I actually follow C. Fitton on Instagram @Pugsandpages so that is how I found out she’s not only an active Instagram reviewer but also a debt novelist. And to my surprise a fellow Canadian, and I’m trying to read more CanLit this year so of course I requested Her Dead Boyfriend and was exciting to see my request on Netgalley was approved.
I was really drawn to the cover and the synopsis. I love mystery thrillers. I’m always on the hunt for a new book to surprise me enough I couldn’t guess any of the ending. This book did that for me. I also really enjoyed the novel inside the novel aspect. C. Fitton basically wrote two different books.
Throughout the book we are made to feel like our main character Erin is an unreliable character which she is… or is she? She does struggle with mental illness so I feel like that used against her to make her even more unreliable. She almost portrays a villain for most of the book, she’s not very likeable. As the story continues to unfold we learn more of what has happened in the past, sometimes again it makes her seem more unlikeable but then in some instances what we thought of her gets debunked. Mark, Mark, Mark. Our characters hold him o na pedestal but we know the truth about him. He’s not as great as they make him out to be. And poor, poor Fiona or so it’s seems.
I can’t really go into much more detail without giving away plot. Overall, I did enjoy this story. Again, like I mentioned earlier I was not expecting that ending. And I would recommend this to other mystery/ thriller readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kingsley Publishers for the copy.

C. Fitton’s debut novel is the ultimate obsession thriller. It is fast paced, full of traumatizing events, and twisty. I love that the author’s pug is featured as a character and is more likable than the main character😂 I enjoyed reading the story and found myself not wanting to put this book down. I truly wanted to see what crazy behavior the main character exhibited next!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you love stories about obsession. I’m looking forward to reading more by C. Fitton in the future.

Thank you @kingsleypublishers for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review has been shared on the Barnes & Noble website.)

I enjoyed this psychological thriller very much and would recommend as a nice, easy short read. Very twisty and entertaining xx

Thank you to Netgalley and Kingsley Publishers for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

I managed to read 10% of this very fast because the chapters were so short. Because of this, I could have easily pushed my through the whole thing. But I knew I wouldn’t like it because the dialogue was so unrealistic it was painful to read. I had a friend who loved it who encouraged me to finish, but I just couldn’t. This book was not for me.

I have no words just as I have too many words.
I would like to describe this book as a baby of the Freida McFadden books.
It has the engagement and plot to keep you reading. It talks about delicate subjects such as grief and how it affects you and all sides of your life.
I would definitely reccomend to all the thriller addicts and even for the readers who are starting to dip their toes into this genre.
3,5/5*

First time reading from this author a d love the cover! Will read more from this author!

This book had twists and turns and I very much enjoyed the book! I love any book that has short chapters to me it keeps you wanting to read!!!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

There were definitely some creepy and intense moments when reading this book, it did have me wanting to read on to find out more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kingsley Publishers for this ARC!

I follow C Fitton on instagram, love her pugs, so when I saw she had a thriller coming out I was excited to read it.

This was a twisty domestic thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed! The short chapters helped me fly through this one. I enjoyed the unreliable narrator trope, my favorite!

Fitton’s writing reminded me a lot of Frieda McFaddens, whose thrillers I really enjoy.

Id read more from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

Unfortunately I hated this book, I was really looking forward to it based on the other reviews and description but it was terrible. It had potential and I kept going bc I thought it would get better but it did not. I kept expecting the main character to escalate considering her obsession is instantaneous in chapter 1 but it's literally the last two chapters that anything happens. The dialogue in this book is deranged and I am begging someone to take away the thesaurus. I'm sorry I did really really want to like it but I don't have anything redeemable except the premise.

Erin is struggling. Her boyfriend was killed in a car accident a year ago right after having lost her father from a stroke. She barely leaves the house. Her best friend Fiona is urging her to get back out there.

Turns out Fiona has met a new guy, Mark, and they've really hit off. She invites Erin to dinner to meet him and Erin can't believe her eyes. He's the spitting image of her deceased boyfriend, Sean.

Erin is convinced that her and Mark are the two people that should actually be together and now she needs to figure out a way to remove Fiona from the picture once and for all.

Truth be told I had a lot of issues with this book. In my opinion this was not well executed at all. The dialogue between characters never rang true. Some of her wording choices seemed a little silly and nonsensical. Almost as if she was trying to create flowery prose but wasn't successful at it, if that makes sense.

Erin was pathetic, strange, and unlikable which made it hard to get invested in her story. A couple of other notes I made:

🚫 A grown woman that refers to her mother as mommy. Please stop. (I understand that outside of the states this is more common but here? Not so much.)

🚫 This book takes place in Boston. When Fiona invites Erin to Mark's beach house on Cape Cod she says ... "It's in a town called Truro, right on the beach."

Trust, as a Massachusetts native, you've heard of Truro before.

🚫 When Erin is picked up by her date in a Tesla she mentions "I've always wondered why it's called a Tesla?" "It's named after, Nikola Tesla, who invented the induction motor and alternate current power transmission." "Show off, I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded very impressive."

I hate to call a woman an airhead but really? That didn't sound overly complicated. I would think that most adults have at least heard of Tesla before but I could be wrong and I probably am.

🚫 When waking up to a noise in the night Fiona says "What was that?" "Probably just a mouse," Mark replied. "A mouse?" "Don't worry, I'll protect you," Mark said. "Come closer."

I'm not sure how spooning will keep her safe from the big bad mouse but way to go, Mark! My hero! *GAG*

🚫 "He wore dark blue swim trunks, and his legs were long and muscular and covered in black hair."

Is it getting hot in here? Just me?

🚫 "With a proficient touch, he undid the buttons of my black blouse, enabling it to charmingly fall from my shoulders."

Charmingly fall? Nobody really talks like that, right?

🚫 "What color are your eyes? I thought they were brown and now they look green." "Hazel."

Those elusive hazel eyes. Seriously, has this woman grown up under rock or what?

🚫 "I had never heard Fiona call anyone an "asshole" before."

Really? Best friends for years and you've never heard her call ANYONE an asshole? Impossible.

Just when I thought this book couldn't get any more convoluted the ending arrived and it was completely off the wall. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kingsley Publishers for my complimentary copy.

Erin, still grieving the loss of her boyfriend Sean, has closed herself off from the world. When her best friend Fiona starts dating a new man who bears a striking resemblance to Sean, Erin is convinced he’s meant to be with HER, not Fiona. So begins a slow descent into obsession, denial and delusion.

Erin comes to life again, returning to her work at the bookstore even as she schemes to get closer to Mark. As her obsession grows she views Fiona as an obstacle to be removed. An aspiring author, she begins writing a disturbing and violent story as an outlet for her feelings. Will she act on them? How far will she go?

Erin is simultaneously likable and unlikeable. Her inner struggle between loyalty and desire, her questionable decisions (sometimes regret afterwards) and sketchy behavior made her very real and relatable. I was interested to see what shenanigans Erin would engage in next. The addition of Keeper, the pug dog was sweet. I love when a character has a pet!

Her Dead Body is more of a simmering domestic suspense than thriller; more action and less description would’ve made this more intense for me. C. Fitton’s love of language is evident as some passages almost read like lyrical poetry, which I enjoyed. I even learned a few new words and adding to my vocabulary is always a welcome thing for this logophile! This was an entertaining debut and I certainly hope to see more from Catherine!

Thank you to Catherine Fitton and Kingsley Publishers for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Scroll down for potential spoiler trigger warnings.






















⚠️Trigger Warnings: Infidelity, drug use, sexual situations (closed door), violence, death