In Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, hosts of the true-crime comedy podcast My Favorite Murder, share hard-earned lessons from their lives and offer quippy lists and cautionary tales for a mentally healthy and physically safe life. Framed as part humor, part self-help and part memoir, the book takes readers inside some of the podcast's most famous pieces of advice ("F*ck Politeness," "You're in a Cult, Call Your Dad," etc.). To illustrate these words of wisdom, Kilgariff and Hardstark reflect on their own pasts and the true-crime tales that have stuck with them. Kilgariff digs into her struggles with alcoholism and grapples with her grief over losing her mother to Alzheimer's, while Hardstark reveals her own history with addiction and self-doubt.
Kilgariff and Hardstark, somewhat incredibly, manage to maintain the witty banter from their podcast personas and translate their particular, quirky brand of humor to the written page. From "Karen's Introduction" to "Georgia's Conclusion," their voices ring true and convey empathy, vulnerability and comfort. They also succeed in striking an excellent balance between the often dark self-revelations being described and their overall light, irreverent tone. The book, perhaps even more than the podcast itself, forges the connection My Favorite Murder has made between true crime and feminism. Kilgariff and Hardstark unwaveringly assert themselves as voices for female empowerment by encouraging candid dialogues about mental health and personal growth. By the end, readers understand the real rule Kilgariff and Hardstark live by, that of learning to be vulnerable with each other in order to be stronger together. --Alice Martin, freelance writer and editor