Unfortunately I was disappointed in this fourth outing for unlikely serial killer Rhiannon. I found some of the developments in this book quite out of character and didn't enjoy the focus on her relationship and desire for children, which suddenly seems to have become the main focus here where it wasn't really in evidence before. I'd still recommend the first three books and would still read more from Skuse but I'm no longer finding the Sweetpea series as entertaining as I once did.

I'm sorry I was completely confused when reading this book. I do believe this has more to do with me (the reader) than anything.

First up, the cover, the synopsis, love and LOVE.
Secondly the opening few chapters, I loved the writing and the humour, it was funny and I really enjoyed the inner monology.

Unfortunately though, this book wasn't for me. As I stated, I think this is more about me than the book itself, because I didn't realise this was a series and therefore felt completely lost at time, also there are A LOT of characters. If I read the previous books I probably would have felt a lot differently because the sense of humour in this book was hilarious.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've been waiting so long for this book and it did not disappoint. I adored the domesticity of Ophelia and Raf's life all the while Rhiannon hovered in the background. I love the way their relationship developed as he found out more and more about her and how his family became hers. Bianca and the others love her so fiercely and I love what that does for her. I missed some of the humour that has been in the other books as there weren't as many laugh out loud moments but I also feel like this matched the change in Rhiannon/Ophelia's story and life. All in all, a fantastic book and I can't wait for the next one. Please tell me this series is going to end with a happy ending?

A huge thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy. I had no idea it was a series when I got it so I had to read the 3 before it and I’m SO glad I did! These books are amazing and this one was my favorite by far. The plots are so good! Tho is great!!! She gets better and better each book!!! I love the lists. I love her one liners! I love Raf! There is not much I didn’t love… except maybe that freakin cliffhanger!!! What. The. Hell. Now I know why everyone was dying waiting for this one because I’m going to be going crazy til the next one!!!

These books are a complete riot! I have never found murder so darkly funny before, but this series is absolutely spot on. I enjoyed the characters, the setting in current times and the twists as the story developed. This was excellent.

This is an entertaining read.
Sweetpea has had her killing spree put on hold. Mainly due to a global pandemic. It's now been over 800 days without a kill. She's settling into a family life. Living with her fiancé Rafael and his family.
However, it doesn't take much for her killer tendencies to come back to the fore. But is she willing to risk her future happiness over a kill or two!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

4/5 stars! This is the fourth entry in the Sweetpea series, and shame on me for not going back and reading the first three first. I will be going back and rectifying that immediately because this book was equal parts hilarious and entertaining. This is a female serial killer story, which I always tend to find fascinating. This book feels like the embodiment of Taylor Swift's "No Body No Crime" and carries strong women-helping-women vibes that I fully approve of.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I have enjoyed this book series for a while and eagerly awaited the latest installment. Finally, it's here, and I can't express the excitement I felt as I turned each page. This book exceeded all my expectations, and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

One of the reasons I love this series is because of the lead character, Rhiannon. In this book, her character is developed even more, and I felt like I got to know her on a deeper level.

I must say the plot was exceptional without giving away any spoilers. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists and turns left me guessing until the very end. Speaking of the end, I was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. It was a satisfying conclusion, but it also left me wanting more.

Overall, I cannot praise this book enough. I eagerly await the next one and hope the author continues producing such exceptional works.

I highly recommend this book and the rest of the 'Sweet Pea' series to anyone who loves a captivating and thrilling read!

She’s Back…
With a vengeance. Or is she? It seems that Rhiannon Lewis might just have settled down. Really? Has she turned over a new leaf to live a quiet and peaceful existence under the radar? Umm, probably not - look out, things are about to change. Another dark and deeply humorous instalment in this very entertaining series with a rather special protagonist, a deftly drawn cast and a narrative heavily laced with dark wit. Tongue in cheek and most enjoyable.

This series swiftly became one of my favourites from the very first book, and I had been eagerly awaiting this fourth installment - and it doesn't disappoint!
A slower start as we get to know the new "Rhiannon" and her current circumstances, but it's soon full of all the things that make this series so great - the funny, foul-mouthed serial killer out to seek revenge. And those last few chapters just completely blew me away - I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S NEXT!!!! To say I can't wait for that last installment is an understatement!

A disappointingly weak fourth entry in the otherwise excellent “Sweetpea” series. After the last book, I was excited to spend more time with this character but “Thorn in My Side” left me disappointed. Some of the developments in Rhiannon’s character are hard to swallow – her sudden obsession with children has come out of nowhere and seems out of character based on what we know of her before this. And her relationship is now so unbelievable that it almost takes the book into the realm of some sort of romantic fantasy rather than a dark comedy.

I still recommend “Sweetpea” all the time and will continue to do so, but I agree with some of the other reviews I’ve seen saying the series has probably run its course now and should end here.

Thorn in my side

The SweetPea series of books is one I recommend to everyone - my Nanna has even read them. I genuinely think they are just so bloody (pun intended) fantastic.
All that to say, I’ve been desperately counting down until Rhiannon (don’t call her Rhianna!) returned since the end of book 3 and this sequel did not disappoint. We catch up with our favourite serial killer, living happily ever after with her handsome fiancé Rafael and finally being part of a real family. Luckily for the reader, even after 800 days clean of killing, Rhiannon is the same witty, catty, terrifying yet loyal killer that we’ve grown to know and love over the past few books. I read this book revoltingly fast & my heart still aches when I think of how it ended. Chefs kiss.

I absolutely loved being back with Rhiannon!
Thorn in my Side is a brilliantly dark and funny installment in the sweetpea series.

There's twists and turns galore, all of the wit and caustic humour fans of Rhiannon will expect!

I raced through this brilliant book, as i could not put it down.

The story line was brilliant and had me absolutely hooked. Really fast paced and entertaining.

The ending ... superb if only because I think that this has to mean there is going to be another installment!!! It can't come quick enough!

Highly recommended!

I haven’t had the opportunity to read the other books in this series and it wasn’t clear to me when I requested this book that it was the 4th book in the series so I was missing a lot of development that occurred over the first 3 books. I was not able to find ebooks of the first 3 books so will have to track down physical copies so I can get the full picture.

Thorn In My Side is the fourth instalment in CJ Skuse’s Sweetpea series. Unfortunately, it falls short of the charm and originality found in the previous books. Whilst the excellent first book was original, entertaining and captivating, and the second - a welcome follow up, book three became a little repetitive and predictable. Unfortunately, the fourth book continues this trend, portraying a tedious, and almost farcical romantic comedy, with a few murders thrown in. I found myself skimming through to an abrupt ending, which seemed more like a setup for the next book than a satisfying conclusion. Despite my disappointment, I would love a stand alone or perhaps a different series from this talented author. I think that this series has run its course.

Another banger of a book from Skuse. The fourth instalment of the Sweet Pea series certainly delivers a punch/stab/slash etc etc...
I’m ready and waiting to become a fully fledged member of the Bad Seeds!

Absolutely loved the first three books in this series but really struggled to get into this one, however once I got about 40% through I couldn’t put it down and read the rest in one sitting!

The Sweet Pea series is an absolute favourite of mine!! I adored the first two books (the third book in the series wasn't the best, but still seemed to fit into the series well) and would listen to them on audio quite often. I loved the mixture of comedy, sarcasm and crime/thriller! Back when the initial book came out, it was so original in it's mixture of genres - but a lot of books have since followed on the trend - but the Sweet Pea books were one of the first!!
That is why when I saw that there would be a fourth instalment to the series I was over the moon - I couldn't wait to see what our protagonist Rhiannon was up to now. (as it had been a while) I was initially worried that because it had been so long since the last instalment, I would need to reread the books. I decided not to reread them, and think that was probably a mistake as I just couldn't get into this one.

It took me a while to get into this book, and I was seriously debating whether or not to DNF. This book felt like a completely different book - it didn't seem to fit within the Sweet Pea world at all. Rhiannon wasn't the same - where was the comedy? Where was the humour? I really disliked this book. Just didn't feel the same and I really wish that C J Skuse hadn't written it at all. It puts a sour end to the fabulous series.
Absolutely gutted as it was one of my biggest anticipated reads of the year.

Never mind - hoping there will be no more Sweet Pea books, and if there are - they return to their usual form.

Long awaited but certainly didn't disappoint, great to see how Rhiannon is doing, another hilarious, gruesome but brilliant read.

Absolutely loved the first three in this series but this one just felt a little bit dissimilar from that. I couldn’t find the same humour or characters I’d grown to love and instead it just felt a little forced and repetitive. Some elements were still there of what I enjoyed previously and I’d absolutely recommend this series, it just wasn’t as good as the first!