Really loved this one! Twisty and sexy at the same time!

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch was well written and the idea sounded great but the actual plot was just not my for me. It felt like a lot of the decisions the main character made were absolutely insane. She feels responsible for someone and runs away from the scene of the crime rather than just calling the police. I could not get over the initial plot line to enjoy the book. While it had "killer potential" it was just not for me. I think that if you are able to get past the terrible decision making this book might be for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Hannah Deitch for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I first saw Killer Potential described as a Gen Z, queer Thelma & Louise, I was immediately intrigued. That pitch alone had me ready to dive in—and I’m so glad I did. I was genuinely surprised to learn this was Hannah Deitch’s debut, because the writing is polished, sharp, and deeply readable. It pulled me in from the very first page.

We meet Evie, a gifted kid turned burned-out adult, who’s stuck tutoring rich teenagers and grappling with the relatable ennui of being someone who was always told she had “so much potential.” Then, in a weirdly engaging turn of events, she stumbles upon a murder scene, discovers a starved woman hidden behind a wall, and finds herself attacked by the victim’s daughter. What follows is a wild, tense, and strangely intimate journey with Evie and the mysterious woman she helps escape.

Evie is not what I’d call likable, but she is for sure interesting. She’s messy, sarcastic, horny, and constantly questioning the choices that led her here—and I appreciated that complexity. Her fugitive partner is even more interesting but I don't want to give any spoilers! The book plays with themes like social mobility, burnout, and how the American Dream can turn dark fast. It’s a story about women on the edge, about reinvention and identity, and about the stories we tell ourselves just to keep going.

The pacing is tight, the dialogue is sharp, and the tone balances dark humor with genuine emotional weight. I especially loved how the tension between the two women never fully resolves—it stays uncomfortable in a way that feels intentional and real.

This is a smart, fast-paced thriller that manages to say something bigger while still keeping you turning the pages. If you’re into thrillers with morally gray characters and an undercurrent of social critique, definitely give this one a try.



Vibe check:
🎓 Former gifted kid burnout
🔪 Feral feminist thriller
📺 True crime meets late-stage capitalism
🌪️ Complicated women making worse choices, beautifully

Rating: 4.5/5 emotional breakdowns in stolen car

Thank you to Hannah Deitch and William Morrow for providing this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I found this book to be very strange. A young woman, Evie, is a SAT tutor. Upon arriving at the Victor home, she doesn't see anyone. She wanders around, and then sees the owners dead. She hears a voice and finds a woman tied up in a closet. Her student appears and accuses them of killing her parents. The two women go on the run, believing they will be found guilty of murder. If this first few chapters of mayhem isn't bizarre enough, the story gets crazier from there!
A bit of obsession, lies, and gore are present in this debut.

I think I needed a little more hint to motive and an earlier hook. Overall, 3.5 stars. Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

What an awesome debut from Hannah Deitch! This book hooked me right away and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. Twisty, tense, and fast-paced. I loved it!

Bridging the gap between literary and genre fiction is a delicate act. Inevitably, you draw in two different kinds of reader and neither leaves fully satisfied. Readers of thrillers and mysteries will call the story "slow" or brag they saw the twist coming, as if that were the point. Readers of literary and general fiction will be unimpressed with the gimmicky nature of the plot. While not quite achieving the impossible, <i>Killer Potential</i> gives it a good college try (get it? because of the SAT?).

The story begins with Evie, an in-home SAT tutor, who discovers her employers brutally murdered inside their home. She starts to flee the scene, but before she goes, she hears a woman calling for help in the basement. She frees her but must now flee as a fugitive when the two are discovered by the daughter of her employers who believes they were involved in the murder—perhaps an unrealistic leap to an exaggerated set of choices, but now the scene is set. Evie and the mystery woman are now on the lamb hoping to avoid law enforcement with their faces plastered on every TV screen in the nation.

I was pleasantly delighted by the additional depth of the story beyond your typical cat-and-mouse car chase. Unexpectedly, the book explored interesting themes like class inequities, the mirage of class mobility, homelessness, and racism. However, it never really settled on any of them long enough to share a novel perspective. Even more unexpectedly, a romance between Evie and Jae blossoms—sweet, but ill-fated. I enjoyed the story, but wish we either got more exploration of the deeper themes or at least resolution to the novel's open-ended questions: What did Peter do that made his death so unregretted? And, what ever happened to Jae?

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I was absolutely SUCKED right into this!! what an amazing story with a wild twist at the end, i cannot recommend this book enough

This was a short, easy, entertaining read. It wasn’t the most complex, and the characters didn’t feel fully developed, but it was still well done

I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC copy.

This was fast-paced and well written! Incredible debut that I'd HIGHLY recommend!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun. It keeps your full attention on this wild ride while these two women are on the run. I had to force myself to put it down at times. I completely guessed who the killer was so the twist wasn't a total shock to me.

My only real complaint was the ending it just felt kind of meh to me. Once it hits a point at around maybe 90% it starts ending and it just felt like it was ending with a whimper for me. Not really sure how else to word it. The rest of the book was total non-stop action and then that you got around there and it was like someone hit the breaks.

4.5 stars rounded up

Killer Potential is a darkly clever, high-concept debut that starts with a bang—literally—and rarely lets up. Evie Gordon, a bright scholarship student turned disillusioned tutor, becomes the accidental face of a media frenzy after stumbling onto a brutal crime scene, setting off a whirlwind cross-country chase with a mute and mysterious companion.

The novel offers a sharp critique of social mobility and media spectacle, and its satirical bite adds flair to what might otherwise be a familiar fugitive thriller. But while the premise is gripping and the voice distinct, the plot occasionally strains believability, and the emotional stakes don’t always land. It’s a smart, provocative ride—just not as fully realized or resonant as it could have been.

2 ⭐️

Immediately had a hard time with this because Evie -- after completely innocently stumbling upon a crime scene -- convinces herself the police are going to think she's guilty (for no reason whatsoever) and is then subsequently "on the run" for the entire book, committing actual crimes while doing so, and making herself look guilty when there was no reason to originally think she was.

This book was also unexpectedly spicy at a few points, which just totally through me off because I headed into it thinking it was a thriller. And for a thriller, it was not that thrilling. Quite disappointing :/

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited for this one. At first, I was invested in the story. What an opening. But as it continued to go on, I struggled to stay invested because of how the character interactions seemed so one sided. I lost interest and have decided to move on.

This book was fine but nothing ground-breaking. I enjoyed it well enough, but I probably won’t go out of my way to recommend it.

A fast paced read as Eve and Jae take off across the country as fugitives. The writing was tight and descriptive. Something was always happening, as these two women came to rely on each other. Interesting, twisty towards the end. A really good debut novel. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

This book is okay. The characters make so many choices that absolutely do not make sense, which could be fun if the book was a little bit more self aware, but I was able to finish the book without getting too bored.

“Killer Potential” by Hannah Deitch is a sharp, fast-paced debut that brilliantly blends literary depth with thriller suspense. Evie Gordon is a compelling protagonist—smart, driven, and achingly relatable—as she’s thrust into a nightmarish whirlwind of murder, media frenzy, and mistaken identity. With biting commentary on privilege, ambition, and the illusion of social mobility, Deitch delivers a thought-provoking narrative that’s as gripping as it is timely. Equal parts heart-racing and heartbreaking, this is a standout novel that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you Hannah Deitch, William Morrow, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was such an incredible book. The cover really intrigued me.. I love a strong female, main character energy. This was part contemporary part coming of age and part thriller, all wrapped into one. I seriously binged it in less than 24 hours which says a lot because I don’t really read a lot of books in one setting. I have never read any books by this author previous to reading this, but I can tell she has a lot of potential.!

I really enjoyed this! I feel like I would have liked to see a little more mystery with who other potential suspects would have been and Evie's journey to exonerate herself, but otherwise this was great!