DNF @40% ~

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this Audio-ARC.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. I was intrigued by the premise, but at 40% through I still didn’t feel like anything in the story had happened. I wasn’t finding myself excited to continue.
No rating, but just not for me I think.

Alice is a failed almost genius with a dead end job, no ambition, and a not super friendly imaginary friend. In the midst of a climate crisis, her New Zealand town has broken down between the haves (“wealthugees”) and the have nots (locals) with Alice finding herself and her only real life friend at odds. When she meets a man and his teenage daughter (a real genius, but filled with cold calculating ambition) things take a turn. This is a bit of a rollercoaster with the beginning creeping along very slowly and the back third going completely off the rails. Alice is emotionally immature and snarky, and the story itself is satirical and funny and strange. You won’t know where this one is going, but I wish the pacing was less uneven!

2 Stars
Audiobook: 5 Stars

'She's a Killer' can be best described as a dystopian satire cli-fi, a story that follows Alice, a 1 point off genius who potentially doesn't care about anyone, set in New Zealand where 'wealthugees' are using the world's depleting resources and buying up New Zealand.

The premise of this story is really interesting and is what enticed me to pick this book up. Throughout Alice provides entertaining sarcastic remarks and all-in-all is a purposefully unlikable character which at times is very entertaining. The audiobook narrator Eva Seymour did an excellent job at portraying the main character and her quirks and kept me interested. However I think my issue is I went in expecting a thriller, which this is not. The story has an incredibly slow start, with nothing of substance really happening until the last 20% of the book which did really pick up. This however is also where the book became quite surreal and there were elements that seemed out of place and random.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Probably my favorite thing about this read was that I really had no clue where it was going. We’re introduced to Alice and her imaginary friend. The book begins slowly, following her life and how she got there. Alice was a fantastic protagonist, certainly unlikeable but written so well that she was engaging. Similarly, her imaginary friend was also excellently written, providing an interesting back and forth.

I quite liked the setting. The dystopian world was incorporated throughout the read and really drove the plot, but it wasn’t the main focus. The author balanced it well with the action and characters. Similarly, New Zealand and the Maori were incorporated into the story seamlessly, bringing the whole setting to life.

While this isn’t a thriller, it was well worth the read. It’s a slow start, but if you go in expecting more of a literary dystopian fiction with a focus on the characters then you’ll likely enjoy it. I also recommend the audio version of this one as the narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. My thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

The basics:
Alice is a near genius in her 30s. She works a dead end job, is chronically single, and lives with her mother in a world wracked by the consequences of climate change. After finding a “wealth-ugee” named Pablo, Alice thinks things in her life may be turning around. When Pablo is met with an emergency, he leaves his teenage daughter Erika with Alice for two weeks. Erika is a genius, full of ambition, and a trained killer. Erika quickly pulls Alice into a plot that will destroy the life she’s built for herself and harm those she loves most.

My thoughts:
I listened to this novel as an audiobook and I really loved the narrator. She did a great job differentiating between all the different characters!

This novel was not at all what I anticipated. I was expecting a dystopian read, but I was pleasantly surprised when the dystopian aspect of the novel had to do more with the setting of the book. This was definitely a slow burn, so I highly recommend hanging on until at least 40%. I felt it started to pick up a lot around then, and by the last 20%, I was on the edge of my seat. Everything in the novel is very intentional, which I really appreciated. It made the slower portions move faster, as I was able to see it come full circle by the end of the novel.

Overall, I also really loved the themes of this novel. The author discusses relationships, sexuality, fear of failure, and the consequences of climate change in a really intelligent and impactful way. I was genuinely heartbroken for Alice by the end of the novel, and I too was mourning all she had lost.

If you’re looking for an intelligent, satirical, dystopian read, this is a great read for you!

I didn't like this book at all. DNF 44%

The narrator felt monotone, so it wasn't pleasant to listen to, but more than that the story didn't make sense to me. I listened to almost half of the book and I feel like nothing happened. Very boring.

She’s a killer is a story follows near genius Alice who lives in the same home as her mother, the two communicate to each other via Morse code. Alice has an imaginary friend named Simp who is constantly playing the devils advocate in Alice’s mind. Alice hasn’t seen Simp since she was 7 years old and a fire destroyed her family home, she worries if Simp has something more sinister planned this time around…

Alice meets a man named Pablo, a wealthy man who has fled to New Zealand as means for survival, who she thinks is going to change her life. But then she meets Pablo’s 15 year old daughter who is an actual genius and Alice begins to question her own intelligence.


This book is described as being a mix of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Killing Eve and that could not be more accurate. This story will keep you on your toes and surprise you in ways you weren’t expecting at every turn. It is extreme it is in your face. It’s abrasive but in a really fun and entertaining way. I overall really enjoyed this story and the radical thoughts and actions within it. I do feel the ending was a bit rushed and I wish that was fleshed out a bit more!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for this Audio Arc in exchange for an honest review 🤍

I found this one a little slow going to begin with, I wasn’t entirely sure where it was headed - generally I’m not really sure eco thrillers are for me, but to be fair to this once the storyline took off, it did just that! It would definitely be fair to say that I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first.

Reflecting back on the book I can very much appreciate what the author has created - this dystopian story included some wicked concepts and excellent satire. The narration was engaging, the main character was unlikeable, but interesting and I think if you go in with an open mind this is an enjoyable story!

An enjoyable and interesting dystopian satire which explores what life could be like in a future not far from now when the rich are the only ones not suffering from climate change.

Dear She's a Killer,
I cannot believe the directions that you took. At every plot point, I thought you were going one way, and you took me by surprise. While there were parts that felt less than realistic (a 15 year old super assassin???), you made it almost feel plausible. I am not even sure what genre you would fall into. A pre-dystopian world, an unlikable main character, and assassination plots do not seem like they should be in the same story, but you made this jumble of disconnected pieces work together to pull me in.

A quirky, dystopian, cli-fi story told from the perspective of the generally abrasive main character Alice. This was a book that had to grow on me as I came to better understand and apprecate Alice, her near-genius IQ, and all her flaws.

Alice is navigating life amidst climate change, where she and her fellow residents of New Zealand are having to adjust to a new norm, as "wealth-ugees" move into their country after fleeing more ravaged areas. While this book was not what I was expecting, there is some truly heartwarming (and near heartbreaking) character growth toward the end that I really appreciated. Eva Seymour did a solid job on narration with the audiobook format.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Bolinda Audio and Kirsten McDougall for providing a copy of the book for honest review. 3.5 stars rounded down.

From reading the synopsis I'd assumed that She's A Killer would be a long the same dark yet fascinating and humourous lines as How To Kill Men And Get Away With It by Katy Brent. However, the two books couldn't be more different. The latter being entertaining and in a weird way, relatable, and the former being quite dry and thought provoking.
Whilst I appreciate the social commentary on peoples' general apathy towards climate change and the destruction of the planet, and on the opportunity imbalances between those with money and those without, I just didn't find this book enjoyable. I feel like in large part this was because I didn't actually like any of the characters, and certainly not the protagonist.
Unfortunately I was expecting far more from this book than what I got.

Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC and the chance to review it honestly.

I had trouble rating this one and overall had mixed feelings. It was definitely creative and different. I was able to get through the first part of the book faster than the last part. I thought it was quirky and had it’s funny moments but as the story went on it felt like it was taking forever to move along and ultimately didn’t hold my interest. The narrator did a good job, I really think it was just the uniqueness to the story that troubled my attention span. I settled on three stars because I finished it and I think there’s a specific audience that will love this story, it just wasn’t me.

Happy reading!

This was really interesting. There were times when I felt like I’d guessed it and worked out what was happening but I was wrong. I’m not sure how I feel about it

This was my first foray into cli-fi and it’s safe to say it was a weird one. This is a satirical novel that brings a lot of attention to the flaws of humanity and the damage done to the planet, all told from the perspective of Alice who is a bit of a wild card all on her own. She seems detached from her emotions and her behaviour is unpredictable, but she’s interesting to follow - perhaps because of this. I have to say this book didn’t totally make sense to me, and the political commentary in some places no doubt went right over my head, plus the whole thing with Alice’s imaginary friend which left me more confused as the novel went on. However, there were some amusing parts and though an unusual genre that perhaps might hit too close to home with the climate crisis, the strangeness of it all was a little fascinating and I was drawn in by the odd bunch of characters and the wild goings on. I think the narrator’s voice fit Alice’s character well in the audiobook though it was quite piercing.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Book review submitted here: https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/296507/review/679839

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 38 min, is narrated by Eva Seymour. She does an amazing job keeping so many characters distinct in out head. If you want to try this, the audiobook is a great option, though it will take you a while to realise where the story is going.

I absolutely adored this book and narrator. She was so quirky and odd and I loved watching her navigate the e world even though she’s horrible at it and not a good person even remotely.

They promised different, and this is different. I feel like I was expecting a quirky main character but this one was just completely unlikable. Mean just to be mean, even when it would be easier to not say anything at all, then being surprised that you've created a difficult decision. It went way past not having social skills because of a high IQ, which I think is what it's going for. The narrator did a great job with the material, with perfect pacing and inflection.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

First, let me start off with the good points - the narrator. The narrator did a spectacular job of giving Alice a real voice and managed to convey a lot, even when she wasn’t given much to work with.

Second…I’m afraid that’s it. The novel missed the mark for me and said a lot without actually saying anything which made it forgettable and a little eye roll worthy.

If you like near-future apocalyptic tales with morally gray characters, She's a Killer is exactly the right book for you. The story is unusual and frankly, not at all what I expected. In parts, it's funny. However, in other parts, it's a dismal commentary about where humanity might end up if we're not careful. I enjoyed the audio performance and while I'm glad to have spent a little time in Alice's head, by the end of the book, I was more pleased that I don't share her world view.

Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.