I really enjoyed this book! The characters all really had depth and I felt like I was actually there with them the whole time, on the run. I loved all the little plot twists and side characters we go to meet, and of course the big plot twist/reveal was amazing! I would definitely read another book by Hannah Deitch!

Evie is stuck in neutral after excelling in school and accumulating degrees. Tutoring rich kids seems easy enough, until she walks into a murder scene and finds a terrified woman hidden in the walls. Being in the wrong place at precisely the wrong time, Evie takes off running, before she can be arrested for murders she didn’t commit. Finding herself on the lam (which her liberal college education did NOT prepare her for) with a woman who won’t say a damn thing (much less explain why she was tied up behind a wall), she finds that she isn’t good at lying or self-preservation. Also, apparently running from the cops can make you horny. Very impressive debut novel and a great beach-read candidate. ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

🔪🩷 Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Evie Gordon is an SAT tutor who stumbles upon her wealthy employers murdered and finds a scared, mute woman tied up in the walls of the house. When someone else arrives at the house, she knows she looks guilty and runs. But not before rescuing this woman and taking her as she flees.

What a wild ride. This book is dark but written in an upbeat, casual tone reminiscent of Thelma and Louise. After they hit the road, Evie is all over the news. To escape recognition they travel cross country and a strange but necessary friendship blooms, and then maybe something more. It’s a cat-and-mouse chase, queer love story, and mystery mixed into one. It’s full of action and I found myself flying through, needed to know what happened next. The story slightly meandered towards the end, which I think took away from the strong first half, but all in all this was an enjoyable thrill ride of a book.

This book hit all the cliche buttons for me. A down on her luck girl (except she was nearly thirty), rich people are evil, two women left alone will eventually become lesbians, and things will always work out in the end. Honestly, I had a hard time even finishing this book. The writing was adequate but uninspired and the character development was shallow at best. The ending was to be expected.

“𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧.”

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pub Date: 3/18/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @WilliamMorrowBooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Evie is a former TAG student with a college degree she isn't using and significant debt from student loans, making ends meet as an SAT tutor to mostly wealthy families. One Sunday she arrives at her students home, to find her parents murdered. She finds a woman bruised, tied up, and mute under the stairs. The student Evie was there to tutor walks in on them, and in a split second decision Evie and the mystery woman go on the run to avoid being tied to the murders.

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲:
*Wrong place, wrong time
*Thelma & Louise (with a twist)
*On the run
*Mystery with a twist

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
This was an interesting read, I wast too sure what to make of the genre. Its a bit thriller with a bit of literary fiction. The author obviously has talent with words, even if her style was not my preference.
I was captivated by the mystery of it all, and the events while on the run. The relationship between Evie and Jae. The twist wasn't that twisty, but the dark secrets leading up to the twist are what made the story. The chapters where short and easy to read. I did use some audio book for parts, and the narrator was great as well.

#KillerPotential

I figured this out in the first few chapters but hoped I was wrong and would be surprised at the end... I was not. There was so much potential in the storyline but too many clues at the beginning.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

Killer Potential is a Thelma and Louise-style road trip romance, but it didn’t work for me. The plot was so far-fetched that I had to suspend too much disbelief. Everything felt a little too over-the-top or convenient, and because of that, I never really connected with the characters.

There were a few sweet moments in the love story, and I could see what the book was going for emotionally, but it just didn’t land. The characters’ choices didn’t feel real, and I kept getting pulled out of the story because I couldn’t buy what was happening.

If you’re into chaotic, dramatic escapes from reality, this might still hit the mark for you. But for me, it was hard to care when nothing felt believable.

Thank you to William Morrow for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch is such a wild debut novel, and I loved how unique it is. I don’t think going in blind is a bad idea, but I do think it is important to know that this has literary fiction vibes in the way it makes you think, but also quite a few violent moments. The action is strategically placed throughout the story and the shocking beginning was just a start to the spiral this book takes you on. It is a thrill ride while also being rather introspective, and I enjoyed getting to know these characters better though I can’t say I actually found either of them all that likeable.

I really enjoyed the audiobook, but I thought the pacing was off a bit. Kristen Sieh & Daru Oda did a great job bringing Evie and the mysterious woman (who we later learn the name of) to life, but I had to slow the audiobook down a bit to find the sweet spot of where their narration sounded the most streamlined. The plot is definitely a bit out there, so you do have to suspend some disbelief, and there are flashbacks that sometimes come at seemingly inopportune times that slow things down a bit. They did add more depth though and I loved this quick read that I was into from start to finish.

Read this if you are looking for: A compelling female protagonist, LGBTQ+ representation, and an adventurous read that takes you across the US.

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

2.5/5 ⭐️
A struggling SAT tutor finds the bodies of the parents of one of her students, as well as a woman who seems to have been kept under the stairs by them. They end up going on the run, afraid that no one will believe that they are not responsible.

This one started a little slow, picked up once Evie and the mystery woman get on the road, and then tragically bad. Not like Evie's fate was bad. Like bad in the sense of why is this the ending. The third part felt super rushed and also randomly kept switching POVs even though the book had not done that before that point. The last chapter (maybe two) also went through at least a year within one chapter of here's what happens next. It was just weird! And the way it ended just made the rest of the journey feel pointless.

I also thought this would be more of a 'let's clear our name' suspenseful book, but it is more of a fugitive situation. It is not even like Bonnie and Clyde where they go on a crime spree. I had high hopes for this one, but just felt disappointed. The more I keep thinking about it as well, it moved my opinion from a 3 to 2.5.

No beach bag this summer will be complete without a copy of Killer Potential. It's an absolutely wild ride from start to finish and watching it all play out was a blast.

What should have been a typical day wound up changing Evie's world. She pulled up to the Victors' Beverly Hills mansion ready to give her usual Sunday SAT tutor lessons, but instead found her employers brutally murdered -- and a woman tied up in a closet. As Evie attempts to free the woman, they're both spotted and instantly go from unfortunate bystanders to the prime suspects to fugitives on the run.

From there the book goes on a cross-country tour as the pair hightail it out of town and attempt to both avoid capture and somehow find a way to prove their innocence. Oh and the woman? She refuses to speak. As the highway mile markers drag on, Evie does her best to break through the woman's shell; they're now in this together, they need to trust each other.

Killer Potential is the perfect weekend read and will be an excellent beach read! It's bursting with twists and turns and had me flipping the pages at a rapid-fire pace. So, so fun!

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. The reviews made it sound like a Thelma and Lousie type story, but it was more like the movie Parasite. But really, no one has web cams? The story is hard to believe, and the characters are unlikeable.

Page turning debut novel! Killer Potential presents Evie who makes her living as a SAT tutor. She stumbles upon a murder at one of her client's house. She also discovers a female being held in the mansion who becomes her "partner in crime". Evie decides to run and becomes the chief suspect in the murder.

The story takes the reader through different parts of the US as she and her new friend run from the law. They steal, hide and slowly get to know one another. The author does a great job with the action in the book which is never ending! Throughout the book there is a lot of humor, reflection and spunk. I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone liking thrillers, action and adventure. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

A Thelma and Louise type thriller about Evie Gordon (a SAT tutor ) gets caught up in a murder investigation. The first 2/3 of this book were a slowwww burn, but the final 1/3 really tied everything together . I would read from this author again!

Spot on social commentary with a swift moving plot that kept me going until the very end! I love a road trip with a twist!

With a cover like this, one would expect a Thelma and Louise vibe for this debut psychological thriller. Though there were a few moments where this was true, mostly it was far more intense than I anticipated.

Evie Gordon, a scholarship kid at private school, was destined for great things. She exceled in all her classes and got into an elite college. Along with that exclusive admittance came the crushing debt. To keep deferring her debt, she continued to go to school while tutoring high school kids for their SAT on the side. This gig paid well as she tutored for very affluent LA families.

One day when walking into a client’s house, rather than seeing her high school student, she discovers that students’ parents brutally murdered in their own backyard. Before she could flee, she hears a small cry for help, and Thelma meets her Louise.

Killer Potential is a character driven novel, and I really struggled with Evie. She’s snarky, a self-admitted bully, and there were more than a few moments her behavior felt a little far-fetched based on her background. She’s intriguing for sure, but hard to like. What starts as a buddy adventure, takes a hard left into "how well do we really know ourselves—or what are we capable of" territory. If you are looking for a fast-paced sapphic thriller that will make you think, this Thelma and Louise journey will do the trick.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and of course the author Hannah Dietch for the advanced copy of the book. Killer Potential is out now. All opinions are my own.

Oh, now I get it. It's a love story.

I didn't hate it but I never warmed to either of the main characters.

Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC.

Is it cliché to start this review with the fact that Killer Potential had so much potential, but ultimately didn’t complete the assignment? That’s truly how I feel about this book, and I’ve given myself a fair amount of time to mull it over. I was pulled in by the premise of a “lesbian Bonnie and Clyde story” and I do love a good literary crime novel. My hopes were high! Alas, there were a lot of things about Killer Potential that just didn’t do it for me.

Let’s start with the good first though. There’s a lot of good narrative in this story, especially at the points where Evie is critiquing the current state of America. She mentions a lot about feeling let down by the education system, and there is a fair amount of commentary on corporate crime and how it thrives in the shadows. I even agreed with Evie’s outlook on the mega rich, and their all too shiny lives hiding so much darkness. When Evie has a moment where she feels oddly pleased to be in the spotlight, regardless of the circumstances that got here there, I felt that too.

The problem is that as relatable as Evie is in some ways, she’s also endlessly frustrating in other ways. There’s a lot about this story that requires you to fully suspend disbelief. The spree of car jackings, the altercations with witnesses, and even just the sheer amount of time that Evie and Jae are able to stay uncaught by the police were pretty baffling. I know there would be no story otherwise, but Evie makes a whole bunch of terrible decisions. Truth be told, I wanted to literally shake her so many times.

My other issue was Jae’s backstory. When the story starts out she’s unknowable. Tough as nails, but unwilling to divulge anything concrete about herself. Which, makes sense, once you get to the twists in this story. It was the idea that Jae’s impoverished upbringing led her to this point in her life that frustrated me. The idea that poverty and crime are inevitably linked is just so cliché. I would have loved to see a deeper character arc for our Jae. She deserved so much more.

The plot itself isn’t too badly done. The beginning of the novel is understandably slow, as the reasons that Evie is now a wanted criminal slowly unfold. I actually enjoyed this part the most, as the two women got to know and trust one another. Be warned, there are on on-page, pretty steamy love scenes here. In case that’s not your jam. The second half of the book then went into warp speed to round things out before the ending. This latter half felt like an entirely separate book and threw me off a bit, but I did like the ending! It was solid.

So, yeah, 3 stars from me! There’s a lot of good here, and I know this is going to be a book that a lot of readers enjoy.

After reading about this book on social media, I was really excited to check it out but sadly it did not quite live up to the hype for me.

I started off feeling pretty intrigued - the beginning is compelling and left me excited to find out what happened. The middle part felt pretty tedious to me, and also very unrealistic. When one of the big reveals happens I felt more invested and disturbed, but overall it wasn't really for me.

I enjoyed the writing enough to check out whatever Hannah Deitch writes next! I enjoyed a lot of the ideas in the book but overall something didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I almost gave up on this book right after I started. It involves two young women on the run across the United States. They are suspected of murder. I can tell you how this ends, Bonnie & Louise…in a hail of FBI gunfire outside a cheap motel in Kansas started off by an agent who swears he thought that burner phone was a gun (and it will always be a “he.”). But this doesn’t go that way.

i kinda went in blind to this book and recommend you do too—all you really need to know is: it follows an overeducated and broke SAT tutor who finds her rich employers brutally murdered in their backyard and a mute woman tied-up in the walls of their mansion.

Entertaining. Kind of felt like a podcast. In a good way. I didn’t expect the romance aspect. It felt kind of weird but I liked it.