Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Kuinka murhata mies ja päästä pälkähästä

When reading a fiction that is so close to the truth always hits me hard, especially when that truth is the violence faced by women and girls. There is not a single scenario that Kitty overhears either from friends or on the news that is untrue, be it ghosting by men after sex leading to heartbreak, sexual harassment faced by aspiring artists by those dominating in the industry, and even violence and abuse from their own partners. This is a book that needed to be written and I understand and appreciate the emotion behind it, especially when stats tell you that convictions for rape are the lowest, because firstly they're not reported by women in the first instance and secondly because of a "lack of evidence". This is not about the innocent (although Katy Brent really ties up all eventualities in this book especially on this element to her credit) and there will be because no justice system, especially not the British system, is perfect but what happens when it fails the survivors? Enter Kitty Collins.

I loved the dark humour and satire in this book. With it being a theme close to my heart, I would have struggled with the gruesome descriptions of violence and murder generally (did anyone turn vegan after reading this book I'm intrigued to know?). I loved the writing and the concept. It leaves me sad because of the truth behind it but overall I would recommend this - but noting all the trigger warnings first. Looking forward to Brent's next. Thank you @netgalley and @HQStories for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

dealfea's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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themushroomforest's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

2.5

Kitty is an upper middle-class Londoner with a lot of money, a lot of righteous anger, and a lot of free time.
So it's only natural that her favorite hobby is murder.

Good enough writing, but a grim story overall.
Overly privileged girl who can't see that she is so entitled, she even thinks other people's lives are hers.

I like the overall weight it gives to the ever current crisis of violence against women, but Kitty was far too irritating and problematic herself to be a vigilante I could get behind, even imaginarily.

To be honest I think I would have DNF'd it if I wasn't listening to the audiobook while doing a big load of housework. It felt more inconvenient to switch books than to just finish this one once I had started.

Was it funny at times? Yes. But was it also disturbing and weirdly normalising of violent and murderous behaviour based on personal assumptions about someone's character? Also yes.

Not recommended.

Content Warnings

maaikereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

2.0

Many thanks to HQ Digital and Katy Brent for the advanced copy of How To Kill Men and Get Away With It via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

Well…one thing we don’t have to be worried about is Katy Brent being a serial killer. But, then again, it could be an elaborate double bluff, and she’s actually one of the most successful murderers the world has ever seen. Or not seen. Because she certainly has no knowledge of, or perhaps respect for, forensic science. Or detectives. Or CCTV.

It’s probably quite obvious that I did not enjoy this book. Besides the blatant unrealistic-ness of every single crime scene in the book, the entire thing was vapid. I’m probably not the target audience. I don’t ‘get’ influencers. I wore wide leg trousers the FIRST time they came around. I couldn’t care less what brand Kitty’s eleventy billion couches are. Or her clothes. Or shoes. I’d hoped for some kind of redemptive arc where the brands were ditched by the end of the book, but nope.

Brent grabbed every trigger she could think of and threw them into this book. Some were handled relatively well…some…not so much. As someone who has personal relationships with several of the larger ‘headline’ triggers, I did bristle at how they were brushed aside and not properly dealt with.

Overall, if you have any interest in forensics or have a scientific mind, I don’t think you’ll enjoy this book. If you like influencers, brands, or the Chelsea set, you probably will. I probably just overthought it too much to be able to enjoy it.

Spice: 3/5

Trigger warnings: Alcohol abuse, Animal death, Blood/Gore, Cheating, Child abuse, Death, Death of a family member, Drugs, Eating Disorder, Fatphobia, Guns/weapons, Incest, Kidnapping, Mental Illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Paedophilia, Physical or mental abuse, Poisoning, PTSD, Rape, Self Harm, Sexism, Sexual abuse/assault/harassment, Slut shaming, Torture, Violence

Rating 2/5

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