Warning: There are scenes in this book that you definitely shouldn't read while eating, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.

I mean one rather specific scene with very vivid descriptions made me feel slightly ill, and rather relieved that for once I wasn't eating and reading at the same time.

I was totally invested in this story from the first few chapters as we meet Opal, Lilah and Marina, three rather different women who soon discover they have one rather pesky, conniving conman in common.

And well you should always fear a trio of scorned women, and I loved how the three of them despite being near strangers, manage to work so well together even in the face of well iffy decisions.

It's a wonderful thriller featuring empowered women, that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know.

I found I was so engrossed in this book that the pages where just whizzing by, as I keep needing to know what would happen next.

I am absolutely loving this author's darker side, and can't wait to see what her next release is.

Thank you to Zaffre and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a really enjoyable and acutely observed read about a trio of women and how they deal with the lothario who has been stringing all 3 of them along.

Lilah, Opal and Marina may not have much in common, but they do need to decide what to do with the man who held each of their hearts captive but is now their captive! And whatever form their revenge takes, chances are it's not going to be pretty...

This is a brilliantly observed novel, telling the tale of a serial philanderer and his sticky end! I loved the female characters and was rooting for them all the way through. It was one of those books that I was sad to finish as I loved the characters so much.

What an absolute page turner, what a story. I could not put the book down.
It is the story of Opal, Lilah and Marina whose very different lives were brought together by one man. It was amazing to see how frIendship and trust can empower the women and help them overcome difficulties and trauma.
Absolutely loved it

I found this book a little harder to get into than Julie Mae Cohen’s other books. She is one of my favourite authors, so I felt a little bit sad.
The story tells the lives of three women, who on the face of it have nothing in common, except a they do - a man!
He’s a charmer and a cad, and eventually he gets his comeuppance!
The women form a tight bond, and become an unstoppable force.

I enjoyed this book. Light fun reading. The story moved at a great pace and even though a bit predictable, very enjoyable and I can't wait to read more from this author

Deeply, Darkly Humorous,,
Three women seemingly with absolutely nothing in common - except that they do. One seemingly utterly charming yet lying, cheating man. That same man, now bound and helpless in a basement. Exactly how far will these women go in order to exact a perfect revenge? Dark and sharp, edgy and slick, this fast paced thriller grabs the reader and does not let go. Equal parts deeply darkly humorous and darkly poignant.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to read and review. All thoughts are my own and I was not paid for this review.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, it was a good mix of funny and thrilling. The main character made me laugh more times than I can count.

I have to admit the first thing that attracted me to this book wasn't the cover. It was the blurb.
It had me really wanting to read it, as it promised dark humour which is one of my favourite things to have in a book.
So did it live up to that promise? Yes. Although I have to say I never laughed out loud and it definitely could have had a lot more of it, I did enjoy this book.
When this book starts starts straight away you realise that it is written in the third person and my heart sank. I MUCH prefer reading first person as I usually struggle to connect to the story and characters when it is written in the third person and unfortunately that did happen slightly here.
I did feel like I was never fully invested in the plot or characters even though I did like them.
Having said that the pacing was good and it was well written (even though some parts I thought didn't quite add up)
I liked the female friendships and the good for her energy this book had.
This was a book that I have to say when I would put it down, I wasn't compelled to pick it up again but when I did I had a good time. This is a book I think would work better if you read it in one sitting.
Overall when I finished I did feel like I had been thoroughly entertained and I had a good time.
Oh and the epilogue is written in 3 parts and the final one SLAYED ME. *chef's kiss*

This was such a fun revenge comedy thriller - I love this genre of book and i’m so glad it’s popular at the moment which means there are so many good ones to read, and Julie Mae Cohen is definitely one of the best in the game!

Opal, Lilah and Marina all discover they have something (or someone) in common and become hell bent on revenge. There’s not much else I can say about the plot without spoiling it but it’s such a fun read and I raced through it.

I loved Opal, Lilah and Marina who were all equally flawed and complicated women that I was rooting for until the very end - all of their backstories and personalities were really well devolved which was great as sometimes this is lacking in books with multiple main characters.

The writing was great, very snappy and fast paced and there were lots of laugh out loud moments. I really enjoyed it.

If you like really dark humour this is for you. I’m notorious for not getting humour in books but even I raised a smile more than once! Opal, Lilah and Marina all have one thing in common. His name is Zander, Xavier or Zachery (the man) depending on whom he was married to, engaged to or dating! However, when the three women meet each other and discover the truth about the man how they deal with him is both funny and horrifying in equal measure. The author writes really well and her excellent narrative makes this a compelling read.

Briefly, as the three women learn more about each other and their lives, prior to meeting, they grow closer together. I mean how couldn’t they! They have the man locked in a basement deciding what to do with him! But all their plans come to a shattering conclusion when an intruder enters their lives.

Three very different women but all so well fleshed and I ending up liking them all. Talking about flesh this is pretty gory but also funny and very clever. It does deal with quite a number of issues including abuse, fraud and coercion but it’s also about friendship and feminism. A good dark read with a most startling climax! Very enjoyable. 4.5⭐️

Three very different women - Marina, stay at home mother of three; Opal, fitness guru; Lilah, librarian lottery winner. They have one thing in common…the man who they each know by a different name. The man who, without them knowing it, is conning them.
These three women should have no reason to speak. Their lives are very different. Yet, dig a little under the surface and we see just how similar their stories are. When Opal contacts the others to tell them the truth about the man in their lives it sets in place an absurd sequence of events.
Dark, far funnier than such a topic warrants, and compulsive reading. I will never look at hamster wheels or Le Creuset pans in the same way!
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.

Initially you meet the 3 leading characters – and you’re not sure how it’s all going to fit together – but it cleverly starts to come together! The fact that the ladies are all so different – and well written in their own right – is fabulous.

There are some gruesome elements, and some ‘suspending belief’ elements – but that’s often the case in black comedy thrillers and didn’t in any way detract from the book.

The use of modern technology (pin dropping of locations, scheduled Instagram posts etc) was woven into the storyline just as they’re part of every day life now (although some books still shy away from such things – which seems a bit daft!)

I was rooting for Marina, Lilah and Opal in different ways – and as a combined force of very different people, they were great. Whilst it is a revenge story – it’s also a female friendship storyline too.

It was a fun, escapist read – and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A big thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my ARC.

Brilliantly dark and very funny!

Three very different women discover that they are all being lied to by the same man. Recently divorced Marina, who has just inherited a big value property in Richmond, timid librarian and lottery winner, Lilah, and confident and feisty fitness guru, Opal.

When they trap their mutual interest in the basement, revenge is definitely sweet, if not a bit messy and very funny, in a dark and murderous way!

I loved all of the three women and the very unlikely bond they form in the weirdest of circumstances! A great read!

4.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Julie Mae Cohen and Bonnier for an ARC in return for an honest review.

RATING 4.25

Eat Slay Love offers a great twist on the thriller genre, blending suspense, dark humour, and the theme of found family and female empowerment. The story follows three women who, despite being tied together by a man, discovers much more to themselves as their lives intertwine.

The character development is well crafted, and the writing is engaging. The creativity of the plot and the evolving friendship between the women kept me hooked. It’s a relatable tale of women reclaiming their power, standing up for themselves, and realising they’re capable of anything when they believe in themselves.

Overall, Eat Slay Love is an enjoyable, unconventional thriller that will appeal to readers looking for something a little different. It’s a story of empowerment, friendship, and yes—perhaps even the fantasy of getting away with murder.

(I received this digital arc from netgalley)

EAT SLAY LOVE - JULIE MAE
COHEN - ARC
3 Women who are brought together over 1 man! Ex husband, fiance and boyfriend but is he who he says he is to them all? A secial media influencer with dwindling followers and nothing else to loose, a recently divorced stay at home mum back living with her parents while looking for somewhere else to live and a lottery winner who's life has been turn upside down! They make the unlikeliest of friends but somehow accidental murder brings them together and they would do anything to protect each other! Wouldn't they?
I really enjoyed this, wasn't sure where it was going to go but honestly loved every minute of it! My heart was pounding at points and I live for that feeling from a book!
@rachaelmcreads

Marina is a former chef and divorced mother of three. Lilah is a shy, grieving librarian. Opal is an over 50 years old, difficult to work with, close to bankruptcy fitness guru. These three women should have nothing in common but they do. The same man has lied to all three of them. And they now have him tied up in a basement. Where do they go from here?

There is a delicious dark humor to this in-your-face with its honesty, revenge story. The narrative grabs you from the first intriguing chapter and keeps you hostage as the three women are introduced to us each in their own distinctly voiced POV. Three women who are different but each is pressured in various ways to live up to others' expectations. Manipulation is unfortunately key in each circumstance.

It is a cleverly structured story, even with the back and forths in the timeline. There is a quiet intensity to it. Presenting an inviting, matter-of-fact language it leads us to the point of Chapter One in a captivating manner. Then things take an unexpected turn as the story goes into uncharted, more brutal waters thanks to the original twists and reveals.

It was refreshing that after the 'main event' and where you might expect the story to end, we get to see more of their lives and what happens next. You will never believe what happens next. I do not think I have ever applauded the posting of a video so much before. The wrapping up of everything is also genius. I practically squealed in delight.

This book is not about hating men but about loving women and championing friendship. It is about standing up for yourself and not being defined by others. Finding your power. There are sideplots that are let's call them pointers in female empowerment. It also shows the murkiness of human behavior and how through it we can find the light.

Such an utterly readable and entertaining book is simultaneously so insightful and thought-provoking. The best empowering revenge and friendship story you will read this decade.

In Eat Slay Love we follow Opal, Marina and Lilah, three women who are very different and initially unconnected, but soon find out they are linked by one devious conman who has been tricking them all.

They decide to exact their revenge, but when one of the women brings the timeline forward, they end up with much more effort a situation on their hands when they were expecting!

This was a darkly funny story about revenge, which also covered some serious topics well.

Eat Slay Love is a deliciously dark and compelling thriller that delivers brilliant characters and serrated plot twists that will keep you guessing.

I will say I went into this knowing very little beyond the cover, title and pitch I saw on social media. I would highly recommend doing the same, because you have one hell of a read in store.

This introduced me to Julie Mae Cohen’s style and it is excellent, full of heart and humour in equal measure. It has a darkly comic sense to it, which contrasts just how dark and intense some of the other scenes get. This is a book that delves into some tough topics and explores them with nuance and sensitively. Cohen walks a tightrope carefully between the comedy and the conflict. Everything here is built on manipulations and pretences, with games within games going on. It is layered and a damn fun ride to be on. Cohen rails against patriarchal power structures here, with these three complex female characters at the centre of the action: Marina, Liliah and Opal. They have been caught up in some dastardly schemes in the pursuit of their happily ever after. Each of them stands out and is hilarious & deeply relatable in their own ways.

Cohen’s writing is fantastic: slick, sharp and sensational. The way the plotlines converge is masterful and the little reveals build up a bigger picture that is astonishing once revealed in full. It is such a rich and detailed story that sadly speaks a lot of truth to the reality of women’s lives today. For me, the plotting and atmosphere were spot on with some devious twists and an ending that made me long for more. Right from the start, I was hooked and Cohen ensured I was totally consumed by this book until the very last page.

Eat Slay Love brought charming, if complicated, characters and a healthy dose of humour to a intricately plotted and intense thriller.

After reading #JulieMaeCohen debut I knew I had to give this new #EatSlayLove a go and I'm so pleased I did. It was fantastic!
If you love Netflix Good Girls or the Aussie series Wanted, then you'll love this book.
As well as dealing with serious issues and it being a thriller, the humour thrown in is just spot on and not at all over the top or silly. It would make the perfect boxset with so much potential for a follow up, even a prequal would be great and theres so many amazing strong female characters that can either have their own future storyline or back story.
Girl/housewife power at its finest... Thanks for making me smile #NetGalley