There's very little I love more than reading about cheating men getting their just desserts. That's what drew me to Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell and I absolutely fell in love with this book! It was completely unhinged and equal parts funny, sad, and wild. I read it start to finish in one sitting because I just couldn't stop.

Main character Lexie was amazing! She was completely feral and a bit delusional. I loved the way she tried to process things and it felt so real how she continually relayed everything back to media - reality tv, romance movies, etc. Everything can be rationalized if you live life like it's a trashy tv show! Being inside her head was exhilarating and honestly? Made me wish I could live as free as she did. Lexie believed if she set her mind to something, that was it, it would happen; absolutely nothing could or would stop her. It was refreshing to read an FMC that is unapologetically wild but also nice and girly.

Structure wise, this was so extremely fast paced! It felt like a breeze to read, and I didn't even realize three hours had passed between starting and finishing the book. It never seemed to lag, it never left me feeling confused, and always had me trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I also really loved the narrative style this was written in. It felt intimate, like Lexie was talking to us and we were in on this together, which was so clever given the emphasis Lexie places on the characters she watches on tv. The plot was solid. As we're trying to figure out what happened to Noah, we're also on this adventure with Lexie to get promoted and find a new friend. Everything was so perfectly entwined that we'd go from main plot, to sub plots and learn a little more about everything in the process.

But, what really blew me away was how Coryell gave us this fun and thrilling horror/mystery/romance while simultaneously touching upon the illusion the media creates, the inferiority and loneliness it sparks, and the parasocial relationships it enforces. It's hard to find a book that can balance being fun and entertaining while also providing social commentary without coming across as preachy or heavy-handed, but Matchmaking for Psychopaths did this perfectly. Lexie yearns for friendships like she sees on tv. She desperately wants a family, a mother, like the ones in the movies. She constantly wonders why she just can't seem to get it, no matter what she does or how hard she tries. Lexie is so desperately lonely and fills her life with reality tv, watching people she doesn't know do things she wishes she could, relating to them. She touches upon how she has this thriving social media life, but what does it matter when there's no one she can call to chat with when things go wrong. It just really left such a deep impression .

I 100% recommend Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell. I think this is definitely one of my top books of the year. It reads incredibly fast and has a little of everything - from romance to betrayal to murder to social commentary. This was so wonderfully satirical, lightheartedly dark, and frankly relatable.

Ok, guys—I can’t even begin to tell you how fun this read was! But I’m going to try! Haha! It’s got everything: gore, humor, romance, and some juicy psychological thriller vibes.

Lexie works as a matchmaker in the Twin Cities… but her clients? Yeah, they’re actual psychopaths.

For most of her life, Lexie has been trying to outrun her past. She’s even gone so far as to change her last name. On the surface, she’s holding it together—engaged to a doctor who doesn’t ask too many emotional questions (perfect for her), and no one knows about her family history.

On her birthday, she thinks he’s picked up on her very not subtle hints about wanting a surprise party. Instead, she’s met with devastating news: her fiancé and her best friend have been having an affair. Just like that, her perfect world shatters.

Still, Lexie tries to keep moving—going through the motions of work and life with a broken heart, convinced her perfect fiancé will come back. As she continues her work as a matchmaker, two new clients walk in… and they change the course of her life entirely.

This book is dark, hilarious, gory, and completely unhinged—in the best way. If you like your thrillers weird, wild, and a little bloody, Matchmaking for Psychopaths should be on your list. 💘🔪💀

💫 Thank you to author Tasha Coryell, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

“The one thing my parents had taught me, the single thing that I knew thanks to them, was how to dispose of body parts.” 💀 🔪

Matchmaking for Psychopaths is the follow up to the 2024 book Love Letters To A Serial Killer which is a similar voice-y bent black comedy. And it was so warped and yet fun! If you have a twisted mind (like I do 🤪) and also wished Dexter never got caught then I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

“A misconception that people had about psychopaths was that their lies were always vicious. Niceness, however, could also be cruel.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the complimentary ARC.

3 stars, but that's more an average between the 4 star first part of the book when I thought I was reading a psychological thriller that was going to grapple with things like trauma, secrets, and revenge and the 2 star second act when this morphed into an unhinged dark romance. Be prepared for a change in tone and if you aren't looking for a slightly campy and murdery love story, I suggest steering clear.

I will give it to the author that this was a brave idea. For context I am ABD (all but dissertation) in clinical psychology with a law degree. My clinical training was purely in forensic psychology. My unfinished dissertation was on the H-PCL (Hare Psychopathy Checklist) as applied to urban black teenagers as most of those who studied it were in the Vancouver area. That was all more than 20 years ago and I have several different lives since then.

The author nailed psychopaths. Seriously, people get them wrong but her portrayal was *chef’s kiss.* To me, this was the biggest strength of the book. It is incredibly hard to do. She missed one aspect which I will discuss below but so much was spot on that I was blown away. Did she read Hervey Cleckley who Hare based his work on? I would think she did.

Now my complaints…..I guessed everything that was coming…..every twist, even the ones unrelated to psychopathology. Now that in my least complaint because I do like being right. Psychopaths should be charming which is the one thing this lacked for me. They were so transparent. I hated the writing style but was it just because she used the glib style psychopaths talk in? I don’t know…..if intentional, it is brilliant so maybe not a complaint. Lastly, I loathe reality TV so I felt bored during all those scenes though I get why they were needed for the plot.

Final verdict, try this if you are intrigued as I can say the science is solid but maybe try a sample first to see if you like the narrative of the main character.

3.5 stars. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️✨

This book perfectly matches its title and cover art—quirky, yet dark and broken! It’s a wild ride that blends romance, comedy, mild horror, and thriller elements into one entertaining read.

Coryell’s writing was easy to get into and kept the pace moving. I especially liked how the author gradually reveals how Lexie’s traumatic childhood shaped her, and how she comes to realize that maybe life doesn’t need to be perfect ((even for psychopaths!)

I could’ve done without the reality TV show comparisons—those parts felt like filler and I found myself skimming through them. But overall, this was a darkly funny and original story. Thanks to the Berkley and #berkleybesties for a digital arc of this novel out soon!

I was hooked from Chapter 1 because how could I possibly turn away from the drama?!

On her birthday dinner, her fiance (Noah) and bestfriend (Molly) told Lexie that they're having an affair, and that Noah is leaving her. On her BIRTHDAY DINNER that he set-up. What's more, he didn't know that it's her birthday!

And so we follow Lexie as she tries to make sense of things, win back/get over Noah, deal with office politics, do her job well, and not get into a rebound relationship with Aidan, the guy who "rescued" her on that fateful dinner when she spiraled, and eventually became her client.

There's a LOT that happened. Lexie suddenly found herself surrounded by legit psychopaths, body parts started getting delivered to her. Everyone is a suspect, and it's a very entertaining case of whodunnit.

I didn't expect Lexie's story to consume my day, and how intense things got. TCoryell kept things light in spite of the very dark themes presented in this book. I hate to keep saying I was entertained, but I sure was. I am not compelled to read Tasha's other book, just so I could indulge myself with more of her demented stories.

Don't skip on this if you're into dark and disturbing comedies.

This book had some of the darkest childhood depictions I've ever read, which shouldn't have surprised me given the blurb but still did. It was this weird mix of romance/searching for love and really dark shit. I liked it - definitely unique. Give this a try!

Matchmaking for Psychopaths comes out next week on July 15 2025 and you can purchase HERE.
THE WEDDING WAS THE end of the story. That was true in romantic comedies and classic novels alike. There was a woman (overworked and undersexed) and a man (rich and hot) who underwent a series of trials and tribulations until they finally found their way together.

I grew up on stories like that. My mother loved romantic comedies. It was a facet of her personality that might have been surprising for people who were familiar with her only from tabloid stories or podcasts that described her as someone who was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.

We would spend evenings together in front of the television—just the two of us-curled up on the couch with a pile of snacks, watching the hilarious escapades of people falling for one another. I'd never bought into the moral panic surrounding television consumption, whether it was in response to too much violence or to too much sex. People were more than their viewing habits. Still, those nights with my mother were some of the most influential times of my life, impacting not only my romantic dreams but my career aspirations as well.

4.5 stars

4.5 stars

This is my second Tasha Coryell book, and I have to say - I love her protagonists so much. They're always these unstable, weird little women - and Lexie might just take the cake.

She's a matchmaker for psychopaths. She's surrounded by them, both in her personal and professional lives - some she can spot, and others are hiding in plain sight. But when her fiancé goes missing and body parts start showing up at her door, she realizes that she really has no idea who she can trust (and as a reader, I didn't know if I could trust Lexie at all).

It's weird and a little unsettling and I really enjoyed it. Coryell has this blunt, almost bland way of saying some of the most unhinged things I've ever read, and it works so well for this character and her story. There's a certain amount of self-awareness her characters aways have hovering in the back of their minds, combined with just a total disregard for what most people would consider 'normal' behaviour; and this makes for such deliciously strange characters. I like the weird ladies it creates.

I was fully absorbed in the story, and was having so much fun when things started spinning off the rails.

Matchmaking For Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell, Alexandra works in the matchmaking business but her specialty is setting up psychopaths, not the ones locked up in prison for serial killing but your run of the mill successful in business psychopaths,. So when her fiancé Noah and best friend Molly, decide on her birthday to tell her they’re in love and he’s leaving her she immediately decides to tell no one and then goes to a bar gets drunk and starts hanging out with a gorgeous guy named Aiden Lewis in his friends. after the night of drinking and making out he is more smitten than she was because she wanted to stay true too her fiancé Noah. so when Aiden Lewis shows up at her job and tells her how much fate wants them to be together she isn’t buying it and instead tell him she’ll set him up on a date something he agrees to but only to stay in her sphere. due to her isolated neglected childhood Alexandra finds herself having crushes on girls and their friends and it even causes her to have a friend crush on one of her clients Rebecca. So when she receives a human heart in the post unlike most people she has no clue who could’ve sent it to her due to all the great potential senders. from here the book only gets crazier and Alexandra and all of her personalities want to know who’s doing it or could she be crazy enough to be doing it to herself? This book I thought had loads of potential but to say it delivered would be totally wrong. They had many discrepancies in the book but this is an arc copy so it could potentially be a pre-editing issue but there were other things as well she kept repeating the same things over and over like about her childhood alluding to what her parents did and on and on there was more than one thing she constantly repeated and that really started getting on my nerves because I felt as if we were told that time and time again and then again but it’s still turned out to be a really good book the ending wasn’t the wild ending I was expecting but I think for the most part it’s still delivered… Quickly but it was still delivered. there’s also lots of talk and comparing her life to reality shows which I thought was so funny and there’s lots of funny moments in the book and as far as the story goes it keeps you interested with the exception of the repetition and discrepancies. I still absolutely recommend this book because for those who things like that don’t bother will probably love this book I enjoyed it but as I said it could’ve been better. #NetGalley, #BerkeleyPublishing, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#TashaCoryell, #MatchmakingForPsychopaths,

4.5⭐️ Ohh this was a fun one!

When I say this book kinda went off the rails, I mean that as a compliment. This was one of those books where the plot gets crazier as you read, and I was 100% eating it up. This cast was full of morally gray characters, and I even found myself rooting for some of them (especially Lexie) in these unconventional situations. The writing was quick and fun, the humor was great, and I enjoyed all the reality tv references.

For the most part, the pace was pretty steady, and I found myself bingeing this in a day. The mystery plot was multilayered, and I trusted absolutely no one, which made things more interesting. I saw some of the twists coming, but even seeing how everything unfolded and came together was just as entertaining. However, there was one surprise at the end that had me gasping and needing to set my Kindle down for a moment to recover.

This book was such a pleasant surprise, and I’m curious to read more by this author.

4⭐️ This is what I want in a thriller! I’m sick of the same plot lines being recycled. This was a fresh, albeit ridiculous plot that I absolutely loved. You have to suspend your disbelief and get through some cringy dialogue, but if you can do that, you’ll be in for a ride.
I loved how unlikeable this MC is because I wasn’t necessarily rooting for her, but I was SO intrigued by her and what was happening.
Loved the twists, some being more subtle than others, but exciting nonetheless.

This was exactly the kind of mystery thriller I love. This is the second book that I've read by Tasha Coryell, and I loved it just as much as her first. She has a particular talent for writing deeply flawed and morally gray characters that still manage to charm you. It’s not easy to pull off a protagonist who makes questionable decisions and still feels like someone you want to root for, but she nails it. This book is smart, unsettling, and, surprisingly, pretty funny in a twisted way.

The premise is darkly delightful (just the way I like them). Alex, our main character, works for a matchmaking service that caters to clients on the psychopathy spectrum. Yes, you read that right. Not the stabby kind of psychopaths, but more like high-functioning professionals who maybe lack empathy but still want love. It’s the kind of setup that could go campy fast, but Coryell keeps the tone razor sharp.

At the start, Alex seems like she has it all: a solid job, a handsome doctor boyfriend, and a best friend who she loves and trusts with all her heart. Then, in one dinner-gone-wrong scene, it all crashes down. During her birthday dinner, Alex gets a surprise announcement—her boyfriend and best friend are now a couple. Happy birthday, indeed. And with that, the spiral begins.

From there, the book balances emotional chaos with an increasingly ominous sense that something darker is brewing. A new friend, Rebecca, shows up just when Alex needs a lifeline, and a one-night stand with a hot guy named Adrian temporarily takes Alex's mind off things. But when Josh (the boyfriend) goes missing and body parts start showing up on Alex's doorstep, you can’t help but side-eye every single character, wondering who’s pulling the strings and who’s next.

The character of Alex walks a fine line between unhinged and relatable, and it’s that careful balancing act that makes her so compelling. I understood her unraveling because I’ve felt pieces of it before, be it through betrayal, loneliness, or that low simmer of rage when someone takes advantage of you one too many times.

The plot is tight, and while I had some early suspicions about who might be responsible for the dismemberment, I definitely didn’t guess the motive. That twist worked for me. It felt earned without relying on an over-the-top reveal. What I appreciate is that Coryell seems more interested in examining emotional manipulation and blurred boundaries than shocking readers just for the sake of it. That doesn't mean that there’s not plenty of WTF energy to keep you hooked, it's just not twisty to be twisty. Everything works.

I did a tandem read on this one, and the audiobook—narrated by Sarah Mollo Christensen—is fantastic. She nails the tone of Alex’s voice, giving just enough edge without pushing it too far. If you’re an audiobook listener, I highly recommend giving this one a listen.

If you like your thrillers dark, with a streak of dry humor and characters who refuse to behave, this book is certainly worth picking up. It’s sharp, sinister, and weirdly delightful. Just the way I like it. And if you haven’t already read Coryell’s "Love Letters to a Serial Killer", you’ll want to check that one out next. I’m officially declaring Coryell an auto-buy author.

5 Stars – Absolutely Unforgettable

I devoured Matchmaking for Psychopaths in one sitting—it’s sharp, hilarious, and unexpectedly heartfelt. Tasha Coryell delivers a brilliant, offbeat blend of dark humor and quirky romance that had me giggling at the most unexpected moments. The voice is addictive, the pacing is perfect, and the characters feel like the kind of lovable chaos you only meet once in a lifetime.

It’s not often a book can feel this fresh while playing in the shadows of obsession, relationships, and vulnerability. Coryell has a knack for making you laugh and squirm in the same paragraph. This is the kind of read that grabs you, shakes you up, and still manages to give you a weirdly satisfying, emotional landing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Tasha Coryell for the ARC—I’m already recommending this to all my friends who like their romance strange, smart, and just a little unhinged.

First things first, AVOID THE PLOT DESCRIPTION of this book! It gives entirely too much away. I’m not even going to give a one-sentence plot summary in this review. It’s best to let Matchmaking for Psychopaths pleasantly – or maybe unpleasantly, depending on your tastes – surprise you.

Matchmaking for Psychopaths is pure, unhinged fun. While it is more insightful than I expected in its examination of modern love and childhood trauma, this is not a book to be taken too seriously. This is the very definition of a beach read – that is, if you like your beach reads to include a few severed body parts and the occasional psychopath. It isn’t quite horror, but it has elements of horror. It’s not a romantic comedy, but it has romance and parts of it are (darkly) funny. It’s also a psychological thriller, but not in a melodramatic, super serious way. This book is entirely its own unique genre that infuses all of these elements into one magical, compulsively readable, slightly disturbing and super entertaining thing.

Tasha Coryell’s character work is excellent. The protagonist, Lexie, is a matchmaker with a complicated past that very much has an affect on her present; everything from her relationships to her TV-watching habits are informed by the way she grew up. Because of that, she’s so psychologically interesting and her behavior makes sense for her, even when it doesn’t really “make sense.” She definitely goes on A Journey throughout the course of this book, and it was fun watching her embrace the parts of herself she tried to avoid for so long. There’s some interesting stuff here about dating culture and the long-lasting effects of a dysfunctional childhood – just enough to add some meat to the story and make it deeper and more meaningful than it would be otherwise. But mostly, this is a book that really does embrace its most deranged qualities. And I loved it for that.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the early reading opportunity.

Alexandra grew up desperate for attention and love. Having parents who didn't pay attention to her and were eventually arrested and imprisoned for murder didn't exactly bring the attention she wanted. When she was old enough, she re-created herself by changing her last name and altering her appearance, dating a doctor and creating a stable life for herself. But when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her best friend, the stable life she built crumbles.

The one steady in her life has been her job as a matchmaker. But her job as matchmaker is not conventional- it's for pychopaths. While there is never a dull moment in her profession, things derail when her recently ex- boyfriend goes missing, but his heart is delivered to her doorstep. Alex can't help but worry that one of her psychopath clients is behind this and how safe is she really?

Thank you prhaudio for the ALC. This was a fun story to listen to. In true Tasha Coryell fashion, it was witty, satirical and funny.

My favorite book of 2025 so far! This combo of romcom with satirical humor and snark along with a thriller/murder mystery had me addicted cover to cover. I loved the cast to this one, the plot was unique and unsettling and funny, and the ending was perfect! Tasha Coryell is easily an auto-buy author for me now and I am dying to see what she crafts up next.

I seriously can’t stress this enough - go get this book! It drops on July 15th and if you’re a fan of Butcher and Blackbird, trust me, you need it. I was totally absorbed from chapter one. This book exceeded every expectation. The plot twists kept me on my toes and the romance? Perfect.

This book's mix of romance, thriller, and mystery was spot on. I enjoyed the surprises along the way. The only thing missing was an epilogue, but I'll survive.

Synopsis:
“A matchmaker specializing in pairing psychopaths, faces a deadly mystery when a human heart appears on her doorstep and her ex-fiancé vanishes”

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC !

If you like your romance with a good dose of pyschopathy and a sprinkling of murder this book is for you. In the best way!

Matchmaking for Psychopaths is the most unconventional romance. It was creative, fresh and highly entertaining.

Lexie has an interesting job, one that she's uniquely qualified for - she's a matchmaker for psychopaths. Her parents were actual serial killers, but she's determined to have a normal life, one that includes having a normal husband. Unfortunately, Lexie's normal fiance ends up leaving her for her best friend, so things aren't going very well for her. Then, when her ex turns up dead and she starts receiving body parts from an unnamed person, things go from bad to worse.

I really liked this book. I'm all about dark humor and this one gave me that, and plenty more. There was romance, violence, gore, and more. I mean, what more could you ask for? The characters were interesting and the plot was unique and fast moving. All in all, I enjoyed Matchmaking for Psychopaths very much, and look forward to reading other works by Tasha Coryell.

4/5 stars

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Tasha Coryell for the opportunity to read and review Matchmaking for Psychopaths.