that just turned me to a little (which is where the .5 stars got lost). I felt like they were just superficial and in it for the money and that got frustrating at times. But overall, the thrilling and mystery aspect of the book was fantastic and I cannot wait to see what McHugh comes out with next!

This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I actually went into this blind knowing how much I loved Chloe Cates is Missing and I am glad I did because this has an amazing opening line. There are some excellent pop culture references and this deserves to be read with a glass of red wine. McHugh really brings it with a gruesome murder, bizarre character interactions and cat-and-mouse plot that will have you on the edge of your seat. I read this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down.

It Takes Monsters is my first book by Mandy McHugh but it won’t be my last. If I could use one work to describe this book, it would be intense. The intensity kept me turning the page and the humor kept me completely invested in Victoria. McHugh perfectly portrayed a cat and mouse game.

Chloe Cates was such a smart thriller and that was I expecting here. What I actually got was some Real Housewives level bs. Every character was so vapid and annoying that they all could have died for all I cared. DNF at 29%

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC of It Takes Monsters!

I really wanted to love this one because I was amazed by her last book, Chloe Cates is Missing, but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. The characters were highly unlikable, the pacing was a bit too slow, and I didn’t like the ending. I’ll still be watching for Mandy’s next thriller though!

This was my first novel by Mandy McHugh and boy was it a good one. This twisty thriller was so intense it had me wanting more. I flew through this book because it gripped my from the beginning! The charters were a tiny bit unlike able but made the story great! I cannot wait to read more books by this author!

4.5 stars

This book starts out strong and doesn’t let up the whole way through. I was instantly hooked on the writing and plot. Victoria Tate isn’t happy with her husband, Warren, trying to push her out of the company by saying they should start a family. (Meaning she should stay home with the babies.) She actually plans to kill him after the gala event that night. Things don’t go as she plans and Warren never comes home that night. Soon, Victoria finds out that he was murdered, but she didn’t do it.

The sarcastic wit throughout the book was on point. Victoria’s banter with her sister, Teagan, was fun, too.

The action throughout the book was fast paced and intense, at times.

Thank you to @thrillerbookloverspromotions @scarletsuspense and the author for the advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one didn’t work for me. I was able to guess the twist from the very beginning and the characters were absolutely dreadful.

The main character of this dark thriller was actually planning to get rid of her overbearing husband, when someone beats her to it and sets out to frame her. I loved the plot and the methodical manner in which the heroine is trying to solve the mystery of her spouse’s murder. A terrific and scary tale!

Wow, what an intriguing thriller full of twists and turns! This is my first novel by Mandy McHugh and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you @netgalley  @acmchughwriter & @thrillerbookloverspromotion for my early copy.

Once Victoria has decided that her husband must die, all she has to do is put her plan into action. So she looks for the hardware store furthest from her home to buy all the equipment for the perfect murder. But before she has a chance to kill him, he turns up dead. His brutal and unexplained murder has put a wily detective on her trail, and now Victoria must find the killer before she is accused of the murder herself.

This was a fun ride with many unpleasant characters and a convoluted plot that had me guessing almost to the end.
Victoria and her sister Teagan were constantly bickering at each other and I particularly enjoyed the banter between them.

This is an author I will be certainly watching out for in the future!

Mandy McHugh returns following Chloe Cates Is Missing with IT TAKES MONSTERS — a woman planning on killing her husband; however, someone else beats her to the punch in this cat-and-mouse clever domestic suspense blended with dark humor.

Victoria Tate and her husband Warren live in the prestigious Kent Wood development, working together in her father's company, Livingston Corporation. Livingston women got married and had babies. She will have it all. The husband, house, and successful career. She loved her independence. He did not see her as an equal.

She and Warren skirted the edge in a dark dance for power.

Victoria has had enough of Warren trying to grab the company and push her aside, thinking she would be the wife to stay home and have children. No chance. She has worked too hard for this position, and he will not take over the company. She is running out of time. Warren was taking away her choice.

Victoria has studied and listened to true crime podcasts and feels like she is a pro and can pull off the perfect crime. She carefully plans the night of her husband's murder. However, the gala of one of their major clients is on the same night. It is a black-tie and masked affair in October.

Victoria also has a sister, Teagan, who is a doctor (plastic surgeon), and they are always at each other's throats with hilarious banter.

At the gala, Warren is drunk, and she finally leaves. However, he does not come home as intended, so she must clean up per plastic and prep. Then the cops show up, and he has been murdered.

How dare someone murder him before she has a chance. She is obsessed with solving this mystery. When she learns this was a brutal murder using a knife and his eyes removed, she is shocked. Did he have enemies?

Soon thereafter, she begins receiving texts from someone named X. X seems to know a lot about her and her plans. X begins taunting her and seems to be one step ahead of her. Who is X? Is X the murderer and the motive? She slowly begins to learn her husband has deep secrets.

Once you think the book is wrapped up with the identity of X, there is a final jaw-dropping twist when Victoria takes back the power. Often, the monsters are within us or right in front of us.

Mandy McHugh delivers a twisty game of cat and mouse murder in IT TAKES MONSTERS. However, who is the cat, and who is the mouse? Sinister, disturbing, and wickedly evil. For fans of authors Kaira Rouda and Victoria Helen Stone.

Thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for an early reading copy for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
Oct 2023 Must-Read Books
My Rating: 4 Stars