A low pick for me, but overall, it was still a fast, entertaining read. I had some issues with a few plot holes involving characters in the group that we didn't learn as much about. I thought the idea behind this story was a great way to take the reader inside the minds of a serial killer while also still offering a little campy fun.

The ending felt a little rushed, and things do get more intense in the last few chapters, which felt out of place to the rest of the pacing of the book. Still, it's a good read that thriller fans will enjoy.

So, this book might not be for everyone. But it is fairly obvious from the get-go what it’s about, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s full of shades of dubious morality, characters you aren’t supposed to like, a protagonist you can’t quite... get, and, well, death.

I really liked the premise of this book, and I think, all things considered, it was something just different enough that it kept me reading. For the most part, it was well written. I didn’t resonate with any of the characters, but I’m okay with that (I should probably be concerned if I did).

I called the murderer early on, but I wouldn’t say it was predictable—just that I’m really good at *Clue*....

I will say that parts of the narrative style were hard to follow, especially when it dips in and out of the past without any clear delineation. There are parts too that feel disjointed, different in writing style from the rest of it, like the author hasn’t quite found their voice, or the editor edited too hard? Also... so many fruit analogies.

That said, there are some editing issues that I think should be looked into before the publishing date.

- **Sand Fly**: His mother died when he was 4. A couple of pages later, at 16 years old, he’s wearing the dress pants he wore to her funeral to a school dance. Um. That must look ridiculous... Is he hulking out in his size 4 pants??? A glaring issue there.
- **Stock-still** should be hyphenated.
- **Chapter 13**: “When Cyra collapsed... three hours later, it was dark,” then in the same general scene (no time lapse), she goes to the grocery store and it’s “late afternoon.” Maybe time works differently in NYC, but surely late afternoon isn’t “dark” (the quick math of the day doesn’t equal late afternoon either).
- Uses the word **"corned"** instead of "cornered."
- **"Printed himself against the wall"**... Maybe this is a saying I’m unfamiliar with, because huh?
- **"She needed to attend to her feet"**: Should this be "tend to" (i.e. look after)? I suppose you could use "attend" in its secondary meaning (it would be "attend her feet," dropping the "to"), but it sounds wrong.
- **"Toppled backwards on the bed"**: Unless he’s rolling on the bed, it should be "onto" not "on."

There are some more, but these are the ones that lifted me right out of the story.

All in all, I do think the originality of the story and the way it challenges your morality (albeit lightly and not with any lasting impact) is reason enough to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

PS: THANK YOU for telling me how to say her name early on, I appreciate that!

A women decided to infiltrate a group of serial killers after her sister is murdered. Such a good plot and I have never read any other book quite like this. I would recommend!

Almost everything I needed it to be. The concept of humanising and dehumanising certain characters is fascinating, and definitely done to the best of the ability to someone who (i assume) isn't a serial killer. I love the concept and writing style and will definitely be picking more up from this offer if given the chance!!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback and I can honestly say I don’t know how I feel about this book.

The concept was one I immediately found intriguing and I couldn’t wait to read this. I knew from the get go that I would need to suspend disbelief but even with that in mind it didn’t take long for this book to go off the rails. A serial killer support group is an interesting concept but if you’re going to tell a story that it so completely illogical I personally think you should focus heavily on realistic characters.

Every single character felt very stereotypical and one dimensional. I found myself rooting against the main character early on and that never changed. I also said “Oh COME ON” out loud multiple times prompting my partner to come check on me.

Ultimately I didn’t HATE this book and I never considered DNFing it but I also don’t know that I would ever recommend it to anyone.

I’ve never heard of a serial killer support group. The idea was kind of wild, and a huge part of me really wanted to like it. That might have been possible if the characters weren’t so one-dimensional. Even the serial killers weren’t that interesting or scary; I just felt disconnected from them. And Cyra? I hated her from the first few pages. Nope, I didn’t feel anything for her. One thing I did like, though, was the revelation of who really killed Cyra’s sister. I knew I shouldn’t focus on one culprit, and I was right—the twist was surprising enough.

Very unique premise about a girl who joins a serial killer support group to avenge her sister’s death. I loved this book and didn’t see a few of the twists coming!

Thank you so much to Saratoga Shafer, Crooked Land Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of Serial Killer Support Group!

After reading the premise of this book I was SO excited! I’ve read a few books with the tropes of “final girl” support groups, groups who have survived serial killers. I have never read one from the serial killer’s perspective. The multiple POVs were very entertaining and made the book read very quickly.

My primary hangup was the narrator, Cyra, the main character. I usually don’t enjoy books with unreliable narrators or unfavorable characters and Cyra was a tough pill to swallow. This may be the one time I will make an exception because I feel like Cyra grew so much as a person. Go into this book without knowing too much and without too many preconceived notions and I think this would be enjoyable for a lot of readers.
3.5 out of 5 stars, rounding up to 4!

A grieving sister joins a dangerous support group for serial killers because she believes her sisters killer is in there. Being in such close proximity to such inhumanity is terrifying and a bit thrilling. Will she find the killer or get killed herself? Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is totally not my genre. But I was hooked by the cover, title and description. This book was intriguing and was a page turner from the very beginning.

The ending got CRAZY and took a turn that I can’t say I didn’t expect but it was the option I was hoping she wouldn’t move towards.

I’m glad I read it in October because it was definitely creepy but not super gory.

Thank you for the advanced copy- I think this one will go big!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I will kick this one off by saying that, conceptually, this book is all there for me. There’s a lot to be said for a book that canvasses a new sort of idea, particularly in the thriller world, where it seems to be increasingly rare.

This book starts off fairly slow. There’s a point in the book, about 1/3 of the way through, where it really picks up though, which is great. Unfortunately, it does feel a bit like the book is built around the premise and the title a little more than it should be- the characters really don’t exist outside of the support group very well, which is a real shame.

The main character is an interesting woman in terms of her approach to things, but she’s also very much focused on a single outcome. I didn’t feel like she really existed outside of her sister’s death, which was a shame, as there was a lot more potential in her.

I found the serial killers really interesting, but there also wasn’t enough on them. It would have helped to have just a bit more flow in the book to move the narrative along.

There were parts of this book, however, that I found entirely compelling, and really enjoyed. It’s a mixture of really good and a piece that needs a bit of editing, but a solid middle-of-the-road for me.

The title of this book immediately drew me in but I found myself a bit disappointed in the end. The organization of the story and alternating timelines and narrators got too difficult to keep track of.

Cyra Griffin will do anything to find out who murdered her sister, even if that involves joining a serial killer support group. What could possibly go wrong? Will Cyra find who brutally murdered her sister?

Whilst I really enjoyed the plot of this book, I didn’t particularly like the characters and found the ending a little predictable.
I liked the nicknames all the serial killers in the group had.

This book was such a unique read, I loved the fact it was a twisty book. I loved getting some insight into the mind of a serial killer, it was such a good read. In Halloween time this is a must read!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for the NetGalley ARC of Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer
I absolutely love this book, the story is dark and twisty with so many layers and interesting characters. Loved being along for the whodunit ride. The idea of an anonymous group of serial killers getting together, sitting in a circle and drinking coffee while discussing their activities and getting advice from each other grabbed me immediately.
Cyra really will do anything to get revenge for her sister’s murder. Who are her friends? Who are her allies? Is a member of the support group her sister’s killer? I could continue reading her story forever. (But really, I could, I want more from her, what happens next?)
Recommending this book to everyone upon its release is a no brainer.
The only hard part for me was reading the names in my head, I appreciated the pronunciation description for Cyra but having her sister named Mira and having both names in the same sentence/paragraph repeatedly had me saying Sigh ra and My ra or See ra and Me ra in my head for a while until i stopped caring to correct myself.
Could there be a possibility of a follow up? I want to know where Cyra goes, does she become a serial killer vigilante and go across the country targeting other serial killers? I want to know 🤣

I wanted to read this book based on the title alone. Cyra wants to find out who killed her sister and get her vigilante justice. This was original and fast paced and I loved the transformation as Cyra changed to Mistletoe. I thought I had it figured out but happy there was a twist at end. Highly recommend this book

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for the eARC!
Cunning and satisfying.
Easily a top read of 2024. The premise is clever with Cyra infiltrating a serial killer support group to find her sister’s murderer? Sign me up 1000x! This was a page turner with each chapter leaving you wondering what would happen next, and wow the unreliable storytelling was brilliant. Saratoga created a complex cast and an MC who I ultimately loved in the end (I’m a Cyra Griffin apologist, fight me).

This is one of the books that I'm only a few chapters in, but I already knew that I will love it. AND I DID! This is a five star read. This is unique for me, I haven't read anything like this before.

Yes, I'm questioning my choices cause the story descent from something dark to darker, but I FREAKIN LOVE IT.

If you want a book with a vengeance plot, feminine rage, tension - a lot of tension - and PLOT TWIST in capital letters. You have to give this book a try.

I liked the premise of this book, but didn't end up finishing the book. It drug to much for me to finish.

I liked this from start to finish.

The whole premise of the book: going a serial killer support group to find your sisters killer is what hooked me. The flaws in our Cyra kept me reading. Reading her transform into Mistletoe and how the killers underestimated was a highlight.

I was anticipating one ending to this book. And when it didn't go that way...well, I'm not disappointed in the way it did go. Honestly, was there another way? I'd figured the killer out early on because something felt off. But other than that, the red herring was brilliant.