Thank you, Simon & Schuster UK Publisher for the opportunity to review early How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson.

HOLY MOLY COW!!!!! I love this book!!!!!!!!

By the cover (especially lurking on Goodreads and being blown away by the Australia version) and the blurb, I was preparing myself for something quirky, fun, unserious and full of "murder". And this book delivered way more than just that.

I love all the good characters and hate all the bad guys!!!! Even though there were 10 guys and 10 girls, and we did proceed to "forget" about them for little bit, all totally made an impress on me, even the staffs! This showcased how amazing Shailee did to emphasize each of them and bring her characters into life and not just being used for the sake of plots. I like the description very distinguish of each one, the hair, the outfits, the way they talk, ... And the bad guys, oh my I hate them so bad that my skin crawled! And though I know it supposed to be a plot twist, but I definitely believed that Shailee has left "hints" for us women when reading can feel who were the dangerous ones! I can tell from the beginning that I don't trust those people.

The plots were done just right, nothing too dramatic or underwhelmed. I love how capable, smart, brave and strong Jamie and Wes and all the other girls were! They made me so proud because trust, if I were in the same situation, I don't know if I can handle as well as they did. There were mostly no moments that I felt frustrated for character's behaviors except for one time: when Jamie thought Wes was the killer and ran away from him even though she just witnessed him almost got killed by Billie? Though I understood, they were in a crazy situation and went through a lot, so it's bit understandable that Jamie just jumped into conclusion, BUT not after getting fingering!!!!! Girl!!!!!!!!!!! Also, I can't, just imagine bunch of dead bodies and blood around, but then again, our homegirl has big thing for slasher and romcom movies so maybe the thrill got her going. Anyway, it's not a really the point here ehem!!! I LOVE THEIR CHEMISTRY and dynamics a lot and Wes is a cop made so much sense but still he WAS BIT CREEPY, OK????? Like, yes I knew he was smitten with her, and we supposed to have little bit doubts about him too, but to be fair, he spoke like a mafia boss in a dark romance novel which might be a good thing (but I was cringed HARD so uhm maybe I'm the problem???). I was still anyway a BIG BIG FAN of Wes, of that 10 minute of the speeding date or when he was standing up for Jamie from the asshole!

Here I need to give BIG CREDITS for all the "not quotes" from "not romcom movies" at beginning of each chapter because that was brilliant!!!!!!! I love that a lot, especially since I'm a big fan of romcom myself, so I knew almost all the original quotes and now got to see it being "cooking" again in a new style is such a wonderful experience. I cracked up every time.

And I like the writing style so much too! Right after the first chapter, I nodded to myself and immediately knew this gonna be fun! It was very clean, described just enough things to get the picture painted but not too much that bored me. The mention of how women survive this world popped up here and there and just made me appreciate so much books written by women. And especially all female characters in this book also very strong and brave, and not just relied on some very useless men.

Overall, it was such a fun journey reading this book. Such a perfect mix of bloody murders and romantic love.

Quirky, chaotic and with more romance than I expected, I think this is going to be a must read for romance fans with a little bit of a thriller tacked on.

I really enjoyed this!! Such an unique story
I was definitely left guessing till the end but was proud of guessing Wes’s job from the get go
I loved the main characters I loved the craziness and the sweet moments in be tween. It really did keep you guess and had an interesting twist I loved the chapters quotes they were fun.

This book was hilarious and horrifying all at the same time!

Jamie loves two things in life, slashers and romcoms. And what she thought might potentially lead to her romantic meet-cute at speed dating ending up being straight out of a horror film.

Packed full of fantastic pop-culture references, an excellent leading lady and plenty of twists and turns, this book was unputdownable! Each page turn will leave you shaking with both nerves and laughter.

Excited to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Okay so I am not good with horror and in particular being chased…so needless to say despite this book being excellent I struggled to read it before bed through fear I would give myself nightmares.

This book follows the main character Jamie and her best friend Laurie when they go to a speed dating event. The lights go out and it all goes downhill from there.

This book exceeded my expectations beyond belief. The suspense, the romance, the fear…I couldn’t put it down. The characters are likeable and the story shocking and I think I will definitely be reeling from this book for a while.

If you're after a romance with a healthy dose of horror, you could definitely do worse than this book. It was pretty fun and kept me guessing to the end! A bit more death than I'm usually after, but if that's your thing then look no further!

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

Completely unhinged and romantic - ‘How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates’ delivers on being a slasher romcom with a high dead body count and a multitude of romantic comedy pop culture references. You have to go into this expecting unhinged antics and a book that is aware of how deeply unserious it is. I don’t know why but the dynamic between the protagonist and love interest felt very reminiscent of Miss Congeniality which was fun. This is one of those stories that will transcend even better to screen. Overall, I thought this was fun and quick read.

If you had told me back in January that a slasher romcom would end up being one of my favourite reads of the year, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are.

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is a wickedly fun debut from Shailee Thompson, sharp, sexy, twisted, and so cleverly written. Thompson’s voice leaps off the page with razor-edged wit and confidence. The story is twisted, tense and oh so sexy.

It is a fantastic tribute to the slasher genre and the final girls we love to root for, with nods that horror fans will devour. Thompson does a phenomenal job at packing the story full of horror references while remaining accessible enough to be enjoyable for romance readers dipping a toe into something darker.

A bold, bloody, and brilliantly entertaining surprise. I couldn’t put it down. 5/5.


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

Wow, what a book! I loved every page.
RomCom & Slasher movie enthusiast Jamie is heading out for an evening of speed dating with her best friend and room mate Laurie.
The evening progresses as expected until the lights suddenly go out, and one of the male 'dates' is brutally murdered within inches of Jamie's table.
When the lights come back on everyone is horrified by what they see. And so begins a night of horror for the remaining potential dates.
If you love teen slasher movies then you are in for a treat as this ticks all the genres usual storyline boxes.
I loved all the characters (even the baddies) and was left guessing who the murderer was right up util the reveal. I also liked the relationship between Jamie and Wes, and would love to see a sequel with these two in another horror story.
As excellent storyline, and well written. I'll certainly keep my eye out for more from this author.

Jamie is a fan a horror movies, particularly slasher ones but the last thing she expected was getting caught in a deadly murder spree at a speed-dating event with her best friend. After a blackout reveals a gruesome killing, she uses her knowledge of horror tropes to keep a group of survivors alive and escape the killer. As they fight for their lives, Jamie finds herself unexpectedly caught in a love triangle, all while trying to outwit a machete-wielding psychopath.

This was not my usual go to book, it kept me on the edge of my seat and made me seconded guess everything! The relationship between Jamie & Laurie was perfect, clearly the bestest of friends and then the extra characters all having their part to play in trying to survive. It was so good and can’t wait to see what Shaliee does next! A new genre has hit the shelves…. Horror slasher romance!

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.

I can’t lie, horror/slasher isn’t my usual genre but when I saw ‘for fans of Butcher and Blackbird’, I was very much intrigued and itching to find out more, cos who doesn’t love Romance with a sprinkle of murder?

I was very surprised with this book, and absolutely terrified 😂 I managed to read half of the book before it got a little too tense and scary for me and I had to put it down!! Sometimes I can handle thrillers and sometimes they keep up at night and this one was making me sleep with ALL the nights on!

So four stars because I was scared, couldn’t manage to finish it and it was definitely heading in that direction (I was absolutely loving Wes and Jamie so much).

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that affected me this much, so personally I’d take that as a good sign if you’re after something pretty creepy and ‘on-the-edge-of-your-seat’ scary!

Like the protagonist Jamie, I’ve always been equally drawn to rom-coms and horror films, so I really enjoyed how this book sprinkled in clever references and playful nods to classics from both genres. It truly reads like a slasher movie unfolding on the page, yet with surprising moments of tenderness that give it a cinematic edge.
The plot keeps the tension high and constantly makes you question who to believe. I had a suspicion about the identity of the male killer early on—though that might be because I’m used to spotting these twists after years of watching horror franchises.
I thought it was a fun touch to name nearly every character and location after iconic figures in the genre—Wes, the Cravin’ nightclub, John Carpenter, Laurie Strode, Sidney Prescott—but at times those references felt a bit forced rather than organic. Still, the ensemble was handled well, and even from the beginning each character stood out instead of blending together.
Some of the most effective moments took place in the nightclub setting, which created a tight, suffocating atmosphere that really heightened the suspense. And in the middle of the gore and mayhem, the small romantic beats worked nicely—I have to admit, I probably would’ve fallen for Wes as well.
The book could have been tightened slightly, but overall the pacing kept me engaged. I’m definitely interested to see what Shailee Thompson writes next.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I didn't know I needed this specific breed of genre but now that I've read it, I can see that I did. I devoured this book. There was something about it that was so addictive to read and I was desperate to know what the next twists would be. I liked how meta and yet completely original it was and the relief I felt at the end truly was something. This was one of those books that kept me up reading later than I should have been, but it was all so worth it.

Thank you netgalley for my arc copy. I absolutely loved this book, the twists were great and the characters were the perfect mixture of likeable and some just down right annoying. As a massive slasher movie fan myself I really enjoyed the way Jamie's Brain worked through this book and hers and Laurie's friendship was just the best. They are 100% soulmates. This may be up there as one of my favourite books ive read this year. I highly recommend.