An unusual one to be sure. Is it a rom com or a thriller? Or a rom com thriller? Dodi thinks Jake might be a serial killer but she also feels an attraction to him. These two have good banter but not so much on the romance end of things. This zips along until suddenly it turns a bit and to be honest, that turn was a tad confusing to me. That said, it's a different sort of read and one you need to go into without specific expectations. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

Serial Killer Games
By: Kate Posey

Thank you to @berkleyromance for free book and @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook. #berkleypartner #berkley All opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that I was as equally entertained as I was confused by this book. I’m honestly not sure how to sum up either the story or my thoughts so in an effort to make some amount of sense, here it goes…

The best parts: I loved the chemistry and banter between Dodi and Jake. I also loved all of the fun and mysterious vibes especially at the beginning of the story. The audio captured and held my attention throughout and I am so glad to have been able to listen along as I read. The writing was a bit morbid at times but also exceptionally witty and well done. I was drawn to the quirkiness of both characters and enjoyed their love story very much. Never has a couple been more tailor-made for one another!

The parts I was less sure of: The description and the story are worlds apart from one another and not once while I was reading did I feel like I knew where the story was going. I will also say that the book got a little dark for me about half way through and I worried that it was heading down a sadder path which I would not have enjoyed. Thankfully that turned around and the story actually had a very sweet conclusion.

All in all, I will leave you with this: If you like unusual stories with dark humor and witty banter then I think you should definitely give this one a try! I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Read if you like:

Found Family
Enemies to Lovers
Marriage of Convenience
Quirky characters
Morbid Humor

I went into this expecting a story centered around serial killers, so I was a bit disappointed to find that aspect played a much smaller role in the plot than I had hoped. What really brought my rating down, though, was how much I struggled with the overall pacing and confusion throughout the book. It felt like being dropped onto a treadmill already set to high speed—I was expected to keep up without being properly introduced to the characters or grounded in the story.

Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the characters, and the secrets or reveals didn’t land the way I think they were meant to. Instead of being intrigued, I found myself feeling bored and detached.

I really wanted to like this. The premise had so much potential, but maybe the writing style and humor just weren’t a match for me. Ultimately, it fell flat.

Reading the synopsis, I was very intrigued by the book, however, I ended up skimming through a lot of it as I was confused a lot of the time reading it, trying to figure out the motivations of the MCs, what the aim of the plot was, etc. It was a pretty slow-paced book and it felt like significant beats to really move the plot forward were few and far between.

I really couldn't not build empathy for the MCs, each of whom came across as selfish and purely motivated by self-interest (which very well could have been the point), consequently, I just couldn't get into the book as I had wanted to.

I think this is a book that will be polarizing; people will love it or not get it. I'm in the latter but I sincerely hope that this book finds its readers.

Thanks to Berkley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was not at all what I was expecting it to be. I feel like the synopsis is misleading. It’s much more deep than you think. It had some interesting twists and I enjoyed how it all ended in the end. I thought it would be darker and funnier but it was more realistic and serious in the end. A fine story but inaccurately described and so my brain wasn’t in the right head space going in. Think less Dexter and more… tested women’s fiction & found family…

This book grabbed me by the neck and didn't let me go until I finished it. The Prologue is a crazy way to start the book and instantly hooked me and I loved how the story progressed and the twists and turns along the way.
It definitely was not what I was expecting when I read the summary, which is the intention, no doubt, but I was not mad about the way the story shook out.
Jake and Dodi are so interesting, they felt like full, well fleshed out human beings with immensely complicated internal and external lives and every decision that they made felt correct, even when it frustrated me because they were written so well, nothing felt out of character.
This was also one of the rare times a character didn't communicate (Jake talking to Laurie), which would have changed so much about the last third of the book, and I didn't get pissed off, because it was fully in character.
Great book for those who like morbidity in your reading, true crime, found family, complex family dynamics, strong female characters, and some dark banter.

I had some high hopes for this one - based on the title and the blurb. Perhaps that was my first mistake.

The story was very scattered and disjointed, making it really hard to follow along and understand what's happening. The characters were really likeable, and the character development always seemed very superficial.

This book was definitely a romance, and though categorized as a mystery/thriller, I didn't find any of that. I actually felt like I was reading about someone's weird dream that didn't quite make sense. Perhaps the characters were just a tad too weird for me?

I'm glad I finished, but I don't think I gained anything extraordinary from doing so, though I was tempted to DNF several times.

If you're drawn to the extra weird, and dark quirky, then maybe you'll find a more enjoyable time with this book than I did. I am giving it 3 stars because, while it wasn't for me, I did finish it and didn't hate it.

88Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

This unique slow-burn story ramps up into a heart wrenching, heartwarming, beautiful testament to the strength of found family and embracing our authentic selves 🖤

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this ARC

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc, and to PRH Audio for the alc.

This was a fun and quirky mystery thriller, and I don't think I have ever read something as unique as this before. What I loved about this book is that I had no clue what was coming next. In fact, I may have been a bit confused while reading this book?? Overall, I had a great time reading and listening to this book and if you are looking for mystery/thriller books with some bada** characters, I recommend this book! I also loved the audiobook narrators and would definitely listen to more books narrated by either of them. As for Kate Posey, I am excited to see what she will write next!

I’m not this type of romance ready but I enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought I would. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

An interesting concept that is cleverly written by the author.
Frolicking with a serial killer, ok.
The read was fast paced and the ending was good.
Some of the characters were amusing and the names were funny as well,

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this book, unfortunately they just fell flat for me. Despite that, it was a good read with some unexpected twists at the end!

I LOVED this!! What great characters Dolores and Jake are! Entertaining and mysterious, they lit up the pages and made it hard to put down. I finished this in one day! Lots more romcom then mystery/thriller, Serial Killer Games was witty, laugh out loud funny and so easy to read.

This was so fun!

The first half of the book had me HOOKED. It was giving Butcher and Blackbird energy--what if you have two serial killers in close proximity playing games with each other out of sheer boredom? And they just so happen to work together? It was SO FUNNY and witty, I couldn't put it down! The banter and silly little games/true crime tie ins worked SO WELL for me. It was great.

About halfway through, the story takes a bit of a turn, and while I still liked it and it worked really well, it just wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the story to continue in the same direction it had been for the first half, not twist into something totally different with a bunch of other layers sort of randomly added. It still worked really well and everything was woven together seamlessly, but it just isn't the direction I wanted it to go in.

If you're a fan of true crime podcasts, Butcher and Blackbird, and witty banter--this is absolutely going to scratch an itch for you. I was so bummed it was over, because I could read about the hijinks of Jake and Dolores for a full on series. In fact, I think that would have made this work even better. One of the other things that didn't really work for me was the actual development of their relationship. Friendship? Totally well developed and I liked it. Attraction? Definitely called out and referenced. Romantic relationship? Went from 0-100 in like, 20 pages. I really would have loved to see that develop more, particularly given that Dolores has a reason to take relationships slow.

Overall this was a super fun book and a really entertaining read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Darkly funny, weirdly romantic, and totally entertaining

Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey is a delightfully twisted ride that blends dark humor, flirtation, and suspense in all the best ways. Dolores dela Cruz is a quirky office worker obsessed with spotting serial killers, and when mysterious, glove-wearing Jake shows up, her imagination kicks into overdrive. What begins as a morbid fascination quickly turns into a flirty, tension-filled game of cat and mouse.

Posey has a gift for weaving humor and creepiness together, and Dolores and Jake’s chemistry is oddly electric. The story started off a little meandering for my taste, but once it hit its stride, I was hooked. I loved the supporting cast and the unexpected emotional depth that snuck in beneath the murder jokes.

If you like your rom-coms with a sharp, suspenseful edge and aren’t afraid of a little weird, this one’s for you. It’s dark, funny, and surprisingly tender.

I was generously provided with an advance copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own.

This was an overall good read! I felt very confused at times throughout the book though. I think it was lacking the back story from the characters. When you do finally get their backstory about half way through it gives you that “ah-ha” moment and then more of the story makes sense. I also think the chemistry between Dodi and Jake was a bit odd and felt forced at times. The dark humor and banter back and forth is what kept me going throughout.

I felt like the first half and the second half were almost two completely different books with different genres. I liked the idea, but I just don’t think it was executed as well as it could have been.

Overall, this was a good read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy serial killer thrillers with banter and a rom-com vibe.

Thank you to Berkley Pub for the ARC!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This arc was such a fun read! If you love banter, witty characters, dead pan humor, and plot twists, you’ll love this book! I was so happy with the way it ended. The characters also really grew on me! There were some times where I couldn’t tell if the character was sarcastic or not, so it was a fun toss up, but continuing to read, all my questions were answered. 💖

This book has tropes like found family, fake dating, suspense & more! This book will be out on 4/29!

This book ended up not being for me. I found it to be very confusing the way it was written. The characters felt charicatureish and it was not at all what I was expecting. I am not even sure what genre I would put this in.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

The way that this simultaneously subverted and exceeded all of my expectations is something indeed. Each is convinced that the other is a serial killer, and they keep one-upping each other's dark energy. The dual narration was perfect for this book and I felt like both narrators did a great job. The plot had me laughing out loud with equal parts hilarity and incredulity. This is hands-down a romystery, a perfect blending of romance and mystery. But more than that, this is a story about family, illness, and finding that person who loves your weird. Hats off to you, Kate Posey.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I feel like so many books I've read recently are split in half and are two distinctly different books.

The First Half: The first half of this book was a 6 star new favorite. The humor actually made me laugh out loud and it's been a while since a book made me do that. The dark humor just really hit. There is also a good amount of workplace humor and making light of systems that are helpful but also feel oppressive at times. Satire is one of my favorite things to read and this was just excellent.

The Second Half: There is a "twist," about half way through that I was not expecting. It is not a bad or a good thing the book just completely turned into something else. It goes from this silly goofy time to what feels like a very serious shift. I also think this could be triggering for a lot of people and would have been beneficial if it was noted in the synopsis. Again, it wasn't a bad thing it just felt like picking up a drink that you think is soda but it's tea. I like both drinks but they are distinctly different and not what I was expecting when I picked the book up.

The writing for the entire book is good. It's not immature or cringey, I did really enjoy the way the book was written all the way around excluding hte plot. At the end of the book, I didn't even recognize the characters from the first half anymore. Which is disappointing because I really enjoyed the lightheartedness. AGAIN, the second half is not a bad book, it's just too different from the start to be enjoyable for me.