Jamie Prescott is struggling with her thesis on slasher movies and rom-coms, when her best friend Laurie convinces her to come to a speed-dating event at a speakeasy bar. The potential partners are mixed, with highs and some appalling lows, until Jamie’s second-to-last date is murdered right in front of her. The doors are locked, the bar is a maze of places where a killer might be hiding, and Jamie has to rely on the rules she’s learned from watching slashers: don’t drop your weapon, don’t split up, and NEVER say, ‘I’ll be right back.’
This book is a love letter to the horror genre, right down to every name being an homage to a famous actor, director, or slasher character. The story is also crammed with general and niche references that were fun to spot, and I really appreciated how Jamie never stops defending her obsessive love of horror. Even if the survivors tell her ‘this isn’t a movie, this is real life’, her slasher guidelines absolutely save her life multiple times.
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates takes place over one night, in one location, and the tension never lets up, with multiple twists, turns, and sucker-punch deaths. The romcom element of the story comes from Jamie battling her attraction to certain dates while running from the masked killer. She is a very self-aware narrator and constantly compares herself to iconic rom-com heroines. You might have to suspend your disbelief that Jamie would fall in love (and lust) so quickly but I still enjoyed the book.
Book review by Rachel Denham-White
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shailee Thompson is a writer and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She’s always had a penchant for women with smart mouths, soft hearts, and strong wills going up against extraordinary odds. How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is her debut novel.
(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.