Hot Girl Murder Club: A crackling feminist revenge thriller for Summer 2026

by Ashley Winstead

From national bestselling author Ashley Winstead comes a buzzy, bloody new thriller about success, sisterhood, and demanding justice…by any means necessary.

What’s a girl got to do to get some fame, a few million record sales, and justice for murder?

Ten years ago, aspiring singer-actress Scout Sage lost the only thing that mattered: her sister, Georgia. Ever since Georgia’s mysterious death at a Hollywood party, Scout’s done her best to honor her memory, clawing her way through the industry and collecting a network of climbers along the way, fellow hot girls in stilettos with cutthroat ambition, a new Hollywood order.

But when a slew of targeted murders makes headlines across LA, all pointing to Scout as the killer, she turns overnight from a mid-tier pop star into the world’s most famous (alleged) murderer. Now everything she’s worked to build—including the justice she wants for Georgia—will fall apart unless Scout can prove she’s not guilty.

Meanwhile, the young and unusual detective assigned to her case, herself no stranger to tragedy, begins to unearth secrets not even Scout knows, let alone her millions of new fans. Particularly about the ways Georgia’s death connects to an even older pattern of crimes long hushed over in Hollywood—an old reign of terror that, if brought to light, could be the fuel that ignites a reckoning the world over.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Adult, Suspense

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2026

About the author

Ashley Winstead's bestselling, critically-acclaimed books have been translated into more than twenty languages, optioned for film and television, named Book of the Month, Indie Next, Library Read, Loan Star, and Amazon Editor picks, and covered everywhere from the New York Times to People magazine. She's a former academic who lives in Houston with her husband, three cats, and beloved wine fridge.

Reviews

[Liana Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3 ⭐️ Hollywood glamour, sisterhood, murders, revenge--What's a girl got to do to get some fame?

The idea of a detective/bottle service girl at an exclusive nightclub was enough to lure me in. From the opening chapter, I thought this idea of vigilantes in Hollywood going all out with a vengeance was so clever and interesting, I was hoping for a very twisted murder story. However, it didn't exactly go where I thought it would. What I thought would be a dark, revenge story lost its appeal when the story became too ambitious and chaotic for my liking.

A little summary first: The story follows two timelines, one in the present and one ten years earlier.
Scout Sage has lost a sister ten years earlier and has been searching for answers since her murder. In the past timeline, Scout was an aspiring actress, trying to climb the ranks and was invited to a luxurious Hollywood party, which she attended with her sister in hopes of making it big in Hollywood. In present, she's well known in the entertainment industry but becomes the target of attention when a string of murders puts her at the center of the investigation. Powerful men have been targeted in Los Angeles and each death has been marked with Scout Sages' lyrics. The detectives make a big break in the current murders and as Scout is trying to clear her name, new information comes to light, uncovering the real truth about her sisters' murder.

This book was a lot. A lot of characters, a lot of murders and an unsolved mystery going back 10 years ago to one event that changed many lives. Winstead takes a big swing at important social issues like exploitation, sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood. While I appreciated her take on the injustice that women still face to this day, I felt that the novel itself was chaotic and too ambitious for my taste. Told from multiple perspectives and time jumps, it took a long time to grab my attention or start making sense. Initially, I was only reading my eARC but started to realize that the execution was making me lose my interest, so I switched to the ALC, which honestly pulled me out of the slump. Brittany Pressley is an excellent narrator and probably the saving grace for me. There were many parts that had my attention and others that dragged or were insignificant. Overall I think this is less of a thriller than an unsolved mystery. Plus the eARC was super unclear in terms of whose chapters I was reading so it was a big guessing game which I did not like, while the ALC always stated whose chapter I was reading. Hopefully the final publication will have the appropriate marking/names for all the chapters.

Overall, I think less is better and I felt that so many characters was an overkill here. I’m not new to Ashley Winsteads writing, this is my fourth book by this author and I think it tried to tackle a lot but at the same time remained pretty ambiguous. I love a good vigilante book..but this was not it. It's a far cry from a thrilling story and left me overall not impressed.




Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and the author, Ashley Winstead for an early ARC.


Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for man early ALC!
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Duration: 11 hours 16 minutes
Speed: 1.5x


Publication: July 14, 2026

[Ricarda · Rating 3 out of 5]

First rule of Hot Girl Murder Club is that we don't talk about Hot Girl Murder Club, and by that I mean that there just really isn't that much to say about it. I was super thrilled about the premise of a group of female Hollywood stars coming together to get revenge on all the disgusting people in the business, but it simply wasn't the positively unhinged story that I had hoped for. The actual story was all over the place, honestly. It starts out with detective Grey Holloway, who is frowned upon in her department because she is, well … hot. She's called to a crime scene where the murdered victim looks very similar to her, but you can forget that I said that because it literally doesn't play any role in the rest of the book. (I don't know what that was about, but I wanted to illustrate my frustration with this story.) We get a bit of the investigation that follows this murder case and learn how it might be connected to other deaths and the rumors of this murderous group of women led by a pop star. It could be such an iconic story. A bit trashy, really leaning into the silly title, entertaining and wild while also addressing serious issues. Just a book about girls supporting girls and if that support includes murder, so be it. But the book wasn't all that. Instead it's a kind of unexciting investigation of a death 10 years in the past, which may or may not be connected to the current day murders. I would hardly call it a thriller and it was so weird how I was introduced to the possibility of the Hot Girl Murder Club and then got something else entirely. But I'm also not sure what I got instead. Some POVs truly lacked purpose and I don't get why they were included at all and the plot was so random or convenient at times that the book just wasn't exciting to read. All the characters stayed flat and I only know about the bad things that happened to them and about nothing else. Sure, it's a story that addresses exploitation, injustice and sexual assault in Hollywood, but why portray characters who are affected by these issues in such a one-dimensional way? There's the rising star singer whose one thing is that her sister was murdered, and her assistant's one thing is that she wants to protect the singer at all costs, and the detective's one thing is also that her sister was murdered (unrelated to the singer). Why did I need to read from all these people? I don't know. I actually didn't hate reading this book, though. I was always hoping for cool reveals and some turned out to be unexpected. But also because they just involved random people who I never spent any moment thinking about beforehand.

This turned out to be one of these reviews where I sound like a complete hater. But my actual thoughts upon finishing this book were: eh, it was fine, whatever. So while I can't sing any praises here, I also think that it's a perfectly readable book. I think I just had the wrong expectations, but I also blame the marketing for that. You name a book Hot Girl Murder Club and then it's not a fun story whatsoever? Everyone involved in this process had this mediocre three-star review of mine coming.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Teres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hot Girl Murder Club is a hot mess of a novel.

Woof.

Multiple narrative perspectives — I counted seven. Seven! — across two timelines (10 years ago and present day), left me with severe whiplash.

Oh wait. Add in a third timeline + voice: threaded throughout are excerpts from a future academic history of the events, written several years after the fact.

With this many narrators (not to mention the myriad side players), I vacillated between overwhelm and ambivalence.

So what's Ashley Winstead's latest thriller about?

In a nutshell: a secret vigilante network of women exacts revenge on abusive men.

The novel/author definitely has strong opinions about predatory men and the failures of our justice system.

Victim becomes villain in Hot Girl Murder Club.

My opinion: at 327 pages, it's about 200 pages too long.

My recommendation: skip it and move on to the next book in your "To Read" pile.

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashley Winstead’s newest book, and her first with publisher Minotaur, was at the top of my most anticipated of 2026 list, so I was beyond thrilled to have had the chance to read it early. Although I did enjoy it overall, I do also have mixed feelings on this juicy, vigilante drama/thriller.

Let’s begin with the good. AW writes really badass characters, and HGMC is no different. In fact, it features an absolute slew of them. And beneath the thriller plot line lies deep and meaningful themes of feminist empowerment, sisterhood, and fighting the patriarchy that still undergirds most of society en masse.

As for what didn’t work as well— I struggled a bit more with this story than I had expected to, and I think that centers around the cast being very, very large. With every chapter a new perspective (even though they connect), my brain felt pulled in too many directions, and I felt as though I was losing the primary thread more than once. This then led to that feeling of being pulled out of the story every time I was back in it.

The ending also felt a little bit more contrived than Winstead’s previous novels, and although I like the way things were resolved, they really did feel over the top. All that said, there is a popcorn quality to it that makes it easy to binge and that I think there will be a large crowd for. I can also see it making for a fantastically fun movie adaptation down the road.

Read if you like:
▪️ensemble casts
▪️secret societies
▪️vigilante justice
▪️celebrity drama

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced copy and Ali and Ali for the buddy read!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book at least two hours ago and I’m still stunned into silence by it. Actually, silence is the wrong word. I’m outraged by the fact that this book of fiction is actually what our world is right now. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Ashley Winstead wrote an incredible ripped-from-the-headlines book. Literally headlines from this week. I admire women like Ashley who let their voices be heard to help other women. This book was horrible in the best way - you’ll understand when you read it.

Dare I say Hot Girl Murder Club is exactly what we’re missing at this point in time? I could feel Ashley’s seething rage. Then on the other side, it’s a story about sisterhood and how important that is. A beautiful nod to her own sister.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this explosive arc!

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

so convoluted 😭 one day ashley will write a banger again

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

the setup…
Scout Sage and Isabel Cruz are best friends and have been since they were eight years old. They left New Jersey for Hollywood eleven years ago with stars in their eyes and both landed roles in a television show. Scout’s sister Georgia joined them the next year and now she’s helped orchestrate invites to TV network president Easton Bank’s annual Christmas party. What started out as exciting ended in tragedy when they found Georgia dead later that evening. Fast forward to present day and Scout has gained fame as a singer and emerged as a leader of a network of stiletto wearing women who have taken on the male power structure. But it all goes sideways when a series of murders become connected to her and Scout is now viewed as the leader of female vigilantes.

the heart of the story…
Scout made it her mission to honor Georgia by empowering other women in the business (and others) who have been wronged by powerful men. It was never her intention to gain notoriety as a so called vigilante. I was on the fence about whether she and Isabel were connected and was fascinated as the story transitioned between the night of that party ten years ago and present day. Detective Grey Holloway certainly believes she’s guilty and brings her own linkage.

the narration…
Brittany Pressley, one of my top favorites, had her work cut out for her with a gazillion cast members. Her storytelling was outstanding and gave critical distinctions for the major characters.

the bottom line…
I loved the story of this collective of women feeling more like a Karma Club rather than a murder group. There are a ton of characters with side plots you know will later connect and it was tough keeping track. It might have helped to have multiple narrators to help make it easier to keep things straight (no shade on Pressley) but I was able to manage them. It’s a compelling story that illuminates the injustices perpetrated on women by powerful men who are enabled by the system. Loved the message and the wonderful female empowerment.

(Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

[mileena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got lost somewhere along the way and I couldn’t find my way back, the ingredients were there but the temperature was not.. This book had a lot going on and sometimes the less is better.🫤

[Marcie McPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎭 𝗔 𝗳𝘂𝗻, 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆.

I had a good time with this one. It's the kind of book you pick up when you're looking for an entertaining, twisty mystery rather than something especially deep or complex.

The pacing kept me turning the pages, and although there were a lot of characters and quite a bit going on, the mystery still managed to surprise me. The ending wrapped everything up in a satisfying way.

This had been sitting on my TBR for a while, so I'm glad the Goodreads Bookmark Challenge finally gave me the push to read it.

If you're looking for a quick, fun thriller with plenty of twists and a story about women looking out for each other, this is well worth picking up.

[Blaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

But this story, a group of women haunting the powerbrokers of Hollywood with the threat of vigilante justice. Now that was fresh. And unsettling, if she was being completely honest. It suggested there was a new generation of women who refused victimhood so profoundly they’d rather take the only other route available to them and become villains.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of Hot Girl Murder Club in exchange for an honest review.

The Goodreads description of this book tells you everything you need to know about the plot, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.

Hot Girl Murder Club, first and foremost, is an engrossing mystery. It constantly shifts between time periods and character perspectives—some in the past, some in the present, and one a future historical perspective from a PhD thesis about the Hot Girl Murder Club. Interestingly, the narrators are always people in Scout’s orbit, but never Scout herself, making her just one more mysterious element in the story. There are multiple twists throughout the story, and several were unexpected. It builds to both great reveals and a satisfying ending. And if you begin to think as you’re reading that the actions of the Hot Girl Murder Club sound like Taylor Swift’s song Vigilante Shit, you’re right; Ms. Winstead confirmed that song was one of the inspirations for the story.

But more than that, Hot Girl Murder Club incorporates some really timely and interesting ideas into that mystery. This book is all about violence against women, often perpetrated by man, of course, but also often committed directly by—or enabled by—other women. The story explores the intersection between that violence and politics, entertainment, women’s rights, and social change. Never by name, but Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein lurk in the shadows of the book. The story asks who decides whether we consider someone who breaks the law to be a criminal or an outlaw, an unsympathetic killer or a Robin Hood. And, more importantly, it begs the question of what happens in our current post-#metoo moment.

I loved Hot Girl Murder Club. Ms. Winstead is a gifted writer, capable of hitting it out of the park in multiple genres (have you read The Future Saints?) And the narrator for the audiobook was great. 4.5 stars out of 5. Highly recommended.

[Bianca | bookd_by_bee 🐝 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the #gifted ALC 💕

3 ⭐️

I usually LOVE a multi-POV situation in the book (especially if it’s in audiobook format 🎧), but DAMN GIRL, did EVERYONE IN L.A. need a POV in this story?! I think there were AT LEAST 10 different POV’s- each with their own meandering backstory that VAGUELY connected to the main plot (which I’m stilling trying to figure out) 🫠.

The GOOD: the overall message of women empowerment, sisterhood and standing up to the patriarchy. Hell, I like a little vigilante justice from time to time, so that was good. The narration 🎧- Brittany Pressley earned her COINS on this one since she had to voice half of LA county in this story. She had a heavy lift and did a good job.

The BAD: the 97 different storylines that could have been standalone books all by themselves! I had no idea where to focus my attention- in a bad way. I’m always tickled when I don’t guess “whodunnit” by the end of the book (it’s rare, I usually figure it out), but there was no way in hell I was gonna figure it out with 88 different suspects 👥👥👥!

The UGLY: HOLY POV OVERLOAD, BATMAN! Yikes! I literally had a whole page of notes in my ARC review journal dedicated to keeping track of the characters! I gave up about halfway through and just relied on “vibes” to help me figure out what was going on. Again, the characters were interesting, there were just TOO MANY, and couple that with all the different storylines it just bogged down the story and made it a chore to get through by the end 😫

I WANTED to love it. I really did. The premise is actually pretty dope - a whole network of “hot girls” going rogue and getting justice against misbehaved men (and the women who protect them)- YES! 38 storylines & POV’s? HARD PASS. The overall message was good, so I gave this 3 stars, but this COULD have been a 5 star read with a little more editing.

[Laura Lovesreading]

In my dreams I hold a knife is still one of my ultimate fave reads!
The blurb sounds soo juicy
Hurry up release day!!!!!!!

[Aisvarya [back ig] · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There was no path to justice through the system. Men like him are the system."

Definitely not my favorite from her, but a solid read for sure!!

Actual rating - 3.5⭐

What to expect -
🍿 Character-based mystery
🍿 The dark side of Hollywood
🍿 Dual timelines
🍿 Murder mystery and missing persons case
🍿 Multiple POVs
🍿 Sisterhood
🍿 Female vigilantes
🍿 Revenge vs. justice

Ten years ago, Scout Sage and her friend Isabel, two young and aspiring actresses, attend the biggest Christmas party in Hollywood along with Scout's sister, Georgia. But only two of them walk out alive. Fast forward to the present, and there's a string of murders happening across LA. All of the victims have dirtied their hands in the entertainment industry, and the evidence points to pop star Scout Sage as the killer. It's up to Detective Grey Holloway to uncover whether there's a connection between the current murders and what happened ten years ago, and whether Scout is truly the killer.

This was such an engaging read, and I was immediately fascinated by the dual timelines and the investigations unfolding in both. As Grey pieces together the present-day murders, we're introduced to the idea of a secret network of women celebrity vigilantes working behind the scenes to deliver justice where the system has failed. The concept of women standing up for other women, advocating for one another, and refusing to tolerate the injustices inflicted on them by the Hollywood industry was incredibly empowering to read about.

The book definitely focuses more on female empowerment and the darker side of Hollywood that's often hidden behind all the glamour and glitz. Women are constantly treated differently, and the industry often pits them against one another. They're encouraged to compete to the point of hurting each other emotionally and sometimes even physically, for roles they believe they deserve. And that's only the beginning. Young actors are exploited through unfair, restrictive contracts. Women are harassed, manipulated, and abused both physically and emotionally. And even when they finally make it in the industry, they're still forced to navigate severe power imbalances. Even though I was already aware of some of these issues, it still made me sick to my stomach to see how deeply systemic they are and how rarely the people responsible are ever brought to justice.

Because of that, the book raises an interesting question: Is it okay to take justice into your own hands if the system continues to protect the people doing harm? Or does that simply make you as guilty as the people you're trying to punish? I'm always a supporter of women's rights...and women's wrongs 🤭, so I found myself cheering for many of the decisions these women made, and I thought the ending delivered that message really well.

That said, there were a couple of things that didn't quite work for me - the main reveal and some of the POVs😫 The reveal itself was surprising, but I felt like we barely spent enough time with that particular character throughout the story. So when the "bam... here's your killer" moment arrived, it didn't feel as satisfying as I'd hoped. I understood why they did what they did, but I still found it difficult to fully accept their justification. The other reveals, however, were really well done, and I especially enjoyed the story once the two timelines finally converged.

As for the multiple POVs, I thought most of them were necessary because I generally love seeing events from different perspectives. That said, there were a lot of them. A few felt unnecessary and slowed the pacing down a bit. Personally, I think sticking to the main POVs and the ones that directly expanded on the incidents in both timelines would've been enough.

These are only minor complaints, but I still wanted to mention them because if you're someone who doesn't enjoy juggling a large cast of characters and multiple perspectives, it's something worth keeping in mind before picking this one up.

Other than that, this was an intriguing read that had me rooting for our FMCs while also hoping every man who exploited them got exactly what they deserved. I'd definitely recommend this if you enjoy stories about sisterhood, women standing up for one another, and character-driven mysteries that slowly unravel over time.

✨Pre-read -
Omggg, it's finally here!!! Ever since I read and loved This Book Will Bury Me by the author, I've been waiting for this one.

Celebrity vigilantes and revenge?! Sounds like a wonderful time, right?😌

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars( rounded down to 3)

A journalist investigates a group of powerful Hollywood influencers who dispense their own brand of justice. A detective refuses to give up on her sister's cold case. A fiercely loyal assistant will do anything to protect her pop star employer's darkest secrets—even kill. And an activist is quietly pursuing a far more sinister agenda. Hopefully, I didn't give too much away there!

Compelling premise. A lot of characters to sort through and various perspectives that eventually all intersect, but future readers will want to make sure they're fully alert to keep it all organized. I loved the premise, but it was a little bit chaotic. I don't regret my reading selection because the last few chapters were well written and I do like how certain storylines end on high notes.

Publication Date 14/07/26
Goodreads Review 22/07/26
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Genni · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
Format: Audiobook (Hoopla)
Narrator: Britney Pressley

I really wanted to love this one, but I completely agree with the flood of under-3-star reviews. The premise of this book sounded fresh and fun as far as thrillers go, but the execution was just a total mess. Far too many characters introduced on top of a dizzying web of shifting timelines (present day, 10 years ago, 1 year ago, a few months back... I truly could not keep it all straight).The plot completely veers off course halfway through. It started in one clear direction and then abruptly pivoted into what felt like a totally different, separate book. It just dragged on way longer than necessary. Unless you love keeping a literal spreadsheet of characters and timelines to follow a plot, I'd skip this club.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded to a 3

This book hooked me pretty quickly, and I thought I was in for a really good story. Unfortunately, it started to lose me as it went on. There were several storylines introduced, but some of them just seemed to fizzle out and were never really addressed again. On top of that, the characters became more and more frustrating, and parts of the plot started to feel kind of nonsensical. It's disappointing because the beginning showed a lot of promise, but in the end it just didn't come together for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot Girl Murder Club
By: Ashley Winstead
Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Publisher: Minotaur Books

I always win the book lottery when I get accepted for books by Ashley. Her books in any genre she writes are ones I can’t wait to devour. Isn’t this cover TO DIE for!

For ten years, Scott Sage has been mourning her sister’s death. Georgia death at a party in Hollywood has put the light on the “not so hot part of an industry”.

Scout is now working her way in Hollywood trying to honor her memory. It’s a “cutthroat” business and lots of people will step over others to get to the top.

When murders start happening again, it is looking like Scout might be involved. How can she clear her name? She quickly learns who believes her and who turns on her.

Another FABULOUS book by Winstead. Get ready to add HOT GIRL MURDER CLUB to your shelf and devour once the book arrives.

[_blondebooknerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - 4.25 ⭐
I am LOVING the ambition of this Hollywood thriller! 🎤🔪

I was so excited to get my hands on an eARC of Hot Girl Murder Club ! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Winstead, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the early access in exchange for my honest review. 💖✨

Ashley Winstead is easily one of my favorite authors and her writing is always TOP-TIER. She is extremely intelligent and it really shows in the way she constructs a story! 🧠✍️

This book follows Scout Sage, a pop star whose world is turned upside down when she’s framed for a string of murders that might actually link back to her sister’s death years ago. It’s a cutthroat look at Hollywood, fame, and a sister’s quest for justice. 🎬💄

What I Loved:
The multiple POV was handled so well! I loved how the chapters weren't just names but focused on their careers and how the story affected each one differently. It kept me on my toes! And even though there was A LOT going on, Ashley tied it all up in a PERFECT, NEAT BOW by the end. 🎀👏

My Thoughts:
I really liked it, but there was definitely a lot to keep track of! It was a bit more political than I usually want for a thriller. 🏛️📈 Thrillers are usually my "brain break" from heavy fantasy world-building, and this one had almost TOO MUCH substance for a quick palette cleanser. It’s deep and complex, which is great, but it required some heavy lifting to follow all the threads! 🤯🔍

Final Verdict:
I enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to my audience! 📣✨ I think it will hit especially hard for readers who focus SOLELY on the thriller genre as their main choice. It’s a smart, ambitious story about what it takes to get justice in a world of stilettos and secrets. 👠💄🚨

[halle ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3, i think?

i honestly dont really know where to start with this, mostly because im kind of at a loss wondering what on earth i just read lol. this book wasnt bad but it also wasnt good either? there was just TOO much going on at all times and too many point of views that a lot of the times it took me until midway or the end of the chapter to even know who the heck was talking at that point.

i picked this one up on a whim thinking a fun thriller would fix my semi romance slump im finding myself in but my brain honestly feels like its slush and numb. i dont really have a lot of opinions on anything in this book tbh..

i guess my thoughts are that it isnt a bad book but its not a memorable one with good twists and turns either.

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ]

DNF AT 50%.
There are too many characters to keep track of, which would've been easier with separate narrators, but I'm really not sure. I got to the point where I didn't want to try to figure out what was going on, because something about the story was irritating me. Basically, it just felt like it wasn't worth my time.

[Frank Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hot Girl Murder Club follows Scout Sage, a rising Hollywood singer and actress who has spent the past decade trying to build a life and career in the shadow of her sister Georgia’s mysterious death. But when a series of murders begins targeting people connected to Hollywood’s dark underbelly—and evidence starts pointing directly at Scout—she suddenly finds herself at the center of a very public murder investigation. As Detective Grey Holloway digs deeper, she discovers that Georgia’s death may be connected to a much larger pattern of buried secrets, exploitation, and women seeking justice on their own terms.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't really work for me and is probably my least favorite of Ashley Winstead's thrillers. 😞 The premise and that cover really intrigued me, and I was dying to get my hands on this one ASAP, but sadly, the execution just didn't click with me.

For me, this ended up reading much more like a police procedural than the fast-paced, twisty thriller I was expecting. I also really struggled with the constant back-and-forth in time and the numerous perspectives. There were just so many characters and moving pieces to keep track of that somewhere around the second half, I realized I had pretty much stopped caring about where the story was going.

I split this one between print and audio, and by the time I finally reached the end, I was honestly just ready for it to be over. 😬 And that's always a bummer, especially when it's an author whose previous thrillers I've enjoyed.

That said, this could absolutely just be a me problem because I've seen plenty of glowing reviews for this one, so definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt! There are clearly readers who connected with what Winstead was doing here, but unfortunately, I just wasn't one of them this time around. 🫠

[Bethany Seal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too chaotic for literally no reason

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley Winstead has a voice that is impossible to ignore. Her writing is razor sharp, sophisticated, and unapologetically bold. She has a way of taking complicated conversations about women, power, ambition, and injustice and wrapping them inside a twisty, addictive thriller that refuses to play it safe.

Hot Girl Murder Club is a story about sisterhood, revenge, justice, and what happens when women stop accepting the rules they were handed. There’s a definite “burn it all down” energy here, but Winstead balances that anger with depth, emotional complexity, and a bigger conversation about the systems that protect the powerful.

This is a thriller you have to pay attention to. The plot is layered, the twists keep coming, and there are plenty of moments where you need to zoom in and really consider what’s happening beneath the surface. It has that popcorn thriller energy—the kind that makes you want to keep turning pages—but it also has substance behind the chaos.

Scout is a fascinating character to follow because she’s ambitious, messy, determined, and constantly questioning how much of herself she’s willing to sacrifice for justice. The sisterhood at the center of this story is one of its strongest elements, and the themes of karma, revenge, and reclaiming power are woven throughout.

Ashley Winstead always brings an air of intelligence and sophistication to her thrillers, and this one is no exception. It’s flashy Hollywood chaos on the surface, but underneath it’s a much deeper story about women demanding to be heard.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

* Hollywood secrets, scandals, and dark power dynamics
* Smart thrillers that require you to pay attention
* Sisterhood stories with a revenge twist
* Complex female characters who refuse to play nice
* Twisty plots with something bigger to say

[Keagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting at all. I was very excited for a new Ashley Winstead book but this was just not it, unfortunately. It took me almost a month to finish and I was tempted to DNF multiple times. I could not get into this at all, as it was very confusing with multiple POV’s and having to figure out who each person was. The more people that came in towards the end, the more confusing it became and there was no opportunity to connect with any of the characters. It doesn’t feel as if anything got truly resolved. We have answers on the big topics in the book, like who killed Georgia and Alice but it all feels unfinished. The ending left me incredibly confused - Grey sounds like she needs help, not taking justice into her own hands and killing Knox and taking Alice’s bones with her.

This is very political heavy, especially with what has been going on with the world and I can see what she was trying to do with women supporting women, but it was difficult to understand.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

ashley winstead's premises feel so unique and interesting to me every time, and i feel like this is no exception. exploring the potential of a celebrity who is NOT a huge star is interesting, and the idea that there's a secret society of celebrity women wreaking havoc and getting revenge instead of secret societies of hollywood men being terrible is a cool twist.

however, towards the middle-end of the book, the narrative seemed like it shifted a lot, and the latter was therefore a bit less satisfying than the first. overall though, i had fun with it!

**thank you to Minotaur Books for the gifted copy**

[Mehva · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have read a lot of her books and they have been 4.5 or 5 stars for me, two of them very powerful. So I came in with high expectations, which is usually a problem. It took me a long time to get involved with the book I wanted more depth, more emotional connection. I felt satisfied at the end but it was hard at points pushing through. 3.5

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was good. Can't trust the police to do their job. Powerful people with money and influence are on top of the world. They can do anything, commit any crimes, and get away with it. The young females who needed money are the ones who are hurting. Not all police are bad, some police who wanted to solve the reason why his daughter/her sister was missing but couldn't because it was blocked by other police officers who were in the pockets of the rich and powerful. The wealthy came in different fields. Some are in Hollywood, some in Politics, and some in businesses. Some women came together to make them pay.

The story was told in a timeline. The first part of the story was good where readers followed Isabelle, Brook, Scout, and Georgia to a Christmas party. One of them was found murdered at the end of the night. The story stopped abruptly. Then in the present, Gray, a police is investigating on recent murders. She also search for her missing sister Alice on the side. The current murders has connection to the past deaths.

There are lots of side characters in the past and many side characters in the present. There are some new characters in between like Rosie the reporter but she was introduced and soon killed off. It's good to get each view from each person to understand why they do things. I thought Juliet was an idiot when she agreed to do what she did. The ending should have her view, to thank Scout for saving her life. Gray said Luca did it the wrong way but in the end, Gray also took matters into her own hands. She should save Luca instead of punishing her.

I like the private detective. He's good for not turning in his pictures to the police. He knew some police aren't trusted.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the complimentary audiobook.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! I love the revenge meets Hollywood aspect. Very “girls having girls back” energy. During the audio the time jumps got a little confusing but it all came together in the end. Super well written, loved the narrator. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

What I like about reading Ashley Winstead's books is that you never know what she's coming up with next. A friends with secrets story like In My Dreams I Hold a Knife? A story about housewives who were in a cult in college (very Nxium)? A Southern Twilight-inspired small town horror-romance like Midnight is the Darkest Hour? Or a true crime inspired book like This Book Will Bury Me?

Hot Girl Murder Club isn't exactly what it sounds like. The title is from a nickname given by the media to a group of famous young women who are suspected of masterminding a series of revenge murders.

In structure, this is a multi-POV procedural, with multiple people investigating the murders: a female police officer, a reporter, the alleged Hot Girl Murder Club members, and an FBI agent.

But if you like the orderly pace of a procedural, stay away. This book is narrative CHAOS: a huge cast of characters, time jumps, a whole bunch of POVs, murders, a feminist revenge club, and a posse of Hollywood sexual harassers and assaulters. In the past, there are two missing women and another murder.

For me, it was a bit too exhausting, but if you enjoy books that are constantly moving in different directions, a Hollywood setting, and feminist themes, this is for you!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!