This is the first time I’ve read a Finlay Donovan book and I am so pleased that I have. So funny with great twists! I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series!

A FUN new series that came out a few years ago. A smarter, more nuanced Stephanie Plum. A solid 4.5 stars, but not a life-changing 5. A great way to spend an reading time.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It" by Elle Cosimano is delightfully absurd. The story follows Finlay, a struggling novelist and single mom, whose life takes a wild turn when she is mistakenly hired as a contract killer. She is juggling parenting, deadlines, and a failing marriage. Her inadvertent foray into the criminal underworld is as hilarious as it is nerve-wracking. The novel also cleverly explores themes of identity, motherhood, and survival. Finlay's journey is one of self-discovery, as she learns to navigate her new, dangerous reality while also rediscovering her own strength and resourcefulness.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

This book was great! It was hilarious and clever with so many twists I never saw coming. Finlay is incredible and Vero is the perfect sidekick. Seriously can’t wait to read more in the series, this was a breath of fresh air!

4.5 stars. This is SUCH an entertaining read. I thought for sure I'd be rolling my eyes at things, but instead I was trying to hold back a laugh. And the plot really works. Sure, there's some suspension of disbelief, but it's actually really well-handled. It's fast-paced with some good banter to the writing and I'll definitely be moving right into the next in the series.

I loved this book so much! Thank you for the opportunity to read it. I can't wait to get started on the rest of the series!

I’ve been eyeing the Finlay Donovan series for a while, and I don’t know why I haven’t picked them up yet! (Okay maybe I do- my TBR is long enough.) St Martin’s Press had this as “read now” on NetGalley very briefly, so I took that as my sign to start this series. And I’m so glad I did! I had an absolute blast reading this one. I was also able to get the audio via Libby, and since I had more time to “read with my ears,” I primarily listened to this one.

I loved Finlay. I loved that she was (is?) a single mother of two young children. And I loved that while she was thrown into some crazy situations, she mainly kept her cool. Granted she had the best of help with Vero. Do you know how jealous I am that I don’t have a Vero in my life? I would kill for a Vero. (Ok I feel like it’s very important that I say I mean that figuratively given the nature of this book 😜.) There’s also two hotties for Finlay’s love interests, and I was there for both of them!

This book has top notch shenanigans, thrilling hijinks, and unadulterated mayhem. I can’t wait to continue with this series!

Killing it, indeed! Finlay Donovan balances diaper bags and dead bodies, and it makes for some fantastic reading. A freshly-divorced mom of two young kids and author, Finlay finds herself in a precarious situation when her conversation is overheard and she is mistaken for a hit woman and offered a much-needed payday. She brings her kids' nanny into the fold, and Finlay and Vero are a duo you can really root for. I adored the mix of humor, twists, and mom life that this book offers, and I can't wait to continue reading Finlay's story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

The first in a series. A single mom and her sidekick try to stay out of trouble but it follows her anyway. Very entertaining.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It… killed it. This book was so good. It pulled me out of a reading slump that’s lasted way too many months.

Finlay is such a good character. I had read some reviews that criticized how stupid she is, but I didn’t feel that way about her. Did she make mistakes? Absolutely. Would I make similar or worse ones in her position? Yes. Finlay is thrust into a life she wasn’t expecting and rocks it by the conclusion of the book.

This book is an easy 5 stars. I cannot wait for the next one.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher for making this possible.

I heard so much about this book that I was very excited to grab it when offered by NetGalley. Boy did it not disappoint. Such fun whodunit tied in with a bit of romance, this story had all the makings of a great book to just get lost in and enjoy. Some humorous moments when someone overhears a conversation and misinterprets it spins the main character, Finlay Donovan, into a world of real time intrigue. As an author of romantic mysteries, she is thought to be an assassin for hire and the answer to women in need of taking care of "bad men". Then when the nanny, Vero, discovers Finn trying to deal with a dead body in her garage, the adventure takes off. The comedic adventures and perils that our character finds herself in keeps you reading on to find out what happens next. Just delightful. I love how the ending spins you into the next tale as this series continues. Can't wait to read book 2. Many thanks to #NetGalley, #finlaydonovaniskillingit #ellecosimano #stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Oh what fun. I love reading a train wreck, where you are sort of waiting for the next mishap to make you cringe further, but in this one it just makes you root for the heroine and her sidekick even more. Bring on the chaos (and yes, that includes the two adorable kids) and “what more could go wrong” speculation, and “who is going to get it in the end” reflection and before you know it, the book is over leaving you in a just good enough closure buzz that makes you glad you already have the sequel in your TBR queue. Great work!

This is such a fun start to a zany, refreshing series by Elle Cosimano. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to catch up to the buzz. Since I'd already read books 2 and 3, I was familiar with the characters and where the relationships were going; also, some of the plot twists were not as surprising as if I'd started from the beginning. But I still enjoyed the read and spending time with these delightful characters.
Finlay Donovan, the first-person narrator/protagonist, is a broke, divorced mother of two small children. She is struggling to make it as an author and suffers from writer's block. Her cheating ex-husband and his fiancee (their former real estate agent) are suing for custody of the kids.
During a meeting at Panera with her agent, Finlay throws out a bizarre plot idea about a heroine who's a contract killer. Then she receives a note from another customer who overheard her and misunderstood; the woman wants to hire Finlay to kill her husband for $50,000.
Although the money would solve a lot of her problems, Finlay can't cross that line and tries to explain to the would-be client that there's been a mistake. The woman won't take no for an answer. And it turns out the intended victim has ties to the Russian mafia.
Finlay and her nanny/sidekick, Vero, get in way over their heads, jeopardizing their lives at times, but in an odd way, justice is served.
Highly recommended!

What a great start to a series! Can’t wait to see what else Finlay and Vero get into! They are a Dynamic Duo and crack me up.

I heard many good things about these books so when they came up on NetGalley’s “read now”
I took advantage. I’m so sorry I did. I got about 10% in and had to give up. It was so ridiculous and unbelievable and not in a fun way. I quit. I won’t try the rest of the series.

I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

I am going to read all 5 of the offerings in this series. This first was a good read, maybe a little longer than needed. It is interesting that after all the plot twists and potential issues that occur, the author puts all the pieces together!

In the original Finlay Donovan book we get her backstory, Finlay is a newly divorced author with two young kids. She needs inspiration for her new book (she already spent the advance) and happens upon her next plot when someone overhears her talking to her agent, misunderstands what she does and offers a lot of money for Finlay to murder her awful husband. Hijinks aplenty when Finlay tries to fix her messes with her nanny Vero. It turns out writing about crime is a lot easier than getting involved in one.

So I read these a bit out of order since I started with book 4. I'm so glad Minotaur Books offered all of the Finlay books on Netgalley so I could read this one because it helps me understand the one I read so much better. This was a fun and funny fast paced light mystery. I have to now read the second and third installment. I enjoyed this one so much more because I finally got to understand the underlying characters and plot (and enjoyed meeting them). This is a great quick read if you are looking for something popcorny.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC to review

Finlay Donovan is hilarious. This single-mom who got mistaken as a contract killer makes all sorts of bad decisions, but they did really crack me up. Super fun murder mystery with a twist! I felt like it took a couple of chapters to really find its footing, but the middle and ending had me swept up in the hijinks!

Thanks to NetGalley, Elle Cosimano, and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

There's a bit of humor, mystery and romance in the book. I enjoyed reading how lucky and at the same unlucky Finlay is. This is a good book to pickup if looking for a light mystery read.

Well, this was a fun romp!

Finlay Donovan is a divorced mom, trying to make ends meet and keep her kids. When a conversation with her agent is overheard and misinterpreted, her life is turned completely upside-down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Finlay was a fun main character, and she felt very relatable. I loved Vero and the kids as well.

The storyline was implausible but so fun to read. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!