Ladykiller seeks to inhabit the satisfying literary space of the unreliable narrator that books like Gone Girl executed to near perfection. While the promise of its premise is intriguing, Ladykiller’s execution is unfortunately lacking.

Told in dual perspective, one being the POV of Abby and the other being Gia’s manuscript, this novel took too long to get to the punchline. From the beginning readers know that something is amiss, but the use of Gia’s manuscript so early in the text affects the pacing, which makes all of the revelations and actions in the third act feel rushed.

While I’m sure some readers love an ambiguous ending, in this case the ending felt like a disservice to the story. There’s hints of The Talented Mr. Ripley and the aforementioned Gone Girl but these homages just end up highlighting the flaws in the story.

While this wasn’t my favorite read, I applaud the author for creating a lush landscape for her text. If anything, you’ll want to head off to a Greek island to bask in the sun all day.

Thank you, Bantam and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Ladykiller.

I wanted to love this one. The blurb sounded very intriguing. It started off strong, but somewhere along the way it just dropped off. The ending left so much to be desired with no clear-cut conclusion. It truly just felt like maybe the author was even tired of the characters and just wanted to end it.

I love the cover of this book. Lots of drama. But it just didn’t hold my interest enough to enjoy it.

This book was okay. I think I went into it thinking one thing but it just wasn't what I thought it was. I initially wanted this book because of the title. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed.

This one had potential but kind of lost its steam toward the end, I missed the wrapped up aspect why this story so needed. It had potential but was really quite a slow read.

The twists in the story were undoubtedly intriguing and had the potential to elevate the narrative. I think there will be many readers who will enjoy them. However, the execution left much to be desired. The buildup to these twists was insufficient, resulting in a lack of context and emotional investment, at least from me. The twists seemed to come out of nowhere, which I felt disturbed the flow of the story.

With a title like, Lady Killer, and a cover like this one, who wouldn’t want to read this book!

I loved the book is told in two unique ways. One is in present day, and the other through the writings of Gia, an heiress. I was so hooked by Gia’s storyline that I couldn’t put this book down. I also loved the wild twist at the end!

This one is out tomorrow, so order it now!

Omg this book was 10/10!!
I will read absolutely anything and everything by Kat and couldn’t get enough of this one. All of her books are so fun, sexy and such an adventure!

Can’t wait to read more!!
Couldn’t recommend this enough!

Ladykiller is the new book from Katherine Wood (who previously used the pen-name, Katherine St. John)

"Abby gets an invite to meet her best friend, Gia, in Sweden - to reconnect and spend time with her and her new husband. Before she leaves Abby gets threatening emails. At the hotel, she gets an abrupt visit from a stranger that scares her. Gia's brother, Benny, was also invited to Sweden and helps Abby feel safe. When neither of them can get in touch with Gia, they head to the old family house on a Greek island. There they find a manuscript written by Gia full of things that scared her. Is Gia still alive? Can they find her?"

This is an unreliable narrator-mystery-suspense-domestic thriller. There are secrets - everybody has secrets. And you're never sure who is responsible for certain events. There's one big event in the past. You can probably guess what really happened but KW doesn't give it away. Gia is an impulsive character, used to getting her way - and one you don't want to cross. Abby was the poor kid invited to play with the rich girl and struggles to push back.

KW leaves us with a little bit of an open ending - not everything gets resolved. Characters talk about it but that's all. It works for this story. I love the setting. Good story from Wood.

Hello obsession, secrets, lies, deception, steam, and drama! This book had lots of elements I loved but took me a hot minute to get invested. The setting was amazing…Greece. I loved the rich vibes…this book gives “The White Lotus”! So yes, very entertaining! I also loved how the characters were hard to trust. There were bits of information and it definitely made me think..who is lying and who is telling the truth! That was the biggest thing that kept me engaged! Now, from a thriller/suspense view point, it definitely fell flat. I didn’t feel the tension I was craving and the ending didn’t satisfy me completely. But overall a fun beach read!

2.5/5

I was very into this one right from the start, the setting in Greece, the possible toxic friendship between Gia and Abby, the secrets and lies, so much to enjoy. I also loved the structure here, you get Abby’s perspective in the present day and Gia’s via her manuscript as she details the events leading up to her disappearance. It was a very immersive read with a steady pacing that kept me engaged and I assumed it would be a four or maybe even a five star read for me most of the time. But then the ending was just sooo disappointing for me, I hate when things are ambiguous and that’s what happened here. I don’t want to have questions about what really happened, I want answers and I don’t want to come to my own conclusions. So overall this one wasn’t for me, no matter how good the rest of the book was a weak ending will ruin it for me.

This cover screams summer, and has all the necessary elements for a read in a day book. Rich people behaving badly, tropical local (island in Greece), a few con-artists, and a decade old secret. It's fun and not scary, which is always fun for me. I guessed the twist early on but still enjoyed it.

3.5 stars but rounding up to 4.

Thanks Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for the advanced reader copy.

Abby has not spoken to Gia much since Gia's marriage to Garret just a few months after meeting. But when Gia invites Abby to Sweden to celebrater her 30th birthday with just the two of them and her brother, Benny (who Abby has always had a thing for), Abby can not say no. But when Abby and Benny arrive, there is no one there. Wellness checks to her home in Greece are unsuccessful so they two fly over only to find her missing and Gia's unfinished manuscript waiting. Where has she gone? Has someone done something to her? Could this have anything to do with the tragedy that took place here 12 years ago leaving one man dead and teenagers Gia and Abby changed forever?

I enjoyed this book a lot! I thought the Noah storyline was super predictable but that did not take away from the story. Usually I hate open ended endings on books, but I felt like we had a enough information to come to conclusions on our own. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t mind stories with different POVs but I really did not like the way this one was set up. We have Abby and Gia’s manuscript thrown in between, that it was hard to keep up with exactly what is happening in the present. And it takes a while for the manuscript to catch up with the present. I almost did not finish this book. The ending was also unsatisfying because I don’t like books that just leave a cliffhanger for interpretation. I like for it to be buttoned up in some way. I did love the Greek setting and overall terrible demeanor of rich people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for this advanced copy to read and review.

I really liked the premise of this book. I love con stories as well as an unreliable narrator, however the back half of the book lost me. Gia was a little too unreliable as the narrator. The story also got confusing and it was hard to keep the characters and how they were related straight. The ending of the book felt very abrupt and some of the similes (specifically about the bookcase) I found very taxing. However, Wood does have a way with words and describes the scenery and feelings of the characters beautifully. I look forward to reading more of her writing in the future.

Ladykiller is not the classic tale of the "haves" and the "have nots." Gia, one of the "haves" is starting to struggle financially, and she decides to sell her beloved summer home in Greece. Her estranged best friend is to meet her in Sweden to celebrate her birthday; only Gia does not show up. When Gia does not show up, revelations come out about that fated summer in their teens when their relationship began to become strained. Abby, along with Gia's brother, Benny, rush to Greece to unravel the mystery of her whereabouts.

The story is told from Abby and Gia's point of view. Gia is writing a manuscript, so the reader is unsure if it is a minute-by-minute account of true events or if she has embellished her story. This makes the mystery even more intriguing. Everyone seems suspicious so you are left wondering just who really did what!

I was able to read this quickly because I did not want to put it down. Ladykiller is a good mystery and keeps you asking for more.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

A mystery with a wealthy heiress in a beautiful location? Say no more. I was hooked by the description and cover. I feel like the publisher's blurb gave away too much, so I recommend going in somewhat blind. All you need to know is childhood friends make plans for an exotic vacation, but one of them never shows up. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep you guessing. I did find the ending slightly unsatisfying, which is why I give it 3 stars instead of 4.

Ladykiller was unlike a lot of other books I read - in a good way! It started out slowly, setting the scene and getting the reader acquainted with the characters and the setting. Gia is the rich heiress, raised by wealthy parents and sent from boarding school to boarding school, and spending summers at her father’s villa on a small island in Greece, who is now married to a man she barely knows and mostly estranged from her best friend Abby. Abby was the daughter of Gia’s parents’ chef, and was inseparable as a child from Gia, who she was sent with to boarding school with by Gia’s parents. Until the summer they turned 18 and there was a tragedy on the island, when they began to drift apart. Now on the eve of their thirtieth birthdays, Gia invited Abby to join her and her brother Benny in Sweden to reconnect. The morning she’s set to leave, Abby receives an mysterious email hinting at the incident years ago, which she tries to ignore as a random prank and continues to look forward to seeing Benny and Gia. But when she arrives in Sweden with Benny, Gia is nowhere to be seen and they’re unable to get in touch with her. When she continues to receives messages, Abby grows more concerned about Gia and coupled with their inability to get in touch with her, they fly to Greece, only to find the villa vacant except a recently-written memoir. As they race to find Gia, we learn more and more about the past and what may have driven them apart. Told in alternating timelines - Abby in the present and Gia via chapters of her memoir going back a few months, the tension continues to build and build until the end and readers are still left in disbelief. I found it a little slow to start as the scene and characters were being set, but once everything starts to click, I found it so compelling that I raced through the rest of the book quickly. This is a great sexy, sultry thriller perfect for summer, especially if unreliable narrators are your jam! I’ll be looking forward to Katherine Wood’s next book.

I really enjoyed the alternating POVs in this book, especially how they are done. One being a manuscript and the other being a direct POV. It had me guessing the whole time. I also love a good twist, and this book was full of them. I usually don't like ambiguous endings, but this one worked. 4 stars because the description gives away major plot points and it did get a little convoluted towards the end.

I absolutely devoured this book, it’s just so good. The dual POV was fantastic, with one of them being a manuscript of the events leading up to Gia’s disappearance. You never quite know what’s real or who to trust. So many fun, crazy, suspicious characters. The perfect summer thriller.