Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath: a hilarious new crime thriller debut for 2025 - meet your unlikely new heroine...If you loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, you will adore this!
'Murder has no right to be this funny. Imagine Hannibal Lecter as written by Victoria Wood. Perfect for fans of Caroline Kepnes and CJ Skuse' ERIN KELLY
'A wickedly funny and darkly compelling debut' JOANNA WALLACE
Julie Tudor is NOT a Psychopath.
Julie Tudor is 49 and has it a fantastic job (well-maintained spreadsheets are the lynchpin of an efficient office), a beautiful house (some may wonder how she got the money for it, but nothing has been proved) and the man of her dreams. Julie Tudor is NOT a Stalker.
Sean is 25 and the love of Julie's life. The only problem is, he thinks he's in love with someone else.
And Julie Tudor is definitely, definitely NOT a Serial Killer.
But Julie has found herself in a similar situation before. And if there's one thing Julie knows, it's how to get rid of the competition...
After all, what's a little murder in the name of true love?
Readers LOVE Julie 'From the very first page, I was hooked and unable to put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'What a perfect read!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'THIS BOOK IS LITERAL INSANITY!!!!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This was SO GOOD' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This one's a must-read!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don't know what it says about me that I get such a kick out of batshit characters.
Julie Tudor is 100% batshit crazy and I couldn't stop flipping the pages.
A shout out to Kelly (and the Book Boar) for her review and the comp to one of my favorite guilty pleasures - Baby Reindeer. Spot on comparison!
Julie Tudor and her co-worker Sean are madly in love. The only problem is that Sean doesn't actually know that he's in love with her yet. Pay no mind to that as Julie is not only charming but tenacious. She just needs to prove to him what she already knows. Easy peasy!
Holy crap! This was a cringefest from beginning to end with many giggles in between. Julie's awkwardness and lack of self awareness was nothing short of fascinating. Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her but the amount of crazy shit she did kept reminding me that, yes indeed, Julie Tudor is a psychopath. Needless to say a good time was had by all. Except Sean. Definitely not Sean. Yikes! 4 stars!
A fun, quirky look into a mad woman’s mind, Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath delivered quite the hefty dose of dark, twisted humor. From the delightfully unhinged main character to a crazy-a** plot that just grew crazier and crazier, this was one book where suspending all disbelief guaranteed me a rollicking good time. After all, with a trail of bodies as long as the page count, Julie was the kind of woman you wouldn’t want in your life even if you would love to be a fly on her wall. Delusional, obsessive, and utterly wicked, she made this book binge-worthy in the extreme thanks to her innocent yet fool-like characterization. Bravo, Ms. Holdich, on a job well done with all of the above.
Unfortunately, though, that was where the fun sort of ended for me. Repetitive, sluggish, and downright disturbing, much of the story came off as sad more so than darkly amusing or witty. What bugged me the most, though, was a mix of the slow-boiling plot and the lack of any real mystery. Tacked onto the unfortunate pacing was a big missed opportunity in terms of Julie’s character development. Why was she such a chaotic mess? Who made her this way? Despite multiple timelines that showed the progression of her evil ways, we never dove into her psyche or even her childhood. For me, that left me wanting when it came to the star piece of the novel, which is a shame.
All said and done, though, while there were some definite missteps, I still raced through this debut in just one single sitting. With a very Fatal Attraction-esque vibe minus the spine-tingling fear and unbridled foreboding, in nevertheless delivered a unique unreliable narrator who pulled me right in. I mean, who wouldn’t love Julie’s downright hilarious inner monologue as well as the rapidly escalating calamity of a life lived on the edge? So despite the fact that parts of this just didn’t work for this thriller lover, I still recommend it to anyone who loves satirical plots or wildly unhinged personas. After all, while it wasn’t really a mystery/thriller, it was still a good solid read. Rating of 3 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Julie Tudor is not a psychopath.
Julie Tudor is 49 and has it all: a fantastic job (well-maintained spreadsheets are the lynchpin of an efficient office), a beautiful house (some may wonder how she got the money for it, but nothing has been proved) and the man of her dreams.
Julie Tudor is not a stalker.
Sean is 25 and the love of Julie's life. The only problem is, he thinks he's in love with someone else.
And Julie Tudor is definitely, definitely not a serial killer.
But Julie has found herself in a similar situation before. And if there's one thing Julie knows, it's how to get rid of the competition...
After all, what's a little murder in the name of true love?
Thank you to Jennifer Holdich and Sourcebooks Landmark for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Oh Julie Tudor, you most certainly are a psychopath! What a fast, fun read this book was. It is dark but funny, it was sad but so entertaining. I flew through this in a day, giggling along with her antics.
Now at times it did get a bit uncomfortable and there are a few hints at animal cruelty as well. But you can’t help but get drawn into Julie’s version of the world, the one where everyone loves her and she can do no wrong. She is 49, has a good job that she has been doing forever after her previous career path didn’t quite work out. She has a lovely home and is in a loving relationship with a younger man, Sean. Problem is, Sean has no idea and is in love with someone else, Julie is an unhinged woman and won’t let that stand in her way.
For me this was a hit, just the kind of book that I needed. She was a terrible person that hard to sympathise with , but you just had to keep reading. I loved her introduction to the Facebook!
Thanks so much to Sourcebooks Landmark on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on June 24th.
Anyone else been feeling a void since last year’s runaway hit????
If so, then allow me to introduce you to Julie Tudor! This one REALLY kicks off with a bang . . . that being Sean’s body bouncing down the stairs. We then bounce back to 2009 and learn about Julie and Sean’s history as co-workers and their unusual May/December romance . . .
“You know that’s about a stalker,” I told him.
“I know,” he said.
If you like your thrillers with a side of pitch black humor and some seriously cringe main character, boy oh boy is this one for you!
♡ thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Jennifer Holdich for an ARC of this book via NetGalley ♡
3.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)
julie tudor is DEFINITELY a psychopath.. julie babes, do you want the number to my therapist??
📖 plot & pace: this story follows Julie Tudor's unhinged life using multiple timelines (current and events from her past). Julie has had a few different love interests, but none of them have turned out... good (or healthy). this book was pretty fast paced, making it easy to get consumed by it.
👥 characters: Julie's poor love interests... boy did they deserve better! there's a few different ones in this story, but the current (Sean) is the one i feel most sorry for. Julie is definitely super unhinged HAHA and a terrible person.. the people around her felt immense pain because of her actions.
🤩 tropes: dark romance (?), stalkerish vibes, mentally unstable FMC, "am i the drama?" (yes julie you are)
the one thing i didn't like was the pets.. 😣 i just can't stomach animal cruelty, even in the small mentions this book had. i also feel julie's behavior was never explained, which is understandable being from her POV, but it would've been nice to have some insight into her character development (was she always like this? was there a traumatic event?)
otherwise, this was an enjoyable read and if you like unhinged characters with a little ✨insanity✨ & dark humor, this is definitely for you!
This title caught my attention immediately. Who is this Julie and what type of psychopathic tendencies does she have? Unfortunately, for a psychopath, Julie was rather dull.
Julie has worked 25+ years at an investment finance company handling case files when she sets her sights on Sean, a handsome, younger coworker. It’s love at first sight. But it’s completely one-sided. Julie just can’t take a hint, even when her coworker is married, she still believes he secretly harbors love for her. This isn’t Julie’s first infatuation. There have been many more prior to Sean. This is where I believe the story fell a little bit flat. As a reader, we know what’s going on with Julie, but it feels with each flashback the same thing happens over and over. It lacked the dark comedy it needed for it to work. Julie was an unlikable “unlikable character”. She wasn’t funny and there was no depth to her.
This was definitely reminiscent of You by Caroline Kepnes but lacked the darkness in both humor and psychopathic actions that were done much better in You. Julie needs to take some pointers from Joe.
2.5 STARS!! Not every book is going to resonate with the reader. That’s why there are so many genres and sub-genres within books today. There’s no way an author can satisfy every reader. And that’s okay.
I picked up this book by a new author for review. I was expecting a quirky murder mystery with some humor in the story because so many people have said this book is humorous. But the further I got into the story, the more I realized I was not getting any of that.
The author tells us a story of infatuation. But the twist is that the woman truly is psychotic. There’s no actual mystery here, but we do get several different timelines of back stories that build into the current mental state of the woman.
The author attempts to paint a picture of someone we should feel sorry for, but the reality is that this lady is weird and broken. There is no humor. There was no lightness in the story at all. In fact, I found this to be a very dark novel.
She is a stalker and a straight-up murderer, removing people from the life of the man she loves. But there are darker pieces here as well; animals, and the destruction of people’s entire world.
One thing is for certain. People enjoy what they enjoy. This story was not for me because I look for something that makes me feel good and engaged with the characters and story when I’m done reading. Some people found it humorous. I found it twisted. What am I missing??
Ultimately, that’s up to the reader to decide. Did the author do a great job writing Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath? Absolutely. Many found it humorous and awesome. That’s why I gave it the rating I gave. Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a book you would enjoy.
~~~~ * I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ** Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/julie-tudor-...
This was an entertaining, fast-paced thriller with an incredibly flawed, awkward and unsettling protagonist who is desperate to possess to one she loves. Her name is Julie Tudor, and she is so socially awkward at times that I literally wanted to reach through the pages and shake her, telling her to get a clue! She’s fascinating in a way that makes you unsure whether to root for her or recoil from her. Initially Julie was quite funny and entertaining, but after about the halfway point I began to grow a little weary of her refusal to become self-aware and evolve, and I just became annoyed with her. I also predicted pretty much exactly the direction this one was headed, which was a bit of a let-down. The dual timeline provided some depth, but it didn't shed any light into what made Julie the way she was, which left me scratching my head a bit. While reading, it felt fairly clear to me that Julie was on the spectrum, and I really would have enjoyed if the author had explored this aspect of her a bit more, but alas, she didn't.
While I was close to giving this four stars, these issues definitely held it back. Since this was a debut novel I do want to give this author another chance, as I do see potential! I would recommend this to readers that don't have issues with unlikable protagonists, and are looking for a fairly straightforward, fast paced read!
Julie Tudor is 49 years old, has worked in the same boring job for over 25 years, and has styled her hair like Princess Diana for decades. She wears all black and she has had many pets…but those never seem to act the right way. She works with a younger man named Sean, and though he keeps it secret, she knows he’s in love with her. It doesn’t matter that he had a wife who died; he was clearly not happy in that relationship. It doesn’t matter that he’s now dating a pretty woman his age; that’s just so office gossip doesn’t get started, surely. Yep, Sean and Julie are having quite the love affair - it just happens to be in her head.
This isn’t her first love. There was the married doctor who definitely wished he could leave his wife to be with Julie. There was her sister’s boyfriend, who obviously was just hanging around the family to be near Julie. There was the television star who was speaking to the world, but thinking of Julie. Sean is the greatest though - he’s made up a nickname for Julie, they occasionally have tea in the break room, and when he needs help with a spreadsheet, who is it he’s looking for? Julie!
This book goes from the years 1972 to 2020, but the majority of it is set in 2009. You’ll find out all about Julie’s loves, her conquests, her art, her pets, her murders…and it’s so good! Disturbing, yet lighthearted and at many times, funny, this is the book I thought I was going to read this spring. “Creep: A Love Story” is a debut novel by Emily van Straatan that came out in April, and I loved it, but it was a darker and more depressing story. Julie’s story has similarities, but it’s not as sad of a read - this book makes the insanity more fun, and there was a lot more action. I liked the feel of this book, and the writing was great. The things that the two books have in common are a character with a warped view of love, and my rating of 4.5, rounded up for being a debut!
(Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark, Jennifer Holdich and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on June 24, 2025.)
I love an angry, vengeful, female serial killer (let's be honest, who doesn't?) but Julie Tudor was just a sad, delusional one, and at the end of the day just made me feel bad for her. I loved the idea behind this book, but unfortunately it just left me feeling sad and glad it was over. 2.5 stars.
Spoiler alert: Julie Tudor absolutely IS a psychopath, a raging one! (It's not really a spoiler-it's in the blurb.) She's also a stalker and a serial killer and though the story begins with her present infatuation with her co-worker Sean, we are taken back to different points in her past to learn how Julie became the woman she is today.
Told entirely from Julie's POV, it's clear right from the start she's delusional, narcissistic and has ZERO conscience. However, her inner monologue is tinged with humor, but not because she's TRYING to be funny. Julie is actually quite naïve and clueless in many respects. She certainly invokes conflicting emotions. She made me cringe, laugh, wince and shake my head in horror, all while also feeling somewhat sorry for her. Moving at a slower pace than I would've thought, some of her musings could've been left out without affecting the overall feel. Though Julie is definitely an intriguing character, I think I expected MORE darkness from her, or at least a higher intensity of a suspenseful atmosphere. I never knew quite whether to like her or hate her, but she definitely reminded me of a slightly older 'Bridget Jones' if she were deranged and off her rocker! (IFKYK!)
In this case, I think the audiobook version is the way to go since it adds to the emotion and feeling of situations with the humor coming through Clare Corbett's performance. Sometimes the tone of a thought made more of an impact with the inflection and emotion of Clare's fabulous narration.
JULIE TUDOR IS NOT A PSYCHOPATH is a fun, albeit demented look inside the mind of stalker's life. I had no idea what she was going to do next and that certainly kept things interesting! Grab this one if you enjoy dark humor and twisted tales of love gone wrong! ____
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Audio for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.
Julie Tudor is intense, socially misaligned, and at times, completely unhinged—yet she's strangely magnetic, though best admired from a safe distance. Her grip on reality is slippery at best, which makes for a character both fascinating and deeply unpredictable.
Julie Tudor is intense, socially misaligned, and at times, completely unhinged—yet she's strangely magnetic, though best admired from a safe distance. Her grip on reality is slippery at best, which makes for a character both fascinating and deeply unpredictable.
I found myself laughing, cringing (yes, I screamed twice), and wholly engrossed in her chaotic world. Julie's overindulgence in alcohol only adds to the layered dysfunction, and the tone of the book walks a fine line between dark comedy and psychological exploration. There's a satirical edge to the writing that cleverly mirrors Julie's distorted view of the world, making the experience both entertaining and disturbingly insightful.
I listened to the audiobook, and Clare Corbett's narration is nothing short of phenomenal. Her performance brings Julie to life with nuance, wit, and emotional depth. It's more than narration; it's a performance that elevates the story and captures every facet of Julie's complexity.
Julie is a fabulously broken character, and her story, though cheeky and dark, makes for a compelling and memorable listen. I truly enjoyed the ride and would highly recommend giving this one a chance.
3.5 Stars for Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath (audiobook) by Jennifer Holdich read by Clare Corbett.
This is a crazy roller coaster ride of a love story. Could things be more misconstrued? Don’t get in the way of Julie and the man that she plans to marry or you’ll end up dead.
"‘She might be a proper weirdo,’ is how Julie’s father describes her. And he's not wrong. Julie certainly possesses a lurkiness about her that puts everyone on edge, and murder doesn’t seem too far out of her reach. However, the portrayal of Julie as an unreliable narrator, though intriguing, falls short. While she is undeniably unlikable, completely insane, and devoid of morals, there's a sense that her character could have been pushed further into these extremes. Yet, instead of feeling like a character with unlimited potential for chaos, she ends up feeling somewhat flat.
The narrative, which holds the promise of being deliciously deranged and full of twists, ultimately becomes repetitive and lacks the intensity it could have had. What could have been a truly gripping, unpredictable psychological thriller instead feels more like a missed opportunity.
For me, this book didn’t quite hit the mark. While I won't actively recommend it, I do hope that other readers may find something within the story that resonates with them more than it did for me.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!"
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Julie Tudor is not a psychopath. Or is she?
Julie is living in a delusion where her younger coworker is deeply in love with her but is being lead astray by other women. She will do anything and everything to make her his. And this isn’t the first time she’s done this either. Those weren’t the real loves of her life. But Seth is, and if she can’t have him no one will. After all, what’s a little murder in the name of love.
This was laugh out loud funny. She is so unhinged I love it! 4.5 stars rounded up.
Jennifer Holdich's debut novel, JULIE TUDOR IS NOT A PSYCHOPATH immediately drew me in because of its fun cover and deliciously juicy synopsis. This book is a total beach read through and through and I think readers of Frieda McFadden and Carolien Kepnes (wow what an interesting comparison) will enjoy this book!
Julie Tudor has it all: a great job that she loves, a gorgeous home (don’t ask too many questions), and the perfect man—25-year-old Sean. He just doesn’t know it yet. Sure, he thinks he’s in love with someone else, but Julie’s handled that kind of problem before. She’s not a stalker, not a psychopath, and definitely not a serial killer. She’s just in love—and willing to do whatever it takes to keep it that way.
This book is exactly what you think it is—a feminist take on the Joe Goldberg YOU. I loved that Julie was in her late 40s and that the book navigates from early adulthood until the main conflict as Julie's behavior continued to cause havoc around those in her life. I felt that the story is a fun, easy, and silly read that you can quickly binge or read at the beach or poolside. It's definitely a book where you don't have to think too much with—just go in and enjoy the ride!
I had so much fun with Julie, but she’s definitely a psychopath. I love a story delivered from an inner monologue, especially from not only an unreliable narrator but a delusional one. None of what you read is Julie’s fault you see. She’s just looking for love.
A quick, binge worthy and darkly funny novel, I’d like to meet the character again. An excellent debut.
Clare Corbett’s narration is excellent.
Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Audio snd NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
I have a soft spot for the chaos and Julie’s chilling nonchalance and staggering lack of self-awareness are truly something to behold. Her delusion and obsession—equal parts disturbing and magnetic—make her a wildly entertaining, darkly comic anti-heroine and an utterly unreliable narrator.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, and you’ll absolutely be drawn in. While I’m unsure about the book’s lasting impact as a whole, there’s no denying that Julie herself is unforgettable.
Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath has a pretty cover on the outside and some seriously dark stuff on the inside.
We meet Julie Tudor, a 49 year old woman who appears to have a crush on Sean, a younger co-worker. Julie is our narrator, and may go down in history as the MOST unreliable narrator of all my reads.
She presents Sean as her close work pal, and describes mutual attraction. We learn very quickly this is Julie's perception and NOT reality. In fact, reality is presented in many flashbacks of Julie's previous "relationships", and man- is Julie unhinged!!
This is a very different story, and while I would label it a thriller or sorts, the plot twists here are all in Julie's mind.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC.
Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath is a quirky ride: imagine Bridget Jones colliding with Kathy Bates in Misery. That’s the energy Jennifer Holdich brings here: darkly funny, awkwardly relatable, and just the right amount of unsettling.
Julie, our unreliable narrator, is delusional in the most entertaining way. Her voice keeps the story light and airy, even when the subject matter veers into obsession and, well, murder. There were stretches where it felt a bit dragged out, but the humor and odd charm of Julie’s perspective pulled me back in.
This isn’t a deep dive into psychology or a high-octane thriller—it’s a character-driven romp through one woman’s unhinged worldview. And honestly? I had fun. Entertaining, engaging, and delightfully weird.
Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath delves into the complex and often unsettling life of a mentally ill woman, Julie Tudor, who becomes fixated on the men she works with. Unfortunately, the novel didn’t resonate with me in the way I had hoped.
While the premise had potential, it fell flat in execution. The psychological aspects of Julie’s condition were intriguing, but the overall tone lacked the levity or dark humor that might have made this story more engaging. Rather than feeling like a darkly comedic exploration of obsession, the narrative felt more disconnected and, at times, uncomfortable.
Julie’s obsession is the driving force of the story, but her interactions with those around her didn’t spark enough intrigue to maintain my interest. It wasn’t particularly funny, as the author may have intended, and the storyline didn’t pull me in emotionally either. The pacing also felt slow, and the lack of meaningful character development made it difficult to care about Julie's journey.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the ARC. It may appeal to others, but I found it didn’t quite hit the mark.
I had so much fun reading this book! My FAVORITE type of main character has funny internal dialogue and completely unhinged and that is 100% Julie Tudor!
Julie’s love life is complicated, and she has no luck with the man she truly wants to be with. She may claim she’s not a psychopath, but she is doing some truly psychotic things to proclaim her love.
The amount of times my jaw dropped and I laughed out loud while reading this 👏🏻 👏🏻
Read if you love: -all things unhinged -multiple timelines -people bad at relationships -bingeworthy books
4.5⭐️
Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for letting me be a part of this cover reveal and also getting an ARC through NetGalley!
Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath By: Jennifer Holdich Pub Day: June 24, 2025
How would you eliminate what you believe is your competition? I can’t imagine murder, but Julie Tudor does.
She is 49 and working, owns a home and is looking for the love of her life.
In walks Sean, who is 25, HOWEVER he is in a relationship. Julie does not consider this a threat, as he must be stuck in this relationship.
She is not the only threat and Julie is not above killing to get what she wants. This novel was fun, entertaining and perfect with some comical relief.
No one quite does delusion like Julie Tudor! This a fun take on the thriller genre with a hilarious, delusional and unhinged main character you're sure to have conflicted opinions on.
Julie Tudor is a 49 year old woman who has found herself in love with her co-worker, 25 year old Season but there is one slight problem, Sean is in love with someone else. This is not the first time Julie has found herself in this situation and is more than prepared to eliminate the competition and get her man, at any cost because if she cant have him then nobody can.
This story focuses on a complicated character who at times we do genuinely feel sorry for. She has elements of being relatable for so many readers especially when she brings to light how different she has always felt, alone at times and misunderstood. Julie however, is most certainly the definition of delusional and the ways in which her unique brain works leaves us entertained and laughing at what we are reading her say and think because while she declares she is indeed not a psychopath she sure is doing some pretty unhinged things in the name of what she believes to be love. An unreliable narrator, utterly unhinged and full of obsessive thoughts and feelings for all the wrong men in her life that lead her to do anything to get rid of the women around she sees as her competition.
Jennifer Holdich has done an incredible job portraying British humour to perfection, I was genuinely laughing out loud at this book while also feeling so awkward and embarrassed for Julie that it felt as if I knew this character personally. The other characters throughout this book also felt like recognizable people in day to day life and actually aided in brining our main female lead to life. The narration in the audiobook also brought Julie to life and we could feel her frustrations, panic, and obsession.
If you are a fan of the likes of CJ Sckuse and her Sweet Pea books then this is perfect for you! There are multiple time lines that allow us to understand Julie and her background, its a quick read that you find yourself getting through in no time and is truly entertaining, I would highly recommend.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this arc.
Yeah Julie Tudor is 100 % a psychopath. I listened to the audiobook and I must admit it was a lot of fun, it's witty and humorous. I honestly got Eleanor Oliphant vibes ...but if she was unhinged AF.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.