Sweetpea

Goodreads Description

The last person who called me ‘Sweetpea’ ended up dead…

I haven’t killed anyone for three years and I thought that when it happened again I’d feel bad. Like an alcoholic taking a sip of whisky. But no. Nothing. I had a blissful night’s sleep. Didn’t wake up at all. And for once, no bad dream either. This morning I feel balanced. Almost sane, for once.

Rhiannon is your average girl next door, settled with her boyfriend and little dog…but she’s got a killer secret.

Although her childhood was haunted by a famous crime, Rhiannon's life is normal now that her celebrity has dwindled. By day her job as an editorial assistant is demeaning and unsatisfying. By evening she dutifully listens to her friend’s plans for marriage and babies whilst secretly making a list.

A kill list.

From the man on the Lidl checkout who always mishandles her apples, to the driver who cuts her off on her way to work, to the people who have got it coming, Rhiannon’s ready to get her revenge.

Because the girl everyone overlooks might be able to get away with murder…

My Review

Sorry Bookworms, for the words that I'm about to use, but really, it must be said: Holy. Sh!t.

This book is dark, daring, crass, crude, rude, obnoxious, disturbing, offensive, uncomfortable, and I flipping loved it! I can honestly say that I've never read anything like this before, and I very much doubt that any of you would have either. But I must warn you, if you have a problem with swearing, then you won't like this book. If you have a problem with crass language, then you won't like this book. If you have a problem with explicit scenes (sexual and otherwise), then you won't like this book. But, and this is a big but, if you want to read something that is so unusual in its brilliance, then rush out and buy this one today.

Every now and then I stumble across a book that just blows me away, and this was one of them. This author is actually a Young Adult author and this is her first adult novel, which just blows my mind, because this is SUCH an adult book, and it contains SUCH explicit adult content, that it's difficult to imagine a YA author coming up with this. But hey, I'm not complaining.

I loved being inside Rhiannon's head even though it was incredibly dark and equally disturbing. But it was also fascinating. Being inside her head is being inside the head of a serial killer. And here I draw some similarities to the popular TV series, Dexter, which I loved. The desire to kill. The calming effect that killing has on these people. The pull, the tug, the need. And then on top of that, Rhiannon also seemed to be so clever, witty, sarcastic, thinking things about people that many of us would think at times, being irritated with strangers and friends alike, except that in her head one never knew where such thoughts would lead.

And I must tell you, she is exceptionally funny. There were many times when I laughed out loud at some of her thoughts. And there were other times when I just had to read certain lines and paragraphs to my hubby, as I thought they were just so funny, or clever, or crass, or shocking, and I needed to share them with someone.

Oh man, this book is nothing short of fantastic! To those of you that rush out and buy it, read it and love it because of this review, well I'm glad I managed to lead you astray. To those of you that rush out and buy it, read it and hate it, well, I apologise, but it's not totally unexpected. This is a book that's going to split the crowd, I have no doubt about that. I think you really need to have a very open mind when you read this book, you cannot be easily offended, and you need a tough constitution. If you are a Kristin Hannah fan, don't read this book. But if you like your reads to be unusual, dark and disturbing, then this one's for you.

And that ending...I'm getting a whiff of a sequel. Oh, I do hope so!

This one has rocketed up into my top 3 reads of the year. 5 big, fat stars from me!

My Rating: * * * * *

Publication Date: June 2017 (South Africa)

Genre: Thriller

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: My own purchased copy.