How To Kill With Kindness is a book with a slow start but stick with it as it picks up to be a dark twisty read.
The book is set in Nether Appleford, Englands kindest village!? Tessa and Andy have unexpectedly been accepted into this village, a village where everyone is kind, the owner gives the, a very low rent on their cottage, there is tree in the middle of the green that people hang hearts on saying what kind things other villagers have done, but don’t be sapped in this is the exact opposite of kindest village. Tessa’s life goes downhill almost as soon as she arrives in the village whereas her husband Andy has a fabulous time and is loved by everyone. No matter what Tessa tries it’s always the wrong thing, then she starts to suspect something isn’t quite right and the more she looks the more she finds and the more twisted things become including her life.
This was a book I enjoyed, I did feel there were parts that could have been chopped as it is quite a long book. I liked Tessa and rooted for her, the storyline was very twisty and kept me thinking, I hadn’t guessed who the person was who has an anonymous chapter throughout the book so this was a bonus.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I really thought I would enjoy this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I found the characters annoying and the pace of the book was too slow.

The chilling beginning seems at odds with a village supposedly founded on kindness. Tessa and Andy find it amusingly quirky but compelling. At an emotional low, they decide to try and rent a cottage in the village. Once there, it's clear that the people are not kind, but it's antithesis. I like the toxic ethos created at odds with what the village purports to be. The pacing is gentle, and the characters are mostly unlikeable, but it is immersive, and you have to keep reading to see what will happen.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The story took turns I wasn’t expecting, in a good way.

I liked the book and was pleased with how it ended. I did feel that some parts were unnecessary or went on a little longer than needed. I expected a bit more ‘thrill’ to see a little more in terms of Killing With Kindness.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ is still good though, just not a 5 star read for me personally.

I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader copy for free and have provided my review absolutely voluntarily.

How to Kill with Kindness by S. R. Masters is a great slow burn thriller.
This kept me on my toes. I thoroughly enjoy Masters writing, characters, and plots.
This book had a nice number of twists, turns, and a terrific reveal.

Thank You NetGalley and One More Chapter for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Nether Appleford is hailed as England's Kindest Village. This is what the residents try to hammer home to everyone. It's such a nice place where everyone is kind to everyone. JUST BE KIND. There's a yew tree where people hang hearts stating what nice things people have done. Oh what a lovely nice place to live. Mmmm, yeah right think again. I knew this place was dodgy as soon as Tessa and Andy decided to move there and had an interview with the Kindness committee. Red flags people, run quick.

The mysterious narrative interspersed in the story was good. And everytime I thought I'd worked out who the narrator was. S R Masters hoodwinked me again.
The whole undertone of darkness and what was really going on kept me on my toes with story. And I really enjoyed the whole process. My only qualm is bringing in the Benson Boys 🤔 personally I would have liked to keep the story linked to the residents of Nether Appleford. The narrator was specific in their choosings. But, so be it.

A great read and I'll definitely read some more from this author.

Unfortunately, I could not connect with this book, It was slow going and was not piquing my interest. Sadly it was a DNF

Overall, the storyline of this book was pretty interesting. It had some mystery and some good themes.

Mostly, this book moved really slow for me. I think it could have done without at least 25% of the content. It felt like it dragged on forever.

Part of what made this book drag so much was that there were so many side characters and subplots, I felt it was difficult to follow and a lot of it felt irrelevant to the main plot. It was convoluted and made me lose interest.

At baseline, this is an interesting thriller. I just think it got a little mucked up for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for the gifted copy of this book!

The narrative opened with a chilling prologue, setting the stage for a psychological thriller that promised intrigue and suspense. I kept my expectations high as I dived into this story. Unfortunately, the story failed to deliver on its initial premise.

Moreover, the introduction of key characters like October and Olivia left me confused, as the former was the owner of the village and the latter, a committee member. However, Olivia played a pivotal role rather than October. The sporadic inclusion of diary entries under the pseudonym How to Kill with Kindness added an unnecessary layer of complexity without adding depth to the storyline.

Some of the twists felt mistimed or belated, diminishing their impact. The sporadic inclusion of diary entries under the pseudonym How to Kill with Kindness added an unnecessary layer of complexity without adding depth to the storyline.

Ultimately, the novel fell short of its potential, dissipating the opportunity to explore its intriguing premise in favor of a tepid and uninspired narrative.

I am shocked. This book has a slow start, but halfway through, it truly picks up! I'm glad I stuck it out as the last half was amazing! There were so many twists I didn't expect. There are so many shocking moments. I was on the edge of my seat and dying to know what was going to happen next! Jayden was truly my favorite character. Tessa was great as well! I just loved all of it, and the ending was truly a perfect way to wrap it all up! It's truly worth pushing through as stuff truly starts popping off and gets wild!

I received this ARC from NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

Moving into the kindest town isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! That’s all I’m going to say as far as the plot because the less you know going into it the better! This was a unique thriller with lots of creepy moments! I mean goosebumps on your arms moments! It does have a Stepford Wives vibe, but it’s a completely different type of story with a fantastic jaw dropping end. I’ll definitely be recommending this one. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance.

To be honest, I was surprised by this book. Tessa and Andy apply to rent a cottage in Nether Appleton, and it's known as England's Kindest Village, Their motto is Just Be Kind! The story is told over different time lines using different characters. It is well written and the characters are well crafted. I found the story to be a play on the Stepford Wives, which gave me the chills and there are moments of nail biting and I wanted to say "Don't do it"! The ending came as a complete surprise to me. I will recommend this book.

I really liked the premise of this story, which felt like Stepford Wives but I just couldn’t get to grips with it. The main characters, Tessa and Andy, I thought were too naive, and why anyone would want to live in a village with such rigid tenet i really dont know. The Kindness Committee should have put the couple off right from the start. If something seems too good to be true it usually is. The idea of having to get hearts put on the tree of kindness was an Immediate red flag to me.. I did like Kath and Jayden, they felt the most realistic of all the characters. I didn’t realise who was the mastermind of all the incidents til really near the end of the story, but by that time I’m afraid I didn’t really care. Not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

How To Kill With Kindness is a creepy, dark thriller full of twists and uncertainty. It was a bit slower than I would have liked, and took a bit of time to get into. The ending was phenomenal though!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

How to Kill with Kindness is an intriguing read , dark and yet compelling that I did not want to put the book down.

Twists and turns keep the pages turning.

Tessa and Andy fall in love with the village of Nether Appleford that call's itself England's kindest village.

Who wouldn't want to be part of that concept.

When things sound too good to be true they often are .

Once Tessa and Andy move to the kindest village there is an undercurrent of intrigue, doubt and mystery.

I didn't know who to trust but I thought I knew and I was totally wrong.

S. R. Masters has written a very clever diabolical story and I certainly will check out his other books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the privilege of reading and reviewing How to Kill with Kindness.

"Welcome to the kindest village in the country. If you follow their rules, you'll be ok. If you don't, they'll make you pay...”
Now, that's an attention grabbing tagline and when I saw OMC advertise "How To Kill With Kindness ", I was instantly intrigued and wanted to read the novel.
Our story starts with couple, Messages and Andy stumbling upon the village of Nether Appleford, the apparent, "Kindest Village in England", by accident one afternoon. The couple have been going through a difficult time, while struggling with IVF, and a move to the idyllic village, seems like the perfect way to commence a new start.
But almost instantly, we start to see that this seeming perfect village has more in common with the infamous Stepford (of Stepford Wives fame), than the home they desire. Despite her initial excitement, Messages is struggling to settle in and finds the kindness sermons ridiculous. Andy on the other hand, has gone from being a little hesitant to the new favourite resident.
The novel is slow to reveal the truth about the village, and it is really in the final quarter than the pace ramps up. I did find myself becoming a little frustrated with Tessa's character for not speaking up sooner - but then again, I'm familiar with being the new person to an area, and settling in, is never easy.
A fun and easy to read story, that will leave you looking at those "chocolate box" villages, with new eyes!

How to Kill with Kindness
By S.R. Masters

“Welcome to the kindest village in the country. If you follow their rules, you'll be ok. If you don't, they'll make you pay...”
“ The village of Nether Appleford calls itself 'England's Kindest Village'Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do. Just Be Kind. It's as simple as that. But what is kindness? Is it doing something to help someone else? Is it giving up your time to help your community? Or, perhaps it's something a lot less obvious... What if the kindest thing you could do meant hurting someone? Then what would you do?”
Tessa and Andy are drawn to this community. It definitely gives Stepford Wives. Something just really seems off. I really was excited to get into this story I imagined a Stepford Wives meets Desperate Housewives situation. I did not get that level of excitement. There were some interesting moments and some creepy things happening. But the book seemed a little bit long. There are some surprising moments but I did feel like some parts were a little dull. Just my opinion some people might enjoy slower paced thriller.
This was my first book from this author. I would try to read something else.

Thank you to NetGalley, and especially to HarperCollins, One More Chapter for the arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for the copy of How To Kill With Kindness by S. R. Masters. I loved the premise of the story and the characters were suitably creepy. I liked the veiled cultish aspect of the book and I wish it had been explored more. After the ‘secret’ of the village started to be revealed the book started to drag, and passages of people explaining past events went on too long. Sadly this book was not for me, but if you are looking for a book about how members of a group start to follow social mores, you might enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

The kindest village in England…or the creepiest? Such a great premise and an intriguing cast of characters; I thoroughly enjoyed this one and was never quite sure what was going to happen next. A very satisfying ending too. Recommended!