A hilarious, swoony and downright terrifying horror romance 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 rom-com and horror genres to make it as a real-life Final Girl.
When Jamie Prescott attends a speed-dating event at the behest of her best friend, Laurie, she expects to meet a roster of mediocre men and have a few laughs. She doesn’t expect one of her dates to have his throat slit at their table during a blackout.
When the lights come back on, there are more bodies on the floor, the doors are locked, and there’s a murderer among them. So much for a fun night.
Armed with makeshift weapons and her extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a slasher, Jamie must figure out how the hell she and Laurie will make it out of the building alive. But as the night progresses, Jamie begins to suspect the killer is committing the slayings to woo one of the women and turn them into a real-life Final Girl. Whatever happened to roses and perfume?
And why can’t Jamie stay focused on the important thing here, which is obviously not to get murdered, instead of being distracted by a hot guy or two? And what if one of those hot guys happens to be the bad guy? Oops.
Laugh-out-loud funny and hide-under-your-bed scary, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates puts the killer in killer love story.
(3/5)
Jamie Prescott has spent a year writing and finalising a dissertation (short title – ‘All’s Fair in Love and Gore’) toward a PhD in Cinema Studies. As the end of the task draws near, Jaime and her best friend Laurie attend a speed dating event for a few laughs, a few drinks and a chance to unwind. They soon discover that real life can imitate art, and they are drawn into a horror story mixed with infatuation and romance.
Shailee Thompson has written a well-constructed and innovative novel, The book is promoted as a Rom-Com/Horror story, the incongruity of that description and it’s similarity to Jamie’s dissertation does not go unnoticed. The book however will appeal to lovers of other categories as the themes in the story cross over several genres. This is not your typical murder/slasher or romance story!
The characters in the book are quirky and somewhat off-beat, their individual personalities are well described; the background narrative is fresh and tight. The dialogue between the various characters is fresh, witty and relevant to the plot – I found myself cheering for Jamie who is pragmatic and courageous in the face of terrible events.
Overall it is an enjoyable story that despite a very dry introduction keeps your interest to the end. I rated the book 3 stars out of 5. My rating would have been higher if not for the very slow start, which outlines Jamie’s work on her dissertation. I feel some readers may give up on the book during the slow start to the story before the startling events even begin. The book will appeal to a wide range of readers who enjoy whodunits, contemporary fiction, thrillers, crime, mystery and horror stories.