I really enjoyed Finlay Donovan is Killing It! It is lighthearted, while also writing about and solving murders!

Finlay Donovan is trying to make it as a mystery romance writer while keeping her family afloat. With bills piling up, an ex husband fighting for custody and a book deadline long past Finlay has a lot to figure out. The book's tone reminded me a little of Lisa Lutz's the Spellman files and the plot is like a modern Murder She Wrote.

I love how the first book ended, pretty self contained, leaving itself open for more to come! I can't wait to read more of these characters. This is going to make for the perfect summer read.

One of the funniest books I've read in a while. First in the author's new, darkly comic mystery series, her debut in the adult market.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of an inadvertent hit woman/suburban mom/struggling romance novelist. I kept reading, and laughing, even while my brain kept interrupting with issues of tone, characterization, and illogic. (Shut up, Brain! I'm having fun!)

This book is fun. It also hits some chords that many readers may find relatable: Finlay's shame and anger after her divorce, her struggles to care for her children without making her ex the bad guy, the way her work is dismissed until it is highly remunerated, and even her inability to say no, which lands her in terrible trouble.

As for those issues that kept niggling at me as I was reading, frankly, you won't care about them while you are enjoying the book, so I'll be concise on the constructive feedback. I had difficulties with Finlay's character. One moment she was savvy and smart from her years of researching body disposal methods; the next she was doing something foolish. The tone was inconsistent and sometimes jarring - jumping from farcical to serious. Most of the male characters were one-dimensional. I didn't enjoy the meta novel-within-a-novel, especially the elbow in the ribs self-congratulations about the plot. And I had to look up what a "wig-scarf" was. It sounded dreadful.

But so what? I had a great time reading this book, and I eagerly await the next in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elle Cosimano killed it with Finlay Donovan Is Killing It! This is an incredible book! I was expecting a novel maybe something along the lines of Elinor Oliphant is Fine or Evie Drake Starts Over, but I was so pleasantly surprised by the mystery feel and book within a book. Finlay is a divorced mom of two dealing with a cad of an ex-husband and a looming book deadline. When someone overhears her discussing her book plot with her agent in a suburban Panera her whole life goes off the rails. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love a sequel! I can't wait for all of my friends to read it because it so throughly quotable and would make an excellent movie! Someone scoop up the rights quick!

Finlay Donovan, single mom and struggling writer, has a book idea after being mistaken for someone she isn’t. She and her nanny, Vero, end up getting into some crazy messes, keeping the reader laughing all while trying to solve a mystery. This book was so unlike anything I’ve read lately and I loved it! Put this on your to-read list for when it is published in 2021. I’m happy that this is going to be the first in a series - can’t wait to see what happens next.

Finlay is behind. In her writing,in her bills in her life. A ex that just shows up, and flaunts his new life and live at every opportunity. She’s pushed to going to Panera in disguise just to have a moment. Leaving she’s given a note that changes her life and it’s expectations. A fellow diner mistakes a tirade against her ex as an invitation to have her own husband troubles disappear. So begins one of the zaniest,wonderful and sexy stories to come this readers way in a longtime. Just by way of a tease just as things seem to be settling , as plot for a sequel is dropped .

Must read! I adore when an author can combine comedy and mystery and let me say that Elle Cosimano did an epic job with it! Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is everything that everybody needs these days- the absolute perfect escape! This fast paced read has a storyline that had me literally laughing out loud, but I promise the mystery aspect was just as intriguing/entertaining!! I found the main character well developed and surprisingly...relatable lol! Needless to say I will be on the lookout for the next novel Elle Cosimano comes out with!!

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a great new series by Elle Cosimano. Finlay is a author and recently divorced mother. Just by chance, the best book idea falls in her lap. I seriously couldn’t put this book down. Poor Finlay and her struggles with writing, raising two babies, and dealing with an ex and his new fiancé. You can’t help but root for Finlay. Fresh storyline and fun characters will keep you running the pages. I can’t wait for more in this series!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

What a fantastic read! I read it in one session because it was impossible for me to put down. Finlay, a single mom of two young children, is truly a walking trouble magnet. She's broke, crushed under a ton of bills and being threatened with a custody battle by her cheating ex-husband. I laughed so hard in some parts. Finlay and her clever young sitter/nanny Vero find a way to get embroiled In a murder mystery. This book has wonderful dark humor in some parts with a little bit of romance. What a clever storyline with wonderfully rich characters. I found Finley to be very engaging and delightful. You'll find yourself cheering her on and also groaning over some of the awful decisions she makes.This book is the most enjoyable mystery that I've read in quite some time. Please make this a series!! I definitely recommend this to lovers mystery lovers and those that enjoy a Thelma and Louise partners in crime.

I would like to thank Elle Cosimano, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is delicious, extremely funny, smart, laugh out loud beginning of brand new dark comedy/ mystery series!

We’re introduced a fresh, lovely character: A struggling, broke, drowning in debt, single mom, suspense novelist Finlay Donovan. She is sick of piling bills, her scumbag ex’s threats: how can she concentrate on her job and write a best selling crime novel but what if she accepts an offers which could solve her financial crisis but it also turned her life more dangerous than the books she has written?

With her resourceful accomplice a.k.a nanny, she finds herself to investigate a real life crimes: a contract killer out there and Finlay is so close to solve it with her unconventional approach.

This is amazing, fast paced, witty, humorous, feel-good book! I think that was one of my fastest reads and I can honestly say it already made my week. I need more books of the series ASAP! Bring out more Donovan adventures! ( it’s even better than watching Ray Donovan. At least this new fantastic character does not depress you, on the contrary she puts one of the biggest smiles on your face)

I cannot wait to read upcoming books of the series! I’m giving well-earned, enjoyable, soft, easy to read, relaxing four stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minatour Books for providing me this remarkable ARC in exchange my honest opinions.

Minotaur has put out some amazing titles this year, and 2021 is looking pretty stellar, too. This cover and title were perfection, and I was thrilled to be approved.

Finaly Donovan is in the middle of a custody battle with her ex-husband, struggling to balance being a single mother to two young children while breaking writer's block on her next book. Deadline passed, bills piling up, and a chance meeting orchestrated by a misunderstanding gives her an ultimatum: "fix" a lowlife husband for fifty thousand dollars or lose custody of her children. What happens next is a snowballing mystery, with a cast of unreliable characters, bountiful motives, and action-packed stake-outs.

I loved this book. Finlay's voice is so relatable. From her chaotic mornings to her genuinely-believable problems, I could see so much of the average mother in her--myself included. Better still is her relationship with Vero. Usually the babysitter is a throw-away character, and Cosimano turned her into a worthy accomplice. Their banter is hilarious and logical. They work well together, and it was so refreshing to see two women building each other up in precarious situations. I'd read an entire book of them figuring out tricky obstacles together, and if Cosimano decides this is a series, I'm here for it. On a side note, I had to wonder if her character was named after Ray Donovan, as the fixer character is one of my favorites and she emulates a lot of his dry humor and rational approach to problems.

Plot-wise, this book moves. I devoured it in one sitting, equal parts laughing and damning the treacherous characters. I don't always care for love interests, but I was invested in Finlay's journey to figure out her life post-divorce. Characters in the writing profession is also a difficult trope to pull off. The meta nature of it can seem pretentious or cheesy--but it worked well with Finlay's character, becoming her sounding board and brainstorming session rather than hogging the spotlight of the plot. While I wasn't surprised by the trajectory of the plot, I enjoyed how the pieces fell into place, and there was plenty of suspicion to go around, so I think most readers will be pleased at the arcs and pacing.

Overall, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a thrilling, hilarious, lovable murder-mystery suspense you won't want to put down. I'd recommend to anyone who loves the dark humor of Dead to Me or Santa Clarita Diet or Ray Donovan.

Big thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Best compliment I give this book is “move over Janet Evanovich and Darynda Jones, there is a new voice in comedy mystery”. Best fun read I have read in a long time!

Excellent. Impossible to put down. Finlay is a complete disaster who finds a way to get herself out of some seriously deep trouble (and then back into the trouble and out again) in this funny, fast-paced book.

This was absolutely delightful. I must say it reminded me of some early Susan Isaacs books, high praise indeed. Broke, betrayed and beleaguered by crushing bills and threats from her ex, Finlay gets a strange offer she can’t refuse. Thereby hangs the tale of a mommy contract killer and her very sly nanny/accomplice, which combines humor and suspense.

It’s the kind of light read that absolutely kept me smiling and turning pages. Loved it! I hope to read lots more by Cosimano. During these difficult days, I appreciate such a totally engaging story.

Thank you Netgalley for the most fun I’ve had in months.