Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide

Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide cover
Good Books rating 4.0
Technical
  • ID: 2615
  • Added: 2025-10-15
  • Updated: 2025-10-15
  • Reviews: 2
Reviews
bookmarks.reviews · Unknown · 2025-10-19
positive 4.50

The book is praised for its candid and vulnerable writing style, offering heartfelt advice and personal anecdotes that resonate deeply. The authors' personalities shine through, making the book feel like a conversation with best friends, though some humor may occasionally feel distancing.

The book is highly regarded for its open and honest approach, blending personal stories with practical advice. Readers appreciate the authors' unique voices and the way they share their experiences with vulnerability and humor. The conversational style makes it feel like a chat with close friends, although some might find the humor a bit distracting at times. The book's strength lies in its ability to convey important life lessons in a relatable and engaging manner. The authors' different personalities complement each other, making the advice more impactful and believable. Overall, the book is seen as a valuable and entertaining read that offers both entertainment and insight.


Quick quotes

    The book is at its best in earnest passages...whether that comes in the form of a detailed 10-step breakdown of what to expect when going to therapy for the first time or a devastating personal anecdote about a close call with a predatory stranger.

    their biggest strength...is radical vulnerability.

    Lots of people will tell you that there are no real shortcuts to happiness, that if you don’t believe in yourself no one will, and so on. But Hardstark and Kilgariff do so with such specificity and openness that you actually believe them.

bookforum.com · Unknown · 2025-10-19
engaging 3.50

Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered blends memoir and self-help, offering advice on mental health and personal safety through the lens of true crime. While the book is engaging and humorous, it falls short in addressing broader social issues and perpetuates some biases of the true crime genre.

Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark is a unique blend of memoir and self-help, drawing from the authors' experiences and their popular podcast, My Favorite Murder. The book offers practical advice on mental health, personal safety, and self-sufficiency, all wrapped in a humorous and conversational tone. The authors share personal anecdotes and hard-won wisdom, making the book feel like a chat with a warm but no-nonsense friend. However, the book's focus on true crime as a metaphor for personal empowerment has its limitations. While it provides a sense of camaraderie and empowerment for its readers, it often overlooks broader social issues and perpetuates some of the biases and blind spots of the true crime genre. The book's advice is practical and well-intentioned, but it sometimes falls into the trap of victim-blaming and fails to address the systemic issues that contribute to crime. Overall, the book is an entertaining and engaging read, but it leaves much to be desired in terms of depth and social critique.


Quick quotes

    They have “an unhealthy obsession” with macabre stories. They crave and binge and overdose.

    The advice largely consists of reiterating key points made on the show: Have people in your life who will call you on your bullshit; “self-sufficiency is your first form of self-defense.

    By framing murder stories around self-empowerment and personal choice — in claiming that “Being ‘Polite’ Often Gets Women Killed,” as a BuzzFeed headline about the show proclaimed — MFM starts to seem like a macabre version of lean-in feminism.