DNF around 25%

I'm not going to lie, I am very disappointed that I didn't like this! The premise sounded so interesting, but I really disliked the main character and the whole setup just didn't make sense. I hadn't picked it up in months, which is clear indication that I just didn't care about it.

*SPOILER WARNING AHEAD*

Normally I try not to talk about spoilers when writing these, but I feel like this book is impossible to talk about WITHOUT mentioning some of the spoilers.

I loved the premise of this, but I think it just didn't live up to what I wanted in my own brain when I read the synopsis. I was kind of expecting this very generic girl trying to avenge her sister by joining a serial killer support group and trying to solve the mystery. That was the BASICS of what this was, but I didn't love that our MC basically was a sociopath herself? I was shocked by the twist and not in a good way. I thought it would have been more interesting to have her reactions as someone shocked by everything, but instead she barely flinched when she was tasked with getting rid of blood evidence.

I also never like reading from a serial killer perspective. It's not even like a personal reason, I just find it boring so I didn't love those chapters and they honestly all blended together. None of the serial killers felt unique in any way and felt like a copy and paste of each other. The end also fizzled out because of this reason as well.

Cyra's (made very clear that it's "sigh-ra") sister Mira (Really? Is it my-ra or meer-ah?) is found murdered in a park. Eli, their mutual friend, has an in to police information and let's Cyra know that there are circumstances surrounding the murder that may fit the pattern of a serial killer, and that there is possibly in existence a serial killer support group on the dark web. Cyra gets the idea to join the group to see if she can figure out who killed her sister, and perhaps avenge the murder. She tricks the group into allowing her in, but she isn't like these men. Or is she?

This is such an interesting premise for a book, and I was excited to read it. The book was well written, but a bit of a slow-burn. There were a couple twists toward the end but it took a long time to get there. I think that the relationships between Cyra and the rest of the members of the group could have been better developed to give the book a little bit more depth but I did enjoy the story. It does a good job of making you think about the darkness that could be lurking in all of us and what it would take to bring it out.

What do you get when you mix a grieving sister, a fake identity, and a room full of serial killers working on their feelings? Saratoga Schaefer's "Serial Killer Support Group" - a twisted and clever story that delivers exactly what the title promises.

Cyra's younger sister is murdered, and instead of letting the police screw up the investigation, she goes full vigilante and infiltrates a support group for serial killers. And yes, it's as dark and delightful as it sounds. Pretending to be a young female serial killer, Cyra embeds with the very people she suspects might have taken her sister's life - and then has to lean on those same monsters to help her catch the real one. What could go wrong?

Admittedly, I didn't fall for the book right away. The setup was intriguing, but I think I was too eager to love it. But then, somewhere around the halfway point, I was in deep. The suspense built quickly, the characters became disturbing and pretty compelling, and I found myself flipping pages like I was possessed.

This was my first Saratoga Schaefer read, and it will not be my last. Her writing is pitch-perfect for this kind of story - sharp, biting, and just unhinged enough to keep things interesting. She doesn't shy away from the macabre and thank goodness for that.

If you're the kind of person who casually watches "Criminal Minds" while folding laundry, or you've ever said, "I'm not into serial killers, but I find them fascinating," check out this book. It's a twisty, weird story that is wrong in the best way possible and totally worth your time.

Recommended for fans of dark thrillers, morally gray protagonists, and stories that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Serial Killer Support Group is about Cyra and her mission to find her sister's killer. After gaining some inside information, she finds a way to get access to a suspect pool. Are any of these people responsible for her sister's death? Will pretending to be like them change her? Can she actually trust anyone?

This is not a genre I usually pick up, but it had my attention immediately and I read it all in one evening. Like Cyra, you never really knew what was coming. Even when you think you know at the end, there's still a twist. It was definitely an interesting change of pace for me!

Side note: I do have to say that the pronunciation of the main character's name (Cyra) is explained near the beginning of the book, but I still ended up questioning myself through the rest due to what my brain thought was a similarity with the sister's name (Mira). I appreciate that the explanation was there, but it was still hard to switch off.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

This book was so good! I couldn’t get ahead of the twist and I swear I had it!
The idea of a group of serial killers having a support group so they can gloat and celebrate is so interesting!
Our FMC finds her self on a hunt to find who murdered her sister and her revenge but along the way will she loose her self and her morals; will she make it out alive; will the killers find the rat among them.

Beyond hooked and read in less then 24 hours I highly recommend if it sounds interesting!

3.5 stars, rounded up. This book is quick and vicious, as Cyra's obsession with finding her sister's killer, no matter the potential danger and cost, leads her straight into the company of admitted serial killers. It's both dark and thoughtful, and a great debut.

This book is dark, twisted, and disturbingly funny—like eavesdropping on a conversation you *really* shouldn’t be hearing. It lures you in with sharp wit and brutal honesty, then drags you down a rabbit hole of killers you might *almost* root for. By the end, you’ll be questioning your own morals… and double-checking your locks.

Saratoga Schaefer’s debut novel promised to be a thrilling confection of some of my favorite things: feminine rage, serial killers, justice for victims, and dark humor.

My issue is just that nothing hit as hard as I would’ve liked or hit the right spot, in my opinion.

Part of my issue stems from there being a little too much masculine in my queer feminist thriller. If I wanted to read chapters from the POV of male serial killers then I’d go and read one of the gazillion books about male serial killers. In this book they felt out of place and like filler material. They only pulled me out of the story and tripped up the pacing.


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via NeGalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or lower will not appear on my social media. Thank you.

This novel had a unusual premise, the main characters joins a support group for Serial Killers. Not a group for victims but a group of the Serial Killers themselves.


Cyra joins the group as the only female, because her sister was murdered and has been informed this looks like the work of a serial killer.
She then joins the group incognito to try to root out who was killer of her sister.

I definitely give this 5 stars for originality, I read alot of thrillers and nothing is quite like this.
However for storytelling I give this a 3. This book was going in too many directions at once.
Possible spoilers ahead...


1. Cyra spends alot of time analyzing her own thoughts on murder, her ethics and how she feels about Serial Killers. This is fine but took up alot of the story.
2. The backstroy of the Support Group needed more, more, more! While they give a brief background on how it was created this part could have had so much more detail.
3. The Serial killers themselves weren't all that interesting. Sure they had a certain type of victim they preferred but the author could have taken this much further. They had the opportunity to really blow us away with some serial killers and instead they were all kind of meh. Serial killers are usually so ritualized and have such unique methods, and this one basically had one serial killer who was just a junkie killing for drugs.
4. The support group had a set of rules and boundaries that immediately went out the window. This was very distracting. To me the interesting concept was the group itself. How it formed, how it was sustained, how did they support each other, etc? Instead very quickly the members of the group were breaking rules left and right. The excuse given was that the female entering the group threw off the balance. I'm not sure if I feel that was a very mysogynistic take. If women are too disruptive why allow one? If you do decide to allow her, why throw the whole rule book out the window?

The ending itself was not bad, it tried to be a big twist but it wasn't really unexpected.

Despite all of this I give it four stars for being very unusual. I did really appreciate the creative idea and the author going a new direction in murder books.
I recommend for something to pull you out of a book slump, but just caution that the book just doesn't live up to the potential.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book could have been executed better. It’s really hard to suspend your beliefs about serial killers when there’s sort of an unrealistic nature to it all. It you’re able to do that, I think you’ll love this book, but sadly I wasn’t able to.

Dull, predictable, and lacking depth. While the novel is undeniably easy to read, it ultimately feels unpolished and uninspired. As a thriller, it quickly loses its appeal: the characters are flat and clichéd, failing to leave a lasting impression on either the narrative or the reader.

The only exception is the protagonist, who manages to stand out thanks to an atmosphere that highlights his presence. However, even his well-crafted portrayal isn’t enough to salvage a story that lacks tension and depth, ultimately weakening the overall engagement.

Such a fun, smooth paced, quirky storyline from Saratoga Schaefer. This story follows Cyra, who joins a serial killer support group in an attempt to find her sister’s murderer. Remember, THIS IS FICTION! This support group works a lot like an AA support group- stale snacks and all. Cyra has to convince the others that she’s not only like them, but get to know them so she can solve her sister’s case. This was a quick read for me, definitely in a category all its own. I love when a book breaks away from the mainstream tropes and brings something new to the table. Great read, fun story, 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

This is a basic run of the mill thriller about a sister whose sister is murdered and she joins a support group trying to figure it all out. It was a pretty fun premise and that kept me entertained for the most part. Quick and easy read

There's an intriguing idea behind this thriller but also a story that requires an epic level of suspension of belief.
I mean i'm interested in serial killer like the next girl but I found a bit to hard to imagine a group of psychopath discussing their own issue and showing the pictures of their victims.
As far as I know most of them wanted to be the top in their fields and their nickname are a bit funny.
I wasn't a fan of Cyra. I found her disturbing, obsessed and over the top.
I had fun not for the right reason but I think there's potential and some edit would help.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I felt like the premise was interesting but this one just didn’t land well for me. As the book went on I got less interested in the story. It never pulled me in. 2 1/2 stars rounded uo

Ya know, I probably should've known this wasn't for me when the two books it compares itself to were books that I just did not like. The set up of this plot just starts off nonsensical and never starts making sense

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and, I'll be honest - it took me a minute to really get into it (more of a me problem than a book problem, as it turns out) - but once I did, I couldn't put it down. Is it plausible? Heck no. But is it fun and twisty and entertaining as hell? Absolutely!

Cyra (pronounced sigh-ra) is searching for the person who murdered her little sister and is willing to go to extreme lengths to find them and make them pay. Even if that means joining a support group for serial killers (and pretending to be one herself) and putting herself in danger. Once this story got going and all the twists were revealed, I didn't want to put it down. Highly recommend for some fun, thrilling entertainment and I'm looking forward to more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an arc of this book!

Overall, this was a fine read and it was entertaining. Unfortunately, I agree with a lot of the other reviews stating that the character work was not the best. As other reviews have stated, the FMC has a lot of depth to her character, however, every other character is very surface level. I feel like this took away from the overall story and it left me wanting more.

That being said, this is a quick and easy read. It was a bit predictable, but entertaining nonetheless.

Title:
Series:
Author(S):
Genre:
Publication Date:
Publishing Co.:
Length: pages/ chapters
Rating: ⭐️ / 🌶️

Trigger Warnings:

Tropes:


****Check back soon for a full review***

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Publishing Company for an advanced copy of (insert title of book here) in exchang for an honest review.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*