Reviews

Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper

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novelty_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious

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

3.75

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book. It was very fun and pretty quick to get through.

The book was set in 1920's Chicago where main character, Ruby kills the men who escape Chicago's clutches. Men who plan to do bad things to women including killing them. Genius boy, Guy is on the run. He changed his entire identity, running away from the man he was before. Working at the morgue under the professional who can help him figure out his gift for shapeshifting, Guy discovers that the string of deaths in Chicago are not coincidental. They are the work of a murderer. As Guy tries to figure out the identity of the murderer, Ruby goes to Guy for help on discovering who is targeting her father and wanting to kill him. All the time, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensures between the both of them as well as a blossoming romance.

The book is told in two parts: Guy's and Ruby's. Personally I liked Guy's parts more as I found Ruby's personality and dialogue a bit annoying. Guy was also so innocent and sweet. I must admit, I didn't ship the two of them as I found Ruby taking advantage of him and his shapeshifting abilities. I wasn't really convinced on their chemistry and relationship because I felt like Guy was just being manipulated and strung along by her.

While I liked the plot line and Guy, I didn't get a sense of the glitz and glamour of the 20's that I was expecting. We knew Ruby was a rich girl and a socialite but what about that allure during the roaring 20's? I felt like this could've been improved on in future books.

Overall, this was a good read that was very fun too. I liked Guy but felt like the chemistry could've been better because I felt like Guy was being used in the relationship rather than actually loved. Maybe towards the end yes, but I felt like there was no romantic build up between the two and they got together quickly after their feelings were realised.

ACTUAL RATING: 3.7 STARS

Content Warnings

dianafraser17's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This poppy murder mystery is full of fast dialogue, good friendships, and plucky characters as it interrogates what a woman vigilante looks like in the face of Jazz Age patria chal "justice." Add in mind reading and chameleon for a dash of fantasy and it makes for a rollicking ride. A good YA read with plenty to think - and talk about - with readers young and old.

laurenecox's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

katie_17's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.75

nusyy_28's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

melbsreads's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Trigger warnings: death, murder, hospitalisation of a parent, domestic violence, panic attacks, death of a parent (in the past), body horror, kidnapping

I was sold on this the second I read the blurb. And while it WAS a compelling story, it didn't QUITE lean as much into the crime side of things as I was hoping it would. Add in the fact that this felt a tad too similar to The Diviners at times but minus a lot of the really solid diversity and friendship stuff, and this just...didn't hit the way I wanted it to. I think I just wanted it to be a little bit darker than it was and to really lean into the characters for who they are and what they can do, rather than into the relationship between them.