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 whiskey. 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, … 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 friends’ plans for marriage and babies while secretly making a list.
A kill list.
From the man at the grocery checkout who always mishandles her apples, to the driver who cuts her off on her way to work, to the people who have it coming, Rhiannon is ready to get her revenge.
Because the girl everyone overlooks might be able to get away with murder…
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Like all of us, some people annoy Rhiannon as she goes about her everyday life. Unlike most of us, she has a drastic way of dealing with it.
A comical thriller can easily go wrong. However I found this novel to be an original, entertaining and easy to read story.
There are few things in life Rhiannon truly loves. In no particular order, it’s her chihuahua Tink, her collection of Sylvanian families, and the feeling of blood on her hands. No, she doesn’t think she’s a complete psycho. After all, a Buzzfeed quiz said she doesn’t hit all the marks. Besides, is she really a psychopath when she only goes after sex offenders? It’s just community service.
On the outside, she lives a charmed life, despite the viral news story that shot her into fame as a child. She lives with her handy boyfriend in a nice apartment. Her job is good enough for someone without a fantastic education, and she gets on well with some of her coworkers. But when her mask slips and she forgets to pretend to be like them, more than one person becomes suspicious about who and what she really is.
Unlike when I write summaries for romances, this one was a little tricky. Rhiannon is a multilayered character who doesn’t always have a plan. She tells her own story through hilarious pop culture references with a matter of fact tone that makes it difficult to tell if she’s being serious. But Rhiannon doesn’t know how to be anything but.
Before reading the book, you think you’ll never side with a killer. But something about Rhiannon is charming and terribly likable. That’s what the experts say about psychos like Ted Bundy. Though if you ask Rhiannon, she’ll say she’s nothing like Bundy. She hasn’t been caught.
Dark, disconcerting and devilishly funny
This is a deliciously wicked and enjoyable serial killer romp. It is bold, crude and full of black humour. A perfect, refreshing read for a week that’s grinding you down.
Lilly Allen meets Hard Candy in this hilarious diary of a serial killer. It’s witty and unpredictable.
“You can either be John, John Lennon, or the guy who kills John Lennon.”
LOL. I never thought it would be possible to laugh, and even like a killer, AKA Psychopath, but I loved Rhiannon., the main character. This book, was crude, graphic, and shocking, but I freaking LOVED it. I let out a howl of laughter while laying on the couch on page 23, my husband looked over at me, and of course, I HAD to read him the page I was on (for shock value purposes 🙂 ) “I hanked his penis from the roots and pushed him backwards into the murky green water, his forlorn manhood dropped to the towpath with a slap”……..He looked at me puzzled, and said ‘What the hell are you reading?” HAA
But this book was probably one of the most unique books I have ever read. Rhiannon more or less has a hit list that she keeps in her journal, and the list includes everyone that she does not like, or that “gets on her nerves” in one way or the other. The way she talks, and thinks is PRICELESS! I did not even know there was a book 2, I will be reading it for sure!!!
I don’t expect to laugh much while reading a thriller but with SWEETPEA I often found myself doing so. Rhiannon’s unfiltered thoughts are blunt and judgmental, yet I am sure many of us would agree with her sentiments. Talk about awkward, because who wants to relate so much to a serial killer?
It’s not an action packed story, as Rhiannon leads a most ordinary life, but her diary, and especially her kill lists are highly entertaining to read.
C.J Skuse’s writing definitely kept me turning the pages because I had no idea the direction the book would take and I was eager to learn how the story would unfold.
Rhiannon’s story continues in the book IN BLOOM but I don’t consider SWEETPEA to have a cliffhanger ending. Having said that, I am definitely planning to read the next book because I cannot get enough of Rhiannon. Who knew I would find myself cheering for the serial killer?
OMG!!! this book can I just say crying with laughter it was just genius
SweetPea by C.J Skuse is something all in its own category, witty, black and hilarious while also being a horrifying look into a sociopathic mind.
The thing is the way sweetpea is written you can actually imagine the thoughts pinging around in her abnormal brain and they are the wisps of things that we all think off but grit our teeth and bear.
it’s all so normal and every day and done with not one ounce of remorse and them KILL LISTS!!! priceless.
bet we have all wanted to murder the person having a ten-minute convo with the cashier in Lidl when we are running late for work.
The only difference with Rhee is she quite happily would and have a nice cuppa and biccy afterwards.
The PICSO’S loved this laughed my head off People I Can’t Shake Off
bet we all have a few of them.
Watching Rhee’s life spiral out of control was immensely fascinating, the fact that no one even noticed or suspected this angelic-faced little killer shows what little attention we pay to each other.
I was riveted to this story from the opening lines and till that final closing curtain.
An amazing piece of fiction which I loved bravo.
I received a free e-copy of sweetpea from NetGalley and this is my own honest opinion.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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