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Kiss Me Kill Me
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
10+
ISBN
0385734875
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Editor reviews
2 reviews
Her First Kiss Ends In Murder
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Kiss Me Kill Me is dark and mysterious twist on the chick lit genre. Scarlett sets out to uncover the truth about what happened the night she inadvertently killed Dan McAndrew. Maybe she isnt an expert detective, but Scarlett is determined to clear her conscious and her name.
The Kiss of Death girl. Thats Scarletts nickname, courtesy of the British tabloids. Because she is a minor, the press cannot print her name, but all the girls at St. Tabbys know it was Scarlett and there is no way Scarlett can ever return to school again after what happened.
Scarlett had dreamed about kissing Dan McAndrew. It was one of her wishes for the year, along with growing boobs. Both of her wishes came true, but not at all in the way she imagined.
If only she could go back in time, Scarlett would have turned down Nadias invitation. She would have said no when Plums crony invited her to a posh party in her penthouse. After ditching her two best friends from gymnastics for the chance at living the posh life, maybe Scarlett deserved what was coming to her. Looking back, she cringes to think how badly she wanted to fit in with Plums crowd, to wear the hottest fashions and lust after the hottest boys.
Her first party would be her last. After what happened to Dan, Scarlett will probably never go to a party or kiss a boy again in her life. One minute he was there right in front of her, his strong arms around her body, lips caressing hers. The next, he was dead in her arms. She didnt do anything wrong, but Plum and her crowd blamed Scarlett for Dans death.
After the tragedy, Scarlett transfers to Wakefield Hall, a school in the country away from St. Tabbys, London, and Plum. All Scarlett wants is to put the horrific past behind her, but then she receives an anonymous note with four simple words that change everything.
It wasnt your fault.
Lauren Henderson is such a pro at writing for a teenage audience that its hard to believe this is her first young adult novel! She is like a magician, building suspense and creating a story so vivid it is impossible not to be caught up in Scarletts mystery.
The Kiss of Death girl. Thats Scarletts nickname, courtesy of the British tabloids. Because she is a minor, the press cannot print her name, but all the girls at St. Tabbys know it was Scarlett and there is no way Scarlett can ever return to school again after what happened.
Scarlett had dreamed about kissing Dan McAndrew. It was one of her wishes for the year, along with growing boobs. Both of her wishes came true, but not at all in the way she imagined.
If only she could go back in time, Scarlett would have turned down Nadias invitation. She would have said no when Plums crony invited her to a posh party in her penthouse. After ditching her two best friends from gymnastics for the chance at living the posh life, maybe Scarlett deserved what was coming to her. Looking back, she cringes to think how badly she wanted to fit in with Plums crowd, to wear the hottest fashions and lust after the hottest boys.
Her first party would be her last. After what happened to Dan, Scarlett will probably never go to a party or kiss a boy again in her life. One minute he was there right in front of her, his strong arms around her body, lips caressing hers. The next, he was dead in her arms. She didnt do anything wrong, but Plum and her crowd blamed Scarlett for Dans death.
After the tragedy, Scarlett transfers to Wakefield Hall, a school in the country away from St. Tabbys, London, and Plum. All Scarlett wants is to put the horrific past behind her, but then she receives an anonymous note with four simple words that change everything.
It wasnt your fault.
Lauren Henderson is such a pro at writing for a teenage audience that its hard to believe this is her first young adult novel! She is like a magician, building suspense and creating a story so vivid it is impossible not to be caught up in Scarletts mystery.
G
Guest
User reviews
8 reviews
Overall rating
3.9
Plot
3.9(8)
Characters
N/A(0)
Writing Style
N/A(0)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A(0)
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Awesome!
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
So this book takes place in England, which is the main reason why I wanted to read it. I've got a thing for England, ya'll! I completely dove into this book, and was met with an interesting mystery. I love the characters. Scarlett, Taylor, and Jase are some of the sweetest people ever in YA history!
Although pretty early on I figured out what the mystery was, I couldn't stop reading. Very good.
Although pretty early on I figured out what the mystery was, I couldn't stop reading. Very good.
Kiss Me Kill Me
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Into The Morning
This was a really well written novel with a very intriguing mystery.
Scarlett's voice was unique to me and I enjoyed her upbeat asides about
fashion, makeup, and trying to fit in. Her insights into those around
her, including the people she hates but wishes she could be friends
with, and herself, were brilliant without being too adult. I think
Lauren Henderson did a very good job getting the reader from point A
(St. Tabby's & Kiss of Death Girl) to point B (Wakefield Hall & a
better understanding of what happened to Dan). She resolved just enough
to make the book satisfying, leaving just enough loose ends to get me
in the car on the way to the library for the second book in the series!
This was a really well written novel with a very intriguing mystery.
Scarlett's voice was unique to me and I enjoyed her upbeat asides about
fashion, makeup, and trying to fit in. Her insights into those around
her, including the people she hates but wishes she could be friends
with, and herself, were brilliant without being too adult. I think
Lauren Henderson did a very good job getting the reader from point A
(St. Tabby's & Kiss of Death Girl) to point B (Wakefield Hall & a
better understanding of what happened to Dan). She resolved just enough
to make the book satisfying, leaving just enough loose ends to get me
in the car on the way to the library for the second book in the series!
G
Guest
Akward Cliffhanger
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
3.0
Plot
3.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Ruthie
Although I enjoyed this book, there were certain things that just bothered the heck out of me. the ending for one thing. It was a total cliffhanger but it didn't cliffhang like a usual book. It stopped in the middle of solving the mystery! I love a good cliffhanger but this just seemed akward to me. I'd suggest if you were to read this book to get the second one as well so you can just continue the story. Along with that Scarlett sometimes would bug me. I mean, I totally understand that you'r bummed that you killed someone with your first kiss but depression only gets you so far. You have to get up and move! I got tired of her moping. However I did like the frequent gymnastics stuff. You could tell Scarlett really liked it as well and it was one of the few points were she wasn't totally whineing. Anyway, after reading the first. I know I'll have to get my hands on the next!
Although I enjoyed this book, there were certain things that just bothered the heck out of me. the ending for one thing. It was a total cliffhanger but it didn't cliffhang like a usual book. It stopped in the middle of solving the mystery! I love a good cliffhanger but this just seemed akward to me. I'd suggest if you were to read this book to get the second one as well so you can just continue the story. Along with that Scarlett sometimes would bug me. I mean, I totally understand that you'r bummed that you killed someone with your first kiss but depression only gets you so far. You have to get up and move! I got tired of her moping. However I did like the frequent gymnastics stuff. You could tell Scarlett really liked it as well and it was one of the few points were she wasn't totally whineing. Anyway, after reading the first. I know I'll have to get my hands on the next!
G
Guest
I want to know more....
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
3.0
Plot
3.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Adriana
I expected a bit more from this book, I was basically underwhelmed. The story is pretty out there, and not very plausible, even though it tries to be. It is set in England, but teens outside of London will have no trouble reading it. Scarlett attends a very posh school. She's a gymnast and has two best friends. They are not popular, but dream of being so. Plum is the most popular girl, and she has a troupe of mean girls that worship her and fear her. Scarlett has been crushing on Dan, and when the chance arises for her to attend a party where he will be (along with all of the popular kids), she doesn't hesitate to ditch her friends to run with the popular crowd. Then her and Dan kiss, he dies, and everyone blames her. She has to leave her school and the city for what up until now was an unknown school that her grandmother and guardian is the owner and headmistress of. I felt like the book was two different books, with the first half being about one girl, and the second half about another girl. It wasn't until page 202 that we learn that Scarlett's parents died when she was 5 years old. We knew they had died, but didn't know when or how exactly it happened. It's just very evident in the writing how the author purposely wrote about certain things with the utmost detail, and others she left very vague, and frankly that was annoying, not mysterious.
I expected a bit more from this book, I was basically underwhelmed. The story is pretty out there, and not very plausible, even though it tries to be. It is set in England, but teens outside of London will have no trouble reading it. Scarlett attends a very posh school. She's a gymnast and has two best friends. They are not popular, but dream of being so. Plum is the most popular girl, and she has a troupe of mean girls that worship her and fear her. Scarlett has been crushing on Dan, and when the chance arises for her to attend a party where he will be (along with all of the popular kids), she doesn't hesitate to ditch her friends to run with the popular crowd. Then her and Dan kiss, he dies, and everyone blames her. She has to leave her school and the city for what up until now was an unknown school that her grandmother and guardian is the owner and headmistress of. I felt like the book was two different books, with the first half being about one girl, and the second half about another girl. It wasn't until page 202 that we learn that Scarlett's parents died when she was 5 years old. We knew they had died, but didn't know when or how exactly it happened. It's just very evident in the writing how the author purposely wrote about certain things with the utmost detail, and others she left very vague, and frankly that was annoying, not mysterious.
G
Guest
Keeps You Wanting More
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by trishalynn0708
I felt so bad for Scarlett in
this book. The girls at her old school are still calling her a murderer
and the teachers at her new school-which is run by her grandmother-
aren't nice to her either. They are even harder on her because her
grandmother runs the school. Her parents are dead and her two friends
she did have won't talk to her because Scarlett ditched them to hang
out with the popular kids at her old school. So Scarlett is basically
along in the first part of the book and you feel bad for her. She is
scared to kiss another boy in the fear that he will drop dead like Dan
did. So when she meets Jase, the groundskeeper at her new school she is
scared to get close to him. And she finally gets a new friend, a girl
in school named Taylor that is helping her find out who really killed
Dan.
But then she book
totally switched gears and turns into a mystery. It leaves you wanting
the next book to see who the killer is and to see where Scarlett and
Jase's relationship goes after Scarlett learns she isn't the 'kiss of
death' girl.
I felt so bad for Scarlett in
this book. The girls at her old school are still calling her a murderer
and the teachers at her new school-which is run by her grandmother-
aren't nice to her either. They are even harder on her because her
grandmother runs the school. Her parents are dead and her two friends
she did have won't talk to her because Scarlett ditched them to hang
out with the popular kids at her old school. So Scarlett is basically
along in the first part of the book and you feel bad for her. She is
scared to kiss another boy in the fear that he will drop dead like Dan
did. So when she meets Jase, the groundskeeper at her new school she is
scared to get close to him. And she finally gets a new friend, a girl
in school named Taylor that is helping her find out who really killed
Dan.
But then she book
totally switched gears and turns into a mystery. It leaves you wanting
the next book to see who the killer is and to see where Scarlett and
Jase's relationship goes after Scarlett learns she isn't the 'kiss of
death' girl.
G
Guest
Engrossing read!
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by SDaugherty
I really enjoyed this book. Everyone knows the feeling of wanting to fit it. That's what Scarlett wants but when she is accepted into the elite group what is the real reason? You have to wonder when they have been ignoring you for so long. Then once she is invited to a party, and the boy she kisses dies, her life plunges into ruin and she is marked by those same girls as a murder. But Scarlett has no idea what happened to Dan and she is worried she is cursed, like a black widow, and can never even think of kissing another boy again!
But what secret is she missing? Is she really to blame for Dan's death. What the other girls put her through to drive her out of the school is cruel but will she find security in another school owned by her grandmother. Can she start again and will she ever be able to let go of the past and find the answers that she needs to move forward.
A great read!
I really enjoyed this book. Everyone knows the feeling of wanting to fit it. That's what Scarlett wants but when she is accepted into the elite group what is the real reason? You have to wonder when they have been ignoring you for so long. Then once she is invited to a party, and the boy she kisses dies, her life plunges into ruin and she is marked by those same girls as a murder. But Scarlett has no idea what happened to Dan and she is worried she is cursed, like a black widow, and can never even think of kissing another boy again!
But what secret is she missing? Is she really to blame for Dan's death. What the other girls put her through to drive her out of the school is cruel but will she find security in another school owned by her grandmother. Can she start again and will she ever be able to let go of the past and find the answers that she needs to move forward.
A great read!
G
Guest
A great British mystery
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Liz C.
Scarlett Wakefield has two New Years wishes. The first is
to get boobs. The second is to kiss Dan McAndrew. In a classic case of be
careful what you wish for she gets both of these things. Her boobs grow a
little bit too much, which makes gymnastics a little harder. And when she
finally gets her kiss with Dan McAndrew, he dies with his tongue in her mouth.
Off the bat, everyone blames Scarlett. Her only friends hate her, and shes
been expelled from her school and forced to move back in with her grandmother
who runs the prestigious Wakefield Hall for girls. The police say Dan died of
an extreme allergic reaction. But what was he allergic to? And why didnt he
have his Epi-Pen in his pocket- Something he never left home without? Everyone
is left wondering until Scarlett receives and anonymous note that leads her on
the journey to clearing her own name and finding the true cause of Dans death.
Kiss Me Kill me is a prime example of the dont judge a
book by its cover philosophy. At first glance you might think, Ick! A cheesy
romance novel. But really, this novel contains a very small amount of romance.
The book has that very British- a little bit catty and very witty- feel, which is
something I love. In fact, I wish more American books would have that British
feel. Each character was likeable in different ways. There were some bits in
between the beginning of the chapters that were in handwriting, and while the
handwriting resembled thick black squiggles and was hard to read, it really
added to the mystery. The ending didnt feel rushed at all, and though it ended
abruptly I didnt mind at all. Overall I was really surprised at how much I
enjoyed Kiss Me Kill Me, and though the year has only just started it is my
favorite so far. Hopefully the sequel, Kisses and Lies is even better.
G
Guest
Original concept but could have been better
(Updated: May 31, 2026)
Overall rating
3.0
Plot
3.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Bookluver-Carol
When 16-year-old Scarlett Wakefield transfers from St. Tabbys to Wakefield Hall Collegiate, she is relieved that no one knows her dark, haunting secret. A few months ago, Scarlett was invited to an elite party with a guest list full of the hottest names in British society, including Dan McAndrew. Before the party, Scarlett had only imagined what it would be like to have her first kiss with Dan, but on the penthouse terrace, Dan leaned in close and she no longer had to wonder. Their kiss was beautiful and perfect and magical, and then . . . Dan McAndrew took his last breath as she held him in her arms. No one knows how or why Dan died, and everyone at St. Tabbys believes Scarlett had something to do with it. But now that shes safely hidden away at Wakefield Hall, Scarlett would rather forget that it ever happened. Only she cant. Especially when she receives an anonymous note that will set her on the path to clearing her name and finding out what really happened to the first and last boy she kissed.
I liked this book although it could have been better. Scarlet's talent of being able to do well at gymnastics just leaped out of the page. You could tell that the author knew what she was talking about whenever Scarlet flipped and practiced. The plot was really good but it could have been better. It dragged in some parts and the middle was slow. The beginning and end were great although the end left me wanting more. You could relate to Scarlet. The fact that Scarlet was an orphan was repeated a lot of times as if the author was trying to convince us that Scarlet was indeed an orphan.I did not like how Scarlet treat her friends but hopefully she'll make it up to them. The wasn't as much mystery as I wanted and when there was it ended to fast. This book had so much potential but hopefully the sequel will be much better.
When 16-year-old Scarlett Wakefield transfers from St. Tabbys to Wakefield Hall Collegiate, she is relieved that no one knows her dark, haunting secret. A few months ago, Scarlett was invited to an elite party with a guest list full of the hottest names in British society, including Dan McAndrew. Before the party, Scarlett had only imagined what it would be like to have her first kiss with Dan, but on the penthouse terrace, Dan leaned in close and she no longer had to wonder. Their kiss was beautiful and perfect and magical, and then . . . Dan McAndrew took his last breath as she held him in her arms. No one knows how or why Dan died, and everyone at St. Tabbys believes Scarlett had something to do with it. But now that shes safely hidden away at Wakefield Hall, Scarlett would rather forget that it ever happened. Only she cant. Especially when she receives an anonymous note that will set her on the path to clearing her name and finding out what really happened to the first and last boy she kissed.
I liked this book although it could have been better. Scarlet's talent of being able to do well at gymnastics just leaped out of the page. You could tell that the author knew what she was talking about whenever Scarlet flipped and practiced. The plot was really good but it could have been better. It dragged in some parts and the middle was slow. The beginning and end were great although the end left me wanting more. You could relate to Scarlet. The fact that Scarlet was an orphan was repeated a lot of times as if the author was trying to convince us that Scarlet was indeed an orphan.I did not like how Scarlet treat her friends but hopefully she'll make it up to them. The wasn't as much mystery as I wanted and when there was it ended to fast. This book had so much potential but hopefully the sequel will be much better.
G
Guest
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