If you love a novel that blends crime and comedy with a wildly unhinged heroine, A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage is the book for you.
I typically gravitate toward stories with protagonists I can root for—characters who are likable, or at least redeemable. So I was genuinely surprised by how invested I became in Lalla Rook’s story. Against my better judgment, I found myself desperately hoping things would work out for her.
On the surface, Lalla is juggling the familiar pressures of domestic life: she’s a devoted wife to Stephen, mother of two, and an ambitious homemaker determined to climb the social ladder. She’s laser-focused on helping her husband make partner at his bank, securing her daughter a spot at a prestigious private school, and maintaining the illusion of effortless perfection—right down to asking a bakery to make her four-year-old’s birthday cake look slightly imperfect so it appears homemade.
Then there’s her to-do list:
Clean living room
Flatter Stephen’s masculinity
Move corpse from garage
Order more Sellotape
Yes, Lalla is not only a sociopath—she’s also a murderer.
And yet, the novel’s dark humor makes her impossible to dismiss. The writing is wickedly funny, balancing absurdity with unsettling honesty. Beneath the body count, there’s an unexpected emotional core. At one point, I realized that Lalla’s sociopathy isn’t portrayed as villainy for villainy’s sake—it’s simply the hand she was dealt. She’s navigating the world with the tools she has, determined to build the best life she can, no matter the collateral damage.
Adding to the buzz, the film and TV rights have been snapped up by Hulu—so add this title to your “read it before you stream it” list.
For me, this was a true binge read. I finished it in two sittings because I had to know what Lalla would do next—and who might get in her way. By the end, I’d made peace with my questionable allegiance: if rooting for Lalla Rook is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
reviewed by Ashley Ewing
