I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin by Katy BrentMy rating: ✨✨✨✨✨
Kitty Collins is back! What better way to celebrate spooky season than with a bad bitch who completely justifiably murders awful men? This highly anticipated sequel sees the return of my favourite antiheroine, and this time she's gone international.
I accidentally stumbled upon Kitty's first outing in How to Kill Men and Get Away With It last spring and have been wanting more from her ever since. Katy Brent's second novel - The Murder After the Night Before - was my first review of this year, and she's quickly become an author that I will jump at when news comes of further releases. If there was a Guinness Record for fastest NetGalley request I would be the holder purely for the speed with which I submitted my request for this one.
I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin finds Kitty in a settled place; she's not killed for a long time, she's in a wonderful relationship, she's turning thirty, she gives absolutely top-notch wardrobe envy...but she's still having niggles about offing terrible men. Between a pervy TV presenter, a shady psychiatrist and an unhinged Andrew Tate-esque influencer it's safe to say it's not long before those niggles are addressed and the body count begins its bloody tally.
Brutal as she is, there is a likeable, darkly witty, friendly feel to Kitty that's explored within her relationships with her friends, her boyfriend, and her mum throughout the book. She truly believes that her murders are valid because they're committed on the worst men, and you know what? It's hard to disagree.
The social commentary within Coffin is such an important element, and is so spot on that I implore any man reading this review to pick it up for that reason alone. Let yourselves begin to form the smallest inkling as to what women in 2024 are sad, mad and angry about, what we have to battle against, the casual sexism, the overt hatred, how we're spoken to like shit, how we're treated even worse, and how we're completely sick and tired of being on the receiving end of men. No, not all men, I know that...but it is A L W A Y S a man.
With narrative that's factual and isn't pushy with those elements, whilst not shying away from issues that genuinely affect women on the daily, with plenty of sprinklings of dark humour and millennial references, Katy's writing is amongst my favourites. This is the third book of hers that I've read - and loved - and each one manages to edge the last. Coffin is a triumph, and it's great to see Kitty back to her best. It's like if Made in Chelsea moved to Elm Street but was set inside a copy of Vogue magazine.
I can't say much more as I don't want to spoil any plot points. I will say I finished the whole book in about six hours, if that's any indication as to how much I enjoyed it and how good of a read it was. I can only hope there's a third outing underway for Kitty, because she definitely has some unfinished business…
I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin is available for pre-order now, and will be released on January 30th 2025. I’d like to extend many great thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories at Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.
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