Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Hot Girl Murder Club in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: July 14, 2026
Summary:
From national bestselling author Ashley Winstead comes a buzzy, bloody new thriller about success, sisterhood, and demanding justice…by any means necessary.
What’s a girl got to do to get some fame, a few million record sales, and justice for murder?
Ten years ago, aspiring singer-actress Scout Sage lost the only thing that mattered: her sister, Georgia. Ever since Georgia’s mysterious death at a Hollywood party, Scout’s done her best to honor her memory, clawing her way through the industry and collecting a network of climbers along the way, fellow hot girls in stilettos with cutthroat ambition, a new Hollywood order.
But when a slew of targeted murders makes headlines across LA, all pointing to Scout as the killer, she turns overnight from a mid-tier pop star into the world’s most famous (alleged) murderer. Now everything she’s worked to build—including the justice she wants for Georgia—will fall apart unless Scout can prove she’s not guilty.
Meanwhile, the young and unusual detective assigned to her case, herself no stranger to tragedy, begins to unearth secrets not even Scout knows, let alone her millions of new fans. Particularly about the ways Georgia’s death connects to an even older pattern of crimes long hushed over in Hollywood—an old reign of terror that, if brought to light, could be the fuel that ignites a reckoning the world over.
My thoughts:
Ashley Winstead is one of those authors that has proven she can write just about anything and write it well, and this latest release is no exception! A timely, ambitious endeavor, this book tackles themes of sisterhood, women standing up for each other and more and I found myself completely engaged in the story right from the start.
I loved how I thought I was just going to get a story about a mystery about murder and some vigilante justice and yet we get so much more than that. There was such an emotional component to this story that I was not expecting, though knowing Ashley, I should have expected it. I came to care about the characters so much more than I thought I would, wanting to know what was ultimately driving them to do what they were doing.
There are a lot of moving parts here and that, coupled with the changing timelines, makes this the type of book where you need to be paying attention at all times. But I promise the payoff is so worth it. This is a story that builds and comes together so perfectly. I kept thinking I had this one worked out, only to be thrown off track by the twists thrown at me. It’s a very layered and tightly plotted story and I cannot recommend it enough!
Audio thoughts:
This was amazing on audio, narrated by the brilliant Brittany Pressley. She effortlessly handled the many characters, giving each one a distinct voice and her pacing was just right. She infused just the right amount of emotion and tension as needed, making this easy to listen to.
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