Review: Sucks to Be Me
Life, death, and eternal style
A mob widow walks into a supernatural underworld.
That sounds like the setup for a punchline, but in Sucks to Be Me, Kristin Painter plays it straight—and that is exactly what makes the book so much fun.
Belladonna Barrone is forty-nine, recently widowed, and certain of one thing: her husband’s untimely death in a car accident has finally freed her from the crime family she accidentally married into. Freedom, however, comes with fine print. The boss informs her that she must finish her husband’s final job before she can walk away.
Belladonna assumes the job will involve the usual mob-adjacent nonsense.
Instead she discovers that vampires and werewolves are real.
The story kicks off with a premise that feels delightfully outrageous: a mob wife trying to disentangle herself from organized crime only to land in a supernatural society that makes the mob look tame. Painter runs with the idea at full speed. Belladonna tumbles into a hidden community of vampires, werewolves, and other creatures who operate by their own rules, their own politics, and their own hierarchy.
The result reads like two worlds colliding—The Sopranos meets paranormal romance.
What makes the novel work is Belladonna herself. She isn’t a hardened criminal mastermind. She is a woman who married badly, stayed longer than she should have, and now wants something very simple: a normal life where she doesn’t have to think about killers, bosses, or supernatural power struggles.
Watching her navigate these situations is half the fun. She doesn’t charge in with supernatural powers or secret training. She improvises. She bluffs. She figures things out as she goes, often flying by the seat of her pants while surrounded by people who could easily destroy her.
And somehow she keeps outsmarting them.
The setting adds another layer of fascination. Painter gives readers a peek into the strange luxury that mob money created around Belladonna’s life: a New Jersey mansion, designer dresses, endless shoes, and the quiet understanding that wealth can buy almost anything—except peace of mind.
It is a world most readers will never see firsthand, which makes it irresistible to explore from the safety of a novel. Organized crime carries that same eerie pull as a museum exhibit: horrifying, yes, but impossible to ignore. Belladonna moves through that environment with a mix of resignation, practicality, and dry humor.
Then the supernatural complications arrive and the stakes climb even higher.
Is it cozy?
Surprisingly, yes.
The setting may not be a picturesque village with a bakery on the corner, but the structure still feels familiar. Belladonna enters a tight-knit community with its own personalities, rivalries, and rules. The cast quickly becomes a recurring ensemble—some allies, some enemies, many morally questionable.
It’s essentially a closed circle of characters who just happen to include werewolves and vampires.
And Belladonna, remarkably, holds her own among them.
Belladonna Barrone may have married into the mob by accident.
Escaping it—and everything that comes after—turns out to require far more skill.
About the Author
Kristen Painter is a USA Today bestselling author known for her paranormal romance and supernatural cozy mysteries. She is the creator of the popular Nocturne Falls series, set in a quirky town where magic hides in plain sight and everyday life includes vampires, witches, and other supernatural residents.
Before becoming a full-time novelist, Painter worked as a college English instructor and spent several years in the fashion industry.
You can find her online at kristenpainter.com.
Book Details
- Title: Sucks to Be Me
- Series: First Fangs Club (Book 1)
- Author: Kristen Painter
- Publisher: Kristen Painter
- Publication Date: February 2020
- Length: 380 pages
- Formats: ebook, paperback, audiobook
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