This was a really different type of book to what I’ve ever read before. It had an interesting cadence and tone, and it really hooked me in. However I found the pacing to be a bit off as the story went along, and the absolute suspension of disbelief is very very high. There came a point where the book was no longer able to hold my interest and I had to focus to finish it. An intriguing idea, but not my favorite read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

A perfect “what would you do?” book, Killer Potential kept me wondering until the end. Unfortunately, the end was fully avoidable in my opinion which would’ve invalidated the entire plot. Enjoyable, but not one I’d recommend.

Killer Potential is a thrill ride of a debut! SAT tutor Evie Gordon is on the run after finding her rich employers brutally murdered and fleeing the scene of the crime with the woman she found tied up in their mansion. The two become public enemies number one and two, and what starts as a misunderstanding, turns into a Thelma and Louise-style tale for the ages.

For such a dark premise, Killer Potential was a lot of fun! It read like a TV show and I could fully picture each event playing out on screen. I credit this to the novel’s expert pacing. The action is swift but the narrative says everything it needs to without coming across as gratuitous. Evie’s inner monologue’s about morality were by far the most intriguing aspects of the novel and despite some questionable decision making, I found her to be a likable and even (to a certain extent) relatable protagonist.

The romantic b plot served as a great companion to the thriller/mystery elements. Equal parts sexy and dangerous, the sapphic romance between fugitives added delicious tension to the story and made the twist that much more gut-wrenching. Speaking of the twist, I didn’t see it coming, but thought that it fit within the parameters that the author set. It made for a gripping reading experience and served the overall themes of the novel perfectly.

Overall, this is a stellar debut from Hannah Deitch and I’m excited to see what she writes next!

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another very meh thriller! This one had an interesting premise (a SAT tutor finds her rich employers dead and flees— thinking the police will assume she murdered them). It’s a fun cat and mouse, sarcastic and mildly silly book. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this one very memorable! Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Killer Potential. It’s out now!

Thank you to William Morrow for my copy of Killer Potential. This one comes out March 18.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! If you're into fast-paced psychological thrillers, Killer Potential is definitely worth checking out. This is Hannah Deitch’s debut novel, and she's already headed to my auto read list. This one has been compared to a modern Thelma and Louise meets Gone Girl and I can't agree more. I loved the hark humor, the fast plot and the characters that I will definitely miss now that the book its over. I can't wait for more from Hannah Deitch!

A mystery with some spice… I didn’t think it would work but it did. This was a lot of fun to read and a pretty fast read too. Highly recommend.

You know all those memes about former ‘gifted’ kids who are in therapy now? And burned out? With a major anxiety disorder and crippling fear of failure? (Me as hell tbh.) They have nothing on Evie Gordon, the main character in Hannah Deitch’s Killer Potential, who is all of the above and also one of America’s most-wanted criminals, to boot. (Overachiever much?!) Somehow, this mystery-thriller-road trip novel is able to be both a hell of a lot of fun and almost unbearably bleak [complimentary]. That’s a tricky line to walk, and Deitch pulls it off.

As a whip-smart scholarship kid with big dreams of ‘being someone,’ Evie never expected her post-college career to take such a nosedive. Now wallowing in the malaise of dashed ambitions, she turns to tutoring the children of the über wealthy residents of Los Angeles to eke out a living. That’s how she finds herself plunged into a cross-country (wo)manhunt when she shows up to a routine SAT prep session with high schooler Serena Victor, only to discover the front door to the palatial Beverly Hills home wide open, the girl’s parents brutally murdered in the backyard, and a malnourished and abused woman tied up under the stairs. (Not an ideal environment to memorize vocab, to say the least.) But before Evie can so much as utter “what the fuck?” things get even more chaotic, and she and the woman, Jae, rapidly go from bystanders to suspects to fugitives.

Armed with only her smarts, a shitty Nissan, hastily purchased Walmart sweatpants, and a questionable amount of gas station beef jerky, Evie knows she needs to figure out who actually killed the Victors and clear her name — between the FBI on their tail and every news anchor in America calling for her head, it won’t be easy. Luckily her mysterious, mute companion is an excellent thief with a knack for carjacking. So begins their spree across the US and back again, uncovering secrets about the Victors and each other along the way.

After reading this I know, without a doubt, I would not survive a week on the run from the authorities. Scratch that, let’s be honest: a day. An hour. Evie and Jae’s experience had my nerves in a chokehold. I like how progressively impulsive and unhinged Evie gets as she settles into her unexpected life on the run — she goes from a constant stream of anxious questions and mental spiraling to luxuriating in fantasies of a permanent life of crime. It’s only a matter of weeks before her plans for a PhD have been completely eclipsed by plans of how she and Jae might live out the rest of their days as bank robbers. Or, maybe they’ll escape to Canada, find a cabin, and get really into gardening. Freed from the burdensome mundanity of her lackluster post-grad life, Evie unspools.

On the outside this debut novel might seem like your average pulse-pounding thriller or murder-mystery, but it feels more literary than straight suspense. It’s often funny and unquestionably fast-paced, but powerful observations about classism, American success, and social mobility appear almost casually, sandwiched as they are between intense scenes of Evie and Jae fighting for their lives life or crashing a car. (And a boat. Don’t forget the boat.) It’s a great twist on the usual roadtrip novel. Jae and Evie work really well as a pair, and by the end of things, the true tenderness of their bond split my heart right down the middle.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book. I started reading this book at night and did not finish until 1:30 in the morning, I just had to finish the book. Evie Gordon and Jae Parks are both fabulous characters. Though the book is mostly about Evie, who is teaching Serena, SAT or tutoring is the main character Jae is just as important. You follow along with Evie, though, as she comes to the home like every Sunday to tutor Serena, the big difference this day is that both of Serena’s parents are dead. The story takes you for a ride, and you will not want to put the book down. An excellent book all the way around.

I thought this book was a bit unhinged and a wild ride. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's like a sapphic Bonnie & Clyde.

*ARC received from NetGalley, but read after publication.

I went into Killer Potential mostly blind, having forgotten the synopsis since the time I requested the ARC. I had a completely different idea of where the story would go, and I've never been happier to be wrong.

This book took me by surprise with its slow-burning suspense, unexpected twists, and deeply unsettling final moments. Just when I thought I had things figured out, the story took a sharp turn that left my jaw on the floor.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers that mess with your head and leave you thinking about the ending long after you've finished reading, you definitely want to check this one out. #netgalley #killerpotential

Big thanks to NetGalley, Hannah Deitch, and William Morrow for the ebook. This psychological thriller took me by surprise in the best way! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the unique plot had me hooked from the start. The vivid description of the house, the chilling murder scene, and everything that followed kept me on edge. And that ending—completely mind-blowing! I loved it.

Did I find virtually every choice made by the main character of this book absolutely maddening? Yes. Absolutely. But it was a well-written thriller with satisfying twists and a good premise. And although Evie was frustrating for me at times (okay, most times), she did feel like a very well-developed character. I would definitely read something else by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC for review!

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch, when Evie shows up to tutor her Sunday student Sabrina Victor she is shocked to find her parents dead on the patio and is fleeing the home when she hears someone call for help. this is when she finds a stranger tied up bruised and bleeding in the closet under the stairs. after freeing the stranger they go to leave the home only to run into Sabrina Victor who starts panicking and tries to hit EV with the lamp only for EV to retaliate with a vase and knock her out thinking she killed her. this is when every plan Hope and dream Evie had for her future is no longer, she finds herself speeding down the interstate with a companion that won’t speak and two murdered bodies in her rearview mirror. It isn’t until the next day that she sees she and who they’re calling her accomplice is wanted for the murder of the victors. despite not talking at first EV finds her companion quite capable and seems to know how to take care of things when things need to be taken care of and this is something that EV finds attractive especially in this new insecure life they’re living on the lamb. The stranger starts talking and says her name is JNEV finds herself falling for her but is she falling for the real J or the J she wants EV to see? Evie knows this lifestyle isn’t sustainable but doesn’t know how to quite end their story. after fleeing the murder as an innocent person they Kris Kross the country but by the time their story ends Evie will definitely be a murderer. as far as debut novels go I think the author did a phenomenal job I could definitely see what made Evie fall for Jay, but did find the timing quite inappropriate but who knows I’ve never fled from the law and maybe she just wanted to feel secure and Jay did come off as quite capable. Having said that there were many things in this book I raised an eyebrow or two over but mostly I think this was an awesome read I can honestly say I did not want to DNF at any point and found the story intriguing not to mention the stories within the story I really found this book entertaining and thought the ending was quite a good one not just the wow ending when you find out who did it but how it ended, I thought it was a great choice on the authors part. I definitely recommend this book to those who like great mysteries and although I could’ve done without the sex and romance that only happened a tiny bit and doesn’t take up much of the story.#NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #HannahDeitch, #KillerPotential,

Well I honestly couldn’t decide if this book was too brilliant for me or if it was just trying too hard. Or perhaps the packaging didn’t match the actual story.
Perhaps it was just a combination of all 3. I definitely felt that the story had a unique voice and saw where it could take that but it seemed to just stay the same. The characters didn’t grow or evolve really. And maybe they weren’t meant to in the trauma bonding style situation.
Either way, this book is not propulsive. It is slow after the initial opening sequence and a few spaced out adventures. Prepare for a lot of internal monologue. And angsty Stockholm ish style romance…….?????
Overall a 3/5 star read for me.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Thank you William Morrow for my gifted copies!

“How long does it take to become the thing you’re branded?”

I feel like I’ve said this before, I know I have. But Killer Potential surprised me. It wasn’t on my radar before William Morrow sent it to me. And I literally waited until the last minute to read it. But once I started, I simply

Could
Not
Stop.

This is Hannah Deitch’s debut novel. Debut. This fact alone astonishes me, because her writing is top tier. Her writing is so perfectly crafted. I kept marveling at how brilliant her mind works. Where did she pull these details from? How did she imagine this up? How did she make these two perfectly flawed female main characters? Because Evie and Jae truly came off these pages. I felt like I knew them as well as you can know anyone. Their thoughts, voices, actions were all so real to me. I’m emotional thinking of them, of ending my time with them. And this alone floors me. Debut! This is the type of writing you experience from an author who has had years and dozens of books to grow from. I am enamored.

And the plot! My god. I saw this book compared to Bonnie and Clyde, and Thelma & Louise. Spot on and accurate, but realistic and for modern times. It was a blast. I had so much fun with the chaos of this plot. It never let up. Never. This is a THICC book, at 310 pages, but I read the first 65% in one sitting, kids be damned. And I read the rest hiding on the bedroom floor to escape from said kids. I promise you, I barely took a full breath the entire time. And my freshly painted purple to match the cover nails are gnawed off.

I’m telling you - this book is something massive. And you need to read it. Immediately.

An insightful novel about the lengths we'll go to in order to survive & protect ourselves. I wasn't sure about this book in the beginning but as the story progressed it hooked me & I didn't see the plot twist coming. At times heartbreaking & sad and at times a bit humorous it's a thriller / semi murder mystery told through a Gen Z character.

Evie shows up one day to her tutoring job, but instead of her student she finds the bodies of his parents and a woman in the closet. Convinced she will be collared for the crime, the two women the flee the scene and take off on a cross-country roadtrip.

This book was unlike the traditional heart-pounding thriller style I am used to! While some of the twists were a bit predictable it did not take away from the overall story. I did find Evie to be a pretty grating character and kept forgetting she was 29, not 19. The book had a lot of insights and a fun romance factor, but some of the pacing and character traits put this at a solid 3-star read.

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

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Killer Potential.

Great title and premise! I was excited my request was granted.

There are a few sex scenes and discussions of same sex relationships if some readers are sensitive to these topics.

Evie Gordon is a smart cookie but having brains isn't everything. One day she walks into a crime scene and her meager existence explodes into a Lifetime movie.

From the premise, I was envisioning a Hitchcockian-esque thriller; falsely accused and on the run, hoping to figure out a way to clear your name.

I only got one part right; running from the law, and everything else required a high suspension of disbelief I couldn't fake.

It's hard to believe two women could evade the police for so long considering how many security cameras and facial recognitions scanners there are in our country now.

The book gives off Thelma and Louise vibes but Evie and Jae are nothing like those likable, engaging, and memorable characters.

It's pretty convenient that Jae is as skilled at pickpocketing and nicking like the Artful Dodger because it was just Evie on the run alone, she would have been picked up in 20 minutes.

Evie talks constantly about how smart she is; yes, she's book smart but obviously not street smart.

We're in Evie's head a lot as she monologues constantly about how smart she is, how much her loving family supported her academic dreams.

But, she's still a nobody from a small town she doesn't want to return to with her tail between her legs.

Evie is annoying, bratty, and entitled; she's surprised her big brains didn't give her everything she dreamed of; success, money, a big house.

I'm not sure how I feel about Jae; I didn't like her but I didn't dislike her.

She reads like a cliche stereotype of a rebel, of a good girl turned survivors because of her difficult childhood and hardships.

There are moments of blood and violence as Evie and Jae hide and evade capture, resorting to acts of violence to protect one another.

But the narrative eventually devolves into them romancing each other.

There's a 'twist' I saw coming, especially when you realize Evie is doing nothing to find the real killer and clear their names.

And here's my biggest gripe; I've said it in so many reviews and I'll keep saying it again until I'm blue in the face, apparently.

Every novel doesn't need to have a romance.

The main characters don't need to hook up or get involved or married, etc.

The sudden romance between Evie and Jae was forced, contrived, and unnecessary.

The tone of the narrative soon shifted from suspenseful to a YA novel, romanticizing their plight and imagining a future together.

The ending is realistic; neither happy nor sad, but again, unnecessarily corny and romance-y.

The writing was good, but heavy on metaphors especially when discussing the feelings the characters have for each other. 🙄

Evie Gordon walks in on the worst scene of her life. The rich people she works for have been murdered. Thus starts a fairly predictable but entertaining run that, of course, turns into Evie as a fugitive. It was fun to read on a Saturday afternoon.

You ever just speed through a book because you want to know the ending after it's gripped you? Prepare yourself for a wild ride with this one!
Featuring:

🔪 A queer FMC
🔪 An SAT tutor struggling to survive
🔪 A woman locked in a closet
🔪 Dead bosses
🔪 A stolen yacht
🔪 Car jacking

Annnnd that's not even the half of it!

Evie Gordon is a let down. After success in college, she is forced to work as an SAT tutor for the wealthy upon graduation. One unfortunate day, she finds the parents of her tutee dead outside, and a woman trapped in the closet. Fleeing for their lives, Evie and the woman who refuses to talk are forced to reconcile with expectations vs. reality, and how their mindset informs their circumstances as they journey across the US in search of the real serial killer. Unexpectedly emotional, raw, and funny, this is a fun, fast-paced thriller that can't be put down once you start it! Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review!