at no point did i know where this was going... which i loved. killer potential is the story of two women (who do not know eachother) on the run following a tragedy in the home of an uber-rich family in california, and the secrets they uncover about eachother and the family. this book came to me at the right moment, and i couldn't put it down! a literary thriller in the best way.

Wow! What a ride this book is.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest feedback.
Evie Gordon, never the nice girl finds herself in the middle of a murder scene at one of her SAT students’ home. She tries to get out of dodge but hears someone calling for help. She finds the voice, who is tied up in an under the stairs closet and saves her only to inadvertently become suspect number one in the murders.
Now on the run Evie, who is book smart but not street needs the mystery girls help to survive life on the run.
This is a story of bad decisions and wrong moves but also about trust and friendship. I throughly enjoyed this book…I will say it took me a minute to get into but once they were on the run I was quickly hooked and need to find out how the story ended.
Thriller, who-done-it, wild ride!

In all the times I've read or watched a story about running away from the scene of a crime the main character didn't commit, I've always been baffled by their life choices. This was honestly the first time I've related tenagagedin character quite a bit. Maybe it's because I'm a former "Gifted and Talented" student. Maybe it's because I just came off 7 months of unemployment. But I really found the voice of Evie–former Gifted student and SAT prep tutor – to be incredibly relatable. So I found myself going, "Yeah I think I would do that" every step of the way.

Overall this was a really fun read, it kept me engaged, and while I did guess the "twist" I still liked getting to know about how we got there.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Great premise, sadly I absolutely could not suspend my disbelief. When I kept saying WHY out loud too many times, I knew I was done. DNF'd.

Evie Gordon is on the run. She walked in to her most recent SAT tutoring session to find a murder scene, and now she is the number one -- more like only -- suspect with her face plastered all over the news. The only survivor is on the run with her, but she won't speak.

This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- books about women on the run
- a little romance in your thrillers
- novels with a strong internal dialogue

This was a wild one! Evie is a fugitive which creates an exciting plot, but this book is also very character driven with a strong voice. I gasped at some of the reveals and enjoyed seeing how everything unfolded. The relationships between the characters were complex and nuanced. Given we spend so much time in Evie's head, there were some shifts in pacing, but I flew through this one, especially the end.

Rating: I really liked it! (4)

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Fun popcorn thriller that was an easy read, and I think a lot of readers will enjoy this. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I know this is fiction, but this was a little to out there for me in terms of things that could actually happen.

I am sorry to say that I struggled a bit with this one. I wanted to love it but couldn’t get past the glaring inconsistencies. I think I will likely be an outlier and that this will be a win for many thriller lovers.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC of this great read for my honest review.
Absolutely. Put. This. On. Your. TBR.
I loved this book! The Bonnie and Clyde and whodunit feel had me hooked from the first chapter. I fell in love with both main characters and was always hoping for the best while trying to figure out how this story was going to have a good ending for either character.

This really makes you realize how quickly the public can pin you as a murderer and want you burning at the stake, even without all of the details. My heart ached for both characters for different reasons all the way to the end, but the writing style was great from start to finish! The ending left me wanting so much more but also gave me a good stopping point. I highly recommend checking this book out and I’ll be looking into other books from this author as well!

There is a little bit of sexual tension and some more descriptive sex scenes, but it is not overwhelming for those interested in skipping these parts.

#killerpotential #netgalley

The story follows Evie Gordon, an SAT tutor who unexpectedly stumbles upon a shocking crime scene at a client’s home. From the very start, the author’s writing is vivid and richly detailed, creating a clear and gripping picture. However, I found it a bit challenging to fully engage with the story initially due to its fast-paced opening.

One of the standout aspects of the book is the intriguing dynamic between the main characters, Evie and Jae. Jae’s mysterious nature adds an air of suspense that keeps you guessing, especially as their interactions evolve and reveal unexpected layers.

As for the ending, it was a mix of the expected and the unexpected, with a plot twist that truly caught me off guard.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Hannah Deitch, and William Morrow for providing me with an advanced copy for review!

This is a fast paced fun book and if you are willing to suspend disbelief, just enjoy the ride. The premise is great, Evie, the SAT tutor, walks in to an upscale LA home and finds her student’s parents dead and a young woman tied up in a closet. The student then hits Evie in the head with a lamp and Evie and the mystery woman flee. There is a coast to coast escape route while the police digest ‘Evie sitings.’

The writing is strong and funny in parts. The ending is a little flat. I think this is a strong debut. 3.5*. I will look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins for an advanced reader copy!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC of 'Killer Potential', by Hannah Deitch, provided in exchange for an honest review - expected release date March 18, 2025.

I'm rating this a 3 because the writing was good, descriptive and detailed, especially for a debut, but I had a hard time getting through the book.

The relationship between the two main characters Evie and Jae, as strangers, progressed too quickly romantically/intimately - it seemed unbelievable to happen that fast on Evie's side, given what horror she had stumbled into when meeting Jae and the lack of response from Jae as they started their escape journey.

The whole road trip was also unrealistic. Stealing multiple boats and cars, IDs, money and making it across a country's border all undetected and evading many people who recognized them as criminals from the media blasts. That being said, while it dragged on in some parts and was over-the-top, it did provide entertainment and I wanted to see how it ended. It didn't seem like there could be a good outcome for either Evie or Jae so I was surprised to see where the author took it and how she made it "work".

This book had Killer Potential but...just didn't do it for me in the end. It was a solid read; I was hooked from the moment our heroine, Evie, discovers a grisly murder, another woman locked up. The premise was fantastic - high octane on the run thriller with gay characters at the forefront. Then why didn't I love it??? Unfortunately there was too much going on for it to stick, and I found Evie's narration to be too choppy and all over the place, even for an unreliable narrator.

bad start but better continuing. interesting thriller without that much really twisty twists. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I have to say, Killer Potential was a wild ride! It’s not often that a thriller hooks me from the very first chapter, but this one does. The story follows Evie Gordon, a scholarship kid who's just trying to make ends meet as a tutor, when she stumbles into a grisly crime scene that turns her into a national suspect. What follows is a rollercoaster of suspense, intrigue, and unpredictable twists. I loved how quickly the stakes escalated and how Evie’s character evolved from a hopeful young woman into a savvy, on-the-run fugitive.

Deitch's writing is fast-paced, sharp, and full of unexpected turns. The plot is full of dark humor, and I couldn’t help but root for Evie—even though her actions were often morally ambiguous. It’s that type of book where you question everything, and the ending? It’ll leave you thinking long after you turn the last page.

If you enjoy stories with a strong, complicated female lead and enjoy thrillers with a biting social commentary, Killer Potential will definitely scratch that itch. It’s a page-turner through and through, but you might just be exhausted (in the best way) by the end!

3.5 stars

How does a gifted student and talented academic suddenly become the most wanted criminal in America? Evie wasn't expecting to go on the run when she showed up to her usual tutoring job one afternoon, only to find a gruesome murder scene and a mysterious woman held captive in a closet. As the two flee the scene of the crime, the lines between victim and suspect suddenly blurred, they forge what is first a tentative trust needed for survival. Criss-crossing the country, stealing food and cars to survive, Evie and the woman develop a complicated relationship that is both tender and surprising. Encountering various situations that are sometimes funny and sometimes tense, they grapple with a future that looks not at all like what they were promised.

I found this book more interesting than funny or thrilling. In terms of social commentary I thought it was spot on, shining a light on the eccentric and bad behaviors of the very rich and the realistic struggles of the middle class to afford education. I was fascinated by Evie's struggles to view herself as "bad" even though she didn't commit the crime. The psychological insights in this book were the highlight for me, more so than the plot itself. I did enjoy the twist, and some of the peril that Evie encountered on the run.

In Killer Potential we meet Evie Gordon Evie was straight A scholarship kid from North Carolina. She went to an elite university and ended up in LA and became in SAT tutor to the ultra wealthy. Evie was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She arrived at the home of her clients the Victor’s to find them dead. Evie goes on the run with a mysterious woman who doesn’t speak and a manhunt begins. The media got things wrong with their assumptions. The twists and turns had me not able to set this book down.

There were some chapters my heart was racing, my anxiety was up and I was reading as fast as I could.

This is a don’t miss debut thriller! Thank you for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the first half, but it seemed to drag toward the end. I think some editing could make the story tighter. The “twist” didn’t seem that surprising.

I’m really impressed with this debut! I wasn’t sure what to expect, obviously, but it was a fun ride (pun totally intended there!) The characters were well written, and although I didn’t love every character, the author did a great job making those love to hate characters which happened for me with our protagonist a few times. But overall, the story was fun, funny in a dark way, and really kept me interested. I enjoyed the book and would definitely check out this author in the future. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Ugh. Yes, that was very predictable, wasn't it? Evie is incredibly stupid and immature for someone who makes being a "gifted child" her whole identity and Jae shouldn't have been that boring. Sadly, the cover was the best part.

4.5

Setting: all over the US
Rep: sapphic protagonist; Korean-Ukrainian lesbian protagonist

Be gay, do crime. That's it, that's the book. I tore through this so fast! I thought it was going to be a dumb light-hearted road trip mystery in a kind of Finlay Donovan voice but it wasn't at all. It's heartfelt and surprisingly sad and hot. I really enjoyed Evie and Jae together and I for one think I quite like the ending because it leaves plenty up to the imagination.