Kismet: A Thriller
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- Create Date：2022-07-02 21:21:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Amina Akhtar
- ISBN：B09LVBGQLL
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Summary
From Amina Akhtar comes a viciously funny thriller about wellness—the smoothies， the secrets， and the deliciously deadly impulses。
Lifelong New Yorker Ronnie Khan never thought she’d leave Queens。 She’s not an “aim high， dream big” person—until she meets socialite wellness guru Marley Dewhurst。
Marley isn’t just a visionary; she’s a revelation。 Seduced by the fever dream of finding her best self， Ronnie makes for the desert mountains of Sedona， Arizona。
Healing yoga， transcendent hikes， epic juice cleanses…Ronnie consumes her new bougie existence like a fine wine。 But is it， really？ Or is this whole self-care business a little sour？
When the glam gurus around town start turning up gruesomely murdered， Ronnie has her answer: all is not well in wellness town。 As Marley’s blind ambition veers into madness， Ronnie fears for her life。
Lifelong New Yorker Ronnie Khan never thought she’d leave Queens。 She’s not an “aim high， dream big” person—until she meets socialite wellness guru Marley Dewhurst。
Marley isn’t just a visionary; she’s a revelation。 Seduced by the fever dream of finding her best self， Ronnie makes for the desert mountains of Sedona， Arizona。
Healing yoga， transcendent hikes， epic juice cleanses…Ronnie consumes her new bougie existence like a fine wine。 But is it， really？ Or is this whole self-care business a little sour？
When the glam gurus around town start turning up gruesomely murdered， Ronnie has her answer: all is not well in wellness town。 As Marley’s blind ambition veers into madness， Ronnie fears for her life。
Reviews
Boomer
，
I tried Kismet as my July Amazon First Reads option purely because it was the only book available in the psychological thriller genre。 Having completed it today， I'm not really sure what to feel。 Ronnie Khan， a sheltered and timid Pakistani woman， moves to the small town of Sedona， Arizona with her high energy， extroverted friend Marley in an attempt to change her life in a positive way。 Sedona is a 'wellness' town， full of new age healers， crystals， tarot readers， and other assorted oddities。 S I tried Kismet as my July Amazon First Reads option purely because it was the only book available in the psychological thriller genre。 Having completed it today， I'm not really sure what to feel。 Ronnie Khan， a sheltered and timid Pakistani woman， moves to the small town of Sedona， Arizona with her high energy， extroverted friend Marley in an attempt to change her life in a positive way。 Sedona is a 'wellness' town， full of new age healers， crystals， tarot readers， and other assorted oddities。 Soon after their arrival murders begin happening and as Marley's personality begins to change， Ronnie fears she could be in grave danger。Personally I wouldn't class this as a thriller， as the humorous tone even when bodies are dropping left and right means there's no much in the way of tension or suspense。 It's more of a goofy whodunnit murder mystery。 Some background into Ronnie's rough upbringing makes her an easy character to cheer for， and the unexpected ending was definitely satisfying。 That said， Kismet just never quite worked for me。 It bounces between serious and comical a little too much， and the whole ravens thing was just a little too much for me to swallow。 The author's skilled， but this one wasn't for me。 。。。more
Vibliophile
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A creepy， slightly bizarre Hitchcock-flavored mysteryTake a whodunit， place it in a setting ripe for deception with lots of open， hostile spaces， add a dash of The Birds plus Psycho & an Agatha Christie style twist to the end and it's kismet - literally & figuratively。 How much of fate or destiny is imposed on us & how much is in our own hands？ The protagonist is sympathetic， though not overly likeable。 The writing immersive， though the flow hops around the timeline & thru several points of view A creepy， slightly bizarre Hitchcock-flavored mysteryTake a whodunit， place it in a setting ripe for deception with lots of open， hostile spaces， add a dash of The Birds plus Psycho & an Agatha Christie style twist to the end and it's kismet - literally & figuratively。 How much of fate or destiny is imposed on us & how much is in our own hands？ The protagonist is sympathetic， though not overly likeable。 The writing immersive， though the flow hops around the timeline & thru several points of view including the killers， which made it feel a bit all over the place。 Though that may have been the author's goal for creating an unsettled mood。 I kept suspecting different characters throughout & never even got close to the truth。 If you'll forgive yet another media reference， whether or not you consider the ending satisfying will depend on how you feel about Twilight Zone type endings。 ***CONTENT***A moderate amount of language plus 43 f-bombsAbout 5+ dozen uses of the Lord's Name trivially （ie in vain）， though none as curses， fwiw Some references to sex but no descriptions。 And while the deaths are a tad gruesome， there's nothing overly graphic there， either 。。。more
Mimi
，
This has been the best book I read in a long time。 I was riveted from the first pages。 This book is sharp， dark， disturbing， but also funny。 Ronnie has a very distinct voice and perspective， and her portions of the story read as very genuine and authentic。 All the characters are at once very exaggerated and realistic— you feel like you’ve seen them all in some aspects of your life， even if it’s in a YouTube video。 While there are a number of twists， and maybe you can predict one or two， you won’ This has been the best book I read in a long time。 I was riveted from the first pages。 This book is sharp， dark， disturbing， but also funny。 Ronnie has a very distinct voice and perspective， and her portions of the story read as very genuine and authentic。 All the characters are at once very exaggerated and realistic— you feel like you’ve seen them all in some aspects of your life， even if it’s in a YouTube video。 While there are a number of twists， and maybe you can predict one or two， you won’t get them all。 I can’t recommend this book enough， and I can’t wait for it to be out so others can get their hands on it。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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2
K
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"But it had been a couple of weeks since her honey-covered body had been found。" Kismet， by Amina Akhtar， wasn't exactly what I expected， which was a police procedural。 Totally my fault。 Still， I found myself reading compulsively about naive and abused Ronnie Khan and her new age adventures in Sedona。 Narcissists abound in Arizona， apparently， as do ravens。 I liked the ravens much better。 The twist at the end I didn't see coming， AT ALL。 Grotesquely fun， and funny！ Recommend。P。S。 Thanks to #netg "But it had been a couple of weeks since her honey-covered body had been found。" Kismet， by Amina Akhtar， wasn't exactly what I expected， which was a police procedural。 Totally my fault。 Still， I found myself reading compulsively about naive and abused Ronnie Khan and her new age adventures in Sedona。 Narcissists abound in Arizona， apparently， as do ravens。 I liked the ravens much better。 The twist at the end I didn't see coming， AT ALL。 Grotesquely fun， and funny！ Recommend。P。S。 Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
John Vercher
，
I was fortunate enough to read an early draft of this stunner and couldn't put it down。 Amina writes with a voice like no other， one as razor sharp as the deadly instruments her characters wield。 Don't miss this one。 I was fortunate enough to read an early draft of this stunner and couldn't put it down。 Amina writes with a voice like no other， one as razor sharp as the deadly instruments her characters wield。 Don't miss this one。 。。。more
Dea
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This thriller is twisted and keeps you guessing at every turn。 Get ready to be immersed in a creepy， culty wellness town where anyone—and everyone could stab you in the back， and then feed you to the ravens。I loved everything about this book。 The characters are complicated and complex， they keep you guessing—and reading。 The setting is a whole other character in itself。 This is an absolute must read。
Alex
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KISMET is an unforgettable read， with a fantastic setting and backdrop - sharp， haunting， and loaded with Amina Akhtar's hypnotic， visceral voice。 This book is chilling， surprising， and loaded with biting commentary on the Sedona wellness industry。 This novel lingered with me for days after I finished it。 KISMET is mesmerizing - a writer at the peak of her powers。 KISMET is an unforgettable read， with a fantastic setting and backdrop - sharp， haunting， and loaded with Amina Akhtar's hypnotic， visceral voice。 This book is chilling， surprising， and loaded with biting commentary on the Sedona wellness industry。 This novel lingered with me for days after I finished it。 KISMET is mesmerizing - a writer at the peak of her powers。 。。。more
Cari
，
I have no idea why this is coming up that I read the audiobook and the book， but I had an advanced reader from Thomas & Mercer/Netgalley。The protagonist is Ronnie Khan， who's moved from NYC to Sedona， AZ， for a fresh start。 She's moved with her friend， Marley Dewhurst， a wellness guru also looking for a new home。 An inheritance from her parents keeps Ronnie afloat， and Marley's got a trust fund， so they're not looking for income。 Marley's looking for fame as an influencer， and Ronnie is just try I have no idea why this is coming up that I read the audiobook and the book， but I had an advanced reader from Thomas & Mercer/Netgalley。The protagonist is Ronnie Khan， who's moved from NYC to Sedona， AZ， for a fresh start。 She's moved with her friend， Marley Dewhurst， a wellness guru also looking for a new home。 An inheritance from her parents keeps Ronnie afloat， and Marley's got a trust fund， so they're not looking for income。 Marley's looking for fame as an influencer， and Ronnie is just trying to figure out what she wants to do next。 Ronnie's parents died when she was young， and she's still recovering from a lifetime of abuse by her aunt。 When Ronnie and Marley find a severed head in the desert， it's clear that a murderer is on the loose。 New characters come into the picture， such as Ronnie's new friends Star and Brit， along with Marley's obnoxious friend， Caroline。 As more people drop dead， it's impossible for the authorities--and Ronnie--to put the pieces together。 Meanwhile， Ronnie begins bonding with an unkindness of ravens， who also get a point of view in the story。 And she's also been dreaming of the murders before they happen。。。I have followed Amina on Twitter for a while （and her amazing dog Bean）。 So of course I was dying to get my hands on this book。 It's a fast and engaging read， bringing up topics of race， Internet influencing， and of course， the new age/wellness aspect。 Ronnie's dreams make the reader question what is actually real and what's a farce。 The ending is shocking--I guessed part of it， but the rest of it was a huge surprise。 Also， the ending is drawn out， so you're waiting on tenterhooks for everything to resolve。 Amina writes in clear， readable prose， which pushes the book on an even faster track。 I encourage everyone to get their hands on this sly and subversive thriller！ 。。。more
Liz Barnsley
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Kismet is both darkly funny and randomly disturbing， fairly sure I won't be looking for any spiritual guidance any time soon and if I see a raven I'm definitely feeding it！I loved the characters in Kismet， even the ones I didn't like very much and our main protagonist， Ronnie， is entertaining and easy to get behind。In a town full of quirky mystics a killer looms large- things take a nose dive into the bizarre in a beautifully thoughtful way， I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this。 The setting Kismet is both darkly funny and randomly disturbing， fairly sure I won't be looking for any spiritual guidance any time soon and if I see a raven I'm definitely feeding it！I loved the characters in Kismet， even the ones I didn't like very much and our main protagonist， Ronnie， is entertaining and easy to get behind。In a town full of quirky mystics a killer looms large- things take a nose dive into the bizarre in a beautifully thoughtful way， I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this。 The setting was superbly drawn and I was sad to leave this behind。I'm probably safer now though。。。。 。。。more
Sarita Subramaniam
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This book was a huge surprise。 The protagonist Ronnie has left the clutches of her hateful aunt who has terrorized her for years。 She leaves New York for a new life in Sedona。 After she arrives dead bodies and flocks of ravens keep appearing。 The writing is really fun and observant。 I both laughed and winced at the clueless racist comments from people now obsessed with South Asian culture。 I also really enjoyed her take on toxic relationships and the keen observations of the “wellness community” This book was a huge surprise。 The protagonist Ronnie has left the clutches of her hateful aunt who has terrorized her for years。 She leaves New York for a new life in Sedona。 After she arrives dead bodies and flocks of ravens keep appearing。 The writing is really fun and observant。 I both laughed and winced at the clueless racist comments from people now obsessed with South Asian culture。 I also really enjoyed her take on toxic relationships and the keen observations of the “wellness community”。 I flew threw the book and was really invested in Ronnie and was rooting for her。 Lots of fun and I am definitely seeking out this author’s previous novel。Thanks to NetGalley and Amina Akhtar for an Advanced Reader Copy。 。。。more
Todd Wilkins
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READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksAfter reading the first few chapters of Kismet I knew two things with absolute cosmic certainty; the muscles in my face responsible for cringing were going to be tested to their limits and that I was going to love every second of it。Ronnie Khan needed something in her life to change。 What she didn’t expect was to find that the catalyst would end up being a wellness guru by the name of Marley Dewhurst。 With a newly founded confidence， buoyed by a budding READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksAfter reading the first few chapters of Kismet I knew two things with absolute cosmic certainty; the muscles in my face responsible for cringing were going to be tested to their limits and that I was going to love every second of it。Ronnie Khan needed something in her life to change。 What she didn’t expect was to find that the catalyst would end up being a wellness guru by the name of Marley Dewhurst。 With a newly founded confidence， buoyed by a budding friendship with the blond socialite， Ronnie has decided to leave her tired existence in Queen and start fresh with Marley in the mountains of Sedona， Arizona。Upon entering her new life， Ronnie was expecting things like the endless hikes， tasteless health shakes， or tortuous beauty routines to be the death of her， but when she begins having prophetic dreams and actual bodies start appearing in the picturesque landscapes… the banality of the wellness culture will be the least of her worries。Anyone who follows my reviews knows that a novel based around the wellness industry and rich white ladies in the desert is not really something to be considered as part of my “usual” reads… and they would be absolutely right。 The fact that Kismet is pretty far afield from my normal reading habits makes my love for this book that much stronger。Make sure to check out the full review 。。。more
Joshua
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A new life？ Sunny Sedona， AZ。 Where the red rocks run redder with the blood of the phonies。 Cheeky， I know。 Enjoyable。Something is afoot。 New transplant Ronnie （main character）， a type of soothsayer， has visions of their demise。 Old life like new life is Kismet。 In an effort to escape the past， Ronnie must rise like the phoenix from her ashes。 She is reborn into her best self for the life she necessitates。Spoiler？ Nearly halfway through， the book reminded me of "Fight Club" sans the underground A new life？ Sunny Sedona， AZ。 Where the red rocks run redder with the blood of the phonies。 Cheeky， I know。 Enjoyable。Something is afoot。 New transplant Ronnie （main character）， a type of soothsayer， has visions of their demise。 Old life like new life is Kismet。 In an effort to escape the past， Ronnie must rise like the phoenix from her ashes。 She is reborn into her best self for the life she necessitates。Spoiler？ Nearly halfway through， the book reminded me of "Fight Club" sans the underground fighting scene。 。。。more
Julie
，
Thank you NetGalley， Thomas & Mercer and Amina Akhtar for the copy of Kismet。 This book was so good it made me rethink my whole book rating system！ Five stars just isn’t enough。 When I finished the book in the wee hours of the morning and was able to pick my jaw up off the floor， I started wondering how I was going to write a review that didn't sound like it was written by a love-struck teenager。 The characters were a revelation。 I couldn’t help loving Ronnie who followed her friend Marley to Se Thank you NetGalley， Thomas & Mercer and Amina Akhtar for the copy of Kismet。 This book was so good it made me rethink my whole book rating system！ Five stars just isn’t enough。 When I finished the book in the wee hours of the morning and was able to pick my jaw up off the floor， I started wondering how I was going to write a review that didn't sound like it was written by a love-struck teenager。 The characters were a revelation。 I couldn’t help loving Ronnie who followed her friend Marley to Sedona， Arizona in a bid for independence and a new life。I loved how Ronnie dealt with the other townsfolk and their casual racism and prejudices with grace and hidden anger。 Seeing how Ronnie grows and discovers herself was a joy。 Marley becomes consumed with her desire to become an ‘influencer’ that includes an alliance with Caroline， who offers to help her。 Will Caroline change the dynamic between the two friends？ The other people in the town are a mix of tourists， retirees and young people all looking for the path to wellness - crystals， tarot， health foods， healing and the like。 This might be my first book where birds are characters， but I can’t imagine this book without the ravens。 I’m going to step up my attempts at befriending the ones that like to hang out in my tree！The writing was so good I was immediately wrapped up in the story and Ronnie’s life。 The words and the plot flowed together seamlessly and before I knew it I had been reading nonstop for hours。 I was a little worried about the description saying this was “viciously funny” and to be honest my funny bone might be in hibernation， but I found nothing funny in the book at all。 I loved this book and will recommend it to anyone who asks， and to some that don’t ask too！ 。。。more
Laura
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I loved Akhtar's #Fashionvictim and was thrilled to get an ARC of her new book （many thanks to the author & publisher！）。 Kismet showcases Akhtar's unique voice and wicked talent for dark humor along with an irresistible premise: fake wellness gurus getting murdered in Sedona。 I was immediately drawn in by protagonist Ronnie's compelling story （and， of course， the crows） and couldn't wait to see where it would all lead。 Original， fun， and dark--I gobbled it up。 I loved Akhtar's #Fashionvictim and was thrilled to get an ARC of her new book （many thanks to the author & publisher！）。 Kismet showcases Akhtar's unique voice and wicked talent for dark humor along with an irresistible premise: fake wellness gurus getting murdered in Sedona。 I was immediately drawn in by protagonist Ronnie's compelling story （and， of course， the crows） and couldn't wait to see where it would all lead。 Original， fun， and dark--I gobbled it up。 。。。more
Samantha Bailey
，
A remarkably original， terrifying read that seized me from the first line， KISMET is an astonishing， expertly structured thriller。 Akhtar's signature creepy tone， suffused with dread and laced with wicked humor， is riveting; her characters make you blur the lines of morality and justice。 With brilliantly shifting POVs， a touch of magic， and a jaw-dropping ending， this is a spellbinding， stand-out suspense。 A remarkably original， terrifying read that seized me from the first line， KISMET is an astonishing， expertly structured thriller。 Akhtar's signature creepy tone， suffused with dread and laced with wicked humor， is riveting; her characters make you blur the lines of morality and justice。 With brilliantly shifting POVs， a touch of magic， and a jaw-dropping ending， this is a spellbinding， stand-out suspense。 。。。more
Gigi
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Amina Akhtar brings her wickedly wicked style to this thriller about a woman who's finally taken charge of her life—only to find dead bodies piling up around her in the wellness community where she's starting over。 KISMET is a page-turner populated by eerie ravens and people who aren't what they seem in a perfectly unsettling desert setting。 This is a twisty thrill ride with a perfect and unexpected ending I didn't see coming。 Amina Akhtar brings her wickedly wicked style to this thriller about a woman who's finally taken charge of her life—only to find dead bodies piling up around her in the wellness community where she's starting over。 KISMET is a page-turner populated by eerie ravens and people who aren't what they seem in a perfectly unsettling desert setting。 This is a twisty thrill ride with a perfect and unexpected ending I didn't see coming。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Dead bodies are turning up in Sedona’s upscale wellness community？ Sign me up！ I loved everything about KISMET， Amina Akhtar’s sharply observant， funny thriller。 Gleeful and gripping， Akhtar has knocked it out of the park with this wickedly entertaining， twisty novel。
Kellye
，
No one can skewer an entire industry quite like Amina Akhtar。 When I heard she was taking on the wellness industry， I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Kismet。 The story is funny， sharp， twisty， and spot on whether it’s dealing with toxic relationships or everyday racism， Ronnie Khan is a character that you can’t help but root for。 I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a novel。 Everyone， and I mean everyone， is going to be talking about those ravens。
Hannah McKinnon
，
KISMET is as atmospheric as it is dark and twisted。 An unsettling read with wholly original protagonists， this is one thrilling story I won’t be forgetting soon。 I'll never look at a raven the same way again！ KISMET is as atmospheric as it is dark and twisted。 An unsettling read with wholly original protagonists， this is one thrilling story I won’t be forgetting soon。 I'll never look at a raven the same way again！ 。。。more
Megan Collins
，
KISMET follows Ronnie as she finally leaves the abusive aunt who raised her to move to Arizona with friend/healer Marley， who’s desperate to break into the Sedona wellness scene。 But as soon as the friends arrive， dead bodies are found， one after another， and soon， Ronnie’s second chance becomes a lot more dangerous than she ever could have imagined。 I will read anything Amina Akhtar writes （have you read her debut #FASHIONVICTIM？ If not， stop everything and read that right now）， so I was beyond KISMET follows Ronnie as she finally leaves the abusive aunt who raised her to move to Arizona with friend/healer Marley， who’s desperate to break into the Sedona wellness scene。 But as soon as the friends arrive， dead bodies are found， one after another， and soon， Ronnie’s second chance becomes a lot more dangerous than she ever could have imagined。 I will read anything Amina Akhtar writes （have you read her debut #FASHIONVICTIM？ If not， stop everything and read that right now）， so I was beyond thrilled to read an advance copy of this one， out in July。 This book is SO COOL， in part because some of the chapters narrated from the perspective of ravens as they watch （stalk？） members of the local community。 I could not get enough of those ravens。 Here’s my official blurb （which also gives a shoutout to the ravens）: Unsettling from the very first page， KISMET takes its readers on a wild ride set in Sedona’s wellness community， featuring a serial killer， crystals， and kickass ravens。 It’s strange and smart and spellbinding， with sharp social commentary and huge surprises。 Another eerie gem from Amina Akhtar。 。。。more
Kelly Ford
，
Read an early version thanks to the author。 Absolutely thrilling—but it’s also a wickedly funny takedown of the wellness community。 A perfect companion to the author’s debut #fashionvictim， which I also LOVED。
P。J。 Vernon
，
All the stars on planet Earth for this book。 Review to come， but if Amina Akhtar's KISMET isn't on your radar， you're setting yourself up to miss what will be one of THE MOST TALKED ABOUT titles in this genre -- or any other， for that matter。 Do not say you weren't warned。 All the stars on planet Earth for this book。 Review to come， but if Amina Akhtar's KISMET isn't on your radar， you're setting yourself up to miss what will be one of THE MOST TALKED ABOUT titles in this genre -- or any other， for that matter。 Do not say you weren't warned。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kismet: A Thriller
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kismet: A Thriller&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Kismet: A Thriller&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0