Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Killing Me

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon

8 reviews

mstall_'s review

adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Non stop fun from start to finish!

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon is a hilariously new spin on the timeless murder/thriller genre. Amber, a young woman just trying to finish up her degree, is taken hostage by a crazed serial killer. She's surprised that her first reaction is annoyance, is this really how her life is going to end? Yikes. When she's sure the proverbial lights are about to go out she is rescued by someone who's only goal is to kill the killer. Unfortunately, Amber's life is now set on a trajectory with her rescuer that neither of them want or are truly ready for.

Killing Me takes you into the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas with a vibrant cast of characters that propel this hilariously heartfelt story of murder, mayhem and self-discovery into a story far beyond the typical thriller.

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aliciavalenski's review

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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artstitute's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I tore through this book in one sitting. Absolutely loved it. Just the right mix of tense and funny.

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smagzisreading's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A Comedic Thriller set in Las Vegas 🤑

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for this honest review!

↓ Similar Reading Experiences ↓

The Thing in the Snow by Sean Adams
Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry
How To Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Amber is absolutely livid, and more than a little embarrassed, when she realizes she has been abducted by a serial killer. One with a strange obsession with PokemonGO at that. Things only get weirder from there when she is saved by a masked woman who wields a cattle prod. Next thing Amber knows, she’s in Las Vegas reliving a past she swore she’d leave behind, willing her eyebrows to grow back ASAP, and running from yet another serial killer…

LOVE NOTES
I had no idea what I was in for with a book described as a “laugh-out-loud thriller,” but I have to admit that Amber as a main character was quite the dose of entertainment. Her inner thoughts and dialogue made me laugh aloud multiple times even as she found herself in deeper, dangerous waters. I loved seeing the lesbian representation, the unique lively setting of Las Vegas and the feminist commentary on the history of serial killings in the US. I can definitely recommend this book for the elements above, especially the humor.

LOW NOTES (vague as to avoid spoilers)
I would say that this reads more as a quasi-cozy mystery than a thriller. What would make it quasi is the fact that cozies don’t tend to go into serial-killer territory. We are told so many times that we need to fear the man hunting Amber, but we only see glimpses of him from afar by side characters, so I never felt that Amber was in real danger until the end. And, even then, their face-to-face encounter didn’t scream scary genius killer to me. Instead, I was more frustrated with Amber’s gullibility when, in reality, the evidence to make her question herself and those she was working with was very weak.

With that said, would I follow Amber on another insane adventure involving serial killers? 1000% yes.

SPOILER SECTION

I didn't mention this above but the timeline slowed significantly when Grace brought Amber to her home, and it seemed like a less than natural lull in the action even though we gained a significant amount of background information from that stint in LA. Grace keeps repeating how smart Gunner is, and how they would all be dead if he wanted it that way, and I just grew tired of it. I was also actually really annoyed when he attempted to trick Amber into thinking that Grace was the actual threat. There wasn't enough suspicion or evidence to really suggest that, so the fact that Amber truly waivered during this scene seemed hard to believe. I found Jessie's death to be pointless as well, especially since Marcella's recklessness was to blame. It felt like the author was forcing a reason for Amber and Marcella to end their romantic situation.

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ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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ktdakotareads's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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trishfilet's review

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dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review!
I read the description and thought that this book sounded right up my alley, so I figured I would give it a shot, not really expecting much. And honestly, I LOVED it! It’s exactly my type of story, and I couldn’t put it down. Almost like a black comedy, this book is dark but also super fun! I’ve been trying to think of a way to explain it, but I’ve come up with- Dexter meets Schitts Creek? Lots of great characters. The plot is a little fantastical, and does require you to suspend belief a little, but I think much less than your normal thriller or romance even. I always find these more light hearted books so cheesy, but can stomach it in small doses. But this book, I swear I don’t remember ever feeling like it was getting cheesy or pandering. And YES I just referred to this book, that starts with a girl being abducted by a serial killer, as lighthearted.
Excellent, excellent book.

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