4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨



Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich

Format: Audiobook | Narrator: Clare Corbett

We follow Julie Tudor — who, contrary to the title, might actually be a bit of a psychopath. The book jumps around between timelines: present-day (2009), her early adulthood in 1981, and a single flashback from childhood. While the intention seems to be showing how her behavior escalated over time, I found myself wanting more from her backstory. There were hints that her psychosis was deeply rooted in early trauma (emotional neglect, assault, and a complete lack of love or affection) but we only got one glimpse of that period, and I didn't feel it wasn’t enough. I kept waiting for the story to go back and really unpack what made Julie the way she is, but it never did. For a character so emotionally complex and obviously shaped by early trauma, we only got the barest glimpse of what made her tick, and it left a huge gap in understanding her full descent into madness. I genuinely felt for her and wished the book had explored her past more fully.

That said, the dry, dark humor absolutely stole the show. Julie is a chaotic mess, stumbling through life Fatal Attraction-style, offing people left and right without a second thought. She’s the perfect unreliable narrator, delusional, hilarious, and wildly dangerous. Her inner monologue is gold. She takes a “good morning” as a wedding proposal and escalates it to murder in about two seconds flat. She’s crazy, but also... kind of relatable? In the worst possible way.

To quote Julie herself:
"You had to know what you were looking for, but it was there."
(Which sums up the whole vibe of this book, honestly.)


🎧 Narration

Clare Corbett really worked for this story. The Welsh accent was a great touch and made the setting feel authentic. I listened at 1.5x speed and had no issues understanding anything. She made it easy to distinguish between characters, though most of the audiobook is Julie’s inner monologue (which, let’s be real, was hilarious and absolutely unhinged). There were clear audio cues or chapter headings when the timeline changed, which helped keep everything flowing and easy to follow. It was a good fit for the content, not groundbreaking voice acting, but solid and enjoyable.

🌀 Tone & Flow

The satirical edge and fast pacing made this audiobook fly by. The plot is less of a mystery/thriller suspense and more of a look at an unhinged woman spiraling with style. If you’re looking for a twisty whodunnit, this isn’t it, but if you want to sit inside the mind of a delusional, emotionally-warped woman with a God complex and a sharp wit, you’re in the right place.

Trigger warnings: animal cruelty, sexual assault, emotional neglect.

📚 Final Thoughts

Would I recommend the audiobook? Yeah, definitely. The narration adds a good layer of immersion. The Welsh accent, the dry delivery, all of it really helped set the tone. Julie’s chaotic mind is just fun to be in, in a completely unhinged, trainwreck-you-can’t-look-away-from kind of way.

If I had to describe this book to someone, I’d say: imagine if You had a female lead who was less charming and more unfiltered, and instead of stalking you in a bookstore, she just spiraled immediately after a single “good morning.” Julie is the definition of unstable, but she’s also vulnerable in a way that weirdly makes you feel for her. It’s twisted, it's dark, it’s hilarious, and honestly? I couldn’t stop listening.

🙋‍♀️ Recommended For:

• Listeners who love dark, satirical, character-driven plots
• Anyone who enjoys chaotic female leads with zero chill
• Readers looking for something funny, disturbing, and emotionally complex, all at once

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This one was a twisted, satirical ride I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

Julie has work to do in therapy; between the obsessive thoughts and delusions, there is a lot to unpack. I do wish we had more of how she got here. There were multiple timelines. If you liked stalkers akin to YOU, Julie could be Joe’s long lost sister. Enjoyed the inner monologues, until I started to feel sad for her. I can point out several people I have known who could fall into that mindset. It’s a tough topic. I don’t like animal abuse; but I do understand why it’s there.

If MISERY met BRIDGET JONES DIARY.

Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath has a pretty cover on the outside and some seriously dark stuff on the inside.

We meet Julie Tudor, a 49 year old woman who appears to have a crush on Sean, a younger co-worker. Julie is our narrator, and may go down in history as the MOST unreliable narrator of all my reads.

She presents Sean as her close work pal, and describes mutual attraction. We learn very quickly this is Julie's perception and NOT reality. In fact, reality is presented in many flashbacks of Julie's previous "relationships", and man- is Julie unhinged!!

This is a very different story, and while I would label it a thriller or sorts, the plot twists here are all in Julie's mind.

This book was such a dark, cheeky surprise I had no idea I’d enjoy it this much. Julie Tudor is absolutely unhinged in the best way. Her voice is sharp, witty, and borderline delusional, and I was completely along for the ride. The premise walks that perfect line between satire and suspense, and even though she insists she’s not a psychopath or a serial killer… well, you’re never totally sure, and that’s part of the fun.

It gave me major “middle-aged Gone Girl” energy with a twisted sense of humor. Watching Julie obsess over a 25 year old man and justify every one of her increasingly bad decisions was both hilarious and uncomfortable in the best possible way. The book knows exactly what it is and leans into the absurdity without ever taking itself too seriously.

I knocked off a star just because the pacing dipped a bit in the middle, and I wanted a little more actual tension or danger as things escalated. But overall, it was sharp, smart, and genuinely entertaining. Think: suburban revenge fantasy meets cozy thriller with a heavy splash of delusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get through it. I love delulu characters, but Julie was just unlikeable and I couldn't find any sympathy for her. After 2 hours, I just can't imagine sitting through it any more, so I am DNFing it.

Rating: 3.6/5
Julie Tudor definitely IS a psychopath! Julie falls in love with any man she encounters. She makes up conversations and actions in her head to convince herself that the other man is just as in love with her. However, there always seems to be someone in the way of her true love. How does she get rid of them?? Just a little murder.

This book was entertaining to listen to. The FMC is literally crazy. If she ever got tried for any of the murders, she would likely be able to claim insanity. It was a shorter book, but I would've liked a more shocking ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Julie is absolutely delusional and unhinged in the most entertaining way possible. The innerworkings of her mind was fascinating and I was hooked from page one. Watching her justify her chaos and come to her own not-based-in-reality conclusions was both hilarious and unsettling the best way. My only complaint? I wish it had been longer. I wasn't ready to leave her twisted world!

Julie Tudor has a lot of big feelings... that she really believes are reciprocated, but are they truly? And if they aren't, what's the worst that could happen, right?

Julie Tudor needs a lot of therapy. Like, A LOT of therapy. And reading this book was almost painful at times, knowing how much help she needed and how it was being ignored by everyone around her. Obviously this is a work of fiction, but in a way, it felt like she was being exploited for our entertainment. I almost DNF'ed, but I had to see if it got better for Julie. It never did. I kept waiting for the fourth wall to break or some sort of surprise, but it never came. We were brought down the same spiral that Julie went down and I cringed the whole way down.

The writing was fantastic, the narrator too. But the plot was a tough one for me.

Listening to this book was an interesting experience. The narrator was clear and crisp, and the perfect posh voice for Julie. I was able to easily distinguish who was talking and she kept the book interesting. The middle of book did get a bit repetitive - Julie is definitely a psychopath. She is not a character you will like, and she is not supposed to be! It was a surprisingly sunny book with an older FMC who suffers from some pretty strong delusions. She is able to talk herself into anything! I don't know if this is really a thriller, but it definitely has some dark elements.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and RB Media/Tantor Audio.

This was a 4.25 for me but not quite a 5 so I gave this a 4. I loved the mix of humor and suspense of this novel. It was such an interesting way into the mind of Julie and seeing how unhinged she could be. It was a bit creepy when you think about it a lot but when reading/listening, it was intriguing!

Julie Tudor is definitely not a psychopath—just a wildly delusional, obsessive, slightly murderous woman with a killer inner monologue. This book is a darkly funny, totally bonkers ride that had me cackling one minute and cringing the next. Julie’s voice is the standout here—equal parts unhinged and hilarious—and the escalating chaos kept me hooked. That said, the plot dragged in spots and I found myself wanting more depth behind her madness. Still, I read it in one sitting and had a disturbingly good time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars — Rated R for violence, language, and absolute batsh*t energy.

I really enjoyed Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath - it kept me hooked and I finished it in two days. The writing style was a lot of fun to read (CW for some pretty graphic violence, though) and it even had me feeling sympathy for Julie at points. If you enjoyed the show Baby Reindeer on Netflix, pick this up!! This feels like if that story were told from the woman’s point of view.

-1 star for some repetitiveness!

If “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” and “Finlay Donovan is Killing It” had a baby, it would be this book. I wonder if putting the protagonists name in the title is part of the qualifications. 🤔😂 I really enjoyed this novel! Holdich plays with the unreliable narrator in a way that interesting and leaves you questioning the protagonist while also deeply empathizing for her. The only downside is that I would occasionally get confused about the timeline as we jumped to different portions of Julie’s life. However, Holdich gives the reader understanding and empathy for the protagonist. Several times in the novel I just wanted to hug her and go, “oh, Sweetie, bless your heart.” But then who knows what she would think about me then. It really was a great entertaining read!

Thank you Net Galley and Tandor Media for having me review it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Only fools deny what’s in their hearts. Isn’t it more frightening to be without the one your love for the rest of your life than to endure a moment or two of honesty.”

“They say you only regret the things you didn’t do. I can confidently confirm that’s not true.”

“After all it couldn’t be very tricky if she had to memorize it.” 😂

“I heard that it was a fine line between love and hate,and now I know the truth of that statement. I lived him, and then in the blink of an eye, I hated him.” - I don’t think this is true, I do think it speaks to her mental state.

“Maybe Susanna was concerned she’d be hit by a lightning bolt if she stepped on holy ground. Maybe she was concerned I would be struck and my charred remains lying in the aisle would spoil the ceremony.”

“Of course she was always laughing, she was a half-wit, it was her default setting.” 😂

“Angela could never do anything wrong, and I could never do anything anyone would notice.”

“The previous year we had studied Romeo and Juliet and this was every bit as good as the balcony scene, better really because Billy was a real-life stunningly gorgeous man and Romeo was a self-obsessed rather stupid boy.”

Julie is a woman in her 50s that is obsessed with her coworker Sean who is 25. Believing they are in a secret relationship, she removes the obstacles that keep them apart. Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath is darkly hysterical yet extremely empathetically sad as the reader perhaps begins to understand Julie and although absolutely knows she's not sane, wants to see what she will try next. This is certainly a can't put down book because you want to see where this is going, and no surprise, the ending is everything! I loved every moment of this book. The narrator was epic and grabbed me from the beginning. Highly recommended!

I loved the premise of this one but I could not get into the narrative. This was largely due to the audio narrator who should have been objectively fine but I struggled with getting immersed in the story. My big issue was that the tone of the story felt too light and silly, which is not what I expected or wanted from this novel.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I ended up DNF’ing this 30% in. I enjoyed the narrator, but nothing was really happening. Yes, we see how delusional she is, but the pacing was just too slow for me.
Giving it a 2 because of the narrator and general idea of the story.

Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich is such an entertaining thriller. Julie Tudor is an unlikeable character you’ll want to follow to understand her thoughts and motivations. Additionally, Julie is middle aged, so we get diversity in age in this story, which adds additional elements to the story.

Told in dual timeline, this story is cleverly plotted, highly entertaining, numerous, and edge of your seat reading. If you like thrillers and unlikeable characters, this story is for you!

I listened to the audiobook while I read along. The audiobook version of this story was well done by a single narrator. The narrator really brought this character and the story to life. I listened at 1.5x speed (my normal audiobook speed is 1.5-1.75x speed).

Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reading copy and advanced audiobook copy.

I loved this book! I think it was meant to be a fun read and that is how I took it. Made me laugh, drop my jaw and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I did not want this to end. Maybe there will be a sequel?... Yes to this book! Run don't walk!

Thank you NetGalley! The premise had me intrigued. I unfortunately could not get into this book. It started out too slow and did not keep my attention

Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath was a wild ride - and honestly, it might be better titled Julie Tudor Needs an Exorcism. This was a quick read for me: dark, uncomfortable, and funny in a deeply twisted, sad kind of way (if that makes any sense).

From start to finish, I was cringing and drowning in secondhand embarrassment. Julie Tudor is right up there with characters like Annie Wilkes and Joe Goldberg - unhinged, delusional, and, yes, very much psychopathic. She lives in this deluded fantasy where she’s flawless and the people she obsesses over are just secretly obsessed with her, even if they're married or dating someone else. Obviously, they’re just biding time until they can finally be with their one true love…Julie.

The story is told entirely through Julie’s POV, and being in her mind from beginning to end is exhausting - which I think is part of the point. It’s well done, but intense. There’s also a hint (not explicit, but implied) that she may hurt her pets, which adds to the disturbing atmosphere. If that’s a trigger for you, tread carefully.

I would’ve given this 5 stars, but it did get repetitive, especially around the halfway point. Some chapters involving a certain actor and a scammer just didn’t hold my attention. Still, the absurdity and psychological depth of Julie’s character made this a strangely entertaining and memorable read.

If you enjoy dark, character-driven fiction with unreliable narrators and a heavy dose of delusion, this is for you.