How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates

Shailee Thompson

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates

Shailee Thompson
55 pages1-hour read
Fiction
Novel
Adult
Published in 2026

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Jamie is a PhD candidate writing a dissertation that draws structural parallels between romantic comedies and slasher films. Disenchanted with modern dating apps, she agrees to attend an in-person singles event at a club called Serendipity. She possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema rules and keeps a "How to Survive a Slasher" poster in her bedroom. Her academic theories quickly become practical survival tools when a massacre begins at the club.

Key Relationships

Best Friend of Laurie Hamilton

Romantic Interest of Wes Carpenter

Romantic Interest of John

Speed Date of Curtis

Target of Heart Eyes

John is an endearing and slightly shy attendee at the Serendipity club. He pays close attention to the women he speaks with and quickly builds an easy rapport with Jamie during their ten-minute slot. He impresses her by reciting dialogue from the movie *While You Were Sleeping* from memory, marking him as a highly promising romantic connection.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Jamie Prescott

Fellow Attendee of Jennifer

Wes is an intense, physically striking attendee at the speed-dating event. He asks earnest questions, such as what makes Jamie happy, and maintains a serious, highly observant presence. His initial interaction with Jamie is electric but tense, especially after she makes a dark joke about the dangers of dating.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Jamie Prescott

Laurie is a pragmatic documentary filmmaker and Jamie's roommate. Preferring factual media over fictional tropes, she convinces Jamie to attend the speed-dating event to combat digital dating fatigue. She serves as a grounded, logical counterweight to Jamie's academic fixation on horror and romance, famously suggesting they implement a thirty-minute time limit for searching the club.

Key Relationships

Best Friend of Jamie Prescott

Speed Date of Stu

Heart Eyes is a masked killer terrorizing the Serendipity nightclub. Wearing a hot-pink ski mask with a zipper where the mouth should be and heart-shaped eyeholes, the attacker leaves a deliberate trail of rose petals and stages macabre romantic gestures targeted directly at Jamie.

Key Relationships

Obsessive Stalker of Jamie Prescott

Supporting Characters

Billie is a cynical attendee at the speed-dating event. She maintains a hostile and standoffish attitude toward the other women, creating immediate social friction. Her dismissive demeanor continues even as the situation inside the club turns dangerous, regularly mocking Jamie's reliance on survival rules.

Key Relationships

Hostile Acquaintance of Jamie Prescott

Stu is an arrogant and abrasive participant in the speed-dating event. He reacts poorly to minor slights and frequently challenges others, aggressively demanding that the survivors split up to search the building. He serves as a consistent source of internal conflict for the trapped daters.

Key Relationships

Hostile Date of Jamie Prescott

Speed Date of Laurie Hamilton

Fellow Attendee of Campbell

Jennifer is a warm and friendly participant at the Serendipity club event. She embodies a kind, girl-next-door energy and attempts to maintain peace and offer compassion when the attendees face extreme stress in the dark.

Key Relationships

Friendly Acquaintance of Jamie Prescott

Fellow Attendee of John

Dani is a participant at the speed-dating event who struggles heavily to cope with the unfolding violence. She exhibits visible terror and frequent tears, representing a highly realistic emotional response to the horrific situation.

Key Relationships

Fellow Searcher with Colette

Fellow Attendee of Jamie Prescott

Curtis is a crude and arrogant attendee who makes sexist remarks and blames women for his dating failures. His aggressive behavior during his ten-minute slot prompts Jamie to directly confront his bad attitude mere moments before the lights cut out.

Key Relationships

Aggressive Date of Jamie Prescott

Colette is a young woman attending the speed-dating event. She interacts warmly with the others before the chaos begins, later separating from the main group to search the basement for a way out alongside Dani.

Key Relationships

Fellow Searcher with Dani

Fellow Attendee of Jamie Prescott

Marion is the practiced host of the speed-dating event at Serendipity. She explains the rules, enforces the strict no-device policy, and manages the rotation of the dates using a bell.

Key Relationships

Event Host of Jamie Prescott

Campbell is a male attendee who survives the initial attack in the basement. He steps in to mediate early physical conflicts between the men and serves as a timekeeper for the search parties using his analog watch.

Key Relationships

Fellow Timekeeper with Stu