Okay. This book was amazing. I haven't read something with this many twists in SO LONG. It takes a lot to surprise me and my jaw was on the floor a handful of times. The pacing was great, the writing was stellar, the concept was super fun.

Without giving too much away, I love the long cons and multiple layers of deception. So freaking good.

Vengeful women = my favorite thriller trope. This book took it to the absolute next level. This is my first book by this author and you better believe I am going to read his entire backlist.

I think this is my first book hangover of 2024!!

Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh

When two women meet at a grief and loss support group, they bond over their loss and the sheer rage they feel that the perpetrators still walk the streets while their loved ones lie cold in the grave, unavenged.

An alchohol fueled night leads to a perfect solution: kill for me and I’ll kill for you. Vigilantism served with a side of revenge that seems to be the perfect solution for these ladies to move on with any sembalance of life. But as the story moves forward, things aren’t quite what they seem. With a murderer and a manipulator playing a deadly game of monkey in the middle, it’s only a matter of time before once catches up with the other.

So incredibly twisty with the most intricate of plots! Loved this pulse-pounding thriller from front to back! Bravo!

I tore through this story about two women bound by tragedy and the plans they put in place to seek revenge on those where justice did not prevail.

Why my nose was in this book:
- Original fast-paced story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading into the late hours
- One major twist in particular still has my jaw on the floor
- While I couldn’t relate to the two women, I felt their pain and sympathized with their struggles and that made me more invested in their journeys for revenge
- Plenty of suspense and action scenes that played out like a movie that had my hands clammy and heart racing
- Gravitated more toward Ruth’s story, than Amanda’s because while they both weren’t thinking properly, Amanda was more reckless, which frustrated me

This book was so dang good. It was fast-paced in the perfect way and had me not wanting to put it down.

This book definitely is one for fans of criminal minds!!

I feel like I can’t say more without giving things away so just do yourself a favor and add this one to your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the gifted ARC!

This one sadly didn’t work for me. I admittedly went in with pretty high expectations after all the glowing reviews, but it was just too ridiculous in my humble opinion.

The biggest thing I struggled with was the writing style. It was tangential and repetitive and at times it felt like the author was working overtime to prove he was familiar with Manhattan.

The book is on the shorter side and the pacing was somewhat snappy but I definitely felt that the exposition-heavy writing slowed things down. I didn’t feel like the characters were fully developed and there were times I had to double check which POV I was reading. Also, the dialogue felt kind of unnatural.

Overall, the plot is fun but outlandish and I felt like there were some predictable twists and a few that bordered on silly. It didn’t work for me but clearly I am in the minority here and everyone else is loving this!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader with a gifted copy. Obviously, all opinions are my own.

What did I just read? A plot like so twisted and wild that I had stop and re-read what just happened as the big finale. What I thought was going to happen didn’t. Everything shifted and I am blown away completely by this book.

Think Strangers on a Train - two complete strangers meet and both have someone they’d like to kill but can’t because they would be the obvious suspect. So obviously they agree to murder for each other.

Except this one is WAY more than just that - I don’t even know how to review it except that it shows that monsters can be anywhere and everywhere and can be created at any time.

Wow, what a great read! Had me hooked from the beginning to the end. Great character development and fast paced. Short chapters that kept me saying, just one more. LOL Highly recommend this book!

If you like reading thrillers that are unputdownable - pick up this book right now!! Don’t read the synopsis - just trust me. Steve Cavanagh is a must read thriller author and this is one you won’t want to miss. I think reading the summary gives away too much and it’s better to just dive in and let the story unfold.

As a reminder to myself - there’s also a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade/Stella moment.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

US pub date: 3/19/24
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Amanda and Wendy find themselves joking about a Strangers on a Train scenario of trading murders - but it turns out only one of them was joking...

I discovered Steve Cavanagh's thrillers with THIRTEEN, and I'm excited to see him make a bigger splash in the U.S. This book has been a bit polarizing among my friends - you either love it or you hate it, and I ended up loving it. It's definitely on the darker side as far as thrillers go, but I loved the twists and thought it all came together really well at the end. I read it in less than 24 hours despite the 400+ page length, and I thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride. 4.5 stars rounded to 5 for the entertainment value!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐: 4.9/5

DAMN HELL THIS BOOK!!! was SO GOOD!!

OMYGOSH!!🤯

That twist was GOOD!! LIKE DAMN FREAKIN’ GOOD!!

This is my first book by the author, and I do have some of his books listed in my TBR list but I’m so glad that I chose to read this!

This book is literally phenomenal! Like literally!! I am not kidding you! The way this story is executed especially that freakin’ twist was something that never crossed my mind. It LITERALLY made me gasp! The story is just AMAZING!👏👏 I loved every second of how it all was connected and how it kept me turning the pages.

From my reaction itself, you should know that this book is DAMN GOOD!🤣

I can’t talk about characters much without giving spoilers but my favorite character 👏 Amanda White👏 Damn her character was good! Her thoughts, emotions, reactions, and character were absolutely well-written! Also Detective Farrow! I love him!

There’s only one thing that I was unsatisfied with and that was Ruth. I do like her character but there is a scene where her emotions or should I say reactions didn’t give off any tension needed in that scene which is a scene I can’t share without giving spoilers. I wish she had more tension in that scene and then it would have been absolutely perfect!

It releases on March 19 and when it does, GO GRAB IT! because it’s freakin’ good!! I highly highly recommend it!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a fantastic read! Kill for Me, Kill for You was the perfect reimagining of the classic Strangers on a Train. I love that the book made this reference and then updated the theme to make it a bit more modern with some unexpected new twists along the way. There were twists and turns through the whole book leaving no dull moments.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher I can not say enough good things about this book. I was so exited when I got this arc copy I think I was jumping up and down.. this is one of my favorite tropes in a book 2 strangers meet and decide to swap murders . Love love loved.

This. Was. Amazing.

Did I figure out a couple twists along the way? Yes. Did it detract from this tour de force in any single way? Absolutely not.

Steve Cavanaugh has always been brilliant but this, in my opinion, is next level.

Wendy and Amanda each have a grudge. They each have someone they want to pay for a crime they were never convicted of. When they realize their similarities, they agree to commit a murder for each other. But when Wendy disappears, Amanda will stop at nothing to find her.

Twists and turns galore, Cavanaugh once again proves himself as a force to be reckoned with in Kill for Me, Kill for You.

With time running out, what lengths would you go to in order to get revenge?

Amanda has been wronged & justice has NOT been served - she doesn’t feel like her life can be about anything else until there’s some retribution, & she’s getting desperate since she lost her job & is running out of money. Wendy, a complete stranger, feels the same way. The two women cross paths & get to talking, brainstorming about how to get away with taking matters into their own hands…. & a flawless plan is formed: they’ll carry out each other’s vendettas.

Ruth has managed to survive a brutal stabbing after a break-in at her home, & the doctors tell her she’s lucky to be alive - but she doesn’t feel lucky, & she doesn’t feel safe anywhere knowing the blue-eyed man who attacked her could be out there waiting to finish what he started…

This was a dark book, & for the first half I wasn’t sure what these two storylines had to do with each other until a major reveal was made. As I kept reading, the plots continually thickened, & I could not believe how the hits just kept coming - these women go through a LOT. I’m still not over that ending.

Side note, I loved the reference to Ruth reading a Patricia Highsmith novel (the author of Strangers on a Train).

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

3.5*/5*

This book started out pretty slow for me. It was kind of hard to be interested in either storyline at first and I wanted to know how they connected. About 50% of the way through, the story picked up and eventually did suck me in. I never got to a point where I thought about DNF'ing it but I was slowly losing hope before the action picked up. The storyline was a little bit out there and it isn't the type of book where everything works out for everyone. I didn't see any of the twists coming, which I did enjoy a lot. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and am definitely going to check out more books by Steve Cavanagh.

If you love thrillers and are into serial killers, definitely give this book a shot! I will say if you aren't into multiple POVs, it may not be for you.

This book had a synopsis that grabbed my attention. Two women meet during a grief support group and form a chilling alliance. A page turning good time with strong characters and plenty of twists and turns.

A twist on 'Strangers on a Train' brings Steve Cavanaughs lastest gem.

Amanda and Wendy meet in a grieving loss of family group. Amanda lost her 6 yr old daughter to a horrid murder and her husband committed suicide after he blamed himself. Wendy talks of losing her own teenager to murder by a pedofile teacher. The two women hatch a plan as they share their stories that resulted in the loss of a loved one. They plan to help each other out - "Kill for me Kill for you" they carefully structure their alibi to evade law enforcement.

Just when you thought you knew what was happening, Steve is a master at flipping the plot on its head, with strong well development characters you are invested and will power through this book to find out..... how will it end.

My first 5-star of the year, and it is still making me think...

I wasn’t sure how this would stir together- very clever. A good and quick read even during an exhaustive daily travel trip

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

This book is a take on Strangers on a Train with a few extra twists. I guessed most of the twists in the story in advance but it's still a page turner. Better than a lot of books in this genre.

One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect plan: if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.

WOW. This book hooked me in from the start and did not let go. I loved the different character’s POV and found it very easy to keep track of who was who. The way that the characters tied in together was flawless and the twists had my jaw on the floor. I absolutely recommend picking this one up when it comes out on March 19!

THANK YOU to Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!