Never yearn for the light that some men will shine on you for the briefest of moments. Snuff it out instead.
How To Kill Your Family
by Bella Mackie
Genre: Contemporary
About: Grace has ambition. It isn't a career-based ambition or even of the academic variety - no, her ambition since she was 13-years-old has been to kill off every member of her estranged, uber rich family. They rejected her and her mother and, what's more, they're just horrible people. All she has to do is make it look natural. Each and every death.
Thoughts
This was great to listen to as an audiobook. I really liked the tone of the narrator's voice and (without going into spoilers) there's a twist at the end that worked particularly well in audio format. The rhythm was sometimes a little off but I would definitely recommend the audiobook overall.
As for the story itself, it was engaging and followed through with a great premise. Grace is not exactly a likeable character but the story is hers and I was fully in for the whole ride. I especially enjoyed finding out about the crime she was in prison for as I think that added an extra complication to the story, rather than her simply ticking names off her kill list.
The pace of some of the murders were a bit slow but they certainly took us to interesting places. The sex clubs and the incel chats had perhaps the best commentary.
However, I think what was missing for me was positive connections. Grace has relationships but she's always detached and often judgemental. Spending time with her in the happier parts of her life would have given more emotional weight to her decision to keep going through with her plan. For example, if I'd really felt her fall in love and then sacrifice that love for the sake of revenge that would have connected me more to Grace as a character.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending. It was a fun twist and it did all click into place, but it ultimately made me feel robbed.
Overall, a really fun read with a great narrative style. This is gripping and truly suited as an audiobook.
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