Sometimes, a pitch for a book is so good that you know you’re going to pick it up no matter what. That’s exactly how it felt with How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson, which just look at the title.

If that title didn’t make you want to pick it up, I don’t know what else will. Coupled with its stunning cover, what’s not to like? However, this book was also pitched to me as a “rom-com twist on Scream,” so this was a no-brainer. How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is also Shailee Thompson’s debut novel, so my excitement was truly through the roof.

There are so many great dark romantic comedies out there, such as Butcher and Blackbird and Lights Out, which are two of my favorites. Going into How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, I was really excited to see what side this book would lean into, and honestly, I was surprised from the start.

With that being said, I’d like to thank Gallery Books for sending me an ARC so I was able to read and review this one.

How To Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is as fun as it sounds.

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates follows our main character, Jamie, and her best friend, Laurie, who go to a speed dating event. At first, things seem like they’re going to be fun and pretty easygoing. However, things quickly take a turn when the lights go out, and one of the participants is murdered.

From there, it is truly a game of cat-and-mouse. Not only are Jamie, Laurie, and the others trying to figure out who the killer is, but they’re also trying not to get killed. If this book sounds high-stakes and a little absurd, that’s because it is, and I mean that in the most loving way. It truly feels like a love letter to slashers and the final girls we’ve all come to know and love.

While I don’t want to get too much into the plot, this book does have those wild twists and turns you expect from a typical slasher film. Additionally, there are also some romantic moments, which provide a nice break from all the killing. As wild as that might sound, it does help to have a little bit of romance and humor injected into this book, as some of these murders are downright brutal.

Mostly, though, I love all the horror movie references featured within the story. Some of the more obvious ones are in the characters’ names, with Jamie Prescott being an ode to Jamie Lee Curtis and Sidney Prescott, while Laurie is a nod to Laurie Strode. Some others include Campbell for Bruce Campbell and Stu, which is a nod to Stu Macher from Scream. If you like horror movies and know all the slasher rules, then you’re going to get a kick out of How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates.