***Netgalley provided ARC via the publisher in return for an honest review***

If you're a fan of C.J. Skuse's Sweetpea books then this is a must read.

Grace has an objective and her family are going to pay. Grace is an utterly likeable character, she is honest, funny and completely determined to succeed in her unplanned plans.

I was drawn into this audiobook immediately. As a huge fan of C.J. Skuse's Rhiannon I was delighted to find a book written in a similar way. However, don't be fooled into thinking that this will follow a similar arc. How To Kill Your Family is a fantastic read (listen) in it's own right.

I was a little disappointed with then end but I'm unsure that it could have finished any other way.

An all round great read.

I enjoyed the plot of the book and thought it was a clever idea with the different “accidents” quite inventive. My problem lies more with the MC, I have no idea why but I just didn’t care for her, most books you either love or hate the MC and that gives stronger reactions to their life and story but I just couldn’t click with this one. That being said I did enjoy the twist.

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! Was something fairly easily to listen to and the storyline was mostly enjoyable! And the title is obviously humours in itself

I think this book is unlikely anything I've ever read before - a breath of fresh air, really.
I still find it hard to understand how a novel can be equally grounded and lifelike AND completely outlandish and bananas, yet this walks that line with such skill that I can't describe it any other way. I found myself unable to stop listening to this and felt sorry every time I was forced to pause.
It may make me question my morality, but it most definitely does not make me question my taste.

Very entertaining story, a plot to kill your family and inherit millions goes surprising well. Very funny in places and very up to date so social med-jar features heavily which i quite liked. The story is told in two stages currently sitting in jail and reliving the events and from the actual events, the chapters go back and forth. Gets a bit predictable towards the end but a very funny story about long lost family. A modern twist on an old classic. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Such a unique book, and found myself constantly thinking….I’ve never read anything like this before.
It was funny, gripping and unique and a book that I won’t forget in a hurry.
The narrator was fab. Delivered every line with meaning, and really brought the character to life. At points it felt like a very strange non fiction I found the narrator to be so believable.

A biting and addicting book that had me staying up way too late to read.

Grace was raised by her poor single mum in London who was abandoned by Grace’s father when he discovered she was pregnant. Her father is a filthy stinking rich fashion tycoon (think Philip Green) and he and the rest of his family saw fit to knowing let Grace live in poverty. So, Grace plans to take care of her estranged family and she’s certainly determined to see it through.

Grace is such an enjoyable antihero to read. A cynical character who takes jabs at everyone with her dark humour and is impressive in her murderous drive. Her unique planning for each family members demise was thoroughly entertaining to read. Most of the family are naturally easy to hate and it’s hard not to enjoy the deaths of her grandparents, a pair of old bigots living in Marbella yet refuse to learn any Spanish.

How to Kill Your Family is such a fun read bursting with razor-sharp satire that you will fly through. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator’s performance, Charly Clive especially brought Grace’s dry wit to life.

Thanks to HarperCollins for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of the audiobook of 'How to Kill Your Family' from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so thank you NetGalley! Unfortunately, my request was granted on the day of publication, so it's a little late.

'How to Kill Your Family' is less alarming than it sounds, but it's still a darkly comic first-person narrative from the point of view of a young woman named Grace Bernard, who's in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Which is ironic, as she actually did murder six people as part of a cunningly executed revenge scheme. I say it's less alarming than you'd think as, despite being her blood relatives, they're not really her family, since she had no relationship with any of them prior to their murders. Grace is the illegitimate daughter of Simon Artemis, a super-rich but morally-bankrupt fashion mogul who abandoned Grace's mother (and Grace) without a penny, leaving them to live in abject poverty. Following her mother's death, teenaged Grace vowed revenge, and this book is her prison diary, detailing how she planned and executed each murder and how and why she ended up in prison unjustly.

Bella Mackie is a cracking storyteller and Grace is a compelling, witty and likeable protagonist, despite technically being a serial killer. That's important, as it would be hard to enjoy the book if Grace wasn't a fun character to spend time with. Luckily, she is, though I'm fairly sure she's a sociopath. But she's charming, her backstory is genuinely sad and she shows hints of vulnerability often enough to win the reader's sympathy. Of course, it probably helps that all bar one of her victims are selfish, entitled hate sinks. And Grace is funny, always dropping shrewd observations about, say, predatory men, the super-wealthy and well-to-do hypocrites. It does make for satisfying reading, watching her get the better of people (mostly men) who underestimate her. And, of course, the whole premise is intriguing. Grace keeps you hanging on her every word (Charly Clive does a great job narrating, by the way), building suspense and teasing details as she switches between her present in prison, the actual murders, her childhood and teenage years and the events that led up to her imprisonment. You'll almost certainly end up rooting for her, in any event, as she carries out each step of her meticulous plan.

Which brings me to by one reservation about this book. Given how clever Grace clearly is, why would she write a prison diary? Especially as she has a cell-mate? I guess you could attribute it to the sociopathic arrogance/hubris of a killer, but it does seem odd, since Grace managed to resist this vice while actually carrying out her plan. This niggle and a certain twist at the end put my nose out of joint, though kudos to Mackie for pulling off something so unexpected. Still, it bothered me. Doesn't the big twist undermine Grace's character and arc, as well as the book's theme of smart women outwitting arrogant victims? (Though the postscript kind of saves the latter.) I'll also say, I wasn't a fan of Harry. As such, I'd rate it a 4.5/5 stars. Though I'd definitely recommend it, as long as you're not sensitive about murder.

I went in blind to Bella’s work and I can honestly say I loved this book!

Grace is a stone cold bitch but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy her wry observations and the truly dark humour weaved throughout the book! I myself am a huge fan of true crime and I gotta say this book is perfect for this generation of true crime fanatics!

Thank you net gallery for early access to this book, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading and this book!

Grace. the protagonist, is a truly awful person and I'm not sure the slight to her mum justified the revenge meted out - However, I can’t help but like her, despite her being ridiculously judgemental and doing some truly despicable things, albeit to some truly awful relatives. This journal-style book broadly covers Grace’s background and why her family became her target, her modus operandi behind the crimes (which were pretty clever), and her life in prison for a crime she didn't commit. The book is a black sort of humour , with Grace having a very candid view of her offences, which I enjoyed the recounting of. The plot twist at the end was genius and the tale felt pretty unique too - I can see this book getting turned into a movie quite easily. Recommended if you want some light-hearted tongue-in-cheek humour with dark twists.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGallery for allowing me to have a copy of this book.

Narrator 5 stars

Story 4 stars
First off I have to say this was such a refreshing book. I've never wanted a killer to get away with it so much before in my life. I absolutely loved Grace.
The twist and turns were very exciting and I found myself trying to encourage my kids to stay at the park longer so I could keep gobbling this up and get to the end.
**the bit below will not be included in public reviews**
This for me was a 5 star read until the end. It's not that I didn't particularly like the new brother popping up and watching her but it was more about the fact that It wasn't clear to me if he was sharing any of the money with her? He said that he hopes Grace will let him love her but then also says not to contact the aunt who controls the wealth and for me I REALLY want Grace to get some of that money after everything.

This was an enjoyable audio which had me taking the long route home in journeys so I could listen to an extra chapter or two! I was intrigued by Grace’s backstory, of how her mother ended up pregnant, abandoned and poor, bringing up Grace on her on her own, with very little support from others, including her own family.
Grace’s mother tries to cover up the truth about Simon, the father, but eventually Grace learns that her father is a cruel and careless playboy who had been partying and wooing her mother whilst his own wife was at home with a young baby. Obviously, the clue to her plan is in the title, but this is no ordinary story of revenge.
There’s a few good little plot twists to keep the reader engaged. As a listener of the audiobook, I was stunned with another dimension right towards the end. Brilliant twist, but to say more would be to spoil it.
Well done Bella Mackie, and also Charly Clive (narrator, whose voice I recognised from “Insatiable”)
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

How To Kill Your Family is a witty thriller about revenge within a truly despicable group of greedy and selfish people. Grace Bernard has never known her millionaire father as he wanted nothing to do with her or her mother from before she was born. Grace decides that she will kill her father Simon, but not before she has ticked off every other member of his family.
I’m not sure if the reader is supposed to feel any sympathy for Grace or an understanding of her actions, but I found her to be as awful as the rest of her family. I found her various methods of killing family members quite entertaining though and didn’t see the twist that came close to the end of the book.
The narrators were a little over the top for my tastes but were appropriate to the genre of the novel. A great beach read if you’re lucky enough to get away this year.

‘I have killed several people (some brutally, others calmly) and yet I currently languish in jail for a murder I did not commit.’ When a synopsis contains a quote from the book like that you know it’s going to be something special!

Grace sets out to exact revenge on her father’s family by calmly and methodically killing them. Now in prison for a crime she didn’t not commit she recounts her life and her meticulously planned murders.

This black comedy is by turns shocking and hilarious. The narrators were excellent and suited the parts perfectly. Although I couldn’t say I exactly liked Grace, you do feel a certain amount of empathy for her.

Superbly written with acerbic character descriptions and completely gripping, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope the author writes more fiction in future.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie is a darkly funny tale. I listened to the audio book version of this book and found it very easy to follow and listen too. The character of Grave was unlikable but in a likeable way. Who’s worse? Her or her family? The twist at the end is somewhat predicable but is done in a good way so it flows well with the rest of the book.
The Grace narration was dry and somewhat monotone but it felt like that was needed for the character. It’s a wickedly good tale of murder and revenge that I enjoyed.

The narration was a little stilted but I overlooked it because I loved the book. A dark but truly funny tale. The two words shouldn’t go together but there we go. The family who are picked off one by one are truly vile, so you can forgive the crimes. Except for frog boy. She shouldn’t have killed him. That was the one point where I felt she was on the wrong path. I will have to keep my eyes open for more books for Bella Mackie

My review is on the audiobook version of the book. This was a fun read/listen, full of dark humour and laugh out loud moments (for me anyway). Main character is Grace who is a murderer serving a sentence for a crime that she didn’t commit. The murders she did do are family members on her father’s side since she’s hell bent on revenge. Her victims are all rich and horrible so no sympathy was felt for them, not sure if that was how it was supposed to be but that’s what I found. Major twist to the ending which I didn’t see coming which I’m a fan of. Very enjoyable read, highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this as the synopsis sounded so good and whilst I did enjoy it and it was a fun read, it also didn't quite live up to what I was expecting from it. It was just an ok read.

I was expecting it to have some funny laugh out loud moments and yet I sadly didn't laugh once. The main character Grace was just not my kinda character at all, I really didn't like her - she just had this whole, I am better than everyone else attitude and was beyond self absorbed - it got so old so quick! I normally like an unlikable character but I just couldn't get on with Grace at all!
The book also felt much longer and dragged out then I think it needed to be and the twist at the end was not at all satisfying.

Don't get me wrong, the book is not a bad one at all, It was enjoyable enough and I think many many people are going to love it but for me, it was just not what I was expecting at all.

***

Thank you so much to Harper Collins UK for this audiobook arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book is funny, dark and clever. An ultimate revenge fantasy with no negotiations, we follow Grace on her mission to kill her extended family in the belief that she is ridding the world or their evil, entitled ways. Whilst being an extravagant and quite unrealistic crime novel, this is cleverly also a class criticism and social commentary that resonates excellently with current times.

Our main character, Grace, is witty and audacious and gives me Villanelle in Killing Eve vibes. You shouldn’t like her, but you can’t help it. She is calm, collected and confident. The audio narration by Charly Clive was excellent and really brought Grace to life.

The beginning was fast paced and drew me in, however I felt the middle drag a little with a LOT happening that failed to keep me engaged. It was redeemed for me by the ending, which included some great twists. An overall enjoyable listen that’s quite different from anything I’ve read before.

Thank you to Bella Mackie, HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How To Kill Your Family is a lovely fantasy where truly awful people eventually get their comeuppance and don't live a charmed life, skating by on superficial charm and privilege.

Our narrator Grace has been hard done by, there is no ifs nor buts about that. Which means it's easy to support her actions, even though she's killing seniors and teenagers alike. You're not cheering her on per se, but your moral compass has shifted because, Grace has had a hard life for no real reason about from inconsideration from those around her. Also, it's easy to like Grace because she's confident with sarcastic quips and often is saying what we're thinking but are too reserved to say ourselves.

I found How To Kill Your Family a satisfying read for this distinction and the inventive murders.

When it got to the twist in the tale at the end, I was surprised for a moment and then thought 'well that explains it (audiobook narration)'. Then felt like an ignoramus due to the probability given the nature of the characters in question.

Once anything seemed possible, the further twists were not surprising and in fact made it a depressing finish.

I have more to say but it's all spoilerish, so I'll leave it for the blog and a spoiler button.

Despite it all, I was very entertained and thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook. When a voice can confidently convey attitude and inflection of numerous characters, you know that you're in for a treat.