When we meet Finlay "Finn" Donovan, she is decidedly not killing it. Between her unfinished, overdue novel and money woes from her recent divorce, she's starting to get desperate. Desperate enough, in fact, that when a customer at Panera mistakes her for a hit man, Finn decides to go along with it. As she and friend/babysitter Vero get more entangled in a crime web, Finn finally finds success writing a book loosely based on their adventures. But will her fiction catch up with her real life?

This novel is fun to read, plain and simple. Finn is a great protagonist - funny, determined, spunky, and a caring mother. I also loved her relationship with Vero, who turns out to be one of the best friends a girl could have. The plot is twisty and surprising, and the ending makes one beg for a sequel! I really enjoyed spending time in Finn's world, and I'd definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a lighter, breezier crime novel. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this quirky, funny mystery. So excited that it’s the first in a series. Fun twists on the mystery formula with a bit of meta book within a book happening.

This was such a fun read and it definitely kept me engrossed! I found Finlay to be funny, resourceful, and endearing. At times she was eye rolling naive, but I went with it. She did make me laugh, often. Right now I think we could all use more laughing!!!

Finlay writes murder mysteries, and she had been quite successful at it. However since her divorce, and juggling two young children and her house she’s had writers block. Her publisher is after her constantly to finish her next book. What will it take to make the light go back on and help her write a bestseller? Well the answer to that shows up fairly quickly in the book, and you’ll have fun discovering what that is!

Finlay is really at her wit’s end when her ex husband fires her nanny, she can’t handle it all, not the kids, the house, the overdue bills and unfinished book. She is overheard talking with someone at Panera about murder mysteries and all the different ways that you can get rid of a body, etc. When she leaves she finds a very interesting note and a phone number to call on her table. All she sees is the $50,000 amount and decides to call the number. Someone has gotten a very different idea of who Finlay really is and what she does for a living!!!!!!!!!!

What Finlay and her nanny/accomplice get themselves into is crazy, uproarious fun. There are bodies, mobsters, hit men and the plot races along.

While I had to suspend belief for a lot of the actions, it didn’t matter! I’ll leave you to enjoy the plot without any spoilers.

It has been hinted that this will be a series and I will definitely watch for a follow up!

This was a great recommendation from my good friend Jayme!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
This novel is set to publish on February 2, 2021

Loved, loved this book. Witty, entertaining, and best of all ....thrilling with a fantastic cover to match. So excited for everyone else to give this book a read.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

This is one of those books where I would never do the things that the main character does but still I had so much fun laughing at her, her bad judgement, and her predicaments. Before the story even starts Finlay Donovan has gotten arrested for putting Play Dough in the exhaust pipe of her ex husband's lover/fiancee's tailpipe and been thrown out of and banned from Panera, for throwing soup on a customer. So see, I don't think Finlay makes good decisions and it's immediately obvious that she's not about to turn over a new leaf. 

Finlay is a struggling suspense novelist whose life is going down the tubes in about every single way. She hasn't paid her bills in so long that she just lets all her mail pile up on the front porch. Her previous books haven't sold well and now she's late with her next book and has a massive writer's block. Her ex husband has hired an attorney to get full custody of their children and if Finlay doesn't get something to her agent immediately, she's going to have to pay back her advance, which was spent long ago. 

Finlay meets her agent at the Panera where she has been banned, but all is well because she's wearing a scarf wig and huge sunglasses. As she discusses the plot of her next book with her agent, a customer overhears Finlay talking and thinks that Finlay is a hired killer. The customer has a job for Finlay and won't take no for an answer. Being the lousy decision maker that she is, Finlay proceeds to dig herself in a deeper hole as she tries to get herself out of this job. But the job pays so well and she already has the huge advance. One bad decision leads to another and Finlay is in way over her head, only to be rescued/enabled in doing more bad deeds, by her nanny, Vero. 

That's all I'll say. Finlay and Vero are not finished by the end of the book. There will be more from them and I'm looking forward to their antics. I do have to say, despite Vero's tendency to push Finlay to do things she shouldn't do, I wouldn't mind her coming into my life and organizing everything. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Finlay is a mess. Her husband left her for her friend, she’s behind on the book she’s been contracted to write, she’s behind on all of her bills, and her babysitter is not answering her calls. Although since her husband is trying to get full custody of their two kids, Finlay may not need a babysitter for very long, even if she could afford to pay her. And then a woman overhears Finlay talking to her agent and a HUGE misunderstanding ensues, although it might also be the answer Finlay needs to make all of her problems go away. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one: A new author, more of a “chick-lit” mystery, not my usual reading…and I loved it! I loved Finlay and her sidekick, Vero, and I loved the crazy predicaments they found themselves in. If this becomes a series, I’ll become a buyer—for sure!

5 Stars

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

All of the freaking stars!!! This author is killing it with this novel. I haven't read something so refreshing, wildly entertaining, and extremely funny in a long time. This is the perfect dark comedy/mystery with an oh-so twisty plot, comedic elements, and a great cast of characters. I can totally picture this becoming a series, and my fingers are crossed that I won't have to wait too long if there's a book #2. I can't recommend this one enough! Give me more Donovan! Thank you so much to St Martins Press for the ARC.

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Confession: I decided to read this book because the cover reminded me of Where'd You Go Bernadette?

(If you look up “cheap date” in the dictionary, my picture is probably there.)

Imagine my surprise after going in blind to me finding one of the funnest (speaking of dictionaries, Webster’s if you add text speak to your volume, you can make “funnest” a real word) things I’ve read this year. The premise here is recent divorcée Finlay Donovan is a floundering romantic suspense writer and single mom just trying to figure out how to make ends meet. A meeting at the Panera with her agent to discuss the status (or lack thereof) of her latest book leads to a stranger overhearing their conversation who then totally gets the wrong idea about what Finlay does for a living . . . .

”I want you to do it.”
“Do what?” I asked, struggling to keep up.
“Whatever it is you do. Like you said, neat. I just want him gone. I have fifty thousand cash. I was going to use it to leave him. But it will be better this way.”

And so begins Finlay’s accidental foray into murder for hire.

Okay, so obviously this story was completely over-the-top and farfetched, but I thought it was an absolute hoot. And once Finlay’s former babysitter turned accomplice joined the ranks . . . .

“I’m just saying, we should be working smart. Not hard.”

“Killing people for money is not smart!”

Vero clapped the dirt from her gloves and hauled herself out of the waist-deep hole. She traded me the shovel for the little pink trowel and pointed it at me. “We’ll see how you feel when you’ve got your fifty thousand dollars.”

I haven’t had this much fun with a ride-or-die set of gal pals since Stephanie and Lula.

If you are looking to escape and have some fun, grab this when it comes out. Then come back here so I can say I told you so : )

I cannot WAIT for book #2.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Hilarious fun book to read. Finley Donovan is struggling in life. At a lunch date, her conversation is misinterpreted and she finds herself down a hilarious rabbit hole of plotting a murder. A fun read

Without question one of the most unusual mystery stories I have ever read. Finley Donovan is a divorced struggling author with two kids and a pile of bills and an ex-husband who is trying to give her as little as possible.
She is approached at a restaurant by a woman who is looking for someone to get rid of her husband. Finlay agrees to check him out but not to murder him. She goes to a bar that he frequents and finds him and a “date” and sees him slip something into his date’s drink. The date has gone to the rest room and Finlay gets a Bloody Mary from the bar and “accidentally” spills it on the date in the loo. She then goes back to the table and switches the glasses so that the husband gets the “Mickey” she then walks him out to his car and puts him in it and drives him to her house. While deciding what to do she leaves him in the car and someone closes the garage door which leads to his untimely.
Finlay is stuck with a dead body and no idea what to do. To tell you anything else at this time would spoil the enjoyment and surprises. Suffice to say that she gets involved with an amazing cast of characters including her nanny, her ex, her exes’ fiancé, her sister who is with the police and a dashing detective.
The story dashes from pillar to post and back again on a wild ride that never lets up. It is an exciting and well written story with an ending that is ingenious and an afterword that is chilling. It is a great story and well written, captivating, and unique.

Finlay Donovan is so relatable in so many ways. She is a hardworking hot mess that is also very funny. The story is wild and it’s not at all predictable. At times it’s laugh out loud funny and what did I just read. A win mystery for anyone who needs a laugh and get lost for a while.
#FinlayDonovanIsKillingIt#NetGalley

Finlay Donovan is all of us: A busy, overworked, down-on-her-luck mom of small children with too little money, too little time, and nobody to Actually Help. I felt her pain from page one. What surprised me was how believable I found her sudden entry into the world of assassination - all because of a regular morning trip to Panera. A perfect beach read for anyone who understands the trial of motherhood and wishes for a partner in crime like Vero!

Although the premise of this “struggling crime writer to hitman/woman” tome is a bit preposterous it is nonetheless entertaining as our protagonist, Finlay Donovan, finds herself as the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

Into the mix the author has thrown some members of the Russian mob, a very unhappy spouse, an ex-husband trying to gain the upper hand via monetary means, the promise of a fat paycheck and an end to Finlays financial woes in return for “the kill”, a murder victim who definitely needed killing and, of course, the requisite drop dead gorgeous police detective.

One can well imagine this as a made for TV series with the likes of Katherine Heigl or Jennifer Aniston as Finlay and James Marsden or Josh Duhamel as the cop. This is a great way to enjoy a few hours of escapism and fun in these shut in days.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a hilarious riot to read! Not only is the main-character a hot mess in the best kind of way, but she's funny, captivating, and amusing to read. She has her flaws which make he realistic and she hates her jerk of an ex-husband, who totally deserves it.

This story-line is wild and unpredictable and a joy to read. I couldn't help but root for both Finlay and Vero no matter what happened to them. What makes this book even better is the ending. Each character gets what they deserved and Finlay and Vero both end up exactly where they should based on their character. I can't wait for the next book, because this book ended with the biggest of cliff-hangers!

Finlay Donovan has been having a rough year--or two. She's a struggling writer with her agent chasing her down for a late book--and she has nothing but blank pages. She's broke and raising two small kids by herself since her husband left her for their real estate agent. He also let their nanny go, and now Finlay is on her own. Through a set of comic misunderstandings, a desperate woman mistakes her for a hitwoman and makes her an offer that she finds irresistible--$50,000.00 in cash to kill her husband.

Finlay is torn--and this is what is fun about the book. She is just like us--a stressed-out, broke, cheated-on mom taping a hat with hair attached to it to her kid's head after a botched haircut. We wouldn't ever consider killing for money to pay the bills--would we? Finlay balances a romance (or two), experiences the joy and support of an unexpected female friendship in Vero, the nanny who comes back and becomes her partner in crime, and basically lives life teetering between chaos and sure incarceration. Through through the lens of this high-concept, sometimes wacky adventure, Finlay finds herself again. I hope this is a series!

Highly recommend this quick and unputdownable read with the best title I've seen in a long time.

What can I say except I loved this book and I need book two YESTERDAY! The plot like was totally unique to me and full of dark humor and serious woman power. Finlay is a hot mess, author, mother of two, who just cannot catch a break. She has syrup on her best pants, her daughter has just discovered the joy of cutting her own hair, and a stack of unpaid bills that continues to grow like the TBR pile of a bookstagrammer. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel until a woman overhears a conversation in a Panera and mistakes Finlay for a contract killer. The story that follows is tense and funny and human and I can’t wait to follow Finlay and Vero (babysitter turned live in accountant and partner in crime) on their journey to come!

The first sentence of this book is so good. Drew me right in and loved the chaotic scene I was drawn into.

Then the story goes from plucky and fun to boring and bizarre. I wanted to love this, but a mystery it was not and towards the end I found myself skimming just to
Finish it. I just could not really believe what was happening, and not in a good way.

I absolutely loved this book! Elle Cosimano tells a fast-paced, witty tale about an author struggling to find the plot for her next story. After a chance meeting and a misunderstanding in a Panera, Finlay Donovan decides to write about what she knows, even if it involves dealing with some pretty shady people. Together with her babysitter-turned-accountant, Vero, Fin takes on the mob, her ex-husband, and a nosy neighbor, all while raising her children and dipping her foot into the dating pool. Fin is my new hero! Finlay Donovan is Killing It will have you laughing, crying, and perched on the edge of your seat all in the same chapter. Keep it coming Elle Cosimano - I cannot wait to follow along with Fin's next adventure!

Finlay Donovan is Killing It hooked me from the first page. Every mom knows exactly that type of morning chaos and all. Finn seems like the mom next door, this book had a little of everything mystery, murder, mob and romance. Incredibly hard to put down. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Elle Cosimano for the Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Findlay Donovan is not having a great year. She is divorcing her cheating husband, raising two children on a limited writers salary, and is really trying to get her book finished which is a thriller of course. The authors writing skills are spot on with some of the best out there. Funny, witty, and the characters are so believable you would think you are talking to your best friend. However, things go from bad to worse for Findlay. While out with her publisher she is discussing the book and killing a character off. Someone hears her and things change drastically. Then when someone turns up dead, her life goes down hill fast. Who could be capable of murder and how could an overheard conversation put her in the investigation? Findlay soon discovers who she is as an author, woman and mother. This book is a fascinating read with a few very good twists and turns. The conversations are very easy to follow along with and the characters are well developed.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.