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How to Kill Men and Get Away with It

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Meet Kitty Collins.

FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

He was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone.

I hadn’t intended to kill him of course. But I wasn’t displeased when I did and, despite the mess I made, I appeared to get away with it.

That’s where my addiction started…

I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder. Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, How to Kill Your Family and Killing Eve will love this wickedly clever novel!

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2023

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About the author

Katy Brent

4 books445 followers
Katy Brent is an author and award-winning journalist from the UK. She has worked on newspapers, magazines and websites since 2005, writing about popular culture. How To Kill Men and Get Away With It is her first novel.

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5 stars
5,646 (22%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,179 reviews
Profile Image for Nilufer Ozmekik.
2,638 reviews53.5k followers
August 11, 2023
We have a female Dexter in the house who avenges monsters disguising inside human fur! Ladies and gentlemen: make some noise for Kitty freaking Collins!

She’s the granddaughter of Captain Collins- founder of Collins' Cuts, the reconstructed meat products you see in every freezer and supermarket in the UK. But interestingly she rejects to inherit the bloody family money and staying away from meat products. She still grieves her father who disappeared under false circumstances and she has estranged relationship with her mother who escaped to France, giving her daughter the luxurious London penthouse as farewell gift!

Kitty might be known as popular IT Girl, a very famous influencer, spoiled elite but she has darker side that she doesn’t share with her social circle! When she sees a monster who abuses women, she knows how to end his life and wait for it: she knows HOW TO GET AWAY WITH IT! Who can think a very rich, popular, instagram’s shining star likes to get her hands dirty? Of course nobody suspects her!

Everything started as an accident. A very clingy, irritating guy who has also girlfriend, following her at the street, carrying a broken wine bottle to attack her and when Kitty kicks his crouch, he loses his balance and falls on the broken bottle! Goodbye a. hole!

The next victim also made his bed. She didn’t intend to hurt him. She just wanted him apologize! Oh boy, what the hell is wrong with those guys?

But now she has a stalker on social media who is sending her posts from her crime scenes and following her each steps.

Her friends think she’s depressed because she doesn’t get over the betrayal of her first and last boyfriend and now she meets with charming philanthropist Charlie. Can she trust him? Can she control her killer instincts before they take control of her body?

It’s absolutely entertaining, smart, twisty, riveting psychological thriller! I’m rounding up 4.5 to 5 extra surprising, sarcastic, darkest stars! I absolutely had so much fun!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

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Profile Image for Lit with Leigh.
613 reviews7,359 followers
October 15, 2022
Thank you HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

One sentence review: It had all the right ingredients but the proverbial baking soda was expired so this did not rise to expectations

SYNOPSIS

Popular Instagram influencer Kitty is rich and lil bored. When she accidentally k!lls a certified creepo who followed her home from the bar, she seemingly finds her true calling: k!lling r@pists. But with a stalker watching her every move, will she be able to get away with it?

MY OPINION

UGHHHHH!!!! I REALLY wanted to love this one, or at least slap a Honda Civic Reliable rating on there and call it a day. Women nurdering r@pists? Yes please. And doing so with tongue in cheek humor? Double yes please. Plus, cmon, that title is everything! This was shaping up to be a dark Finlay Donovan-esque book, but unfortunately, it was not meant to be for me 😢 The reason I finished this is because I was hoping and praying it was sort itself out for at least a three star but.... nah.

Kitty could've been a great character, but the inconsistencies in her behaviour and logic made her hella annoying. In short, she was hypocritical. She loved bankrolling her life with her Instagram money but constantly bitched about what it meant to be an influencer. And despite considering herself intellectually superior to everyone on the planet, Kitty surrounds herself with vapid, shallow friends from similar wealthy backgrounds. When she literally said "I'm not like these other girls" I wanted to yack. Sweetie, your propensity to pop pills, down straight shots of vodka, and throw money at your problems makes you JUST like the girlies that run in your circle.

Another point of contention was the author's cringeworthy pandering and using this book as an opportunity to promote veganism. Sorry for the spoiler, but the fact she's a vegan legit has NOTHING to do with the plot. If she had been poisoning these men with a Beyond Meat burger then okay, I get it. I hate that I have to say this but I have NOTHING against vegans. I barely eat red meat myself, and chicken truly freaks me tf out. But I'm not a fan of using a novel to pontificate like a mofo just because you're a passionate vegan.

Then we have my least favorite kind of unreliable narrator – the liar for funsies. A "proper" unreliable narrator is one who truly believes what they're saying is reality due to a mental illness or maybe they're constantly coked out and don't know their ass from their mouth. Regardless, lying to the reader about events until the very end just for a lil twisty twist is lazy af.

And lastly, before I get into some spoilers, I'm not a fan of smut in my mystery/thrillers. Ain't no way you're afraid to have a picnic in a park but let some dude finger bang you outside of an axe throwing facility?????? Maybe I'm exposing myself as a "prude", but... are ya'll letting a mans pull your titties out and dj your nips on a regular Tuesday afternoon in a CCTV monitored elevator???

SPOILER TIME. SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM







Next we have the plant-based meat of this story: the revenge murders. Again, love the concept. And obviously for a story like this, yeeting of disbelief is required. But the murders were TOO laughably solvable. Homegirl was using Tinder to set up these men and you're telling me police didn't cotton on to that? Ok. At least try to do some basic forensic countermeasures like use a burner phone. Even Finlay Donovan was tighter than this.

Also, if she's all about striking down men, why didn't she go after her stalker ASAP?? The Creep was leaving graphic comments about using her blood as ky lube but she just let it rock until the very end??? This should've been target #1!!!!! Darwinism!!!

This book really went off da rails in the last 30%. First of all, Kitty has a metldown and is somehow found unresponsive by Charlie (who dumped her after a month or so) and then suddenly in the hospital he's like "btw I love you" and she says it back??? What? This doesn't strike you as WEIRD? And then at the end you find out he KNEW about allegations of sexual assaults against his charity's biggest donor James but he just went Helen Keller to it because of the $$$$ ... and you STAY with him???????? Again, hypocritical coming from the vegan who won't touch her inheritance because it's "blood money" but stays with a guy who enabled a r@pist. Bye.

Then you have the whole scene with Adam. What the FUCK? Talking about oh he's brilliant, he's creative, he's amazing blah blah blah like bro??? He was a major fucking douchebag who drained you emotionally despite slanging his D all around town. And to ask him "did you ever really love me" obviously tf not and WHY does it matter a handful of years later? I honestly couldn't care if my ex thought I was the second coming of Christ or the gatekeeper to Hell. This made zero sense and once again, had jack shit to do with the plot.





PROS AND CONS

Pros: fun premise, some of the humor was on point

Cons: Kitty's character was all over the place, swiss cheese ass plot, a lot of pandering, author was pontificating about veganism for no reason, last 30% really went sideways
July 26, 2023

Instagram || Threads || Facebook || Amazon || TikTok


Me reading this in public:



All men in the area: O_O



YIKES. This book is the posterchild for how illustrated covers can trick people into thinking they're getting a quirky little rom-com, only to end up with something very not that. And one of the top shelves for this book on Goodreads is "romance"? You sick, lying fucks.*



*JK ily, but seriously, definitely NOT a romance**



**In my not-so-humble opinion



Kitty is a social media influencer with family problems up the wazoo. Socialite mother dabbling in the literal blood money (her father was a slaughterhouse magnate). Daddy issues from her cold and aloof father teaching her that the cast of Charlotte's Web makes for good eatin'? No wonder she's a vegan with a major hang-up about men.



Unfortunately that hang-up soon turns deadly when she accidentally kills a man who's harassing her on her way home. Faster than you can say "look what you made me do," she starts not-so-accidentally killing other men who are guilty of everything from ghosting to rape. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and Kitty is planning on serving them up on #sponsored cutlery, with a pinch of vigilante justice.



This reminds me of a much, much darker Katherine St. John work, as KSJ also writes a lot of beach read thrillers. But this one also has a heavy dash of Caroline Kepnes's YOU. Some people have compared it to Dexter and I can see that, but YOU is a better comparison because Kitty has such a dark and wicked sense of humor, seeped in satire and a rather sangfroid despair at the futility of humans to do anything but disappoint her on a deeply personal level. For most of this book, I was thinking this would be a four- or five-star read. But then the ending happened and I thought, hmm, I don't like that.



HOW TO KILL MEN AND GET AWAY WITH IT is an aggressively decent read, but it's heavy on the gore and I don't really think the cover prepares you for that. There's a lot of rather graphic torture and murder scenes, including some of animals. The tonal shifts were rather jarring, although I do think this would translate well to the screen. I kept envisioning it as one of those quirky streaming murder shows, like My Life Is Murder or Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries. I think it would translate well to screen. It was just a little too much for me and I felt like the ending was a little silly.



Overall, though, I did have a lot of fun reading this. It's a great summery read for the morbidly inclined and I'm excited to check out the author's follow-up.



3 to 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Heather Adores Books.
1,251 reviews1,291 followers
July 4, 2023
1.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Publication date ~ June 13, 2023
Page Count ~ 369
Audio length ~ 9 hours 25 minutes
Narrator ~ Victoria Morrison
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ debut, titled chapters, social media influencer, revenge, serial killer, murders, dark, short chapters, #metoo, some steamage
*more triggers listed down below

Totally interesting premise where Kitty is lady Dexter ~ only taking out the rapists and creeps of the world. Speaking of creeps ~ she has a stalker she names The Creep and I was totally blindsided about who that ended up being. I still don't even know how they knew everything they knew, so yay for that. The killings were pretty graphic and that didn't bother me at all. I like the title, too.

Spoilers ahead and I'm not hiding them ~ read at your own risk

Things that made me go eh:
~ all characters are insufferable.
~ it's a bit too heavy on the influencer status ~ we know the follower count of every person we meet.
~ holy designer name drop on everything, everything! even the bar stools.
~ being a vegan is totally fine with me, it's not how I live, but why ya gotta make me question what's in my meat so much?
~ some of the ways she transported the victims to their final destinations was a bit far fetched. Does she hit the gym behind the scenes? I'm mainly referring to Joel, unless I misinterpreted how she did it.
~ are you telling me there are no working CCTV in the fancy schmancy places this rich broad is hanging out at?
~ never ordered an uber and never want to, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but can you order one anonymously when you're booking on an app that your credit card is linked to?
~ never been on Tinder either, can that be anonymous?
~ oh hey, lets read some se*ual assault confessions and then I'll just nob you off to distract us.
~ not super big on steamage in my thrillers

Every interaction with the police was an absolute joke, one asking for a selfie and the other wondering when she's getting back on insta cuz her sister is worried. Remind me not to need the cops if I'm ever in Chelsea.
I don't usually quote in my reviews and this is an ARC, but I was like ummm really with this one?!
"Then they're there. Two of them. Not uniformed. A woman and a man. The woman must be around my age. She's pretty and I wonder why she's a police officer when there are a hundred other less traumatizing things she'd be able to do with her looks."

Things that really made me mad and are totally unacceptable and I'm really disgusted by:
~ she lied about having a miscarriage ~ she was never pregnant. This really rubbed me the wrong way. This is something that should never be lied about or joked about or anything about. And they were barely dating, so didn't seem plausible anyway.
~ wow, Charlie, so glad you knew about the se*ual assault and didn't do a thing about it, real winner there.
~ Hen lied about being r@ped by her father

So many triggers, even if some were lies ~ pedophilia, incest, suicide, excessive drug and alcohol use, gang r@pe, se*ual assault, eating disorder, cruelty to animals

I'm not usually this brutal with my reviews, but this is why we all have out own opinions. So while this one obviously was not for me it does have quite a few positive reviews and is currently a straight 4 stars on Amazon. Why 2 stars and not 1 then, well because I know it takes a lot of effort for authors and I do applaud that and manly because what I wrote in my first paragraph.
Based on the last sentence, it appears there will be a sequel, but based on my experience with this one I don't even know if I care enough about what happens to Kitty.

*Thanks to Sophia from Harper Collins for sending me a paperback ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Profile Image for Ceecee.
2,398 reviews2,014 followers
September 21, 2022
4+
Meet Kitty Collins, social media influencer (yawns, me and sometimes Kitty!) lover of all good things in life, bit of a snob (that’s being kind) but knows she is and accidental killer and before you know it, whoops, there goes another one. These are men who you could argue (maybe) that deserve it, liars, cheaters, predators, misogynists, so it’s not really murder is it? Is it???? Kitty justifies it by believing she’s reclaiming the night but she has got one other concern - who is the stalker that is sending her very disturbing messages?

It’s possible I’m not necessarily the target audience for this one as I’m a bit long in the tooth for the Insta Influencer malarkey but that being said, I didn’t half enjoy it! Whilst it makes good points about Male ‘entitlement’ it doesn’t do so in a preachy way, it actually makes more of an impact via the darkly funny, ironic even sarcastic tone the author strikes. Despite her many flaws (apart from the killing obviously) I do like Kitty and her self deprecating tone. She’s intriguing with a great mix of personality traits in a bit of a Villanelle kind of a way. You can totally see too, the influence of Made in Chelsea with some of her friends - I rather enjoy that too!

It’s gruesome in places, again channel Killing Eve but because it’s so well paced you keep reading on partly in horror and partly in admiration- lol!!! It’s a quick and highly entertaining and you read on in anticipation of what Kitty will get up to next. I love the ending - go Kitty!!

This is a great mix of humour albeit the dark kind, there are weird disturbing vibes from the online stalker to say nothing of the threat from some people Kitty and her friends encounter on their nights out. This is a really good debut and an author to watch in the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
November 2, 2022
I support women’s rights,
but more importantly,
I support women’s wrongs. 💁🏻‍♀️

He doesn't look like a monster though.
But they don't, do they?
Otherwise, they'd never get the opportunity to be monsters.
Profile Image for buket.
827 reviews1,212 followers
June 10, 2024
𝙱𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝙸’𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚎𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢.

ehem🎤

welcome to my TedTalk.



today, my speech is about how to kill a men and get away with it

before we start i have to say that this is not an advice on how to kill men. don’t go killing them by using these methods. but if you do, please come to me, i can represent you as your lawyer(business is business🙏🏼)

sadly reading this book confirmed something i already knew. you can’t actually kill someone and get away with it easily😔(she did😋) unless if you’re rich or have a pig factory so you can feed those pigs😜 miss girl killed at least 10 men but never left her fingerprints behind crime scene, never caught on cctv, she was even drunk most of the time💅🏻

anyway, i love miserable, ungrateful influencers. my favorite person in the whole world is emma chamberlain. i could watch her complaining about everything and being depressed in her mansion while drinking her 7th coffee of the day by her own brand. i love it okay, i’m living for their perfect and not so perfect life🤭 so naturally i loved our narrator Kitty. she’s an influencer but she’s also old money so she really didn’t need to do anything in her life. she thinks she’s better than everyone(she is💅🏻), she kills rapists and makes the world a better place. a modern world hero 💖 she’s also a really nice person and friend🥹

𝙺𝙸𝚃𝚃𝚈’𝚂 𝙲𝙾𝙳𝙴
1. 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚞𝚙, 𝚗𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗. 𝙽𝚘𝚗𝚎.
2. 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝.
3. 𝙰𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜.
4. 𝙽𝚘 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕.
5. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚎.
6. 𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚜.
7. 𝙺𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛.

unfortunately she broke her code one time😔 but she’s a human and she’s allowed to make mistakes🙏🏼 if you haven’t noticed yet i’m in love with her and blind to her mistakes🥰

at the end of the day this story was really unrealistic like can someone keep on living her life like nothing happened? and she was a liar…i don’t know who she was lying to, us or herself but she fooled me many times😔 i enjoyed being fooled tho, with every revelation of her past lies i loved her more🤭

𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚖𝚢 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙸’𝚖 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎.

don’t we all want this😔

honorable mention:Charlie. for the first time, i did not care about the romance😦 he was there, he was cute, sweet and very nice. but my girl was the real show🤭💅🏻


~~~~~
law school didn’t educate me enough on this subject so this should have to work 🙏🏼😜
Profile Image for anouk♡ semi-hiatus.
366 reviews235 followers
January 27, 2024
❥second read

stillll obsessed with this book and kitty! ❤️
I can totally see this isn’t for everyone, and really really take the trigger warnings seriously.
but I LOVE it.


☙ ⏤⏤⏤⏤ ❧

“He doesn’t look like a monster though. But they don’t, do they? Otherwise, they’d never get the opportunity to be monsters.”


☙ ⏤⏤⏤⏤ ❧


Loved it; very educational! ♥︎


❥ Short discription:
This is a thriller - mystery but (to me) reads like a contemporary romance.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s bloody and there’s still enough tension, but the writing style combined with the actual story really worked for me.
This book has everything I like: murder, mystery, humor, romance and even a tiny bit of smut. 😌

☙ ⏤⏤⏤⏤ ❧

❥ Kitty:
Kitty is an influencer turned serial killer ‘a la Dexter’ and I love her! She’s such a bad ass, with a dark dark sense of humor, a lot of sarcasm in her and a little sweet edge. She’s also very psycho..
This made my little sarcastic black heart really happy and I hope the author will write a sequel some day because I haven’t seen enough of Kitty yet. 👀🖤

☙ ⏤⏤⏤⏤ ❧

❥ Trigger warnings:
Please check the trigger warnings! Rape is a big topic in this book. If you’re uncomfortable reading about that, you should definitely skip it.

☙ ⏤⏤⏤⏤ ❧

❥ Quotes:



“I want to live in a world where I don’t have to keep my keys between my fingers in case I’m attacked walking home.”


“Maybe disemboweling a sex offender is what I need to cure this particular hangover.”


“Oh, to have the confidence of a very average white male.”


-
Profile Image for Baba.
3,800 reviews1,253 followers
June 4, 2023
Kitty Collins, 29 and an Instagram influencer living the high life of leisure with her three closest friends; left a grandiose apartment in Chelsea, after her meat processing business entrepreneur dad disappeared and her mum emigrated to France, she hasn't date for awhile, oh and she kills men, well, just bad men, and gets away with it.

A UK best seller, with multiple mention of hilarity, dark comedy, outrageousness and delightfulness. Pfft! I just cant' see how this is anything but satire! The book has multiple plot holes and so much of it doesn't make sense, but from a satirical point of view it does delightful portrayal the vacuous world of Insta-celebrity; it does provide the hilarity of highly improbably and funny murders; there are outrageous scenes throughout; and the whole book is one dark witty comedy- 7 out of 12, Three Star read for me. But be warned, so much of it's nonsensical, it's so bad, that the way over the top end that it has, suits it!

2023 read
Profile Image for kezzie ʚ♡ɞ.
501 reviews302 followers
Want to read
October 8, 2022
i saw the title and automatically hit want to read
amy elliot dunne vibes anyone???
Profile Image for Mallory.
1,623 reviews236 followers
October 14, 2022
I have to admit that I was instantly hooked with the title/cover. I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by the cover, and I totally have been burned by this, but in this case it worked for me. It wasn’t realistic but I didn’t enter it expecting that. I was hoping for a horror movie vibe with a woman killing rapists and abusers and I was not disappointed. This is one of those books where I didn’t like a single character (Charlie came close but let me down) but still loved the story. The main character was happy living a vapid life despite knowing it was vapid and there was more out there. She whined about having to be an influencer but yet enjoyed her lavish lifestyle and freebies. Kitty is your typical Instagram influencer. She posts sexy pictures, she goes to all the right clubs, she surrounds herself in other beautiful privileged people, and she has a secret hobby of killing men who hurt women and don’t deserve to live. What can go wrong?
Profile Image for Leonie.
1,014 reviews54 followers
October 24, 2022
TW:

I've decided to just do a simple what I liked / disliked list for this review.

Here's what I liked:
Nothing. I've been trying to come up with any aspects that I liked about this book, but I seriously couldn't think of anything.

And now here's what I disliked: *takes deep breath*


The protagonist aka Kitty Collins.
I've rarely read about a character as unlikable as Kitty. She's an influencer and accidentally kills a man when he tries to rape her at the beginning of the book, which she shows a concerning lack of regret and distress about.
Kitty is also a vegan. Her being vegan itself obviously wasn't what bothered me, what bothered me was the fact that she makes vegans look like arseholes. She's one of the militant ones, you probably know the kind. I suppose the author was going for some kind of irony here. Like, she's vegan because she doesn't want animals to be killed (every time milk or other animal products are consumed within her vicinity she gets grossed out) but killing men is fine somehow…?
There's also the fact that she pretends to "save" women from the men to justify her murders, but she's also condescending towards basically every woman she encounters. Why bother "helping" women if you can't stand any of them.
She also constantly shames one of her best friends for having an eating disorder.


I hated Kitty.

The plot.
I didn't find the plot especially interesting.

The side characters. Each and every one of them felt like a caricature or a parody. None of them were properly fledged out. I also disliked how a lot of them were introduced with their name and then their follower count. Yes, I get that the author was probably trying to empathize Kitty's priorities there, but I still found it dumb.


Overall I wouldn't recommend How to Kill Men and Get Away With It to anyone.


[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
Profile Image for Kelly (and the Book Boar).
2,664 reviews9,094 followers
December 6, 2022
‘Urgh. I could kill men sometimes.’



Did I totally take my Bookstagram photo in my firm’s law library/coffee bar surrounded by a bunch of dudes standing in line for their afternoon pick-me-up from the fancy barrista machine??? You bet your Birkin I did!

And now for what I have to say about the actual book. Cover? 27 out of 10. Title? Fifty’leven out of 10. Content??? Wellllllllll, let’s summarize this one in song, shall we? ♬♪♬ Grab your coat and get your hat – suspend all disbelief at the doorstep ♬♪♬

The story here is about “it” girl Kitty. Social media influencer by day and serial killer whenever the need arises. “Kitty’s Code” lays out a clear set of Dexter-esque rules where only the most deserving of uggos are the ones to get whacked.

Sounds great, right? Well, maybe it works better for those who believe you can cart out an entire grownass dismembered dead man in a Balenciaga shopping bag easy breezy beautiful Cover Girl style without ever breaking a sweat, leaving a drippy trail or struggling nary a bit to heave it past the doorman. Or maybe you didn’t like sausage rolls to begin with and can tolerate this “vegan” beating you over the head about how the mincer at the local pork processing plant is the best way to turn your latest victim into upscale pigs in blankets. Or maybe the add-in stalker and big reveal will be more your jam. Unfortunately for me, by the end of this one I was pretty bored.

2.5 Stars
Profile Image for JustJJ.
167 reviews108 followers
August 9, 2023
Blog | Instagram

Rating: 4 stars

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This design is perfect for the story it represents! The simple illustration beautifully depicts the central aspects of the story and looks great against the vibrant orange background.

Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The casual, conversational writing style is paired with a satirical narrative that is both uncomfortable and entertaining in its use of dark humour and commentary on social issues. Vivid (sometimes gruesome) details and smooth transitions between current and past events also enhance the story and keep it engaging.

"O to have the confidence of a very average white male."

Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
From the dedication to the Dexter-like storyline, the complex topic of male predatory behaviour is gradually and cleverly explored. While the killing spree may have been unrealistic and far-fetched, this kept the story light and entertaining, which I enjoyed. Also, various twists and turns are cleverly used to keep the storyline engaging and well-paced.

Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Even with her killer instincts, sardonic inner thoughts and lavish lifestyle, Kitty Collins was easy to connect to because she is not physically or emotionally invincible. I especially loved the slow unveiling of her traumatic backstory, as these add depth to her character and make her motives clear.

Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟
Although the relatively small cast of secondary characters is not given much depth, they are skilfully used to drive and enrich the story's themes.

"It’s astonishing how even the world’s worst monsters are desperate to keep living."

Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
Kitty forms a cute connection that allows her softer side to be shown and drives some character growth. However, despite the adorable initial banter and flirting, I was not completely sold on the romance since a lot is told and not shown.

Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I really enjoyed the changes in vocal pace and delivery used by Victoria Morrison to bring Kitty's narrative to life. These vocal variations create an immersive listening experience and smoothly convey the emotions within the story.

"You could have and be everything you want in the world and still would be unhappy."

With its complex protagonist and numerous twists, 'How to Kill Men and Get Away With It' was well-paced and engaging. The central theme surrounding male predatory behaviour gives readers lots to consider and increases awareness without being preachy. I recommend How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie as a similar, murderous read with a satirical narrative but without a serious theme.
Profile Image for Dee - delighting in the Desert :).
417 reviews83 followers
November 3, 2022
3.5 rounded up due to the crazy factor - rich influencer Kitty is a very unreliable narrator, but some of it I did figure out early. Still, enjoyed this a little bit more than I probably should have 😎🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for Sunny.
796 reviews5,158 followers
July 4, 2024
Rich girl influencer vs. rapists…. We live
Profile Image for this_cat_lady_reads.
680 reviews76 followers
January 24, 2023
Thank you NetGalley, Harper 360, HQ Digital and Katy Brent for letting me read “How to Kill Men and Get Away With It” in exchange for an honest review.

Kitty is on a mission. On a mission to avenge all the wronged women. Wronged by superficial, non committing sexist men. Or something like that. She did not mean too, she literally stumbled into killing.

I know this is a satire. I know it’s not meant to be serious. But boy, it was insta dislike for me. I hated the main character. I loathed her. She was so righteous and just not real. Nothing about her was relatable. If she was a bit more down to earth, a bit less of this “I am a loaded influencer “ stuff… maybe I am too old for that influencer scene…


The negative:
- I absolutely, massively disliked Kitty. I do realise that she was written like that on purpose, but come on, I can take it only that long…
- She is dead set against murdering animals (agreed here) but she kills men? For a ghosting her friend?
- She’s vegan? Really? She should have mentioned that! Oh wait, she did. Like a million times. I am vegetarian myself. I don’t mind vegan. But don’t shove your opinions down my throat all of the time, or I come at you with 🧀! It’s fine to have an opinion ad an author, but it came out too forcefully and belittling at times. Same with the string feminism. Not my style.
- The brand name dropping. Does the author get commission for that? Annoying. I get it that she is rich but I don’t care for your gazillion of brand names and amount of followers.
- Oh yeah, judging people by the amount of followers. I am sc*m then… 😂 I know, I know, on purpose but annoying nevertheless.
- The waste amount of hidden feminism. Sorry, not my thing. At least not in this amount. Not all men are bad. Not all women are good and the other way around.

The positive:
- my face had a huge work out session from all the eye rolls…
That’s about it, I think.
Profile Image for Donne.
1,327 reviews22 followers
June 5, 2023
I must admit, I was immediately drawn to this book because of the title. Yeah, I know that’s a stupid reason to read a book, however, after reading the really brief book summary, I highly suspected that the story would be in the dark humor genre, but it was more like a tragicomedy, a term I recently came across. Has anyone else come across this term before? While it may sound like “dark humor”, it’s really not; there are subtle differences between the two.

The book summary basically just lays out the start of the story. There is also a secondary storyline of a creep who is stalking Kitty. While a lot of readers will find Kitty totally unlikeable, I actually found her entertaining. I liked how she stood up for her friends when they were treated less special than her at public events. No, she is not someone I would choose as a friend or even someone I would socialize with, but as an MC, she was so snarky and snappy, I couldn’t help but laugh at her, pretty much from the get-go. I love MC(s) that can make me laugh😊

That probably has a lot more to do with my attitude and opinion of Influencers than anything else. I find them absolutely ridiculous and so many of them remind me of Kitty. I have pretty much the same reactions to them whenever I come across them IRL. I am not ashamed to admit that quite a few of them have been just as unabashed about telling me what to do or where I can go when I have publicly called them and their behavior out at various establishments. That’s a whole other story for another time though😊

Anyway, as the bodies mount up, Kitty becomes committed to her mission to rid London of despicable men. She even makes a list of rules of dealbreakers of what she can and cannot do in her quest. I also liked how she didn’t take crap from men. When faced with an abusive man, she fought back! As soon as she became aware of red flags in her romantic relationships as well as men she dated, she made it clear that she wouldn’t put up with that crap. Some will say she’s entitled, but I say that she refused to be a doormat! Lmao A murderer with a moral compass and boundaries!!! How very Dexter-like!

For most of the story, Brent takes the reader on an in-depth journey of Kitty and her escapades and excursions from one murder scene after another. It’s deep into the second half that Kitty mentally, emotionally as well as physically hits a brick wall and her crimes and transgressions begin to take the proverbial toll and she crashes and burns (figuratively). The end gets a little messy, which can be the difference between a 3star and 4star rating, at least for me.

I highly suspect that a lot of people are not going to like this book because they will not find Kitty likeable. I totally understand that; I am the same way. However, in this case, I actually liked Kitty, in spite of the fact that I often ridicule her kind (Influencers). Once again, her antics and shenanigans made me laugh, while at the same time were incredibly sad too (tragicomedy). This makes her a good MC in my book. And this folks, is why I prefer to read fiction instead of non-fiction! A story doesn’t have to be believable for me to enjoy it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Harper360 #HowtoKillMenandGetAwaywithIt
Profile Image for Laura Lovesreading.
313 reviews986 followers
December 29, 2023
A wealthy influencer woman being a vigilante and killing disgusting despicable men!? OH SIGN ME UP!!! 😁😁

Unfortunately the title of this book was the only thing I marginally enjoyed.
How to Kill Men and Get Away with It is about a wealthy Instagram influencer named Kitty Collins who accidently one night kills a guy when he tries to (G)rape her and soon finds this is a hobby she wants to pick up and keep!
So initially I was all for it! Who doesn't like the idea of a bad ass vigilante woman taking the law into her own hands and making despicable men pay for their sins... apparently in this one instance... ME!

I struggled to enjoy Kitty's actions because I was constantly getting hammered in my temple with the OTT Pop Culture References! OK Katy Brent we get it! Your trying to appeal to the millennials, but could you kindly take your heavy foot off the accelerator and chill a bit. It was just way too much.

Ok so I'm trying to swallow the spoon fed pop culture references and still enjoy this book, but then I stumble upon another irritant. Kitty being Vegan. Love this for her, I've tried it myself its great... umm but once again why I am being slapped with this information that has no value whatsoever to the plot over and over again. PLUS, I'm not being funny but isn't it a bit ironic, that you know... the MC is Vegan but happily orgasms over slicing and dicing her well deserved victims... OK sure!?

Ooooh I'm on a roll here so lets just start bullet pointing more of my grievances!

⛔ So a part of this story (not a spoiler) is that while Kitty is on her Serial Killer Hot Girl Era , she from the very beginning of this book finds out that she has a stalker, who knows what she did, when she did it, how she did it etc. You would expect this information to amp up the suspense, the thrill... NOPE! When I tell you that Kitty couldn't give ZERO F&&KS and just carried on with her daily life as if this was a societal norm you truly have to read the book to believe me. This in turn had me not giving a damn either and when the stalker was revealed I had no emotions!

⛔ The Romance Sub-Plot. Kitty's love interest. Don't buy it, didn't make sense! Could have done without!

⛔ Kitty as a person is contradicting and annoying AF! She acts like she is all about women empowerment and supporting your Girl Friends but she bitches just about any woman she comes in contact with and makes fun of her friend who has an Eating Disorder. She's suppose to smart and witty but her behavior says otherwise! She just acts like a privileged entitled Twit!

⛔ The plot itself was actually very boring and don't get me started on the accessibility she had for her victims. Everything was way to easy and fell in her lap with no consequences. It was far-fetched on overkill!
⛔SIGH! If you like smut, there was quite a few of them in this book (which once again added nothing to the plot!

With all that said, I would highly advice that you check the TW if you choose to read, as there is a lot of Violence, Graphic scenes, Sexual Harassments/ Assault, pedophilia, (G)rape, Eating Disorders, Substance Abuse and Animal Cruelty.
Profile Image for Jamie Loves Books .
479 reviews91 followers
September 26, 2022
4 Stars ⭐️

Wow what a fast pace fun read. I was sucked in right from the beginning.

Talk about you can't judge a book by its cover, I love the cover but I came in thinking this might be just a silly read like Finlay Donovan is killing it. However it is not but I do love that it isn't. It stands independently on its own.

This story is basically inspired by the #metoo movement and what would happen if a woman started Dexter Style killing men who are sexual predators. It does remind me a lot of Dexter, as there are many points in this book that we are following her living a normal life. Being a rich influencer on Instagram and finding new love..

This book is dark and I'd say there are definitely sexual assault triggers. The murders done by Kitty can be a bit gruesome. But none of it took away from my enjoyment of the book. Although dark, there is a bunch of dark humor mixed in.


I'd recommend this book to people who enjoyed the show Dexter and looking for a woman's take on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ digital for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.
Profile Image for saffiyah✧ఌ.
121 reviews1,372 followers
Shelved as 'priority-tbr'
December 4, 2023
pre-review:

I'm want to read this solely because of the quotes that I found...

“He referred to himself as an ‘entrepreneur’. Which everyone knows is shorthand for twat.”

“Oh, to have the confidence of a very average white male.”

“I want to live in a world where I don’t have to keep my keys between my fingers in case I’m attacked walking home.”

“I absolutely refuse to be around anyone who thinks they’re better than me because a) who has the time to waste hanging out with anyone you just will never get along with and b) no one is better than me.”


This book may or may not come into use one day...
Profile Image for Kai.
126 reviews10 followers
January 2, 2024
I didn’t finish this book for the following reasons:

The main character was one of the most unlikeable, stuck up, judge mental characters I have ever read
blatantly poking fun at eating disorders(????)
The constant designer dropping had me rolling my eyes
The meat packing setting was grotesque - I’m all for veganism but it doesn’t need to be pushed that way


Internalized misogyny poorly disguised as feminism.
1 star
Profile Image for jagodasbooks .
872 reviews239 followers
December 11, 2022
THIS BOOK THIS BOOK OMGGG IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE

First the title??? I'm immediately hooked, immediately adds to cart

I love this book it was chaotic, but everything was thought about. Alexa play ✨mastermind✨

Main girl SLAYED. Literally. All I could think about was Lana Myers and modern Balladyna (Ha! Kills😀🔪)

Love it, couldn't stop listening. 5/5⭐

Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
Profile Image for Anne OK.
3,786 reviews537 followers
November 17, 2022


I debated on whether or not to even approach reviewing "How to Kill Men and Get Away With It," but dang it, that cover and title hooked me and then I spent a day and a half of my time plodding through to the end. I hate being a meanie -- especially when it involves a debuting author. But -- sometimes it just needs to be said.

Katy Brent serves up one bizarre killer-diller 2022 debut novel that surrounds friends, lovers and murders in a dark psychological thriller. A truly bloody mess -- and I mean that quite literally. I had no idea what I would confront inside the covers of this reading choice.

Kitty Collins is probably the most unstable female protagonist I’ve ever encountered. She’s a pretty kitty with claws and a lust for blood. You’ll need to read the book to understand her and her reasoning – because I’m not giving away any of her secrets. I did, however, find her choices debatably questionable -- criminal -- and probably insane.

A story mixed with dark and morbid humor – if you have the stomach for it. Mine was thoroughly tested, and I’ve read some pretty gruesome thrillers through the years. And for those who enjoy graphically detailed displays of sexual encounters, it's here in spades -- most of it very kinky and unmeaningful. Again, not my cuppa.

Another unfortunate negativity is that this book is riddled with spelling mistakes, dropped words and incomplete sentences. Screaming for a final proofread.

Overall, this one was a total miss for me. I found 90% of the story completely unbelievable, outlandishly far-fetched and just downright ludicrous. My background in law just wouldn’t allow me to accept any of this story’s unlimited absurdity.

One thing is for certain: I’ll never be able to look at -- much less eat -- Eggs Benedict again. And I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to face red meat again either. The open-ending shouts with the possibility for a sequel. But this one was way beyond extreme for this thriller addict. I’m doing a total brain cleanse, saying adios and never looking back on the time I spent with Kitty Collins.


Profile Image for Lisa.
40 reviews
April 9, 2024
It was the title that attracted me - and I’m not ashamed to say that I was cheering for our hero Kitty the entire book. I recommend taking note of the trigger warnings as a matter of priority for those want to know more before they read this book. On the whole, the way that Katy Brent deals with misogyny and toxic masculinity, cheaters, sexual assaults, rapes, and addresses the #MeToo movement is masterful. I passionately support women’s rights and stand with victims of sexual assault, and as someone who has experienced toxic masculinity and male manipulation and entitlement recently, I’m sure there are plenty of women like me that wish they had a friend like Kitty Collins. An easy 5 stars for me. Thanks to Katy Brent for an amazing book!
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