Love Letters to a Serial Killer - Tasha Coryell
Rating: 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This book centers around Hannah, a true crime obsessed thirty something year old woman. When four women in Atlanta are found murdered and dumped in a ravine, Hannah becomes engrossed with finding out the killer by joining a forum with other enthusiasts. Once the suspect is arrested, Hannah finds herself pulled to write to him while he's in jail and he to her surprise writes back. The story continues with WIlliam and Hannah being boyfriend and girlfriend and Hannah becoming completely involved in his life and his family's life.

I didn't love this book, though was incredibly intrigued throughout the story. I had to keep going, which is why i gave it 3 stars and not lower. The main character Hannah was incredibly annoying and her actions made me cringe more than once. None of the characters were relatable or even likeable. As for the "big reveal" it was incredibly predictable and not much of a surprise at all. This book had so much potential....and overall felt like it was a let down.

“The future was a gangplank on a ship at the end of the world.”

This book is the kind of book that when you finish it you stare off in to the distance and say, out loud, “what the f**k did I just read.”

Plot Thoughts: So I’m not going to lie; it kind of feels like the entire plot was disclosed in the synopsis. As an avid reader of the “back of the book”, this meant that there weren’t too many surprises along the way; for that reason, I would suggest going in completely blind. Unfortunately, the “twist” was also quite predictable, as I figured it out long before the big reveal.

Character Thoughts: This was quite literally the most UNHINGED, unreliable narrator I have ever read in my life. I couldn’t find one character to root for or relate to - everyone was sketchy (which works in thrillers), and I just kept wondering how many horrible decisions she could make/what was going on inside her head. Seriously they could all benefit heavily from therapy.

I particularly loved this section of a GoodReads review from a user named “Jamie” - so, not my words but worth quoting: “The accused serial killer is perhaps the most well-adjusted person in the book, if that says anything about the level of dysfunction that we're talking about here.”

In the end, this book wasn’t particularly great, but also I couldn’t put it down? It was like a train wreck - I couldn’t stop watching but also it pained me to continue. I kept reading hoping for someone to do something that made sense and never quite got there. It made my tummy hurt a lil bit (I’m squeamish ok - you true crime lovers may think it timid) but I sacrificed my sanity to finish it and didn’t completely hate it. This review is fresh and clearly I should have probably let it digest before writing, but alas here we are.

👍🏻👎🏻Hesitant to recommend, but would if you like a completely unhinged, unreliable narrator who makes a plethora of bad decisions. I mean, that’s a vibe for some thriller lovers! Otherwise, I suggest passing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hannah, a thirty something woman from the suburbs, is obsessed with true crime. Hey, aren’t we all? When four women in Atlanta are murdered, suspected of being killed by a serial killer, Hannah finds an online forum to solve the crime. She feels she has found her calling, and when a suspect is arrested, Hannah takes her obsession a step further, she’s going to write to him in jail. And…he writes back. Her life has now become all about the killer, she loses her job, and heads to Georgia to the trial. The suspect, William, and Hannah are now boyfriend and girlfriend. Yes, this is where it loses me.

This was bland, so vanilla. Just when you think there is a build up, nothing. Hannah is annoying, unlikeable, delusional, and always plays the victim. I found myself skipping pages out of boredom. The pace was so slow. As for the twisty ending, totally predictable. My favorite character was William, the ‘serial killer’. There was so much potential, but this fell flat. Like crashed and burned, and if it took Hannah down in the burn I wouldn’t have cared one bit.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Berkley, and the author for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not really sure what to say other than this book is juicy and entertaining! 😂 The main character is so unhinged and the plot is so wild and unique. I feel like I would compare reading this to watching trashy reality tv where you’re constantly just shaking your head and laughing at the mc’s thought processes and how the story unfolds. I did guess the twist pretty early on but it was still an entertaining (and very quick & easy) read!

DNF @ 25%

I struggled to connect with the main character in this book. The narration style also felt a lot more like telling than showing, so I didn't really have any motivation to continue.

Thank you #NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC. I have to say, Hannah is a very hard character to like, she is a tad insufferable and often leaves you banging your head against a wall with some of the decisions she makes...but oddly, she is sort of relatable? She is a good representation of how a culmination of our experiences shape us to do regrettable things, how we can be complete enigmas, uncredible narrators, and can convince ourselves of even the worst things. If you have ever known that you were continuously making poor decisions, but consistently convinced yourself it was the right choice for you because x,y,z; then this book is for you. I actually loved Hannah's thought processes, the way she related her decisions back to moments and experiences in her own life, and her nutty and disordered decision making skills. She seems resigned and indifferent to what happens to her, which is kind of relatable as a human. I would recommend this novel if you're looking for a unique story line, a good amount of self-deprication from the main character, and humourous prose throughout.

Just from the title alone I knew it was going to be difficult for the writer to strike the right tone. There has to be the perfect blend of humor, and this book just felt like it was missing that snarkiness that I was hoping for. The MC is obviously unhinged and makes one terrible life decision after another, but the most glaring misstep to me is that all of the action was completely predictable. I guessed the twist maybe like 30 percent in, so it felt like a bit of a slog to get through the rest of the story. I appreciate what Coryell was trying to do by taking on this topic, and I get that I'm as obsessed with true crime as the MC, but the book didn't lean far enough into satire for me. The ending also sort of missed the mark for me, so I don't think I'll be racing to recommend this to other readers.

This was what I think of when I think thriller. So many twist and turns. Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It must read for fans of the thriller genre.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley publishing group for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was twisted, but not sure I’d call it a thriller. Hannah, whose life seems to be falling apart, starts looking into the murders of some young women. She decides to write a letter to the man on trial for the murders and she is quickly obsessed with him. When he is acquitted she continues to investigate him while moving in with him. Some of it was predictable, but enjoyable. I didn’t think there was going to be an OMG moment, but I got one on the last few pages. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

**FORTUNATELY, I DID NOT READ THE GOODREADS BLURB ABOUT THIS BOOK BEFORE READING THE BOOK ITSELF. IF POSSIBLE, I SUGGETS YOU DO THE SAME AS IT REVEALS TOO MUCH OF THE PLOT AND WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE ENJOYMENT OF THE BOOK**

Overall rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up.

This story follows the somewhat unlikeable, though not totally unrelatable, Hannah who, desperate for connection (and frankly, attention), becomes obsessed with a string of murders and the accused murderer himself. As someone that enjoys (but is not OBSESSED with) true crime, it was interesting to try on this hyper-fixated perspective. It was a fun mental exercise for me as a reader, finding the accused murderer more likeable than our protagonist :)

The story offers some slight glimpses ahead, so that you know the direction in which things are going, but you do not yet know how we will arrive there. This made it exciting to be filling in some defined blanks. I do read a fair amount of thrillers and am by no means excellent at predicting twists, but I will say that I did see the ones in this book coming. A fun read that kept my pages turning, nonetheless!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Love Letters to a Serial Killer” by Tasha Coryell was just as unhinged as I wanted it to be.

This book is a fast-moving wild ride — but it’s not a thriller. I also don’t consider it a romance novel. It’s just a fun book!

I think this book’s synopsis gives too much away. So I’ll tell you this: this is about an ordinary office worker who falls into a true crime rabbit hole over an accused serial killer and starts corresponding with him. Their letters quickly form the foundation of a relationship and she quits her job to attend his trial multiple states away.

I love books that take us inside the head of a seemingly normal person whose behavior is completely deranged, and “Love Letters to a Serial Killer” totally delivered. Pick this up if you’re looking for a fun, fast read — I think it would be an engrossing book for a flight.

Boy did I want to love this one. I initially requested it because of its beautiful cover, but I couldn’t connect to the story. I love a girl who is obsessed with true crime, unfortunately, the MC wasn’t my cup of tea. If you like a train wreck is book is for you

Very interesting story about a woman who is in love with a man in jail for murder. I think the family dynamics were pretty well done although it seemed pretty obvious how the story would go in the end but I still enjoyed it for what it was throughout. Definitely opens up discussion about how the public relates to someone within prison system and the morality of relationships with people who have been convicted of terrible things. I'd recommend for book clubs.

Read if you like:
🤮 Unlikable Characters
📚 Genre Bending Books
❤️ Romantic Suspense
🔪 Thrillers

If you ever wondered why the heck women were fawning over Ted Bundy during his trial, read this book!

This book follows the very lost and unlikable Hannah. Hannah is in her mid thirties, feels left behind in all ways in her life, and so when she spirals into a hyper fixation with a serial killer and starts writing letters to him the reader wants to both slap Hannah and tell her to wake up and also to say wtf are you doing and what the hell is wrong with you?!

The book has a relatively fast pace and I was absolutely hooked wanted to know all of Hannah’s next honestly disturbing thoughts about her beloved serial killer, William.

If you liked Butcher and Blackbird and wished it didn’t have the gore, I feel like you will love this book!

Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC and to PRHA for my gifted audiobook! It truly was fantastic in audio and the ending was just exactly what Hannah’s story was exactly the ending Hannah was supposed to have, I feel like!

How in the world is this a debut book? I’m so impressed!

First off, can we talk about this book title? Chef’s kiss!
Second, can we talk about this cover? Double chef’s kiss!
And the actual book itself? Fabulous!

Coryell’s writing pulled me out from a deep reading slump that was forming. She gave me suspense, comedy, and introspection all rolled into one. I was captivated by our main character, Hannah. Everything from her ordinary life to the not so ordinary life choices she makes. Getting inside her head was downright fun!

I think this book is going to shine with an audience who loves thrillers and true crime. There are so many nods to both communities inside that I couldn’t stop reading.

Go in blind with this one and enjoy the ride!

It has been days since I read this book and I still feel unsettled. Dang. I was totally sucked into the story and very invested to see how it ended. I don't know how else to describe how I felt at the end other than - yikes. I highly recommend it. It is definitely an unsettling read.

This book was kinda wild. In the sense of, it was a train wreck I couldn’t look away from. Hannah was not a character I connected with (or liked 🙈) and certainly didn’t understand some of her choices 😬

The tittle pretty much tells you what you’re in for! Hannah is tired of being ghosted and she’s obsessed with a serial killer case. She begins writing to the person in jail for the crimes. It was a quick read and I was flipping fast to see what she’d do next 🙃

The ending didn’t wrap up in a satisfying way for me, I was hoping for some big twist that would match the craziness of the set up. Didn’t hit the mark.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer written by Tasha Coryell was like nothing I have ever read before, this is the type of thriller where after you finish reading you say "what the actual fuck?" I have never read a book by Tasha Coryell before, but after being sucked into this story, I will definitely be reading anything else she writes. Love Letters to a Serial Killer is a THRILLING thriller. I obviously wanted to read this book because of the pretty pink cover, but my goodness this book was a wild roller coaster ride. I went from being in a chokehold to screaming my head off because of the twists and turns. This book was twisted, creepy, thrilling, messed up in all the best ways possible. This book is everything you would expect a thriller to be like, but at times the dialogue was super cringey, but nonetheless it was a super interesting story that kept me hooked from beginning to end. I never thought I would ever pick up a book like this one, but the popcorn was popping. The pretty cover will definitely have you fooled because there is absolutely NOTHING pretty about this book, it's so twisted. Although this book deals with murder, it's not gruesome in any way, so you don't need to worry about all the gore and blood. I can't recommend this book enough, please do yourself a favor and mark your calendars for June 25th, 2024.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

"Discovering an active serial killer was like discovering a monster in the closet- something that generated mass fear and paranoia despite the rarity of their existence".

"One of the greater injustices of having a body was how much it physically hurt to be sad. I could cry one day and wake up the next morning with my face still swollen from tears".

"I think there's something broken inside of you that makes you hurt people this way. Stop trying to blame the world around you and take responsibility for your actions".

Our female main character Hannah works for a non-profit organization, but soon loses her job because she's not getting anything done, basically her head isn't in the game. Hannah is not a relatable character in any way, I felt no connection to her whatsoever. Hannah is manipulative, impulsive, and obsessive with things she should have just kept her nose out of. In Atlanta, Georgia, William Thompson is arrested and accused for killing four women and dumping their bodies in the exact same ravine. William is interning to be one of the best lawyers at his father's law firm, so why would an ordinary man just spiral out of control and start killing innocent women? After Hannah hears word of this case, she starts writing William letters while he's in prison, and he actually responds back. As William and Hannah communicate through letters, they form a relationship. When William gets on the trial stand, Hannah drops everything she's doing to take a little trip to Georgia to support William. In Georgia, Hannah aligns herself with other crime junkies and starts reading up on rumors posted on this form on social media. Hannah gets obsessed with this case and can't focus on anything else.

When a fifth woman's body is found while William's on trial, the jury has no reason to find William guilty, so basically he's now a free man. I didn't like Hannah at all, she couldn't even make any rational decisions on her own, but I appreciate her for looking into the deaths of these five women. I think it was super weird that Hannah and William fell in love while communicating through letters while he was rotting in prison, I don't know, it's just a bit weird for me, but I guess you only live once. It broke my heart when Kelsey, Anna Leigh, Kimberly, Jill, and Emma's family members would just break down telling the stories of their loved ones. I didn't expect to get so choked up reading a thriller, but I definitely shed a few tears here and there. Although, I didn't like Hannah, I felt like she kept the story more interesting, because she was just so irrational. When William gets released from prison, he has supporters but he also has people who think he should rot in prison, basically like every other murder case that happens, people have supporters, but they also have haters who think they committed crimes without actually following the story. Like I said before, don't let the pretty cover fool you, this book is anything but pretty in my opinion.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. While I can definitely see why this book and the characters within it are not for everybody, I really enjoyed reading this one. The characters, while overall hugely unlikable, are some of the most flushed out characters that I’ve read in a long time. I actually called a friend of mine while reading the first chapter because I was laughing so hard going, “Oh this author has definitely dated a man in a band.” The characters are almost satirical at times, especially the main character, Hannah, but I still felt like I intimately knew this character. The author gives us the opportunity to see all the worst thoughts that Hannah has and also answers what would happen if we followed our worst impulses without thinking better of them. Hannah reminds me of several women that I knew when I was younger, very unsure of herself while wanting love and adoration from those around her, all while making bad decision after bad decision with little to no impulse control. While I can see how the main character can be polarizing, I really enjoyed the book in the same way that you enjoy any guilty pleasure. I did see most of the twist and returns coming in the plot; however, it did not take away from my enjoyment of the book overall. I will definitely be recommending this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So this book was an absolute wild ride. And I mean that in the best of ways. The main character is completely neurotic and to be honest I think a lot of people won’t love her. But I couldn’t stop reading. It’s like not being able to turn away from an accident. This was a very fast read and a really unique one at that.