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The Rest Will Come

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Murder can be risky…and not just for the douchebags on the business end of Emma’s power saw. Men only let Emma down. They cheat, and they lie. They send unsolicited pictures of their genitals. Ready to give up hope, Emma decides to go on one last date. Then it finally happens—she finds the thing she loves most of all. Killing clueless jerks she finds on the internet. Lost in a happy haze of hunting her victims, devising increasingly-clever killings, and streamlining her dismemberment process, Emma gets careless. As her need for her murderous outlet grows, she runs an increasing risk of getting caught…or worse—falling for one of her victims.

383 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2017

52 people are currently reading
412 people want to read

About the author

Christina Bergling

29 books92 followers
Drawn to the monstrous and macabre, Christina Bergling has been weaving nightmares since childhood. Her horror tales slither from post-apocalyptic (Savages, Screechers) to monster (Red Walls) psychological (The Waning) to comedy (The Rest Will Come) to mystery (Followers) and anything in between (various anthologies and zines including The Horror Collection series, 96th of October, Graveyard Girls, Demonic Wildlife).

Bergling is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Denver Horror Collective, and Midnight Monster Club and a dedicated voice in the horror genre. She has been featured on panels at Colorado Festival of Horror. She devours horror in all its forms—movies, books, festivals, conventions, stores, haunted attractions.

By day, she navigates the shadows of the IT world. By night, she turns trauma into art. When she’s not writing, she hikes rugged Colorado trails, dances wildly, and sucks out all the marrow of life with her family.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Maxine (Booklover Catlady).
1,436 reviews1,430 followers
January 29, 2026
I am a huge fan of Christina Bergling and her writing.

I had loved the two novellas that she wrote a LOT, Savages Savages by Christina Bergling and The Waning The Waning by Christina Bergling and I recommend both of those for your reading list!

With this, her first full novel Christina has upped the ante. This was a very entertaining, chilling and fun book to read.

The Blurb...in case you didn't read it.

Murder can be risky…and not just for the douchebags on the business end of Emma’s power saw.

Men only let Emma down. They cheat, and they lie. They send unsolicited pictures of their genitals. Ready to give up hope, Emma decides to go on one last date. Then it finally happens—she finds the thing she loves most of all.

Killing clueless jerks she finds on the internet.

Lost in a happy haze of hunting her victims, devising increasingly-clever killings, and streamlining her dismemberment process, Emma gets careless.

As her need for her murderous outlet grows, she runs an increasing risk of getting caught…or worse—falling for one of her victims.


I mean..whoa! A must-read book right? Yup!

It crosses over a number of genres really well which will give it a broad appeal to a lot of different book lovers. It has crime elements with murder and a serial killer at large, it has the punch of a thriller novel, touches of horror with its dark edges and graphic moments plus some family drama and a touch of dark humour to top it all off. Something for everyone really! I must stress however, this is NOT chick-lit. Absolutely not. This is something for those of you who like a twist and a murder or three with your coffee and cake reading sessions.

Christina entices you in with a really intriguing and shocking opening to the book then takes you back in time and nicely builds up the back story and the main characters beautifully.

You really do get to know them very well. Emma, our leading lady in this book was absolutely fascinating on so many levels. If any of you have ever braved the dating world via internet dating sites you will LOVE this book and how it exposes the sheer desperation, deception and draining search for real love via the internet. It turns out it is close to impossible. But not totally impossible. But there are a lot of really bad dates out there and poor Emma seems to get all of them!

Emma's transformation after one deadbeat douchebag date after another is pure entertainment. As Christina turns up the notches of her dark fiction thriller you will be going along with it, desperate to know how far this tale of horror is going to go and what the end result will be. I kind of wanted Emma to be my friend but as I read the book more and more began to seriously think twice about that plan. There is not one boring moment that's for sure! I read this one quickly and loved it.

The Rest Will Come absolutely barrels towards a spectacular and twisty finish. I really liked the ending of the book a lot. Christina has done really well I feel in pleasing her readers with a satisfying ending to what is a dark and edgy read. This is something fresh and different and I highly recommend this for your reading list this year! 5 stars from me!

This is a 2026 re-read for me along with other books by Christina I first read 8 years ago! It feels like yesterday.

Thanks so much for taking a little time to read my review. Your likes and comments mean a lot to me. 😻 Feel free to add me as a friend or follow me for more book reviews.

Profile Image for Kimberly.
1,959 reviews2 followers
November 5, 2017
4.5 stars!

THE REST WILL COME, by Christina Bergling, starts out with a bang to grasp the reader's attention. After this, the novel takes a step back to give us the background of all the main characters, in order to illustrate the roads that led to that moment.

The characterization here was phenomenal! In addition to Emma--who you get to know the most intimately--we meet her best friend, Ronnie, and go along her journey simultaneously with Emma's. Ronnie, in particular, brings a "comic relief" to the novel which--at times--would have otherwise reminded me too much of a "romance/looking for love" type of book.

Through the years, we learn of Emma's distant past, and follow her through all the catastrophic events that are shaping her now.

". . . While you may not want the life you have right now, it's the one you have, so you have to find a way to not be miserable in it . . . "

Some of the scenes in this book could be quite prevalent to single people in today's society. With all the technology at our disposal, searching for a partner takes on a whole new level. Through these often disastrous--sometimes comical--escapades, Emma begins to realize what she likes most in life. Discovering "who" she really is seems to comes as much as a surprise to her as it does to the reader.

". . . Under the casual morning sun and a kind breeze, digging was decidedly relaxing . . ."

The interactions between Emma and Ronnie are a blast! Christina Bergling could not have given us two more different people in terms of personality, and it is precisely these differences that make their conversation and banter so unique and memorable. They serve to break the tension of some of the more "intense" scenes, and give the reader a chance to mentally relax, and simply "go with the flow" of the story.

"How did you not kill this guy? . . ."

What impressed me the most about Ms. Bergling's writing style is the way she was able to so convincingly get me into the mindset of her main character, and make her personal transformation seem to be a "natural" evolution, rather than an "unbelievable" leap.

". . . Maybe there never was an Emma . . . Maybe Emma was the persona and the lie all along . . . "

Overall, I was very impressed with the first novel I've read by this author. While I did feel that the book dragged a little in the middle, the ending got back on track with all the action, character development, and humor that I could have asked for. A solid story that certainly stands out on its own.

". . . And I liked it . . . "

Recommended!
Profile Image for Join the Penguin Resistance!  .
5,657 reviews330 followers
August 15, 2017
Review: THE REST WILL COME
by Christina Bergling

Poor feckless Emma, our heroine; she does “everything right,” only to have nothing go right. Marriage, debts, jobs, dating—she just can't reach her goal, can't grasp that brass ring; is not even sure any more “after all these years” that there is a brass ring—for her. Poor Emma. Then one day—maybe it's years of repressed anger, maybe it's frustration—one day she hears those insulting words once too often: “my heart's just not in it,” and Emma is instantaneously off on a whole new path. Serial murder? Well, these days it just doesn't pay to play fast and loose with Emma, for you may find yourself playing with the Grim Reaper. Emma's had enough...and now that she realizes that, just maybe “the rest will come.”

For all those single women (and can't commit men) who can't catch a break, here's a novel that mingles gore and hilarity, humor and death. Enjoy the catharsis. You'll be glad you did.
Profile Image for Kashmira Majumdar.
Author 4 books15 followers
April 12, 2021
A fast, pacey read about a hopeless romantic, online dating hijinks, fantastic women being BFFs, and a female serial killing villain protagonist? Help, I’m in love!

As the cover tells you, Emma is a Nice Lady who gradually gets her exterior sheen worn down by one relationship failure after another, until her latent rage issues rise to the surface and there’s no stopping her.

The most important thing is that the actual murder plotline doesn’t begin until the 70% mark. In fact, the first two-thirds is about Emma getting out of a bad marriage and trying to move on with new men, while also developing a bit of a spine. This is okay, however, because it’s all palpably building up to something. The book opens with attempted murder, and the switchover to regular dramedy didn’t feel like emotional whiplash. At every turning point, I was mentally on my toes, absolutely sure that this is it, this is the moment she ends up with a dead body in her trunk. It didn’t feel like it could unfold any other way. So while I wasn’t expecting so much of the book to be everyday single-white-female-seeking-love, it worked for me.

Of course, I’m biased because this section is heavily laden with Emma dissecting boys (metaphorically, alas) with her caustic, anti-romance best friend, Ronnie. This book fails the Bechdel Test on paper, but not in spirit. Their friendship is not a plot-given excuse for Emma to have a sounding board for her problems. Their friendship is a vehicle for characterisation and absolutely hilarious dialogue.

I read this book for the banter.

While I think this aspect of it stole the show, the actual point is the serial killing. Because of my bias, I found it to be the less interesting part. It happens too late and it doesn’t last long enough. By the the time the Happily Ever After love interest is introduced, there’s not enough to pagespace to flesh him out, and his perfection feels like an Informed Attribute. What’s fun though is their first in-person date because you know what’s going to go down, what the reveal will be, and the suspense of when it will be sprung on the characters is delicious. I’m only ambivalent about the ending because it didn’t need to tie together so many plot threads into a bow.

With that said, my favourite part of everything (second only to Ronnie) is that Emma doesn’t do it because she’s bitter and insecure. It’s because she’s frustrated and tired of hearing “you’re awesome but”. It is a spectacular, privileged, entitled response to the most privileged, entitled group on the planet (men), and I am here for it. Emma doesn’t need a tragic backstory or trauma porn. She doesn’t need to do it because evil is sexy, or for the lulz.

She’s just pissed off at bad behaviour and is kind of a sore loser.

For the love of god, she refers to her car and thinks, “I needed to sell that rolling crime scene as fast as possible.”

As female villain motivations go, literally what could be cooler? This lady is fucking up there with the wife from Miike Snow’s Genghis Khan music video.
Profile Image for ✴ Cindy ✴  .
427 reviews
January 10, 2019
💯💯💯💯1/2

This book was a true head trip. Emma and Justin are married.
Profile Image for  Thea™.
3,789 reviews11 followers
September 7, 2017

When I saw this amazing cover, I sooo wanted to read this book! However, for me, the story didn't meet the expectation that were raised with this cover... so I'm actually a little disappointed. First time reading a book written by this author, btw.
This is Emma's story. Emma tries desperately to 'do everything right' but everything just turns out wrong for her. She becomes a killer (by 'accident') and things progress from there... I would rather call this book a comedy than a horror story, like I hoped it would be. Okay, there is (very well written) murder, gore and death but the way it's described is more hilarious and funny, than dark and gritty. So... if you're expecting a really dark story, IMHO this book is not for you. Nevertheless an entertaining story about a good girl and, how despite desperately trying to do everything right, things go so wrong... however, in the end {komt alles toch nog op z'n pootjes terecht! Emma vind een andere serial killer and they live HEA!}

This book made me think about the movie 'Very Bad Things' with Christian Slater and Cameron Diaz. A completely different story, but the 'feel' was the same for me.
{Maar dat terzijde, lol!}
Profile Image for Cheryl.
6,656 reviews237 followers
November 18, 2017
What a way to start out a book. The main character, Emma, is gouging out the eyes of her date. The best part was when her hand got stuck and she used her high heel to push on the dead guy's body and fell on her ass. Instantly, I was a fan of Emma's. It actually was great that the story started out this way to show how strong Emma is. This is because she was not that way previously. Yet, after what she went through with her bad luck with men, I don't blame her for being a vigilante against douchebags.

Emma is the female version of Dexter. Her victims are men that actually deserve the punishment that Emma served them. I am sure there are a lot of women that would agree; especially involving the men that send full frontal dick, ball, and bush pictures. There was humor to be found within this story as well. I loved Emma's best friend, Ronnie. Everyone needs a best friend like her. Although, she did become a little tamer once she had a child. Author, Christina Bergling serves up a bloody, good time with The Rest Will Come!
Profile Image for Kevin.
Author 143 books326 followers
October 24, 2017
Another great story from Christina Bergling. I’ve enjoyed all of Christina’s work since she appeared on the horror scene. Her first two novels were excellent and I’ve loved all of her shorts.

This story centres around a woman who is unlucky in love. She catches her husband cheating and he leaves and then she goes through the whole trauma of dealing with it and trying to get her life back together. The first half of the book centres heavily on her dating experiences and her role switch with her previously promiscuous friend, who has now found a man and is settling into family life. Christina uses the events to show us how the main character is effected by her experiences and lets us see how they impact her. The character is really easy to dislike but considering she is the baddie that’s cool. I’m not giving away any spoilers here, as we find this out at the very beginning. She also doesn’t try to justify her actions or look for validation. She wonders more about the reasons. She comes across as self-centred and has a ‘why me?’ attitude but as the story goes on we find out there are deeper issues there as well.

After the first half of the book the pace really picks up and the storyline becomes a lot more exciting with some great scenes. I also really enjoyed the ending. The writing is top notch as always with Berglings work and I’m sure others will love this book. I knocked one star off due to feeling the build-up could have been a little shorter.
11 reviews
February 9, 2021
WOW!

I normally don’t read murder novels but, wow this was awesome! I have found a new genre I like, who knew?
Profile Image for W.D. Jackson-Smart.
Author 7 books37 followers
October 2, 2017
I think what resonated most with me about this book is how relatable the premise is. Emma, sick of being treated badly by men that she dates, decides to start making up for the disrespect she finds in the world of online dating by becoming pretty vicious herself. I'm sure most people who have tried online dating will find plenty they recognise in Emma's journey as she tries to find the right person for her.

I don't want to ruin anything story wise but I have to say I was quite shocked by how nasty it gets once Emma has decided enough is enough. While I hoped she would get to this point a bit quicker, in truth the fact that you spend a lot of time witnessing her journey looking for love before hand means it's even more impactful by the time she snaps.

This is a brutal story by the end and I encourage anyone who has tried online dating (or just likes nasty thrillers in general) to give it a read.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
February 9, 2018
💝 FREE on Amazon today (2/9/2018)! 💝

Blurb:
Murder can be risky…and not just for the douchebags on the business end of Emma’s power saw.

Men only let Emma down. They cheat, and they lie. They send unsolicited pictures of their genitals. Ready to give up hope, Emma decides to go on one last date. Then it finally happens—she finds the thing she loves most of all.

Killing clueless jerks she finds on the internet.

Lost in a happy haze of hunting her victims, devising increasingly-clever killings, and streamlining her dismemberment process, Emma gets careless.

As her need for her murderous outlet grows, she runs an increasing risk of getting caught…or worse—falling for one of her victims.
Profile Image for Annatasia Meehleder.
78 reviews3 followers
January 7, 2018
*** I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. ***

When I read the blurb, I was extremely excited, because you don’t often find yourself reading about a lady serial killer. Well, it is suffice to say that I was not disappointed in the least ! This has to be one of my favorite horror books of all time, just because it’s so different and lets you get inside of Emma’s head. Her past is shown and basically explains why she became a killer. So even though she kills people you can’t help, but love her and root for her.

There were so many times in the book where I laughed my ass off. She was so comical in what she was doing and how she reacted that I couldn’t help myself. If she were a person, I would want to see if I would actually get along with her or not even though she is a murderer. I just find her absolutely fascinating in all ways.

Ronnie is the best friend that anyone could ever ask for. I feel like she really relied on her in the story and I am glad that she was there for Emma as well as Terrance. I feel like even though she loved them and needed them she felt like they couldn’t understand her completely and so she was living a double life. She needed something of her own, a family of her own.

Overall, the story was great and the ending was THE BEST !!!! I just knew that it would happen that way and it was the best couple of twists that could have happened. Who knew true love could be such a killer?
Profile Image for AJ Metzger.
25 reviews1 follower
September 3, 2022
The story that will make you rethink online dating or at least give you more reasons to laugh about it. Emma's life is just a little tumultuous, she has great friends but she just wants a family. Fate seems to be telling her that her happiness may not be found having babies. Will she ever find Mr. Right or will she run out of hiking spots?

I am impatient so I wanted to story to move faster and at times Emma was a little annoying but that's probably because I don't have baby fever, otherwise I loved the story.

Profile Image for C.
370 reviews3 followers
February 6, 2018
I almost didn't finish this, this girl whined so much. Some people just have to have a man in their life. If it wasn't for Ronnie her best friend I would of never finished this, Ronnie was funny and smart.

I would recommend cause it does pick up, it just kind of slogged. It does have a great ending, however.


Cherie'
Profile Image for Jennifer Bonges.
7 reviews3 followers
October 27, 2017
This is my first Christina Bergling read. Loved this book! It is a fast-paced thrill ride. Loved the characters and relatable issues we all face. Can't wait to read more Christina Bergling.
Profile Image for Moriah Solomon.
38 reviews6 followers
October 18, 2017
I love the character emma who thinks she is all wrong for some who she married but what kept me up reading it all night was the fact that it seemed that she was the perfect girl set for the pefect life but what broke her was that she wasn’t enough for husband and then murder became her only true love. I loved the book. now i want more by this author christina, what else do you have in store.
Profile Image for Sarah.
16 reviews
October 26, 2017
Thrilling

Wonder change of pace from my usually books. Enjoyed Emma’s story but part of me still wondering how did she never get caught.
Profile Image for Amy Crandall.
Author 2 books86 followers
August 16, 2018
Where do I begin?!?!

This story had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved the author’s voice and the way they pulled me into the story! I loved Emma’s character and appreciated that she had a lot of resilience before things went south.

The only thing that bugged me, which is why I gave the book 4.5 stars, is that it took a LONG TIME to get back to the spot readers wanted to get back to. As much as I appreciated getting an inside view as to what happened, I figured it could have been condensed just a bit.

Otherwise, AMAZING READ! I highly recommend!
667 reviews26 followers
August 19, 2018
A Unique Thriller!

I loved this book! It has so many surprising twists that will shock you! The author is so talented! I will never forget this book. I am now following this author. It is a book to put on your list to read.
1 review
December 5, 2018
Loved it!!!! I think the hardest part of a book is the ending, sometimes it brings a fantastic book down a level or two. This book did not disappoint, I could not figure out how it would end and when I got to that part it just made me love it even more. Wonderful!
Profile Image for John Morris.
1,017 reviews83 followers
October 24, 2017
Sorry, but not for me

I was unable to finish this book, it was just not my type of read. I don't deny that it was a well written story, but it just didn't do anything for me.
Profile Image for Josh Gilstrap.
22 reviews
April 8, 2022
I'd love to see this on the screen as well. Reads like a movie, with a great cold open that brings you in from the start.
Profile Image for S.B. (Beauty in Ruins).
2,671 reviews245 followers
September 3, 2022
A black comedy, with moments of bloody horror, The Rest Will Come is an interesting read. It is really two novels in one, which presents something of a challenge (depending on your reading tastes), but Christina Bergling is a strong enough writer to nudge us from one genre to another.

The story starts out strong with a date gone wrong, an accidental murder, and some authentic post-traumatic panic. We immediately get a sense of Emma as a likable young woman, caught in a bad situation, who reacted in an unfortunate manner.

After that chilling opening, however, the story shifts gears into contemporary romantic drama. We flashback to Emma's wedding, the dissolution of her marriage, the support of her best friend, and the agonies of electronic dating. All of that is well-written, further establishing Emma's character, and setting us up for her impending emotional break, but it takes a long time to play out. A very long time. I'll be honest, I started to lose patience with that aspect of the story, and I really feel the book would be better served by cutting about half of it.

Fortunately, patience is rewarded, and the story kicks into high gear once it finally circles around to reconnect with the opening, taking us through Emma's anxious drive home, the dismemberment of her date, and the disposal of the body. It's bloody, grisly stuff, but as the dates continue, psychological horror gives way to the black humor of the ultimate revenge fantasies. It's a guilty pleasure the rest of the way through, especially when Emma finds a guy foolish enough to hike up a mountain for a first date campout. After far too many easy murders, things finally hit a snag, and that's when we stop wondering about Emma and start worrying.

The prolonged romantic drama at its heart may test some reader's patience, but it is worth sticking around, because (as promised) The Rest Will Come. As for the ending, I suspected something along those lines was coming, but it was just about perfect.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.

Profile Image for Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon).
1,841 reviews266 followers
July 22, 2020
🌈 Picked read for the 2019 Unleash The Mods™ (UTM™) challenge over at Maraya's Cave Of Freaking Wonders -- Pick: Maraya | Month: November 🌈




I grew up with not one, not two but three Emma's. Three. I am friends with none of them and I will never enjoy or support the Emmas of the world.


Besides that the book is a scam. The blurp promised one thing and it didn't happen. Aaaand the writing is awful: repeating and empty. Scam. Read something else.
Profile Image for Shriti Chatterjee.
263 reviews35 followers
July 21, 2021
3.4/5

"That is exactly why you have to suck any enjoyment you can out of life. When you get something good, fucking love it."
Let's see... 1 star for the out-of-the-box concept/idea, plus1 star for Emma for being such a relatable character, plus1 star for getting the lows of modern dating right to a T.

I enjoyed both the story & the writing, I really did. My heart goes out to Emma because I've come close to tearing my hair out after hanging out with 1-2 jerks too many. Still, I was left disappointed with the rushed ending especially since, it was somewhat predictable. Emma did remind me of Dexter🐐 and the meticulous ways he used to plan his kills and then clean it up without a trace.

P. S. Did anyone else catch that mini reference to Walking Dead show? 😁
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