Cómo matar a un chico en diez citas

by Shailee Thompson, Noemí Jiménez Furquet (Translator)

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A humorous, swoony, and downright terrifying slasher rom-com in which a cinephile gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event and must use her encyclopedic knowledge of the romance and horror genres to make it as a real-life Final Girl.

When Jamie Prescott and her best friend Laurie attend a speed-dating event, Jamie expects to meet a roster of mediocre men and indulge in some street food afterwards. She doesn’t expect one of her dates to have his throat slit at their table during a blackout. After the lights come back on and there are more bodies on the floor, it becomes clear that dating can be a very dangerous pastime.

Armed with makeshift weapons and Jamie’s extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a slasher, the remaining speed daters try to find an exit while the killer adds to their body count. As the night progresses and Jamie comes face-to-mask with the murderer, she begins to suspect they are committing the slayings to woo one of the daters and turn them into a real-life Final Girl. But Jamie has other plans, and as she fights for her life, she can’t help but find herself ensconced in a love triangle with two of the other survivors. Will she make it through the bloodshed to find her Happily Ever After? Or does this machete-wielding psychopath have another ending in mind?

For fans of Love in the Time of Serial Killers and Butcher & Blackbird, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is one killer love story.

Genres: Romance, Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2026

About the author

Shailee Thompson is an author who writes women with smart mouths, soft hearts and strong wills... then she puts them in the deepest of sh*t. Her debut novel, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates (Out February 2026!), is a Slasher Rom-Com that proves all is fair in love and gore.

When not writing or talking about her characters like they’re real people, you can find her kidnapping her friends' dogs or competing with the person next to her at the gym (...yes, Pilates can be competitive).

Reviews

[Lala BooksandLala · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Literally Dead Book Club read of the year was a success! Wouldn't recommend to everyone, but for me this was the perfect balance of campy thriller x horny romance. So silly and fun, wish it was a little more intentional crafted with unexpected twists and turns. Could have been an all time favourite.

Here's the liveshow link

[Chloe Pryor · Rating 2 out of 5]

sometimes i think if i was a taylor swift, girlboss, millennial i would enjoy things more

[Sara (sarawithoutanH) · Rating 2 out of 5]

the fmc was way too horny.. girl ur gonna die stop thinking about his abs

[Rachel Louise ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75!! ⭐️🔪🍸🍿

Ragelina has FINALLY finished too 🫶🏼 and she gave it 5 stars, maybe I'm being harsh 😭 Read her greatest review ever where she completely bullies me to the point where I may need to delete my GR account 🥲🪓


Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. It reads like drunk girl bathroom talk; it's fun, it's unhinged, and it's not that deep!! The plot pays homage to slasher movies (and also romance movies!)- in particular Scream, so I would say although you don't necessarily have to have seen those movies to read this, it would definitely be a more enjoyable & fun experience if you did. The use of the plots of certain movies guiding the FMC throughout was so fun but not necessarily predictable.


There were parts where I thought maybe it was a little over-saturated with movie connections and connotations, but I also understand that is the primary purpose of this book. Also, considering it's predominantly plot driven, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of depth of the FMC. She was annoying and thirsty af, but at least she was written well.

It's just one of those books that is not to be taken too seriously. This isn't Jane Austen ok, it's just a damn good time. A palate cleanser if you will. You can immerse yourself in it, try and guess the killer, spend time picking up on all of the 3,948 movie references.. it's the perfect Halloween buddy read book in my opinion. I had so much fun reading it with Angelina so we could laugh at it and guess the villain together, so would highly recommend sharing the experience of reading it with a friend.

If you have a spooky/Halloween TBR, add it immediately.. or ELSE 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪



pre-read:

it's time for another buddy rage read with my gorgeous bffble Angelina 💗💗💗

I've had this on my tbr for SO long so when I saw bestie Angelina wanted to read it too I obvs couldn't put it off any longer, we must rage

Will it be a 2 star? let's hope not 🤭 place ur bets now

[angelinabvby ۶۟ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

٠🔪ིྀ⭑ “𝓦𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓣𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓸𝓻 𝓢𝔀𝓲𝓯𝓽.”𓂃 ࣪˖ ִִֶֶָ🥀་༘࿐

INFINITE FKING STARS

⋆｡‧˚ʚ🌹ɞ˚‧｡⋆ 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝓮 ~ 𝓽𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝔀𝓲𝓯𝓽 ⋆｡‧˚ʚ🌹ɞ˚‧｡⋆

READ RAGEL'S RAGE REVIEW OR ELSE

ℝ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℝ𝔼ℙ𝕃𝕐 𝕋𝕆 ℝ𝔸𝔾𝔼𝕃'𝕊 ℝ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎𓂃 ࣪˖ ִִֶֶָ🥀་༘࿐
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

disclaimer: plagiarism is used for comedic effect and i have no relation to lauren roberts

first off, ur rating is straightup WRONG. anything other than INFINITE STARS is unacceptable for this gem of a book ⭐️🔪🍸🍿



ur not only being harsh, ur also being STOOPID



im getting you wrong...if you really enjoyed this book and would recommend it...THEN WHY ARE NOT GIVING IT INFINITE STARS??? i think the only drunk girl in this bathroom is u—it's fun, it's unhinged, and it's not that deep!! how observant of you to realize that this book pays homage to slashers & rom-coms (& taylor swift). IF YOU HAVENT SEEN SCREAM YOURE NOT ALLOWED TO READ THIS BOOK the use of the plots of certain movies guiding the FMC throughout was so fun but not necessarily predictable.

ok sure, maybe it was a little saturated with movie connections and connotations, but i, TOO, understand that is the primary purpose of this book. also, considering it's predominantly plot driven, i was pleasantly surprised at the level of depth of the FMC. she was an annoying little bitch and thirsty af, but at least she was written well. NOT TO MENTION HOTTIE WES (AKA JACOB ELORDI)



U MUST TAKE THIS UNSERIOUS BOOK SERIOUSLY ITS LIKE JANE AUSTEN BUT 67 TIMES BETTER WITH 3949 FILM REFERENCES YOU CAN READ IT ON HALLOWEEN OR VALENTINES DAY OR NEITHER i had so much fun reading it with ragel so we could laugh at it and guess the villain together, so would highly recommend sharing the experience of reading it with a friend

READ THIS BOOK ASAP OR ELSE 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

🩸 𝔹𝕌𝔻𝔻𝕐 ℝ𝔼𝔸𝔻 𝔸ℂ𝕋𝕀𝕍𝕀𝕋𝕐 🩸

https://www.buzzfeed.com/william_fran...

TAKE THIS DAMN QUIZ AND REPORT UR DAMN RESULTS

I GOT GHOSTFACE MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH

You're mysterious, strategic, and always one step ahead. Like Ghostface, you understand the rules of the game and know how to use them to your advantage. You're observant and patient, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal yourself. People never quite know what you're thinking, and that's exactly how you like it.

RAGEL GOT TARA CARPENTER AKA JENNA ORTEGA (AKA I KILL HER)

You're fierce, resilient, and refuse to be defined by your trauma. Like Tara, you've survived impossible odds and come out fighting. You value your independence but also treasure your close relationships. You're part of a new generation that respects the past while forging your own path forward. Your strength inspires those around you.

CERTIFIED SEXY ARM ENTHUSIAST GOT DEWEY BWAHAHAHAHAHAA

You're kind-hearted, dedicated, and genuinely care about protecting others. Like Dewey, you might not always be the most coordinated, but your loyalty and courage make up for it. You're the person everyone can count on, and you bring warmth and humor to even the darkest situations. Your heart is always in the right place.

‧₊˚🌈✩ ₊˚🫧⊹♡ 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 ~ 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 ~ 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓮 ‧₊˚🌈✩ ₊˚🫧⊹♡

🦋⃤♡⃤🌈⃤ 𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓽-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 🦋⃤♡⃤🌈⃤
WHAT THE FK INFINITE FKING STARS ♾️♾️♾️
RTC ONCE RAGEL CHANGES HER RATING 💋💋💋🔪

🩸 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 💋
another rage read ft my fav bbfble ❤️‍ RACHELLLLLL ❤️‍

[ClaudiaTalksFilm · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a slasher romcom YES a SLASHER is taking place while two people fall in LOVE amidst a KILLER HUNTING THEM DOWN and it’s fucking hot and addictive and I thoroughly enjoyed it this shit HITTTTT

[Alina ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson was such a strong and impressive debut. It’s always exciting to discover a new author who confidently delivers on both concept and execution, and this book absolutely did that for me.

The balance between slasher and romance was handled really well. The darker, thriller elements had enough tension to keep me hooked, while the romantic storyline added heart and emotional stakes without feeling out of place. It’s not easy to blend those two genres seamlessly, but this felt intentional and well-paced.

I genuinely liked most of the main characters and found myself invested in their arcs. The dynamics were engaging, and the emotional beats landed. That said, one small thing that didn’t work for me was Jamie and Laurie calling each other “Baby Girl.” For me, that nickname didn’t quite match the tone of the story. It pulled me out of the moment a few times, and I feel like almost any other term of endearment would have fit better.

I listened to the audiobook, which overall was a really engaging experience. The narration brought a lot of life to the story. However, I struggled a bit with the male narrator’s voice—it was very low, and at the speed I tend to listen, I sometimes had trouble understanding what was being said. That may very well be a “me problem,” but it did affect my listening experience slightly.

Overall, this was a fantastic debut that confidently blends romance and slasher elements into a fun, gripping read. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on whatever Shailee Thompson writes next.

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ish???? this was fine. fun in some parts, mostly entertaining and also simultaneously boring

[Flor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slasher meets rom-com??? I had so many reasons why this shouldn't work… but somehow, it did. It REALLY did. I'm literally obsessed.

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

── 🍋🔪🐈‍⬛ ᝰ .ᐟ read : 1.25 stars.
this was predictable since the very beginning and i guessed who the killer was, lol. also, i couldn't take this seriously bc of the pop culture references, oh gods, i was cringing so hard 😭
rtc


── 🔪🐈‍⬛ ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
okay, the concept seems pretty interesting. let's see how it goes 👀

[Meags · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 bloody awesome Stars

Apparently, the slasher rom-com is EXACTLY the dual genre I’ve been missing my whole bookish life. Who knew?!

As someone who considers Scream to be squarely in her top 4 films (Letterboxd fanatic here), has watched every romantic-comedy I could ever lay my eyes on, and agrees with the author that 90s era Bill Pullman is THE GOAT, I knew IMMEDIATELY upon meeting movie buff FMC Jamie and her bestie Laurie that I was going to love this story.

Attending a speed dating event, at a since-repurposed old clubbing haunt, was meant to tick Jamie’s “attempt to be social” card for the month, but before the ten-date speed-round is even over, the lights go out, the doors get locked, and a serial killer begins one harrowing and bloody murder spree across the three-level maze of a building.

What follows is one heart-racing, jump-scare galore, laugh-out-loud, gory thrill ride of a read, as survivors start to drop in horrific manners, while Jamie implements her rules for surviving a horror film and her romantic comedy know-how to save as many lives as possible, with the hopes of both becoming a final girl AND a leading lady before the night’s through.

The romance and the friendship arcs, which played out within the meta-awesomeness of the bloody plot, were my personal favourite elements of the story. I won’t spoil anything by naming names, but the ultimate love interest was a solid 10 on the book boyfriend scale, and bestie Laurie was such a queen of a side kick and badass heroine in her own right that I would do unspeakable things to get this woman a spin-off book.

As is probably obvious by now, I had an absolute ripper of a time reading this impressive debut book. The genre blending was a trip but it worked an absolute treat for me and my personal tastes. The character names and movie references were particularly ELITE, at least to this self-proclaimed movie buff. If you, like me, are a huge cinephile AND reader, and are particularly well-versed in both rom-coms and slashers, this story is sure to be a nostalgic, smile-inducing, blast of a reading experience.

This is an instant new favourite for me. I already look forward to buying my own hard-copy (as I read an ebook through my library app) and hope to get my hands (ears?) on the audiobook before long. Honestly, when I've loved a book this much, my theory is the more bookish formats owned, the happier Meags will be!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! <3

[Lindsay Olivera · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I loved the concept! Speed dating, a blackout, and a murder right at the table. I was immediately intrigued, and as someone who loves slashers and scary movies, this premise felt made for me.
The book absolutely delivers on its concept: a slasher romcom packed with genre awareness, horror tropes, and pop culture references. Jamie, our main character, is a cinephile with encyclopedic knowledge of romcoms and horror films, and that knowledge plays a major role in how the story unfolds. Unfortunately, for me, this became one of the book’s biggest drawbacks. The constant references to real life movies and repeated explanations of “what happens in slashers” quickly felt overwhelming and repetitive rather than clever. At a certain point, it pulled me out of the story instead of enhancing it.
Another challenge was the pacing and structure. The entire novel takes place inside the same nightclub as the characters attempt to escape the killer. A single setting stretched across nearly 370 pages. What initially felt tense and claustrophobic eventually became exhausting. The club itself is so maze like and complex that it grew difficult to visualize, and even with a map included, I stopped trying to fully understand the layout. The tension dulled as the story continued to circle the same space without enough progression to justify the length.
Tonally, the book felt conflicted. It starts off playful and fun, leaning into its slasher romcom identity, but then shifts into something more serious and intense. That blend didn’t quite work for me, especially when romantic elements were layered in while characters were actively running for their lives. The romance and supposed love triangle never fully landed, and instead felt awkwardly placed given the circumstances.
That said, the concept itself is strong, and I appreciate the ambition behind combining horror, romance, and humor into one story. The setup is genuinely clever, and I can see how this book could work for readers who love heavy pop culture commentary and meta takes on horror tropes. While the execution wasn’t for me, the idea at the heart of the story is creative and memorable.

[Steph Cook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let’s stop writing books like they’re movies please. This heroine is so aggressively quirky it circles back to pick‑me energy. Zero charm, just constant performance. I finished it, but honestly? I shouldn’t have.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an accidental find shortly before Valentines Day and it was glorious!
For those who don't know: I hate Valentine's Day - it's not a real holiday but treated as such and the fakeness of it is on another level! I mean, if your partner doesn't think of doing something nice for you the other 364 days of a year, he/she doesn't need to on this one day out of peer pressure (this goes for both people in a partnership). Not to mention that too many people are way too focused on how much the "nice thing" costs which should NEVER be the motivation. Thus, every year, I like to put a little - usually very bloody - twist on it, which is why a story about a killer at a speed-dating event was so perfect.
It got even better because my bestie bought the same book and we've been reading in parallel, dissecting all of the red flags and shit men pull on women, and the horrible idea that is speed-dating. *lol*
(And yes, we're doing that while watching rom-coms, too, just like the MCs in this book.)

A short summary:
Best friends and roommates Laurie and Jamie are opposites: Laurie loved documentaries while Jamie is obsessed with romances and slasher movies / how much they have in common. Putting themselves out there more is a sort of pact they made and this time, Laurie got to choose. Thus, the two dress up and go on a speed-dating event. However, the "love fest" soon turns into a bloodbath.

I happen to not enjoy romances. Romcoms CAN work but there are precious few that do. Instead, as I said above, I usually dissect and trash-talk them with my best friend. I do prefer slasher movies. No, I don't have the MC's encyclopedic knowledge, I haven't seen all there are, but I've seen my fair share. Which means I also got to enjoy all the little nods and hints, and would definitely have known all the "rules", just like Jamie.

And I was wondering just how much the author was gonna play with our expectations. I mean, one possible twist COULD have been Laurie being the killer. Bwahahahahahahahahaha. But even without that, there were a number of twists and turns and I'm convinced the author put a lot of herself into Jamie.

Best of all were the action and atmosphere in this book, which were both absolutely delightful! I loved getting the perfect and appropriate amount of blood and gore (though some descriptions could have been more detailed - a fact the audio production made up for with delicious sound effects), but also snide remarks and dark humour. Oh, and the people in this weren't unrealistic. Well, maybe just a tad. I blame the romance-side of this story. ;P

The audiobook also had two narrators (one for the women, one for the men) and they worked perfectly together. Yes, that IS important. Especially considering some of the leading men. *fans herself*

So yes, an absolute success. My bestie isn't on GR so I can tell you in this review that she enjoyed the same bits, was also slightly disappointed about the almost tame ending, but agrees that this is a keeper!

P.S.: If I could get the special edition with the cover shown for the audio, I would absolutely have this book on my shelf. Alas, the available editions look atrocious so I shan't. Damn you, Australia, for not sharing! *shakes fist*

[&#x1f33a; Hannah &#x1f33a; (very busy - grad school) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🚨 VERY MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD 🚨
‼️ AGAIN! SMALL SPOILERS ‼️

Can’t you see? You belong to me ♥️🩸🔪

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is the perfect romcom/thriller to add to your TBR! This was a 4/5 stars ✨ read for me.

I haven’t read a ton of thrillers, but this one had me HOOKED. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I will say it definitely leans more thriller than romcom, which I was totally okay with. There are a few gory moments (or maybe I’m just sensitive 😅), but nothing that was too gruesome or gory to read (can also def skim these parts).

We follow a mix of characters who all play major roles in this speed dating event that quickly turns into something much darker. Jamie, Laurie, and Wes are our main characters. Jamie and Laurie are best friends attending the event hoping to find love… but instead, they find chaos, danger, and a literal murderer on the loose 🫣

Wes is another attendee, and honestly, it made total sense that he’s a cop with how calm and knowledgeable he was during everything going down. But also… Wes and Jamie… was it REALLY the time to be hooking up in a closet while there’s a killer running around?! 😭

This book kept me guessing the entire time, I genuinely didn’t figure out who the masked murderer was until the end, which made it even more fun.

Overall, this is such a solid, fast paced read, and would be absolutely perfect for spooky season 🔪🩸🖤


—————————————————————————————


March book club read with bb girls Megan and Sara 🤭♥️🔪

[joni ౨ৎ - hiatus · Rating 4 out of 5]

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── 4.25 stars
this kept me hooked!!

↪ started jan 18
↪ finished jan 21

i think this was such a fun, and unique book! i've never watched a horror movie so don't count me on that part - romcoms tho 🙂‍↕️ our fmc, jamie is a huge horror/slasher - romcom nerd. she's literally writing her thesis on slashers.

this was such a different take on the romance genre and i had a blast! i can't look at meat cleavers the same anymore 🥲

i was literally suspicious of everyone, considering the gaps where we'd see one characters and not another made everyone possibly be the killer. in the end i was kind of shocked considering prior events regarding everything.

if you love thrillers & romance give this a try! it does have horror elements (like people dying .... a lot of people) but it was so fun and fresh!

out feb 3 2025!

thanks simon & schuster canada for the ARC!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. I loved how it combined our main character's love for romcoms and slashers. I also loved at the beginning of each chapter started with a quote from a romcom but made it slasher style.
If you want a fun horror book that feels like a movie be sure to check this out!

[EmBibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

The clash of genres didn’t work for me.

I’ve never been a fan of horror comedy movies. I’ve never liked them. I don’t know why I thought reading this would be different. However, I was really excited going into this, thinking it was such an interesting concept that would make a fun read. Spoiler alert; it was stupid.

This is a book that mixes horror with romance and failed to do both. The horror aspect was done so poorly. I was bored the whole time; I almost didn’t finish it. I mean, it took me a month to finish it. That’s how boring it was. The romance aspect was so cringy. The plot twist/whodunit was so stupid. The book was so pretentious in a way. And it was just trying so hard.

The heroine was wondering the whole time if she’d end up as the ‘final girl’ or as the ‘it girl’. For me, she was such a ‘pick me girl’.

Also, this cover edition is so freakin beautiful.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

could have done without the taylor swift of it all, personally, but the gag of going “are those taylor swift lyrics ?” and the answer being “bitch no he’s literally a psycho stalker serial killer tf” was kinda funny ngl

[sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Rating: 4⭐️
🫧 Vibes: slasher meets romcom
🎶 Song: still alive - demi lovato
📖 Favourite Quote: "Because final Final Girls and Leading Ladies aren't born. They're made."
📚 Would I recommend? yes!
💬 tldr thoughts: a FUN read!

In the package:
📦 murder mystery
📦 love triangle
📦 final girl/leading lady
📦 slasher/romcom references

Plot: Jamie Prescott is a slasher and romcom film buff. She and her best friend Laurie attend a speed-dating event, when halfway through, one of Jamie's dates gets murdered during a blackout. When the lights come back on and there are more bodies on the floor. With Jamie’s extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a horror movie, they try to survive the night and find an exit. But who is the suspect?

Thoughts: this one's for the girlies that love slasher films, romcoms and watch true crime documentaries before bed. I'm obsessed with scream and I adore romcoms (we need more of them) so this was the best of both worlds. People being murdered while trapped in an enclosed space while falling in love? OBSESSED WITH THIS CONCEPT. Some parts dragged a little which is my only complaint. I'd love to see this turned into a movie. I don't want to go into too many details so I don't spoil the book but I loved the romance plot too 🤭

I think one of my favourite parts of this book is that at the beginning of each chapter, there's a quote from famous romcoms that have been edited to fit the "slasher" narrative. It was such a fun little treat and this book felt like a love letter to slasher films and romcoms. I also adored Jamie's relationship with her bestie, Laurie. Their bond was really sweet, we love female friendships!!

✩⁺₊✩☽⋆ follow me on tiktok and instagram⋆☾✩⁺₊✩

[Kelly Stella · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book immediately got me. A girl is at a speed dating event and the situation turns into a slasher movie in which she has to find a way to escape and figure out who the killer is. The book was also marketed as a genre bending story (horror mixed with romance), so that also got me interested to read something fresh.

Unfortunately, I ended up really disliking it 🫣 It is way too long. Basic things are explained for you that are easily inferred and the directions on how to survive a horror movie situation are repeated over and over again. There are also a bajillion pop culture references, mostly about romcoms and horror movies….and of course Taylor Swift. Each chapter starts with a quote from a romantic movie, but the quote has been rewritten to replace the romantic words with murder words. It comes across cute at the beginning but after 39 chapters of this, you’re kind of done 🙄

I really should have DNF’d this book. I wasn’t really enjoying it, especially by the halfway mark. I also guessed the ending pretty easily. I think the only reason I kept reading was I wanted to prove that I guessed the ending correctly (I did). Because the author explains everything in so much detail I feel like she was waving a neon sign at the reader about who the killer was throughout the story. It was super obvious.

The “romance” was thin, felt awkward where it fell in the story line (girl you have bigger things to focus on like SURVIVING), and was based on instant attraction and lust 🤷‍♀️

I think this might have done better as a novella around 120 pages?? It just did not work well as a full length novel and felt very drawn out. The main character herself even talks about how nicely slasher movies are wrapped up in 90 minutes and how we skip over a lot of stuff at the end to just get to the future epilogue. But then the book goes on to show those boring scenes the movie usually skips 🫠

So the only real positive thing I can say about this is it has a good premise and may make a fun movie someday. But as a 368 page novel? I wouldn’t recommend it.

[❋ Booked Out Today ❋ · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
★★★★

Jamie and her best friend Laurie are trapped in a locked speed-dating event turned murder spree and must use her horror-movie know-how to survive as a real-life Final Girl. A swoony, darkly funny horror romance where flirting can be fatal.

This was a lot of fun to read. I was especially loved the beginning of this book. It was extremely captivating. I must say the momentum of the story dropped off mid way through. The setting of this book was the same place the whole way through which I found challenging. It would have been interesting to get an insight to what was happening on the outside or even get a POV from Laurie.

I really liked Shailee’s writing style and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another book from her in the future. This was overall a great read but just missed the mark for me at the end.

💭 Have you been on a speed date before?

Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterau for the opportunity to review this book.

[hailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a huge fan of both slashers & romance, this was a lot of fun

[Hannah Woznick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a lot of issues with this book, and in the nature of getting it off my chest, I’m going full spoilers.
- Jamie is such an insufferable main character. We GET it you know a lot about slashers and rom-coms so you MUST have a superiority complex about it for the entire book. Also, you are a TERRIBLE friend. I don’t CARE that you personally don’t like documentaries. STOP MENTIONING IT EVERY OTHER PAGE HOW BORING AND UNEMOTIONAL YOUR FRIEND IS. DO YOU EVEN LIKE HER?!?! I wouldn’t like you if I were Laurie! Also we go on and on about all the things these characters do wrong in the movies, or even in real life where victims of murder should have known better, and then just lay out 45 red flags that you ignored and also realize you don’t have the ability to run away from a killer either. You aren’t actually all that great, Jamie!
- This book is altogether too meta. You have to ax the reader in the head with all the connections Jamie is making between rom-coms and slashers. It’s conveniently showing her dissertation just happens to be correct and also showing you think the reader is too dumb to pick up on any message that isn’t spelled out.
- There were moments where I thought the book was fun and that was in the primarily slasher/thriller aspects. Then you have to ruin it with another 45 movie/actor references. This has literally the worst similes I have ever read in my life. I was actually flabbergasted at how completely insensitive it was to the amount of carnage trying to be displayed. The humor was trying to make the book more rom-com, but instead just ruins any moment of tension you possibly had to get the book going.
- John and Billie holy FUCK are you kidding me?!?! Of COURSE the main character clocks Billie being off right away and HAS to be proven right by the end. Also can we rid of the trope of a woman doing fucked up things because she needs to prove to the messed up male lead that he should love HER instead. BE SO FOR REAL. Having a love triangle where it’s obvious one of the two has to be the murderer and then making it the guy who conveniently keeps disappearing is so annoying.
- THE TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES ARE SO EYE ROLL STOP FORCING HER INTO EVERY SINGLE MODERN BOOK EVER
- Of COURSE Wes is a perfect secret undercover manly man cop. Can we talk about how absolutely INSANE it is to be horny at all in this situation? I know that’s like… the whole point. Rom com and slasher mix heheh so fun. But LITERALLY Wes has the personality of wet cardboard, and also you’re thinking about his abs while literally holding someone’s neck so they don’t bleed out????? That’s INSANE but okay. And also how did John even survive that ANYWAYS. Putting romance in this was actually the best way to ruin this book even more, which is so impressive because it made Jamie see even more insensitive and insane. I think John was actually perfect for her when you think of it like that.
I HATED this book. The worst part is not only all the issues in general with everything above (of which I could keep going), but WHY was it 380 pages? That deserved 200 at most. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[Brittany S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read Completed 2/4/26 | Book #19 of 2026

This book has an audience and that audience was definitely not me. On the surface, it seemed really fun. Rom com references with a slasher vibe? Fun! But the author just took everything way, way too far for my tastes. You'll get all that and more, and it was far too much for me.

We can't go two sentences without a horror movie reference, a romcom quote, or the main character talking about leading ladies and final girls. It was seriously just over the top and got super annoying super fast. A bit more subtlety and a plot that made sense would have gone a long way for me, but that's just not what this book was, so that's okay. It was just never going to work for me -- I only wish I had understood that before starting it. The constant pop culture references became such a crutch that I felt like we didn't have a book without them.

There are a couple little "twists", one I didn't care about, one was totally dumb. The killer reveal and motive is so stupid. The main character ran the show because she knows all about horror movies, but girl, this isn't a movie. It's supposed to be real life. I get it, I get it, it's supposed to be funny and silly, but I kind of just wanted her to get killed because she's following horror movie rules instead of being a rationally thinking person in a crisis situation.

The romance was not for me. The two main leads were fine, whatever, but I could not have cared less about being romantic in this type of setting. Let's see someone disemboweled and then bang in a closet, sure. Because that's not the most horrific moment of your life or anything.

It's my fault, I should have known better, but the title and cover were cute and I made a bad choice.

[Dallas Strawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

How To Kill A Guy in Ten Dates is set to blast onto the scene and firmly establish Shailee Thompson as a writer to watch. This debut novel, a slasher rom-com (yes, you read that right) is one of the most unique and refreshingly told stories I’ve read in quite some time. Thompson’s voice is sharp, clever, and utterly original; I’ve truly never read anything quite like it.

The story follows certified movie lover Jamie and her best friend Laurie as they reluctantly sign up for a speed-dating experiment. Jamie, a devoted fan of both romantic comedies and horror films, expects an awkward night of small talk — not a blood-soaked mystery. But when the lights suddenly go out and the man across from her ends up with his throat slashed, Jamie finds herself living out a twisted mash-up of her favorite genres.

As the surviving daters realize they’re trapped inside with a killer, alliances form, tensions rise, and even a spark of romance flickers amid the chaos. Jamie might just find her perfect match… if she can make it out alive!

How To Kill A Guy in Ten Dates is a bloody good time; a smart, fast-paced, and wickedly fun read that will delight movie lovers and anyone looking for a Valentine’s story with a killer twist. Don’t miss this one when it hits shelves from Gallery Books in February!

Thanks to Gallery Books for an ARC!

[The Pastel Bookshelf]

DNF @47%

[vania ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

RTC later

[Celine Manternach · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was so bad.

[Cortney - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 big bloody hearts!

I LOVED this book. Fun, funny, gory, suspenseful, with just a hint of romance, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates had it all! Definitely tops my list of favorite reads of the year. 💗🩸🔪☠️