Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered

Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Release Date - May 28, 2019
Publisher Website - Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter

Pages -  304 pages
My Rating - 5/5

**borrowed from friend to review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The highly anticipated first book by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the voices behind the #1 hit podcast My Favorite Murder!

Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation.

In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.

I've been interested in true crime for as long as I can remember. From a young age I knew that bad things could happen, particularly to young women and children, and was always more scared of real life stories than any horror movie. I was raised with a healthy fear of white vans and to favour busy streets instead of secluded short cuts. This grew into wanting to know about the psychology behind murder, and serial killers in particular. This naturally lead to me devouring anything true crime related at an age that was probably inappropriate. This interest in true crime led to the podcast My Favorite Murder.

My excitement over the announcement that Karen and Georgia would be writing a dual memoir was therefore pretty understandable. I was relieved to discover that this book is everything I love about the podcast and more. It's all of the conversation bits, banter, and side bars just fleshed out. It feels like meeting up with an old friend and discovering something new about them while still enjoying the history that is there. This book really is for all of the murderinos out there who eagerly anticipate every new episode of the My Favorite Murder podcast. There are so many inside jokes and nods that it feels like reading an episode of the podcast in the best way.

Both Karen and Georgia put everything into this memoir. They left pieces of themselves bare within these pages and you can feel it as you're reading. Georgia tells the full story about the disgusting man who took pictures of her and it is just a wrenching as you would expect. I wanted to some how protect young Georgia. Karen's stories about her mother were so touching, and her story about being a latch key kid (which is really about her sister) was so recognizable because it reminded me of my relationship with my own sister. They both give so much of themselves that you cannot help but be more impressed by these who funny, brave, talented women.

Both ladies are strong writers, but I was particularly impressed with Georgia's writing. I anticipate it wasn't but it felt like it was effortless for her to get the words down on paper. Karen writes exactly like you think she would. It feels like she has such as strong sense of who she is at this point that it even comes through her writing. They always process horrible things and events through humour on the podcast and they do it again here. The writing captures the same tone and vibe that the podcast does and it just highlights how incredibly real and honest both of these women are.

I've always appreciated their straightforward candor when dealing with mental health and the realities behind it. This book also includes that same message here. There is no shame in admitting you need help or seeking out that help. I also appreciated that while both Karen and Georgia are sharing advice through their sharing of personal stories it never is presented as the one path that can be taken. What works for someone may not work for someone else and they encourage people to find what works for them.

This book made me laugh, made me cry, and ultimately left me incredibly proud to be a muderino. I have a tremendous amount of respect for both Karen and Georgia and that was only solidified through reading this memoir. I devoured this in one sitting and predict many other murderinos will too. Undoubtedly there will be those who pick up the book without having listened to the podcast. Those people may not get it, but it is not for them. As Karen says at each of the live shows, those people can kindly see themselves the fuck out. However, to those who do get it, to those who are obviously my people, prepare to absolutely love this and immediately want to discuss it with others. Stay sexy, fellow murderinos, and don't get murdered.