Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy

Can we just call John Marrs the king of the thrillers? Because this could be his crowing achievement.

YOU KILLED ME FIRST is everything we expect from Marrs- twisty, fast moving plot that will keep you awake all night until you finish the book. With multiple POVs, Marrs is able to keep everything well organized, advancing the plot in the most perfect way.

This was another winner by John Marrs! I love his thrillers! I love that his books include so many different thriller elements. They are thrillers mixed with a touch of domestic suspense which is my favorite. This was such a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. I recommend this for all thriller book lovers!

Believe it or not, this is my very first read of John Marrs. But I’ll say, it won’t be my last! What a thriller!! It was jam packed with all the amazing twists and turns, exactly what I love in a thriller!!! Definitely must read!!


Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

First off, John Marr never disappoints. This was a quick and fast-paced read, with so many twists and turns I never saw coming.

You Killed Me First

John Marrs King of the Thriller strikes again with another pitch perfect book! It opens with a horrifyingly scene from nightmares and doesn't let up - you're hooked from the get go.

Twists and turns galore, John is a genius - I galloped through this one. Unsavoury characters, caustic humour and a supernatural element made this thriller brilliantly entertaining.

Highly recommended - if you can deal with the tiredness the next day because you stayed up way past your bedtime, unable to put it down!

Big thanks to both NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC copy!

This one is out now!!!! I would recommend picking it up for sure.
At first I wasn't quite sold on this one, but boy towards the end when those twists really start to come in... whew.. Changed the whole book for me!

This was fun, catty, full of drama & had some great twists at the end!
Stick with it through some of the slower parts, it will definitely be worth it to get to the ending.

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you love:

✨shocking twists
✨multiple pov’s
✨layered storytelling
✨unhinged women
✨revenge plots

Margot, Liv and Anna live on the same street and quickly forge a pretence of friendship. Each holds a secret and soon cracks begin to appear. When one woman wakes up tied in the middle of a bonfire it becomes apparent that some secrets can be deadly.

I love a John Marr’s thriller as they are always dark, shocking and twisty. This is definitely no exception! Although this one starts a bit more slowly than his usual books, it soon picks up and I found myself hooked to the pages, especially when the craziness and twists start. The author did a great job building an intricate, clever plot that all comes together in a shocking way.

The story is told in the point of view of each of the main characters. Although some were hugely unlikeable, they were entertaining to read and each had their own unique voice, where you could easily distinguish them all. I will admit that I had a good few shock moments when the multiple twists arrive. Overall I had great fun reading this entertaining, wild, multilayered thriller and I would certainly recommend. 4.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to review

#bookreview #bookstagram #newreleases #thrillerbooks

This book was highly recommended in a lot of groups I follow, so I was excited to read it. At first, I was entertained by the cattiness that I found laugh out loud hysterical. But then the italic chapters made their appearance, and I was instantly confused. Every time a new one appeared, I just got more confused. About halfway through, I was so frustrated I wanted to DNF. But then things started to finally click into place. I honestly thought this was about ghosts or the supernatural. (Spoiler...its not). Overall, I'm glad I stuck with it because it's a very original story with a lot of twists and turns... and that epilogue was definitely unexpected!

I had really high hopes for this one after reading the 5 star Good Samaritan,

There are plenty of twists and it does keep you wanting to read on. However I felt some of the twists very obvious and some of the twists just felt forced.

Feel like if you like Freida McFadden then this would be a good choice for you.

I love John Marrs - I have read his books for years and always look forward to a new release.
This book feels very different from Marrs' previous books - it's certainly more of a domestic thriller than anything I have read from him in the past.
I was completely immersed in the story from the beginning, but I did find myself loosing interest the more the book went on. I think it was slightly too long and therefore the pacing felt a little slow at times.
Not my favourite John Marrs book, but still definitely worth a read!

This book kept me guessing all the way to the end! The characters were well rounded and Margot was probably my favorite. Definitely one of my top books in 2025!

John marrs does it again. Brilliant author king of twists. The story follows 3 friends all with secrets but who is in the bonfire about to burn.

After an absolutley chilling prologue on bonfire night, the story goes to eleven months prior and we follow the three main characters up to that fateful night.

This was classic Marrs from the start, with unreliable characters, excellent storytelling and enough twist and turns to keep you on your toes. Highly recommended if you fancy a brilliant, pacy thriller!

This was one of the most incredibly addictive stories I have read, it was almost impossible to put it down at times as I needed to know more!
The story is hugely character driven and those characters evolve throughout the length of the book from who we first meet until we see them all for who they truly are and have become!
Each of the women who might be facing that nightmare in the first few pages show to us the reasons that it may have been them both as the victim and the perpetrator of this heinous act! Learning the truth takes us on a journey with each of them through their past but will they have a future?
By the time I had turned the last page I had been run through so many emotions, had shouted at the book more than once and had my jaw land on my chest a few times also! This is an absolute masterpiece of thriller fiction and I'm so delighted to have discovered this author now when there are more books already in existence that I can get my hands on and devour also!

My favourite yet from John Marrs!

Thanks Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC!

I will not delve much into the synopsis. It’s best to go in blind, but I will just say Marrs throws in a bunch of women of varied background together as neighbours and as their lives gets mixed up, whole new threads unravel, secrets (and bodies of course) emerge.

First of all - THAT opening!! Goodness, it was simply a stroke of perfection. Mind you, it’s only the start. Backtracking from Marrs’ acknowledgment at the end about how much “fun” he had writing one of his characters, the “fun” is only yet to begin after this literally crackling start.

The plot veers into a pretty dark, eerie territory here and just when it feels a tad bit unrealistic or supernatural to comprehend, the storyline is tuned right back again so that it all fits into the bigger picture.

Some of the situations are so hilarious yet very serious, you are torn between giggling, flinching and inwardly cringing at one of the character’s shenanigans.

As picture perfect façades begin to crumble revealing the ugly foundations, wild drama ensues, juicy gossip begins to flow freely, infidelity, hidden secrets and incomprehensible levels of blackmail start spilling out of the bag.

These all result in a sort of uncontrollable fiery explosion (pun intended) culminating in an utterly clever ending that you could never in a million years predict - wondering how on earth every character ended up besting the other and some more as your brain plays catch up. The word twist doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I don’t know how, but Marrs pulls it off and I was just there for every bit of it.

What are you waiting for? Do you need more convincing? 😉

A woman is trapped in a bonfire that is mere minutes away from being lit. We don’t know who she is or why she is in there but I was immediately drawn into the sheer terror of her predicament.

This was gripping and fast-paced. As the story progressed, the three main female leads were quite distinct so I suspected who was in the bonfire. However the path to the end was so twisty and surprising, it never detracted from the story as there were so many twists along the way. Even when you think the writer has revealed all, there was more to come. It kept me hooked throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to John Marrs, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another amazing book by John Marrs. I mention this in every review I write for his books, but John Marrs has a way of writing flawed characters that feel so believable despite how nasty they are.

You Killed Me First follows three women, each who are deeply flawed with their own dark secrets. We also have a mystery POV which at first may seem confusing but then adds a lot more depth the further into the story you go.

This book was like watching a fire, waiting to see who would come out unscathed, yet you don’t know who you’re rooting for. Some of these plot twist had me audibly gasping/yelling.

Audiobook Review: I have always been a fan of John Marrs audiobooks. The choice of narrators are so spot for the characters, and the creative choices for the personalities of these characters gives so much more depth. I highly recommend picking up the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This psychological thriller revolves around three neighbouring couples and kicks off with a dark, tantalising mystery: someone is trapped inside a bonfire on Bonfire Night. But who? And why? From there, the book rewinds, taking us through the events leading up to that fateful night – and beyond.

The three women are incredibly well-crafted, each with complex inner workings and hidden secrets. But Margot stole the show for me. My phone is now full of screenshots of her hilarious one liner thoughts, including gems like: “I swallow a couple of painkillers for a headache that’s been stalking me like a charity worker rattling a can in the high street” and “Who goes for a walk at midnight in March aside from badgers and sex offenders?”

I love when characters sit in that morally grey space and John Marrs does this brilliantly here – none of these women are wholly good or bad, which makes the story even more gripping.

I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil it, but You Killed Me First was a thrilling, highly enjoyable read. If you love psychological thrillers packed with secrets, suspense, and sharp wit, this one’s for you.

Thank you for the ARC.

I am in the minority on this one but I actually struggled with it. Usually I love all books by John Marrs but this one just didn’t work for me. I know it’s definitely me as it has so many great reviews. I found it confusing at times and found myself having to keep checking back to see who was narrating a particular chapter. Yes there was some great twists at times but for me I think maybe there was too much going on. I think in a few months I’ll go back and read it again and perhaps it will be a better read for me..