Wow, this book was a hoot but a very dark one! Three very interesting women, three experiences with the same man. What could go wrong? Nothing, unless they found out about each other and of course, by implication, the man. Needless to say, they are not happy and one was married to him. What follows next is weirdly plausible and a definite page turner.
I won't ruin it by giving anything else away unless of course you count my recommendation.

I was beyond excited to dive into “Eat Slay Love” after devouring Julie Mae Cohen’s previous work, “Bad Men”. I wondered if her new novel could match the excitement and wit of the first—and boy, did it surpass my expectations!
The story begins with three seemingly unrelated women—Opal, Marina, and Lilah—who find themselves entangled in a wild situation involving a man who has been deceiving them all. Their shared circumstance? They’ve discovered that he’s been lying to them and are now holding him hostage in a basement. Cohen beautifully balances humour with darker themes, creating an engaging and thought-provoking narrative.
From the outset, I was captivated by the unique setup. Three women, three lives, and one deceitful man—Cohen spins a tale that is at once absurd and thrilling. As they navigated their predicament, I laughed out loud at their banter and the outrageousness of their situation. It’s so enjoyable to watch these characters, each with their distinct personality, bond over their shared plight while embarking on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment.
The characters are wonderfully crafted and relatable. I particularly enjoyed Opal, the fitness enthusiast, whose icy exterior hides a complex emotional journey. Her character arc resonated with me, as she evolves throughout the chaos. Marina, the overwhelmed single mother, brought so much humour to the mix, especially in her desperate attempts to juggle her children with the madness unfolding around her. And then there’s Lilah, the grieving rich woman, whose quiet strength and depth tugged at my heartstrings. Cohen’s ability to give each character a voice that feels distinct and authentic made it easy to keep track of who was who, despite my occasional apprehension about multiple points of view.
The pacing of this book is fantastic. Cohen masterfully intertwines humour with darker subjects like abusive relationships and female empowerment, successfully showing that comedy and morbidity can coexist beautifully. Who knew that a tale of kidnapping could be so engagingly funny?
I particularly appreciated how this novel dives beyond the absurd situational comedy, exploring themes of friendship, loyalty, and personal growth. Each woman’s journey reflects the challenges of modern womanhood, touching on the struggles of single parenting, societal expectations, and the importance of standing up for oneself.
As I reached the end, I felt a satisfying closure, but I also couldn’t help but wish for more. There’s undoubtedly room for a sequel, or even a novella exploring the characters further—I'm here for it!
In closing, “Eat Slay Love” is a delightful thrill ride that mixes laughter with substantial themes, and it easily earns a place among my favourite reads of the year. Julie Mae Cohen continues to impress me with her unique storytelling, and I’m eagerly anticipating her next book. If you’re looking for a smart, funny, and refreshingly daring read, look no further!

This is a fun, enjoyable read. This is the second book I've read by this author and I like her writing style and sense of humour.
Opal, Lilah and Marina are three very different women joined together by one horrible man. Opal and Lilah started off as quite unlikeable characters but by the end they were new women and much more relatable.
If you're after a believable story then this isn't for you. If though you want a funny, crazy and kinda gory read then you'll love this.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I loved everything about this book. The characters were likeable and enjoyable to read about, the story was dark but funny with some good twists, I thought the plot was entertaining and original. and it had me hooked from the first chapter.

I couldn't put this book down, yet I didn't want to get to the end.

I've already recommended this to friends to look out for.

A fun, funny, feisty story that kept me turning the pages. Lilah, Marina and Opal are three women who discover that they have been 'sharing' the same bloke. He goes by various different names, and has been fleecing them all. But then, the tables are turned...and the novel takes a rather dark turn. 'Eat, Slay, Love' by Julie Mae Cohen is an easy read, but it addresses deep themes, including abusive relationships, control, female friendship and revenge. Great stuff.

I loved loved loved this book. These women were incredible to read about, they were so well written, so well developed, I felt like I was with them on this wild rollercoaster of a ride. The story twisted and turned in directions I wasn't expecting, and I really enjoyed it.

Absolutely loved this story and the twists and turns that came along the way!!!

These women have been written so well and I want them as my new besties!!

I loved this book - I didn’t want to put it down and devoured it in just two sittings. The tale does cover some very real, and very serious topics: betrayal, deception, coercive control and violence, however, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments too, which are a welcome addition. We have three very different lead characters, all of whom are well-developed, well-written and likeable. Female friendships, ‘the sisterhood’, trust, and what women can achieve, both individually and when they work together, is examined – at times with gory results! Very highly recommended.

4.5 stars rounded up. Chicklit with a comical criminal twist, this was an entertaining read. For most of it I was genuinely sure it was going to be 4.75 or maybe even 5 stars outright, but I nudged it down a bit based on two things at the end - we don’t find out what happened to Opal, and without spoilering anyone… Marina’s actions right at the very end, which I felt were unnecessary and out of character. By all means make a point with the man, but *that*?

Anyway, I loved the characters, and although this fell into an almost improv comedy exercise of “…and then…” where unlikely events keep happening in quick succession, it was a fast and fun read. Would definitely recommend!

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

In this book we meet Marina - a divorced Mum of 3, Lilah - a quiet and lonely librarian and Opal - an older fitness guru struggling for cash. These women have nothing in common apart from one thing… the man who had lied to them all!

This book was so good, I didn’t want to put it down! These three women form an unlikely alliance and even build a friendship. There were a couple of twists in this book which were unexpected and just made me wan to read more! If you want a book based on friendship, revenge and funny then this is the one for you!

Rating: 2.4/5

Julie Mae Cohen's background is in penning romantic fiction (as Julie Cohen) and the slight change in writing credit is to distinguish this venture into a darker side of fiction from her previous work.

That said, this second offering from the author under the revised moniker is, far the most part, not particularly dark. It is only at around the 60% mark that this story begins to display a darker side. Up until that point "Eat Slay Love" could be more accurately described as "chick-lit with a bit of a kick". There are some nicely amusing touches that ensure the content remains reasonably engaging. However, even after the darker elements of the plot are introduced, it isn't overly long before the chick-lit emphasis returns and the narrative reverts to something resembling a sorority campaigning on behalf of women's rights and it is prone to being a touch preachy at times. I enjoyed Julie Mae Cohen's previous offering, "Bad Men", but in spite of some pleasing moments, the overall impact of this one is less impressive.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was such a fun, dark read. I do like to have a laugh in my books, despite the content usually being quite disturbing. These 3 women were hilarious and so relatable. I loved that one was a librarian and book lover, so much of what she said made total sense.

Go into this without knowing too much. It is a story of women, and their power, their friendships and what they can achieve individually and collectively. Even with what they get up to, you will love them and be cheering them on.

Now ai really need to grab this author’s previous book from my TBR, I loved the way she writes, so vivid. Great characters, great story with plenty of the darkness that I live.

Thanks so much to Bonnier Books UK on NetGalley for my advanced copy to read. Published on October 24th.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

This book was very well thought out and written there is a clear sense of direction from the get go and it’s priced together so well for the reader to enjoy!

This is the story of an unlikely trio (Marina, Opal and Lilah) coming together and realizing they have more in common than they originally thought. As they get to know each other, they uncover the lies and deception they have been told and begin to form an unbreakable bond.
This is an addictive, fun read, with richly developed characters.
The novel is well plotted, lighthearted with just the right amount of humour scattered throughout.
The ending is satisfying with the possibility of a sequel which would be great and I look forward to reading more about these characters.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Opal, Marina and Lilah are fabulous characters. They made me cringe, laugh out loud and despair with them.

Such a twisty, funny book with a strong original hook and a dark thread of murder running throughout the narrative.

An entertaining read balanced with the perfect blend of hate and friendship.

A great follow-up to Bad Men, Eat Slay Love is a fun, fast-paced ride full of tension and thrills.

.........

Another great book by Julie Mae Cohen! The characters were excellent and showed that to get through the hardest times we need our friends (even if we are only friends due to murdering our husband/fiancee/lover)

What a fun read although it contains a grisly murder and talks about some very serious subjects including coercive control. It also examines the nature of female friendships with three unlikely women drawn together by the love and betrayal of the same man.
I particularly liked the character of Lilah as she is a librarian, a member of my own profession, so I could really relate to her life and vouch for the accuracy of the description of her job!
When Lilah, Opal and Marina discover they have all been deceived by the same man, they start to consider what they should do. When one of the three takes matters into her own hands the others decide to help her sort out the mess and this serves to unite all of them with a particular goal- staying out of gaol.
All three characters are well described- Marina, the single mother, Opal, the fitness influencer and of course Librarian, Lilah.
There is a lot of humour in the book which adds to the enjoyment- even the title is amusing! There is also a dead grandmother who has left her granddaughter her house and whilst living there Marina encounters several skeletons in the cupboard! Even though she doesn’t appear in the novel she definitely is a real presence and an interesting character.
I don’t want I say much more other than this is an enjoyable and lighthearted read about female friendship and murder that really held my attention from the very first page. Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

A fast paced read that has its good qualities. It's not a favourite, but you can't go wrong with a 3.5, they always satisfy my need of a thriller even if it won't stick with me forever. I'll definitely recommend anyhow!

3.5

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant