I started 2026 out with a banger, y’all. The first book I finished this year is Shailee Thompson’s debut, How To Kill A Guy in 10 Dates and it was the perfect choice I didn’t know I needed.

I’m not a big slasher/horror girlie at all, so I was a little nervous about diving into How To Kill A Guy in 10 Dates [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM]. This book is about a cinephile who loves romcoms and slasher films going to a speed dating event with her roommate. It’s in a bar they used to frequent, so they know it is a weird, maze-like place, but now it’s all red. Once things get rolling for the dating portion of the evening, Jamie finds herself face to face with a turd and decides to call him out on his nonsense. Once she’s done giving him a tongue lashing, the lights cut out. When they come back on, the guy in front of her has his throat cut, and panic ensues. Now, the daters are trying to stay alive in a locked up club, not knowing who the killer is, and Jamie employs her knowledge of horror films as rules for survival.

The premise of this book is so wild, and yet, it’s honestly kind of believable. Dating is horrible and serial killers are out there. There’s plenty of slashing and death, but there’s also a really sweet romance brewing throughout the run for their lives. How Shailee managed to walk that line between the two genres blows my mind, but she did it so well.

One of my favorite details of this book is the inscriptions before each chapter. They are all really fun twists on movie quotes, specifically romance movie quotes, but adding in a little murder. These ‘not X movie’ quotes had me giggling every time I came up on a new chapter and telling them to whoever was near.

I haven’t had this much fun with a book in a while. It’s funny, bloody, and brilliant. I loved it and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. This is perfect for fans of Butcher and Blackbird or anyone who enjoys something unique.