After pushing through 25% of this book, I've decided romanticized serial killers are just not for me.

This gives me similar vibe to Butcher and Blackbird - of course only Blackbird’s story. Can’t imagine what I would do myself if I was out in that situation.

The first novel is expertly constructed, akin to a gourmet Michelin-starred dish. I anticipated being able to foresee the storyline and conclusion, but this one proved to be too challenging - I was deceived and relished being proven wrong.

I love a good bad guy gets what he deserves book! This was such a good book. The characters were great and interesting, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. For a first time author, I was impressed. Look forward to reading more from her. Thank you to Netgalley for the reading experience.

This book fell a little flat for me. There wasn't enough of the thriller aspect that I was hoping for. I loved the premise of the book being a female serial killer who rids the world of bad men. It didn't have me determined to read it all in one sitting or desperately waiting to get back to it to read more.

One aspect that I really didn't enjoy was how many times the main character referred to herself in the third person.

Overall it was an enjoyable read but didn't meet my expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a pretty solid read. I was obsessed with the MindFuck series and I have read a lot of books that are pretty similar. This was definitely similar, but I felt myself getting annoyed with the FMC throughout the book. It almost felt YA to me (which I love), but I wasn’t expected it to be with the FMC being in her 30’s. Although this wasn’t a five star read for me, it totally could be for someone else. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy ♡

Sometimes there are books that make you think things that are totally antithetical to your own thinking.

Enter Cordelia - she is a totally together pharmaceutical salesperson. On the outside, that is. Pretty quickly we see her flaws and her insecurities. And we also see how she spends her spare time - killing people that are suspected of sexual indiscretions. This novel forces the reader to think about ideas of vigilante justice, no matter how distasteful the people or the things they did. Because I found myself liking Cordelia.

I also felt for her - in order to move away from her many childhood traumas, she has totally reinvented herself and that puts so much pressure on her every minute of the day.

This book is troubling, funny, sweet, sad and utterly compelling. For a good read with all the feels, read on!

Cordelia Black is a successful pharmaceutical rep with a taste for designer clothes and a fierce love for her best friend Diane and her goddaughter Sugar. But Cordelia has a secret: by night, she stalks and murders the "monsters" of Louisiana, men whose crimes against women and children have gone undetected. But when Diane starts dating Simon White, a man Cordelia suspects of being a monster himself, her carefully planned life starts to unravel.

A really interesting premise with an intriguing protagonist and lots of dark humor. Overall this was a really engaging read with a unique premise and Cordelia's narration was really interesting--it was fascinating to hear her logic and justification for her actions. I will say that the writing didn't feel very polished (maybe because this is a debut novel?), but the book was engaging for the most part nonetheless. I felt like the book dragged a little bit in the middle and at the end it did feel like there were a few plot threads left a bit unresolved, which was a little unsatisfying. But this was still an entertaining read and I would definitely recommend to fans of strong female leads, antiheros, and the TV show "Dexter." Looking forward to seeing what this author comes out with next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS
- Cordelia Black is a pharmaceutical rep by day and a serial killer/vigilante by night.
- She loves her best friend, her god daughter, expensive brands, and killing bad men.

MY THOUGHTS
- I enjoyed some of the characters, and I love a woman MC with lots of rage.
- Overall, I was disappointed by the book. It fell flat for me. The beginning was slow, and the writing was VERY repetitive. The ending was mehh.
- Cordelia never stops talking about how amazing she is & what brands she wears. If she referred to herself in third person one more time, I was going to LOSE IT! She always talks about how amazing & in control she is, but is constantly doing dumb shit.
- Honestly, the writing felt juvenile, or maybe it is the way the MC is written. It felt very YA.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️mehhh - this was not for me.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press & Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on October 29, 2024.

I wanted to love this one but I just didn’t. I was very bored and struggled to make it through. Thank you for the chance to read.

Cordelia is a pharmaceutical sales rep by day and a serial killer by night. She has a code, though. She only goes after those who have harmed others. But things get messy when a kill doesn't go as planned. Will her carefully crafted life of blending in finally fall apart?

Thoughts 💭
If you're a fan of Dexter, you'll love this. Instead of a male lead, though, we have Cordelia, who is also carefully curating a "normal" life in order to fit in. While there was a backstory of how she came to be this way, and the author made a note saying she obviously doesn't think this behavior is ok, I still found it hard to root for Cordelia. Something about her just didn't draw me in. It could be that I found a female serial killer doing this to be a little unbelievable? I can't exactly put my finger on it. I expected more of a dark thriller, but this came off as comical in certain situations and was a quick read. It really wasn't what I was expecting. I did love the found family aspect of the book and enjoyed Diane and Samantha. Mango, the dog was also fun.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This grabbed me from the beginning. The tension was there from the first page and it ramped up as the story continued.

The story follows the life of Cordelia Black. During the day she is a business woman in the pharmaceutical industry. . On the side she likes to dabble in her own kind of fun, disposing of evil men. Everything is going well until one night she sees her best friend's new boyfriend out with another woman and he sees her with her next potential victim.

This book was fast paced. I truly didn't know how it was going to end until I read the last page! It was a wild ride I highly recommend!

Thanks to Poison Pen and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This Girl's a Killer is a graphic, comedic suspense novel.

Cordelia Black loves exactly three things: Her chosen family, her hairdresser (worth every penny plus tip), and killing bad men.

By day she's an ambitious pharma rep with a flawless reputation and designer wardrobe. By night, she culls South Louisiana of unscrupulous men—monsters who think they've evaded justice, until they meet her. Sure, the evening news may have started throwing around phrases like "serial killer," but Cordelia knows that's absurd. She's not a killer, she is simply karma. And being karma requires complete and utter control.

But when Cordelia discovers a flaw in her perfectly designed system for eliminating monsters, pressure heightens. And it only intensifies when her best friend starts dating a man Cordelia isn't sure is a good person. Someone who might just unravel everything she has worked for.

Review: I enjoyed this book and it made me laugh/chuckle throughout, but I personally didn't love it for one main reason. Cordelia's inner monologue/explanation/side bars are just a bit TOO much throughout for my personal preference. I'm realizing that it's a style of writing that some people love, but it just doesn't fully resonate with me. I thought a lot of this commentary could've been cut without impacting the story and it would have been more enjoyable and less tedious. That said, the story is fun and I love the dynamics between Cordelia and her bestie/found family!! If you like the sassy/off-the-cuff commentary in your stories and don't mind some violent details about the unaliving missions, then definitely give this a shot when it comes out on 29 October 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press publishers, and the author for access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review! This Girl's a Killer releases on 29 October 2024!

CWs: child abuse/neglect, serial unaliving, bl00d play, dismemberment, misuse of a corpse, reference to inappropriate images of children, reference to possible animal abuse

This is more like 3.5 but I don’t have the option to do half stars. Female Dexter story? Sign me up! I just felt like it was very repetitive and if you took a shot any time the main character said her name, you would be unlived by the end of the book.

I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher.

I’ve been very into the feminist serial killer/criminal genre this year, but I have yet to love any of them. This book is unfortunately not an exception. But to start with what I enjoyed about this book. The plot was riveting. It was so fast paced, and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I could never fully predict what was going to happen next. There was also a good decent into madness for the main character, and great chaos that I personally found funny at times. As for the main character, I did not like her very much. I thought I would warm up to her more, but I just found her annoying and even grating at times. However, I loved her relationship with Diane and Samantha. Her devotion to them was amazing and such a great driving force for the plot and Cordelia’s character arc. As for the ending, I had mixed feelings about it. It was ultimately a fairly satisfying resolution, but I felt left a lot of threads loose and questions unanswered. I wanted to ending to be a bit cleaner. So overall I enjoyed this fast paced thriller, but I didn’t love it.

DNF @ 26%

I was really excited to read this one, since I’m a sucker for a female revenge storyline. Unfortunately, and including the extra though I put into DNFing eARCs versus already published books, I just couldn’t finish this book, because, well, let’s be honest, life is too short to read books that irritate you every page.

This was a peak example of a book where a character tells you she’s always ~something~, whether it’s poised, professional, organized, cool, unfeeling, etc. but then has no on-page action showing that she’s that way. It gives pick-me energy, and I got tired of it really quick. Add in that she had no boundaries in her life, and I just found myself unable to connect with her, or really root for her as a character. It just felt too disorganized, without any nuance. Her inner monologue felt like it was trying so hard to be edgy and dark, but missed the mark, because you felt the trying as you read it.

I was roped in by the comparisons to Dexter, which I loved (the show more than the book series for once, but I digress), but other than the premise of killing people who slip through the law, there wasn’t really a comparison, so don’t let that influence your judgement.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC for my review!

This is one of the juiciest, most un-put-down-able thrillers I have read in a long time. Every moment sings with ridiculous suspense. I absolutely loved this one.

Cordelia: blonde bombshell, classy business woman, intensely devoted to her best friend and her god daughter, serial killer…?

I absolutely loved Cordelia Black, EVEN when her choices made me want to pull my hair out. She is a pharmaceutical rep by day, killer of terribly BAD men by night. She is calm, composed and always with a meticulous plan.

A couple of unfortunate dominoes fall and her carefully curated existence is crumbling rapidly… and it is extraordinary! I recommend this fabulous, pulse pounding book that you may want to throw across the room a few times.

Is it wrong to call a book about a serial killer a “fun ride”? If it is, I don’t want to be right. Cordelia Black is a successful pharmaceutical rep and an even more successful serial killer. She is the anti-hero we need. Think “Dexter” meets “Promising Young Woman” and you have Cordelia. This book has a huge heartbeat and I loved the characters and the plot. Emma Wells ( serial) killed this one 10/10

We follow Cordelia Black who is a pharmaceutical rep, and her found family that she adores. Diane who is her best friend and Diane’s daughter and Cordelia’s goddaughter Sammy. They mean everything to Cordelia, and they feel the same about her, but there is one thing…Cordelia is a killer.

Cordelia eliminated men who have mistreated other in their past. She takes full advantage of her job to help subdue these problem men. Cordelia has been falsifying documents for sample drugs she is suppling to doctors. Now that there is a lawsuit with one of the drugs, and Cordelia’s paperwork does not add up with the correct amount, will she finally be found out?

When her best friend Diane starts dating a handsome doctor named Simon, Cordelia has pause for concern. Is Simon really who he says he is, or is there something sinister happening? Is this someone that Cordelia will have to purge?

I must be honest, the title and the cover of this book really caught my eye. when I read the description, I was all in. This book was a slow burn for me. There were funny conversations and honest parts, but I would never categorize this as a thriller. I was really wanting more from this story. I wished it would have had more suspense.

Cordelia is an interesting complex character. We get just a small glimpse into her childhood and her past trauma. I wish we could see a little more of it. I was constantly waiting for her to get caught, and we do not find out. Hopefully, this leaves the opening for a sequel, and we could see into her past! There are trigger warning for this book with body horror.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a four star read for me. I’d like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the privilege to read an ARC of this book. I would also like to thank Emma C. Wells for her great story telling.

Actual rating: 3,5 stars

This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the first chapters to the last pages, devouring every word and twist. I had to force myself to put it down or I wouldn’t have been able to do anything else. The plot was full of twists and turns and lightened by a good dose of humour. Some scenes, however, bordered on the ridiculous while others were far too convenient.

The characters were well written, and the depiction of friendship was very accurate. But the main character’s decisions didn’t always make sense, and she drove me crazy more than once. As for the whole ‘smoke in the eyes’ part, it was more annoying than necessary. It didn’t add anything to the story except unnecessary conflict and added even more unrealism.

Overall, This Girl’s a Killer was an enjoyable read with a good intrigue, but lacked realism and suspense.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!