These are such fun stories! As usual, this was a fast-paced, thrilling, and humorous look at the life and work of a serial killer with an almost altruistic purpose. Both Jessica and Fearne were wonderful characters, and I enjoyed following along as they became friends. The Christmas setting makes this just a little darker and so much more intriguing. Highly recommend the whole series though they are not related.

How to Slay at Christmas by Sarah Bonner is another deliciously dark,, entertaining thriller from the author. Jessica Williams is making a list for Christmas and again she is going to be Mrs Claus at Ellsbury Christmas Market Grotto. However her list is who makes it on her naughty list and will be killed.
Fearne Dixon hates Christmas, as the wife of Sebastian Dixon who runs the Christmas Markets every year she hates the whole market saga.
Jessica and Fearne have something in common, something unexpected.
A very entertaining and humorous Christmas story.
Highly recommended

This was such a cute book! I really enjoyed the story. It was funny, it was cute, it was a really fun read. The perfect Christmas story.

Jessica loves playing Mrs. Claus. Jessica loves helping Santa Claus make a list and check it twice. But Jessica has her own list, her list is a naughty list and the people on that list tend to end up dead. Jessica’s new job is at the Ellsbury Christmas market, where she meets Fearne. Fearne’s husband Sebastian runs the market and Fearne is Sebastian‘s unofficial assistant, but more and more she hates Christmas. When Jessica and Fearne meet they quickly become friends. Can Jessica keep up her side job and not get caught or is the Ellsbury Christmas market her last?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for review, based upon my honest opinion.

I raced through this twisted and twisty tale of a female serial killer. Though it felt a bit off to be reading about Christmas during the height of summer, I enjoyed the characters and story.

I have been loving these books from this author! The book blends mystery, humor and holiday fun. It almost felt wrong to read this not during Christmas time but it was so worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Bonner takes festive cheer and laces it with wickedly dark humor in How to Slay at Christmas. This sharp, subversive thriller follows two women: Jessica Williams, who spends her winters as a seemingly jolly Mrs. Claus while secretly ridding the world of grinches, and Fearne Dixon, trapped in a loveless marriage to the man who runs the local Christmas market.

Jessica’s devotion to Christmas is as fierce as her kill count—anyone who threatens the season’s magic ends up on her “naughty list.” But this year, the body count is climbing higher than expected, and not all of it is Jessica’s doing. Fearne, meanwhile, finds herself drawn into Jessica’s orbit as cracks appear in her carefully contained life. The contrast between Jessica’s homicidal holiday spirit and Fearne’s quiet discontent makes for a deliciously twisted dynamic.

Bonner has a gift for blending humor, satire, and suspense, creating a story that’s equal parts cozy Christmas vibes and gleeful chaos. Fans of Bella Mackie and Katy Brent will love this clever, bloody, and surprisingly heartwarming holiday thriller.

Am I a pyscho for actually liking this main character and rooting for her???!!!!!!!!!!! What kind of person does that make me?? An active reader who knows that fiction is not real, obviously. I love this series!!!!!!!! I hope Sarah Bonner continues it, and I don't know how she manages to make delightful characters out of seriel killers, but somehow she does, in my opinion, of course.

Very enjoyable. Great writing, great plot, great characters. Everything a reader could wish for! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I actually liked this one better than the previous 'How to Slay' book as the storyline was a lot less chaotic - even though I didn't quite buy the Fearne / Erin thing, nor the ending. I loved the Christmas market setting (even in August) though and both main characters. But once again it's all about the writing for me as I absolutely love Sarah Bonner's witty, punchy writing style and relatable references. I too vowed to post every single day before quickly running out of content just days later.

Sarah Bonner is fast becoming an auto read author of mine with these fabulous How To Slay Books, and when you set one at my favourite time of the year for fiction - Christmas, then I was always going to devour this,

And Jessica Williams is my sort of serial killer. What an odd sentence ot write, but I hope you know what I mean. She is a massive fan of Christmas and has worked out the person who is least likely to be suspected of murder is Mrs Clause.

And thus she spends her winters being Santa's wife in a different place each year. Only this time she starts to get to know the community better than normal, starts to make real friends (give or take having to hide her double life). and overall the body count is rising higher than she anticipated,

And believe it or not, not all the bodies are down to our known murderer. And Jessica always has a great reason to put someone on the naughty list.

I loved her, but this is just one aspect to this story, and all the other threads and plotlines help make this into the really impressive book that it is.

I'll would never have predicted the ending but totally loved that too. Just a brilliant book.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I absolutely love Sarah and the Slay books!
Never will you root for the killer as much as you will in How To Slay At Christmas. It’s never too early for a Christmas story!
A bit of silliness and a bit of total revenge where revenge is deserved.
Is love in the air or is Jessica finally meeting her end?
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sarah Bonner's new, How to Slay at Christmas, is a wickedly dark and twisted holiday thriller that brings the "slay" into sleigh bells. This holiday comic thriller is an ideal read for those who enjoy their Christmas with a side of murder and a lot of dark humor.

The tale revolves around two women: Jessica Williams, a homicidally cheerful Mrs. Claus who employs her holiday work as a front for killing anyone who threatens to dampen the holiday spirit, and Fearne Dixon, the drudge wife of a Christmas market manager. The death toll mounts as Jessica's list of "naughty" individuals gets crossed off, and Fearne reaches her breaking point.

The writer has written a witty, gory, and really humorous book. The contrast between the upbeat holiday atmosphere and the bloody killings is genius, and the novel reads like a new approach to the psychological thriller genre. Bella Mackie, Katy Brent, and Amy Tintera fans will consume this subversive yuletide treat. Just don't let Mrs. Claus catch you as a grinch!

It may be August. It may be yet another stifling, awful hot day in England - however I am already in Christmas mode. I was going to be fair and wait until September to start my festive reads - September is acceptable, right? I mean, mince pies are on the shelves. Anyway, getting this arc made my day, I yearn for the festivities. This is a twisted festive read unlike the other holidays books I read. Admittedly I've never finished a Christmas thriller (although watched many Christmas slashers) so this was perfect to get into it. Gripping, amusing, different. Will definitely be buying a trophy copy! This is worth dipping into Christmas early for sure. Mrs Claus punishing people is such an interesting plot, not one I've heard before. I love the dark humour, don't read enough books like that. Highly recommend!

Favorite Quotes:

Wow. Well that really does go to prove you can’t judge a book by its cover. She looks so prim and proper and then BAM! It’s all fairy porn and werewolf harems.

Not that I don’t like what I do. But it’s not exactly a respectable pastime is it? When people ask what you do for fun, it would be far easier if you could say you like reading or building Lego or whatever, rather than killing scrooges.

Spoiler alert: I’m still convinced I’m in my twenties and that fate is just playing some kind of cruel stunt on me by making me look like I’m mid-forties.

‘I don’t use TikTok.’ It was set up a few years ago when I was having a crisis of confidence about my writing career and thought I needed to do more myself. I vowed to post to TikTok every single day for three months to see what happened. I lasted four days before I ran out of content and lost the will to live. Sometimes I get an urge to try again and then I remind myself just how painful it was and have a large glass of wine instead.

I read something last year about how the average person consumes over six thousand calories on Christmas Day. I’m treating that as a challenge that I fully intend to beat.

My Review:

The name Sarah Bonner has become synonymous with the idea of smirk-worthy good fun to me. The little pea in my brain leaps for joy whenever I pick up one of her cleverly penned missives. I revel in her witty snark, wry humor, and snappy inner musings. I adored this tale; it kept me gleefully engaged from start to finish.

I absolutely love the how to slay books, this one was no different! This was so good! Christmas vibes are impeccable and it’s 100% a cosy Christmas story just with alot more murder! These don’t follow on from each other and are complete standalones. They really are so good! I cannot recommend enough!
This book is focused around Mrs Christmas and a Christmas market setting. Along with covering her tracks she actually allows herself to make friends and become attached to the area. Of course this causes complications.
The ending was also so perfect and I totally did not see that coming at all!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Release date - 7th August 2025

This book was fun and quirky. Mrs. Claus making a Naughty List was so funny. So part felt a bit slow but it was witty and the friendships were great and really interesting to see. The twist was great and unexpected

How to Slay at Christmas is a wonderfully dark and witty festive thriller that turns the holidays upside down. Sarah Bonner blends humor, suspense, and just the right amount of gore to create a story that’s as entertaining as it is original. Jessica’s vigilante “Mrs. Claus” antics are outrageous and clever, while Fearne’s reluctant involvement adds sharp contrast and plenty of laughs. The plot is fast-paced, full of twists, and captures the chaos of Christmas in the most unconventional way. A brilliantly twisted holiday read—festive, funny, and fiendishly addictive.

Who better than Mrs. Claus to take care of people on the naughty list? That's what you get in the new book from Sarah Bonner.

"Jessica Williams loves all things Christmas and takes a job as Mrs. Claus in a Christmas market. And what better opportunity to take out all the miserable people who ruin the Christmas spirit. Who would suspect Mrs. Claus?

Fearne hates Christmas. Her husband runs the Christmas market and constantly takes her for granted, continually adding things to her schedule.
But then bodies pile up and an old rival returns.

What happens when the lives of the two women collide?"

This is dark comedy from Bonner. She has that rare ability to make a reader cross that morally gray line and make you agree that "He had it coming" Jessica is not quite as stealthy as previous characters and has to deal with witnesses. There's also a storyline throughout of someone apparently tracking Jessica down. Bonner saves that surprise for the end.

Another entertaining story from Bonner.

Forget about Santa’s list, it’s Mrs. Claus’ naughty list you don’t want to end up on!!

She's making a list, she's checking it twice...
Jessica Williams loves the food, the drink, the fairy lights, the opportunities to take out all the miserable people who ruin the festive season for others. And what better cover for her murderous intentions than taking a job as Mrs Claus at the Ellsbury Christmas Market grotto? After all, who would possibly think Mrs Claus could stab a man through the eye with a Phillips-head screwdriver?

Fearne Dixon hates Christmas. As the long-suffering wife of the Ellsbury Christmas Market's manager, she's sick to the back teeth of it and it's still only November. But then the bodies start piling up, an old rival arrives back in her life, and Fearne reaches breaking point. When the lives of the two women collide, who will end up on the Naughty List?

I was craving a little Christmas joy in this hot hot summer so I jumped on the chance to ARC read this one. I thought I was festive and a little quirky. I really liked the idea of the murdery Mrs. Claus! I enjoyed the friendships that the characters made with each other, although I do wish one certain character could have ended up at the top of that dang list! Iykyk! lol

All in all I liked this one and will recommend it to all of my murdery Christmas lovers! 😂😂

How to Slay Christmas was just great! I fell in love with how Sarah wrote this one. It was pretty unique.
Jessica’s character was great and who doesn’t love Christmas. She may just love Christmas a little too much.
Fearne was a great character too. I felt for Fearne. She puts up with a lot and I mean a lot. In ways she’s a dang saint.
Jessica is looking to become the next Mrs Claus of Ellsbury Christmas Market. She plans to punish the people who’ve all been naughty over the year. Didn’t see that one coming did you?
This was a different type of book but it’s one that just keeps you invested and curious to see what happens next. I loved it. There were some parts that I was NOT expecting. The twists were definitely a shock. The ending was a shock! Made you gasp kind of shock.

I definitely enjoyed this one!