Killer Potential had a lot of potential but feel short. I thought the characters were boring and the overall plot was tired. I kind of skimmed until the end bc while I wanted to know what happened I didn't really care that much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The story was captivating, the characters were well-developed, and the writing pulled me in right away. Every chapter kept me wanting more, and I didn’t want to put it down. The pacing was strong throughout, and the emotional moments really stayed with me.

This is a standout read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for their next great book.

Evie Gordon is a former gifted kid turned unfulfilled SAT tutor for the wealthy residents of Los Angeles. One day, she arrives to a grisly scene : her student’s parents have been brutally murdered on the yard and there’s a strange cry for help coming from a closet inside. Evie stumbles into the home and frees the trapped woman from the closet, but they are immediately discovered and trouble ensues. The two women set off in a rush as fugitives fleeing the violent crime scene and must find a way to elude the countrywide manhunt that launches after them. Evie must find a way to clear herself from suspicion for the murders, but she’s low on resources and her companion has refused to share so much as her name… can she ever get back to the “boring” life she formerly despised but now now desperately craves?

This was an interesting read, at times taking on attributes of different genres: literary fiction, thriller, romance. I sped through the book in just a few sittings because I needed to know what would happen next. Deitch touches on several themes elegantly: gifted kid burnout, the shame of unrealized potential, inter-class relations, and the desperation caused by a capitalist society. There were some aspects where I was left wanting, however: the connection between the two main characters was not well-explored and it was unclear why they had such an intimate bond beyond necessity. The romantic plot seemed to be based solely on physical chemistry rather than emotions. I also struggled with the feasibility of the pair eluding law enforcement for so long with pretty simple schemes - this stretched a bit beyond suspended belief for me. Overall, this was a really solid debut and I’m interested to read more from this author!

Not your typical thriller! A very interesting premise and I enjoyed the ride, even if it was a bit long-winded and we spent a lot of time inside Evie's head. There were some parts about the reveal that I thought were not plausible (or at least not explained), and the end was a bit of a bummer to me. It was fun that Evie was from Hendersonville, NC (where I live)!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow - so I went into this book blind (as I often do) and was a bit blown away that this book is a debut! It's done well considering that, and this book will keep you turning the pages as there is a lot of action!! There's so much going on at all times that it's impossible to ever get bored or to not be entertained by this book. The twist wasn't easily guessed and I really enjoyed the surprise of not guessing it before!

I kept hearing about this book and was excited to start it! It is exciting and engaging, with the story taking twists I didn't see coming. I didn't find that I cared too much about the characters, but honestly I wasn't sure if I was meant to be that invested in them. Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC!

So this was wild, and I was reading this like wow this is intense, and then the TURN IT TOOK OMG.

This is like a drama thriller, then it gets a little horror-ish with some stuff near the end. I am STILL shocked I was not expecting the direction it took.

I do think the ending felt, off maybe? So the last 20% we start to get the POV of Jae, when the rest of the book was from Evie. And like, how is Evie not in therapy? She is a MESS and needs help. Someone help this girl!???

And there’s a lot of time jumps later on that make things a little confusing. Like I feel like this was pretty solid until the turn, and the ending was a shaky. But what a read. Like wow 😳. I was stressed a majority of the time 😂.

Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. This was a WILD ride, super dark humor, a bit gory at times, and had a pretty satisfying set of twists and turns. This one is hard to describe or categorize, it's not a mystery or a thriller, but some dark & twisted in between.

This thriller just wasn't for me. With that being said I think that some readers might really enjoy this book. The main character's tone and attitude was not something I can relate to. That doesn't mean that others couldn't really enjoy the book especially if they are looking for a sapphic thriller.

This was pretty good. Had some unexpected twists and turns. I did find myself skimming at times when the main character got in her head too much but overall I think it was a fun read.

If you’re looking for something fast, wild, and action-packed, this is it.

Evie is a broke SAT tutor clinging to the idea that she’s meant for something bigger. But when she shows up at a client’s Beverly Hills home and finds the parents murdered and a woman tied up in the closet, everything unravels. Minutes later, she’s on the run, and the media paints her as a gifted girl turned killer, the face of a class war.

There’s a lot of action, which kept me entertained the whole time. I read a lot of thrillers, so I’m usually trying to guess the ending right away (my toxic trait), but I didn’t really have any theories with this one, which made it all the more interesting. Can't wait for the tv show which appears to already be in the works?!?!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of Deitch's Killer Potential - out now!

Hannah Deitch's debut novel, Killer Potential, follows Evie Gordon - a formerly gifted, currently burnt-out 20-something-year-old who tutors the rich kids of SoCal to pay her bills. When she walks into a tutoring session and stumbles upon a brutal crime scene, Evie and her unnamed companion, a bound woman she frees from the mansion, suddenly become two fugitives on the run.

From the very first page, this sapphic Bonnie and Clyde thriller had me on the edge of my seat. The first two parts of the novel are narrated through Evie's panic-stricken point of view. Evie worries about being framed murderer, yes, but she's also worried about her wasted potential. In particular, “Part II: Bootstraps” reveals the harsh realities of her untapped potential. Her overwhelming guilt has her almost wishing that she had committed the murders, just so that she could at least be known for something. Evie falls quickly and dangerously in love with not only the notoriety, but also with her companion.

The last third of the book, “Dream House,” occurs after the murderer is revealed. Deitch does away with the panic-driven pacing, and we see a much more methodical narrative interwoven with snippets from the media that show just how detached Evie is from reality. And honestly, the reveal made me feel so stupid; like, of course! But just like Evie, I was swept away by a false narrative that seemed too good to be true.

The setup of the novel works beautifully, and Deitch's character building is immaculate (and that’s so incredibly hard to do with an unnamed character that was mute for a good third of the novel!). Within one chapter, I already knew who Evie was, and it is so easy to root like hell for her. The character development, the pacing, and the plot were everything I wanted and more!

Deitch’s Killer Potential was both heart-wrenching and exhilarating. Again, thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

Killer Potential pulled me in right from the beginning with its sharp writing, compelling setup, and the instantly relatable main character, Evie. As someone who’s ever felt lost after graduation despite having all the “right” qualifications, Evie’s struggle hit close to home—gifted, driven, yet somehow stuck in limbo. Jae’s family situation was also very relatable - trying to find herself in the world and not really knowing where to turn or asking for help.

The story’s pace slowed a bit in the middle, but the “wrong place, wrong time” narrative kept me intrigued enough to push through. And I’m glad I did—because this book made me seriously pause and think: What would I have done in Evie’s situation? Her choices felt messy, human, and honest.

The ending left things open to interpretation, which I actually appreciated. It gave me space to sit with the story afterward and wrestle with what I think might’ve happened next. That said, I do think the book could’ve done with less sex—I felt like it was more for showing their budding relationship and bonding because of what happened to both of them. I understand why it was included, and it didn’t completely pull me out of the story.

Overall, this was a twisty, thought-provoking debut that sticks with you after the final page.

This book had a really great beginning. The middle dragged and the end was exciting and a bit confusing. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this book. A lot of cool ideas in it.

This was fun and twisted! A wild ride from start to finish! It's hard to describe the elements I liked without giving too much away, but the characters are really well-written onions, peeling back new facets with each chapter and shift. I really enjoyed it!

Read If You Like:
• Sharp, fast-paced thrillers with dark humor
• Women on the run
• Character-driven mysteries with social commentary
• Twisty plots with escalating tension
• A touch of Thelma & Louise chaos

Evie Gordon’s life isn’t glamorous—she’s a broke SAT tutor barely scraping by, with dreams of graduate school and a quiet escape from her reality. But everything changes when she shows up at a wealthy family’s mansion for a tutoring session and finds the parents dead—and a woman tied up under the stairs. Within minutes, Evie is on the run with the stranger, dodging police, media, and questions she doesn’t want to answer.

The road trip that follows is tense, strange, and darkly funny, unraveling not just the mystery of what happened in that house, but who Evie is when stripped of her carefully constructed life. The stranger she’s fleeing with doesn’t speak, but her presence forces Evie to examine the lies she’s told herself about power, ambition, and survival.

This novel is equal parts thriller and social satire, examining what it means to be complicit, ambitious, and desperate in a world obsessed with optics. Fast-moving and unsettling, it keeps the stakes high and the tension tighter with each chapter. A great pick if you love messy heroines, morally gray choices, and the thrill of watching everything spiral out of control.

Thanks to William Morrow for my gifted ARC!

This one started so fast and heavy! Bam! Bam! Bam! With two murders and an escape, but after a while it got a little redundant and the last 20% dragged.
I just couldn’t understand Evie’s actions at any point, I guess she didn’t either.

Killer Potential is basically a thriller - kind of a Hitchcockian at first where Evie, an SAT tutor, happens onto a murder scene and is blamed for it and goes on the run. At the murder of her employers, she finds a young woman tied up in the closet, and they escape together on a cross country (and back) trip. The whole country is looking for them, and Evie is not prepared for this, but her companion has some useful skills. The two of them build an interesting relationship. Evie is not particularly likable, but it's a good book to follow.

Killer Potential is Hannah Deitch's debut. The opening hook of this story drags you in and lets you know within these pages there will be a twisty ride. Within the first 4th of this book I was all in and could not wait to see what was about to unfold. Do we have a trustworthy narrator or an unreliable one? By this point in the story I wasn't sure what to believe.
By the half way mark I was sure I knew just how things were going to work. I was absolutely sure I could see the twist coming.
By the 75% mark I found myself saying "oh, that's not what I thought at all."
While this story does read as a debut novel, it has certainly left me with anticipation of what is to come from Hannah Deitch in the future.

Hannah Deitch's Killer Potential is a strong debut. I love a cat-and-mouse thriller, and this one delivers. It also has Thelma and Louise vibes, Did I disagree with some of the characters' decisions? Absolutely. Did it affect my enjoyment of the book? Not a bit. I can see this being a great spring break or summer beach read. Enough substance to keep a reader intrigued, but not so heavy that it requires too much thinking, which is what I crave in my warm-weather reads.