This book was outstanding! Easily loveable characters and a laughable sense of humor. I found these characters so relatable and the plot was easy to breeze through! I instantly wanted to read book 2! So perfect for the cozy popcorn mystery loved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books! This was a really fun ride full of twists and turns, along with a generous helping of humor!

Finlay is a recently divorced mother of two who is struggling in every sense of the word - struggling to write her next novel by deadline, struggling to make ends meet, and struggling as a mother to two small kids. When she’s overheard discussing the plot of her next book and mistaken for a hit woman, she receives a very interesting offer. From there, it’s a wild ride. That’s about all I can say without spoilers! Finlay gets herself into some truly crazy situations, and granted, there are several moments where you have to suspend belief, but I could not put this book down. The last line of the book floored me, so I guess I know what’s next in my TBR list 😉

This book. Wow. It started off as something I was very unsure about, but before I knew it, I read the final 75% of it in one Saturday!! I couldn’t stop flipping the pages and needed to know what the heck was going on! And Elle does a fantastic job of keeping hilarity and romance with the murder mystery aspect. Fantastic book and can’t wait for the sequel!

Really enjoyable read! This was a funny, entertaining adventure that kept me wanting more. The main character Finlay is so likable and funny. Immediately starting the sequel after finishing this and will be looking forward to the others!

I really enjoyed this book! Loved the bestie duo getting themselves into and out of trouble. Very excited for the other two books in the series. 8/10 totally recommend

This was such a quick fun read, I could not put it down!

The characters are hilarious and so unserious about a a serious situation.

Definitely something I recommend when someone needs something to get them out of a reading slump!

5+ stars. Well damn. This one deserves all the praise it's received and more. It was utterly un-putdownable. Even the blurb for this book is compelling! It truly has one of the most original plots I've ever read. Finlay Donovan is a murder mystery author who is overheard discussing her next book with her publisher while out to eat at Panera. After having her conversation overheard, Finlay accidentally finds herself mistakenly confused for a contract killer, and gets hired to kill someone's husband. Finlay keeps trying to do the right thing, but through a comedy of errors, somehow keeps finding herself in more trouble. And what's worse, the mob might also be involved. But she's smart, and even though things get progressively worse for her, they also get progressively better. Because hey, at least now she has a subject for her next book... that's if she can keep from being arrested long enough to write it.

In addition to the humorous moments, the mystery was really compelling. I def. didn't figure out "who done it." Also, I was a huge fan of Finlay's friendship with Vero, her nanny/ accountant/ best friend. It was great to see two females portrayed in such a supportive way, rather than being catty or nasty. And that ending! Oh man, the epilogue will get you with a bit of a cliffy. But don't worry, things in book 1 def get resolved enough to make you happy. But I CANNOT wait for a chance to read book 2. If you are a fan of the Stephanie Plum books, or Lucy Score's Riley Thorn series, I could see you really enjoying this one as well. If you haven't read those books, I could still see you enjoying this one too, because it was great.

This book was so good I couldn’t put it down! Very reminiscent of Darynda Jones, which is probably why I liked it so much.

Finlay is a struggling writer and a single mom going through a custody battle with her ex-husband. Behind on her deadline, bills and short on money, Finlay tries to get an extension (or an advance) on her new book but her agent will have none of it - she wants that novel yesterday! The gist is - she’s mistaken for a contract killer.

I honestly enjoyed everything about this even though it was predictable as all get out (in a good way) and I still liked how things turned out. Finn and Vero are hilarious, even the kids were funny. I loved the multiple love interests for Finn (team Julian) and the pacing was perfect. Going down the rabbit hole to finish the rest of the series next!

5 Stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a hilarious murder mystery. The characters are entertaining and flawed. Finlay was my favorite character, she tries so hard to do the right thing but still somehow everything goes awry for her. I wanted to smack some sense into her Ex-husband. As a divorced single mom I completely related to having to deal with an ex and his new wife. I will definitely be reading more of this series.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.

Finlay Donovan is Killing it!

This book is the perfect cozy mystery with laugh out loud moments. I loved how you are able to relate to Finlay as a mom and as a person. Newly divorced, she wants to keep her kids and make sure they are always taken care of. When she is over heard saying some plot for her next book, she is mistaken for a hit women. Finlay does not know the first thing about being a hit women. She needs help figuring out what to do. Veronica was the former baby sitter who was rudely fired by Finlay's ex-husband. I love how Finlay and Veronica (Vero) become so close and make a team to help handle the "situation" and handle the kids. Vero and Finlay must plot what to do about being a hit women and find out who killed the first husband. This book was a perfect read for a cozy, quirky, mystery! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series>
4/5 stars

4.5⭐️ what a fun read!! I read this and listened to this while on some long road trips for work and had a really great time! I was laughing out loud throughout! The audiobook was done really well. Finlay felt extremely real as a character and I really enjoyed getting to know her and all of the supporting characters. A quick, fun, read, that I would 10/10 recommend. I will definitely be continuing the series, it was the lighthearted, funny, book I needed

This book is so much fun! An adventure from the first page to the last that will have you laughing out loud.

Hilarious tale of writer, Finlay, and the antics she gets into with her nanny, Veronica. Her ex-husband, 2 kids, Veronica's family all play a part in the crazy that encompasses Finlay's life. Crime? Murder? Mob?

I have seen many people talk about this book lately and I decided I needed to read it stat. I buddy read both of these with Destiny @ Howling Libraries, and we loved them so much!!

Finlay Donovan is basically a mess. She's recently divorced (cheating jerk) and has two kids. She's disorganized, running really behind on writing her book, and way behind on her bills. She's talking about her book details at a Panera and another woman overhears her. She then offers to pay Finlay a big chunk of money to kill her husband for her. Finlay decides to check out some things, innocently. Things turn for the worse and she finds herself in a lot of trouble- the middle of a murder!

Finlay was an amazing character because she felt like a "real" mom. She's kind of a mess and things are chaotic, not to mention she has two kids. It really is the most accurate description I've read in a while to describe a mom that's struggling. Her wit was hilarious, and I really enjoyed her banter with Vera. Speaking of Vera, I loved her so much. She reminds me of a sarcastic teenager and I love it. Sometimes, I'm not sure if she's being real or actually joking.

This book exceeded every expectation I had going into it. I’ve never read a book quite like this and I enjoyed every second. I recommended it to my sister in law and she absolutely devoured it! Hilarious! Moms everywhere sympathize with Finlay as she struggles to balance motherhood and the murder plot is so unexpected and delightful. 10/10 would recommend!

This was a hilarious book! Laugh aloud funny and part of a humorous, engaging series.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I listened to this book as an audiobook and it was really good! I thought the narrators were very good and I definitely couldn't stop laughing.

Finlay Donovan is a writer who is discussing her next book in Panera Bread. A woman overhears her conversation and thinks Finlay is a contract killer. She then hires Finlay to kill her husband.

This book was fast-paced and well-written. I couldn't stop reading and kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I have recommended this book to so many friends and they have also enjoyed it!

Elle Cosimano's adult debut and is a fun, quirky kind of mystery. This one should make you laugh out loud. Finlay Donovan is a down on her luck, recently divorced, suspense/romance writer with the dreaded writers block. While meeting with her editor at Panera and discussing plot ideas, she is mistaken for a contract killer and is “hired” by a mystery woman to kill her husband. Intrigued about why her “mark” has a hit on him, Finlay heads the bar he will be at. When she observes him trying to drug another woman, she steps in and switches the drinks and ends up with the man unconscious in her minivan. Then all hell breaks loose! The ensuing hilariously hijinks include an accidental murder and who did it? murder mystery! Can't wait for the rest of the series!!

Loved this book!! It’s refreshing to see a completely normal mom get into such a mess. I loved Vero!

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a humorous cozy mystery/thriller and the first in the eponymous series by Elle Cosimano.

I borrowed the audiobook from my local library after NetGalley offered the entire series as Read Now for 24 hours to see if I liked it enough to grab all of them (RIP my ratio), and I'm glad I did!

I absolutely ate this up and loved the author's prose. I laughed out loud several times and I really liked our two main characters, Finlay and her babysitter-turned-accomplice Vero. The series is set in my neck of the woods, and it's always fun to read about places I know and have visited.

Probably the biggest thing to know before going into this book is that it's pretty madcap and you'll need to be able to suspend your disbelief a bunch. I personally find these kinds of reads very entertaining. This series would make a really fun tv series or movie.

If you're a fan of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, you should absolutely check this series out!