Cover Image: How to Kill Your Family

How to Kill Your Family

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Member Reviews

How to Kill Your Family is one of those brilliant books that sucks you in and even when you're not reading it, you're thinking about it.

I loved the writing style and the characters were really interesting. And the ending...!

I'd definitely recommend this - a fab read.

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What a book! Wickedly funny, smart and astute. I couldn't stop rooting for Grace, even though logically she's evil.

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I absolutely loved How to Kill Your Family and demolished it in one sitting. It is reminiscent of My Sister the Serial Killer, Killing Eve and Promising Young Women, but it felt entirely original and fresh. Grace, the anti-heroine, is both a terrible person and strangely likeable. She is intelligent, witty, funny and vulnerable and glances askew at the world. Bella Mackie has created something special and I am eagerly awaiting a sequel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

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Grace has killed her family and she's going to tell you exactly how. I loved the premise, I loved the writing style, the dark humour and the little peppered in references to current life. Its a surprisingly addictive read!

The deaths aren't overly gory, if you're worried about that sort of thing, its all really smart and entertaining. I think this book is perfect for any age range who enjoy funny but macabre stories.

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Grace Bernard is in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. A real shame, considering she’d previously got away with killing six members of her family…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book – it feels fresh and different, with an engaging protagonist who you find yourself rooting for, despite the fact she’s calmly talking you through her murders.

Although you know from the outset that Grace has killed her family, this doesn’t make it any less gripping to find out how and why she’s carried out this elaborate plan. The story provides a social commentary on class, wealth and power which feels spot on, and explores themes of family, love and revenge. It’s dark, witty and clever, with an ending I didn’t predict.

This book has been on my radar for a while as I enjoy Bella Mackie’s journalism and follow her on Instagram, so I was keen to read her debut fiction – sometimes I can find if I “know” an author from social media I recognise them too much in their writing, but Mackie has created a unique voice in her protagonist which pulled me in and kept me gripped.

A highly recommended 4.5 ⭐ read!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Loved the title!
Loved the cover!
Loved the book!
I loved this subversive and wickedly funny thriller about a woman who has killed family members but is in prison for a murder she didn't commit. An original concept.

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Grace Bernard, our 'damaged heroine' is taking revenge on the father and super-rich family who never acknowledged her. You try to see things from her perspective, but she's so negative and bitter it can make for depressing reading. However, stick with it and it grows much more entertaining.

At first I thought 'She's no Villanelle' (Luke Jennings); but when I stopped trying to compare that much more fascinating and 'charming' personality to Grace, I started to enjoy the book. You 'like' Villanelle somehow, but I didn't ever like Grace much. She's entirely different, and I liked it for that.

There are some sharp, uncharitable bits of humour which can make you laugh out loud, After the half way mark I have to say I could not put this down and I'm nursing some huge eyebags today from a late night with it! Had to review straight away - always a sign of a good book for me. ~Keep with it - it gets good! Great ending too

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I love this book - cleverly written and you became sympathetic to the murderer and were willing her on in her endeavours. I loved the twists introduced as the book reached its conclusion and did not see it coming!

Looking forward to her next one.

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A glorious tale of focus, ambition and consequence. This is a witty, gripping book with a well written main character who, despite her questionable morals, has you on her side. Grace is trying to right wrongs she feels have been caused by her family all the while offering caustic social analysis.

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An almost perfect triumph! A fantastic and witty novel which combines crime with humour plus a drop of revenge. The writing is impeccable and the characters intriguing, the only question would be the ending: brilliant or disappointing? A definite must read which will be without a doubt one of the most talked about book this year!

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Grace is in prison for a murder she didn't commit: the six she did are still well hidden. In this funny, fresh novel, Grace writes the story of how she killed each member of her family alongside telling the mundane realities of prison life.

Grace isn't your typical protagonist - whilst definitely being unlikeable, snarky and judgemental, (as well as a murderer) she is equal amounts funny, dry and intelligent, making her the perfect anti-hero. Without really meaning to, you find yourself rooting for her and revelling in the ingenious murder methods she uses. I really enjoyed her dry narrative and found this book very engaging because of her brilliantly three dimensional characterisation.

Overall, this book is wonderfully witty and twisty, with an ending you won't see coming. I loved it from start to finish; I'd even love a sequel, tying up the ending with more closure!

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How to Kill Your Family, Bella Mackie.

Grace has killed several people but she sits in a cell for a murder she did not commit. Annoyed that nobody will know just how clever and deserved her actual crimes were Grace is confessing all in this book.

I’ve said before and I say again, I love a heroine that is unlikeable. I was rooting for Grace from start to finish. Her calm, cold detached demeanour made me want to serve her a round of applause. This is a wickedly evil little novel, full of awful people doing awful things. Hideous twists, hilarious and scathing comments and a brilliant finish.

This should be on your reading pile this summer. Dark and delicious.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperFiction for my AC of this one.

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A brilliant fiction debut by Bella Mackie which is a superbly written, darkly comic tale of one girl’s quest for vengeance against the family who rejected her.

Written as a memoir of sorts from her prison cell in Limehouse, the protagonist Grace takes us through the meticulously-planned murders of six of her family members and her motives for doing so, all while serving time for a murder that ironically, she didn’t actually commit.

Grace is not a good person and quite frankly her reasoning behind the murders is shoddy at best, but she has a stark, often cynical view on contemporary society and a dry sense of humour which is very amusing. Although she’s vengeful and clearly deranged, I admired her strong-willed nature.

The various different ways she disposed of her family were wildly imaginative and I was left constantly guessing of her fate - would she be captured? The twist at the end of the novel was a curveball that I didn’t see coming and although I felt it came a little out of the blue, I thought it was an interesting deviation from where I had expected the novel to end.

Overall a great read and I’m looking forward to more of Bella’s fiction.

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This was such an twisty and darkly humorous novel which I absolutely adored. It felt so refreshing and original and for that reason, I will be recommending it to all. Bella has written an anti-hero who we can't help rooting for! Thank you for the opportunity to read this

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This was a fun read and the undoubted star is the cleverly written narrative voice which is wonderfully arch and callous. It’s already drawn comparisons to Killing Eve but also reminded me a little of What A Carve Up!

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A very engaging, well written story that kept me I hooked. Several twists but I did feel a little let down by the ending,

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How to Kill Your Family was a really good read. I enjoyed the dark humour and even though Grace was setting about murdering her family, I was hoping it would all work out for her in the end.

Without giving too much away, the story focuses on Grace and her revenge on her estranged "family". Unfortunately Grace does end up in jail for a murder that she did not commit (oh the irony) but it's in there that we learn about her story and her revenge on her family. All very fascinating and kept me wanting to finish just one more chapter then another then another.

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A sassy, punchy excursion into mass murder. Grace is a master of preparing a dish best eaten cold - revenge for the injustice done to her mother 28 years ago. As she writes her confession from her prison cell, the irony of having been convicted for a crime she did not commit does not escape her. The number of crimes she DID do, meticulously researched and coldly planned, were all directed against her blood relations and remain unsolved.
The tone is sarky, commenting on the lives of the uber-wealthy with acerbic, clinical wit. Grace’s rage at overbearing males, repressed females and the general injustice of it all is red raw. Grace’s thought processes are clever and calculated and despite her absolute ruthlessness, you cannot help but feel something akin to awe in her presence.
The easiest 368 pages I zipped through in a long time - dark and wicked and wildly enjoyable.

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Clever and funny, with a dark twist! Grace is wicked, her view of the world was disturbingly relatable and I found myself completely invested in the life of a murderer within just a few pages. Oh and the last few chapters are sublime! The twist is definitely something to talk about and can't wait to make my friends read this!

Perfect for lovers of true crime and those with a darker sense of humour. Hugely entertaining and definitely one I'd recommend.

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Thanks for the early copy of How to kill your family.

Dark, funny and clever! Takes some great writing to make you find someone who murders their whole family likeable. Really enjoyed the social commentary and observations too.

Think the twist at the end will have everyone talking when this comes out!

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