*3.75
this was so good. the writing was incredible and at times genuinely funny. evie was such a compelling main character whose POV i never got tired of. i loved The Woman as well and their relationship…not the ending i wanted for them but the one i expected can’t wait to see what deitch writes next

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Killer Potential is the debut novel by Hannah Deitch. It’s considered a mystery/thriller. The synopsis said it is darkly funny. I did not find the dark humor. I was looking for it though. This book gave me many emotions that all stemmed from the lack of communication between the characters. I remained frustrated the entire book. With that being said, this murder mystery with female suspects on the run across the US and Canada did have some exciting moments. Between stealing boats and squatting in empty homes, the action was there and it kept me in the story. Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced ebook.

Enjoyed this debut. There’s a fair bit of action but the majority of the book is somewhat mundane so I would probably put this into the slower burn category. It has some twists but I didn’t feel like Deitch relied too heavily on big reveals to captivate the reader.

The book has a pretty heavy romance subplot which wasn’t my favorite aspect. The characterization with Evie and her passenger was well done and they felt very dimensional. I related well to the way Deitch seems to view our world and many of the interactions felt accurate and even humorous at times. I enjoyed Deitch’s writing but she becomes extremely meticulous at times (describe routine periods of time in minute detail) and then just fast forwards through weeks which may turn off some readers.

The story was a solid one and I definitely would want to check out more from Deitch in the future. If you appreciate more literary thrillers with a distinct voice I would recommend this one.

i had SUCH a fun time reading this book. I don't read a ton of mystery/suspense so every plot twist is actually a twist in the plot for me. the very definition of be gay do crime but what if you don't actually do crime. such a fun read y'all

A smart and thrilling debut about a gifted SAT tutor to LA's elite high schoolers who finds herself walking in on a horrific murder scene and ends up on the run with the other woman she finds trapped in a closet. This was a Sapphic road trip romance like no other that is both a clever critique of the upper class and a condemnation of the vulnerable position working class women hold. It was good on audio and I enjoyed it a lot! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch is a sharp, darkly humorous thriller that blends murder, mystery, and biting social commentary.

Two unlikely runaway fugitives with a very twisty tale.

Evie, an SAT Tutor, stumbles upon the rich parents of the student she's been teaching murdered. Upon further searching for the daughter, she finds a woman bound/held captive. With a witness and no way to prove their innocence they fled the area, but not before being identified. They embark on a cross country run that has moments of humor, spice, and a lot of twists.

Killer Potential had....potential. It's hard to nail down why it didn't work completely for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I was bored through a lot of the story so found myself skimming more than usual. It does have Bonnie & Clyde or Thelma and Louise vibes for sure. It does require a HUGE amount of suspending disbelief. It did have some good parts (perhaps mostly the portions from Jae's POV in my opinion) and the ending felt....cold might be the best word for it. I found Evie just a bit irritating and "entitled" and I just didn't get her. And Jae, well....I didn't quite get her either lol. In any case, I had a love/hate relationship with the story and the characters.

Even walks into what appears to be a murder scene. In a series of unfortunate events…she ends up fleeing the scene having knocked out & a girl & being a tag a long she found hiding under the stairs…like what?!? This definitely had great potential but it just wasn’t for me. It kinda just went on & on. Although I was surprised by the twist…after that it just seemed confusing & kinda blah. I know that others loved this book but it was just not my fave.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.
This was different from anything I’ve read. I almost didn’t finish it, but I’m really glad I did, because I ended up enjoying it. It had such an interesting premise, but wasn’t executed all that well. There were a lot of thoughts from the main characters. Like a lot. Almost an excessive amount. The love story was a nice touch, and it had a good ending, though predictable, in my opinion. It had lots of action and was very exciting, though I wish there would have been more details about the road trip itself, because it was just a lot of backstory and thinking.
Overall, it was good and I enjoyed it.

overall, I enjoyed this, but I also struggled with a few things.

at the beginning I didn't fully understand why Evie made the choice to run, or at least not to turn herself in at any point before she does go to do it. like I get that she distrusts the law system but like going further in the harm she was doing to herself in terms of what she could be charged with also didn't make that much sense to me lol, especially as time went on.

I also did not like the ending, even though the twist was kinda predictable, I did not want that to be the story's trajectory. their love did not seem deep enough, especially without getting any of Jae's perspective until the end, to warrant Jae's choices there, in my opinion. the obsession was weird and I just have a hard time believing that Jae was that good at hiding her thoughts/feelings the whole time, especially because it doesn't seem like she was always able to do that (like in terms of her childhood / explanation for the change in her behavior)? idk I am not a psychologist lol

idk I think this story could use some more thought especially in the later half because the prose felt so purposeful in the first couple chapters and I did not feel that same purposefulness later on. maybe that is on me though.

I think I would recommend if you are looking for a fast-paced thriller/lesbian romance, but also maybe keep in mind that the plot may not do it for you (but it also might)

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free and advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review

What an insane ride! Never knew where the story was going until it got there. Author Hannah Deitch wrote a twisty, tragic, hell of a mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch is a gripping psychological thriller that blends true-crime obsession with a dark, suspenseful narrative. The story follows Elise, a law student fascinated by serial killers, who begins to suspect that her charming boyfriend, Nathan, might be one himself. As she digs deeper, paranoia and reality blur, forcing her—and the reader—to question what’s true.

Deitch does an excellent job building tension, making Elise’s fears feel both irrational and disturbingly plausible. The novel explores themes of trust, obsession, and the thin line between curiosity and danger. The pacing is tight, with twists that keep you second-guessing until the very end.

If you enjoy unreliable narrators, psychological mind games, and stories that make you question your own instincts, Killer Potential is a must-read. It’s dark, unsettling, and perfect for fans of You by Caroline Kepnes or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Killer Potential is a sapphic Thelma and Louise, a fugitive journey across America, and back to the Canadian border with two women wanted for murder, trying to put as much space between them and the police, even as the space between them grows smaller.

It's hard to say who has more influence over the other. Is it Evie, the failed scholarship student, so bright but unable to get a job beyond SAT tutoring the rich kids of wealthy LA parents? Or Jae, a victim of the Victors, who Evie found tied up under the staircase after discovering the bodies in the backyard? Would any two people thrust together in such circumstances form a bond, or does the hopelessness drive a wedge between them?

I was so invested in this book, that when the ending came I just had to sit with it for awhile.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this very different and thought-provoking debut novel.

A fun fugitive thriller which smuggles in some trenchant class commentary about social mobility and the failed promise of the gifted kid. The main character Evie is squandering her promise working as an SAT tutor to wealthy families, until she is accused of massacring a family she worked for. She finds herself on the run with a mysterious women who might be a victim or the perpetrator, or both. Kind of bouillabaisse made up of Thelma and Louise and Parasite , this is the best kind of debut novel, where it feels like the author had a lifetime of things they wanted to say, and are getting them all on the page.

Evie Gordon was a scholarship kid at an elite university and had big plans. But instead, she finds herself unanchored and working as an SAT tutor for LA's wealthiest families. When she arrives for her tutoring session in Beverly Hills, she finds the parents murdered and the daughter nowhere to be found. When she hears a woman crying for help in the closet, she unties her and the two try and flee. After an unfortunate altercation, they are suspects and wanted for murder.

The two are at the center of a nationwide manhunt and they must find the real killer to prove themselves innocent.

I loved the premise of the story and the first 60% of the book. However, the story took a strange turn and seemed to become more of a story about Stockholm syndrome or something like it. By the time I got to the end of the book, I felt like it was a different story than the one I started.

I’ll be honest, when I first started this book, I wasn’t really feeling it. I’m not sure if it was the writing or what, but it just wasn’t grabbing me. Luckily, that didn’t last too long. It became an addicting read that I enjoyed. This book has action, drama and even romance. I love the depth of the two main characters and couldn’t wait to see what they would do next. I also loved the mentions of North Carolina since that’s where I’m from. I thought the pacing was great and really enjoyed the suspense. I definitely skimmed ahead a few times to find things out lol. This is an awesome debut and I recommend checking it out.

True crime (well, fiction, but in that style) from the inside—a story of a double murder, from the point of view of the accused! Definitely not my usual fare, but a gripping and surprisingly enjoyable read. The protagonist is relatable the whole way through, even as the things she does become more and more outrageous. The shifts in perspective worked really well, too.
Great book.
I received a free advance e-copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Evie always thought she’d be someone, but a serial killer wasn’t at the top of her list. Evie is a Sat tutor and when she arrives at her Sunday gig, she finds the parents dead and a woman tied up in the closet. Defending herself, she’s sure she’s killed someone as she tries to run. Taking the broken, dirty woman with her, they are now on the lam, running for their very lives. The woman is uncommunicative and Evie desperately wants to know her story. A story that could end up saving them. The further they run, the more things unravel. Is there a chance they can come out of this unscathed? The whole country is looking for them. Evie’s only hope is to find the real killer, but is it already too late for that? Thank you to Hachette UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.