Thank you NetGalley. I was excited to read this, but the booked turned out to be different than the description. I was expected more of a fun female Dexter story, but ended up reading more about the other characters. I wouldn't recommend this book.

I have been waiting for someone to write a story about a feminist Dexter - and here it is. Her name is Saffy, and she's a friend to women everywhere who have been wronged by men. This is a fun and fantastical book that will give you satisfaction if you have feminist sensibilities and are just tired of all the crimes against women by men. This story is something different, and talks about a young serial killer who has been a bit of a feminist avenging angel since her teenage days.

The book is fast-paced and the main character narration is crisp and funny. I enjoyed spending time with Saffy. Would I want to know someone like this in real life? No. Did I enjoy hearing about her exploits as a feminist escape from the depressing ongoing news of male murderers and rapists every day? Heck yes.

Looking for a fun, quick read full of love, lies and cold-blooded murder? You found it!

Saffy Huntley-Oliver is mega-rich, beautiful, whip-smart and a serial killer. In her defense, so only kills very bad men. But, she also has a crush on true crime podcaster Jon. Jon, having recently found a decapitated body on his doorstep, is looking to get out of the true crime game, but when Saffy enters his life, he finds it easier said than done.

The plot turns were obvious, but Saffy is such a fun narrator, I didn’t mind.

4.5 stars, rounded up ⭐️

I really loved this book & couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the writing style and thought it was a fresh and funny read. There were a few times when I actually laughed out loud, which rarely happens when I read.

The dual POVs were perfect for this book- I enjoyed reading about their perspectives and thoughts, especially when I knew the other’s “secrets”. The romance subplot was well done and didn’t take away from the main story.

I do wish we heard a little more about Saffy’s past murders, I thought the “feminist Dexter” premise was interesting & would’ve loved to hear a little more about her victims. The final “twists” were a bit predictable, but still enjoyable.

This is a must-read for fans of feminist thrillers, Dexter, or You!

Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS | The Overlook Press for the ARC copy of this book.

Julie Mae Cohen's Bad Men focuses on Saffy Huntley-Oliver, a socialite serial-killer, as she tries to lock down her man. The book reads like a kind of flattened "Cool Girl" monologue from Gone Girl mixed with Dexter, but fails to evoke the same kind of sympathy.

Jon, the true crime podcaster love interest, is hopelessly oblivious, despite Saffy's endless praise for his intelligence. Saffy, meanwhile, lacks the moral clarity that makes Dexter, if not wholly sympathetic, at least understandable; her rationalizing is inconsistent and often feels pulled from Tumblr posts.

As a serial-killer novel with an anti-heroine protagonist, it's a fun romp. As a "feminist thriller," it's a bit stale, preceded by similar works with stronger pacing and richer characters like They Never Learn. The premise is a tried-and-true homerun, but ultimately, Bad Men falls flat because there is not character development.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting a completely different book. I thought I was going to be reading a book completely in a woman's point of view about how she kills bad men and the crush she has on a podcaster. This book is actually two points of view and is basically about a podcaster who is being framed for murder with a side character who kills people. I didn't hate this book, it was fine but I think the book that I was expecting would have been so much better.

Also the mystery aspect of this book was incredibly predictable. I figured it out almost immediately.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I was so excited to start this but it was a bit of a let down. I expected more serial killer story and less romance novel.

A good and fast read! I’m obsessed with books about unhinged women, so what better than one about a female serial killer?
This book gave me everything I wanted and I think people who share my fascination for unhinged Female MCs will find themselves enjoying this.

Thank you ABRAMS and NetGalley for access to this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded amazing. I expected it to be full of murder, secrets, twists, and turns. Unfortunately, it was more about a love story between two people who shouldn’t be together. When a book is supposed to be able a female serial killer, we should have much more insight into that side of her. There was more “I imagine…” style scenarios than actual killings. Anyone can imagine killing someone, we aren’t reading this book for that purpose - we want her to take action on those thoughts!

The book started out strong and I enjoyed reading about Saffy’s past, but it quickly turned into present day and went downhill from there. We learn more about her love interest and his ex-wife than her.

The characters feel undeveloped and forgettable. This isn’t a book I recommend.

Bad Men was a quick read that kept me waiting to see what would happen next. Saffy has taken it upon herself to kill bad men. The first time it wasn’t planned - but after that she realized she had an aptitude.

But now Saffy is interested in Jon, a podcaster who helped catch a serial killer. I’ve seen some reviews that felt it was too much about this relationship and not enough about Saffy - may be better to go in with those expectations. I didn’t have any expectations and was very much along for the ride.

I listened to this audiobook in just a couple sittings and thought it was the perfect way to read it - the narrator did a great job bringing Saffy to life for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free audiobook and ebook to review.

Socialite by day, serial killer of BAD MEN by night. This is the premise of Julie Mae Cohen.’s latest thrill ride.

Seraphina ‘Saffy’ Huntley-Oliver has the glamorous life of a socialite with too much money and too much time on her hands. She also has a side job of killing predators who abuse women and children. Her first kill was at the age of 12 and she did it to protect the only person in the world who she truly loves; her younger sister, Suzie. When she orchestrate a ‘cute meet’ with an author/true crime podcaster who catches her fancy, she is unaware of his involvement in some recent gruesome murders. She thought she knew the story, but there was more to it than publicly available.

Jonathan Desrosiers is contacted by the serial killer he helped put behind bars who asks him to find out who killed the sixth victim he is being linked to. While Cyril Walker admits to the five slain men whose body parts Jonathan found in his apartment, he is adamant that this man was not one of his kills. Jonathan, who recently lost his wife due to his true crime obsession is struggling to put his life back together but agrees that he will try to clear Cyril (of THAT one, at least) and learn the identity of that killer.

Jonathan and Saffy eventually join forces trying to navigate the clues and threats thrown their way. Can they form a lasting relationship under such circumstances? Is Jonathan really ready to move on from his marriage? What should Saffy do about Suzie‘s no good boyfriend, Finlay? And how will she continue on her mission if she is working with an investigative podcaster?

I really enjoyed this one. It had me entertained and curious as to what would happen next. The author’s writing style is clear and concise and I could feel my tension mounting in certain spots. I believe this will be an author to watch.

Thank you too NetGalley and Overlook Press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily..

Thank you to @netgalley and @overlookpress @abramsbooks for the ARC book and to NetGalley and @recordedbooks for the ALC.

This was a really crazy and twisty book. I really enjoyed this one! It was recommended that I request it from NetGalley from a fellow bookstagrammer and I’m so glad I did. The story follows Saffy a gorgeous socialite woman who doesn’t like men who do really bad things. She finds herself mixed up with Jon a true crime podcaster and a wild and crazy story ensues. I would rather not say too much about this book as this book is so exciting it’s better to go in blind. With that being said, please Check the trigger warnings before diving in to this book.

I am so glad that I was able to read and listen to this book because I think the audiobook made the book much more enjoyable and definitely helped to dial up the suspense in the novel. Nathalie Buscombe does a really good job and I really like how she did both American and British (Trans-Atlantic) accents. Her voice kind of reminded me of Miranda Raison’s who has narrated books such as Lessons in Chemistry and The Husbands. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by her in the future.

As far as my rating, I decided to give this book 4 ⭐️, due to the fact that some of the content was a little darker than I was expecting, and also I thought it would’ve been better if Jon’s part of the story had been narrated by a male audiobook narrator. However, some people might not care about this.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely consider reading another book by Julie Mae Cohen in the future! ✨

𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 - May 7, 2024

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 - Trume Crime podcasts, Finlay Donovan series

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗢 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗬 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪!

So fun! I love the femal serial killer trope so this did not disappoint. The cover is so great as well. I sped through this one, it's gonna be a great summer thriller read.

I really enjoyed this book!!! I thought the concept was fun and awesome! The main character was likable and kind of unlikable at the same time. I did guess the final outcome but it was still super entertaining! I’m so happy I randomly requested this one! There’s a little gore, plenty of mystery, and a lot of murder. This one definitely kept my attention the whole time and if I wasn’t quite busy while reading it, it would have been a binge read! Gotta love some female rage!!!

📚: Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

Meet Saffy — a socialite, devoted big sister, and a former model. Oh, and she murdered her first bad man at age 12.

Fast forward decades later to today. Jon, a true crime podcaster turned recent murder suspect, becomes Saffy’s obsession of the more normal, non-serial killing kind. She goes to absolutely unhinged lengths to manipulate the perfect meet-cute so she can have a good guy in her life, for once.

After a jaw dropping prologue, this becomes an incredibly fun read that feels like page-turning brain candy. To enjoy this one, yes, you need to suspend a lot of reality and know how to laugh in fun from the POV of a serial killer that finds herself falling in love.

A rounded up score for overall enjoyment, but a 3.5 rating with the high predictability level of the story’s direction. (There’s also a fairly big plot hole that left me scratching my head at the end.)

Big thanks to @abramsbooks via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Bad Men is out on May 7th!

I unfortunately DNFd this about 20% in. The premise is one that's fun, when it's done right-- and I LOVED Saffy's segments. Unfortunately, I felt like Jonathan's POV was hard to dredge through. Though I understand he is objectively a bad person, and we're not supposed to like him, I was skimming through his pages because they read as cliche and clunky.
I appreciate the exchange of an early copy for a review, and I do hope it finds its readers!

A woman who only kills bad men? Sign me up. How very Dexter of her. Except...not really. We don't really get to hear many of Saffy's exploits as a female vigilante. It's more of a love/obsession story. Saffy has decided that she's infatuated with a true crime author and podcaster and will apparently go to all kinds of lengths to get him to love her. Which is what the book is really about. Crazy Saffy and sad John. It was actually kind of boring if I'm being honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. The idea of a serial killer trying to create a relationship, let alone a romantic one with someone who tries to expose serial killers, is just delightful. Saffy is just a super fun character. She is dynamic and jumps off the page. Jonathan I just feel bad for. He draws in killers like a bee to honey. Sadly, even though his whole goal in life is to expose them, he seems to be surprised when people he knows expose themselves to be killers. Even though I feel bad for him. I still quite liked him. I feel bad for all he goes through, but I would love to hear what happens to him and Saffy. I think readers are just going to fall in love with this book and I can’t wait to recommend it.
Thank you to Abrams, The Overlook Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this lovely book.

An entertaining story about a female serial killer who only kills men who fully deserve their fate, starting at a young age when Saffy takes out her abusive stepfather. In her 20s, Saffy leads a socialite's life while hiding her secret passion project of murder. When Saffy develops an obsessive crush on Jon, a true crime podcaster, life starts to get a bit out of hand. This thriller was fun, funny, and fast-paced, and will be a great summer beach read. Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS | The Overlook Press for a digital review copy.

Saffy Huntley-Oliver is a socialite/former model, on the boards of charities and just living her best life being glamourous and fabulous. She is also a prolific serial killer of really terrible men. Saffy becomes enamored with Jonathan Desrosiers, a best-selling author and podcaster, who puts away terrible people. However, Jon discovers a body on his doorstep the day after his wife leaves him and he becomes the chief suspect in the murder investigation. Saffy becomes a bit obsessed with Jon and clearing his name and orchestrates an over-the-top meet-cute. SHe volunteers to help him and find the real killer, at any cost.
You will never route so hard for a serial killer in your life! Saffy is better than Dexter. And her victims really do have it coming. ;)

*Special thanks to NetGalley and The Overlook Press for this e-arc.*