Book Review: Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

If you’re a fan of the My Favorite Murder podcast, then there’s a good chance of you enjoying this part memoir/part self-help book. Lacking in true crime itself (which totally works!), it shines a light on the other topics and discussions that come up regularly on the show, such as mental health issues, self-care and addiction.

“The epitome of ‘fucking politeness’ is learning how to act in the moment, instead of wishing you had later.”

For each of the catchphrases or slogans that the show has created, eg Fuck Politeness or Stay Out of the Forest, there’s essays from Karen and Georgia discussing their own life experiences or what that slogan truly means to them. I have heard the audiobook is fantastic as it is just like listening to the podcast, so I’ll have to check that out at some point too!

I laughed, I cried and I fangirled immensely over Georgia’s chapter on how Ray Bradbury’s writing effectively saved her life. One of the hardest essays to read was one where Karen writes about her late mother and her battle with Alzheimer’s. She describes a moment where their mother “came back” to tell her sister that she truly loved the two of them and I actually thought my heart was going to split in two.

But amongst all the tears and emotion, there’s so much humour, as to be expected from these two! Karen’s guide on how to be a latchkey kid is hilarious, as is her analogy that being an alcoholic is like shitting in a hot tub ie killing the buzz of everyone around you! LOL. And there were quite a few Stephen King references as well, which I particularly enjoyed... I feel like the story of how Georgia got into true crime is something that a lot of us murderinos can relate to.

This is everything I thought it would be - empowering, uplifting and honest. However, I would mostly recommend this to those who listen to the podcast, otherwise you’d be left scratching your head as to how the title fits and where all the gruesome, gory details are! Unless of course, you just like reading the memoirs of strong, funny women... then it could be right up your street! 5 stars!

Johann

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