I just finished and I want more Finlay! This book was a great escape read. It's funny, charming, a bit suspenseful, and at times chaotic and I loved it. Finlay is a unique character and you can't help but get sucked into her life. I was completely invested in the story and am so excited that this is going to be a series.

Oh my goodness this was so fun. I haven’t read a mystery book like this ever. Seeing how Finlay gets herself into a mess of a situation and how she handles it kept me on my toes and kept me wanting to read more to find out what would happen. She is such a realistic and relatable character you can’t help but love her and root for her. Usually I find mysteries predictable because of the typical “mystery formula” but it didn’t bother me as much with this book because I was still surprised by the twists and reveals that happened. At one point towards the climax of the book I actually said “what the heck” out loud because I was not expecting a certain thing to happen. I loved reading about how this book came to be an idea that turned into Finlay’s story. I can’t wait for book 2!

Tw: death, murder, drugs, date rape, blackmailing

I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately I didn't connect with it at all and I couldn't finish it. The main character was hard to connect to for me and I didn't feel hooked enough to continue reading. I definitely think this is more of a me problem than a problem with the book. I'm very sad that this wasn't for me.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

What would you do? Your husband had an affair and has divorced you, leaving you with two young children, taken most of the assets and given you a terminal case of writer's block. A note from an angel, or a demon - depends on your point of view, could solve your current woes. What would you do?

Finlay Donovan is faced with a life changing decision and she needs more information. She decides to do what any self respecting author would do - research. Except her research involves a little more than hitting the internet. An appearance, in disguise, to observe her object in his natural environment is in order. What happens next? Not at all what Finley wanted and it ends with a dead body, and the classic question - Who done it?

I have really enjoyed "Finlay Donovan Is Killing It". The view of a newly divorced mother, just trying to live one day at a time was funny, sarcastic and in a lot of ways, very real. The situation Finlay gets herself in and how she gets out was a experience. I loved following her as she used her writers mind and decided to solve her own mystery, with a little help, of course.

🎧 A MUST LISTEN AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🎧 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 . . . 𝘚𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭-𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.⁣

I can probably count on one hand how many times in the last 4 years I’ve said a book is a pure delight but I’m for sure saying it now with Finlay Donovan is Killing It! I can’t remember the last time I was this entertained by a story. From start to finish I loved Finley and rooted for her success- in more ways than one.

This story has a little bit of everything- humor, mystery, murder, and romance with fantastic supporting characters- I absolutely loved Vero, Finlay’s babysitter. The writing is fresh, fast paced and clever- I’ve read some reviews that compare this to the tv show Dead to Me and that’s accurate. The ending was excellent and the narration by Angela Dawes perfection!

Finlay is in trouble. Her agent is awaiting the book she hasn’t written, her ex-husband and his new girlfriend are trying to take custody of her kids. The bills are piling up. But a random lady at Panera overhears Finlay and mistakes her to be a contract killer. Cue 💰💰 How will Finlay exit this evil world she is a part of now?

For me, it was a little over the top in certain parts. I also didn’t like how Finlay treated Nick. But overall it was an entertaining read, reminded me of the show Dead to Me. I did enjoy Vero and how she stepped up to help in more ways than one. I just heard this is a series and that ending was perfect for a sequel. What will Finlay do next?

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, a fun-laugh-out-loud-cringe-OMG now what is happening book to read! Lots of plot twists, fast paced, couldn’t put this book down. Want to know why? Read it and find out.

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is an incredibly fun, chaotic, and suspenseful thriller. It has everything you could want in a comedic mystery. The storyline and characters feel authentic and relatable to the common man, or more accurately, the common mom.

Finlay Donovan is a struggling writer who is learning how to navigate her newly single status, parent her two kids, and overcome her woeful financial situation. Her problems just keep piling up. Not only does she have a looming book deadline, but her ex-husband's pursuit of custody, as well as his perfect new mistress turned fiancé, threaten to unravel the last of Finlay's sanity.

Yet everything changes over lunch at Panera. While meeting with her book agent and discussing the plot of her next novel, Finlay finds herself recruited as a hit-woman by a desperate wife who feels she has nowhere else to turn.

Finlay's new novel becomes the epitome of art imitating life, as she finds herself in the center of a mystery that she must solve to make all her problems disappear.

This story was awesome! While Finlay's character stressed me out a bit with her over-the-top "solutions" to problems, she was also incredibly funny and relatable. She definitely takes "armchair expert" to a new level, as the material for her novel turns into necessary real life application. From the very beginning Cosimano kept me guessing about what on earth would happen next in this series of unfortunate events. I couldn't put this book down. Overall, Cosimano crafts a dynamic story filled with suspense and a whole lotta heart.

If you find yourself unsure of what book to pick up next and would like a little bit of everything (mystery, romance, humor) this one is perfect!

Soon to be divorce mom and writer, Finlay Donovan, is about to lose it. Not only is her husband divorcing her for his mistress, but she’s on the verge of losing her children, has been mistaken for a hitman, writer’s block has set in, and she’s just killed a man, or at least she thinks she has. As her life spins out of control, her only saving grace might actually writing her new murder mystery novel.

This book is so fun y’all! I was completely sucked in, couldn’t put it down, and I am so hyped that it’s just the first in a series. This is first and foremost a murder mystery. But it’s a murder mystery will all the most ridiculousness of all the most outlandish murder mystery sceneries that you can imagine.

This book is completely over the top and if you’re looking for some comedy mixed in with your murder than this for you. It gave my Psych vibes because of the comedy and I am so here for it!

If you need a chuckle in your life, as I’m sure we all do; do yourself a favor and read this book!


Finlay Donovan is Killing It is out now. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Thanks to Minotaur for the free book. This book was hilarious and so fun. Finlay ends up in so many scenarios that she’s not meaning to, and they see to just happen to her instead of her being in control. I enjoyed the tension in the book. The entire time I was wondering if Finlay and Vero were going to be caught or if they’d figure out how to literally get away with (almost) murder. It was also a surprisingly believable story. I am hoping there will be more of Finlay’s story after that ending.

This was a hilarious, fast-paced book. I enjoyed Finlay from the beginning and loved the storyline. Finlay is discussing her upcoming novel with her publisher or agent, I don't remember, and someone overhears what she is talking about. They mistake her for being a hitman and the result is hilarious. Crazy humor, murder mystery, and authentic single mother life all rolled into one.

I was excited to see that on Goodreads it lists it as #1 so I will definitely be looking out for #2!!!

Finlay Donnovan is many things. She's a writer, a mother, a divorcee, and... a killer?
This book is a delightful and hillarious account of a struggling romance writer and single mother who gets solicited to commit murder after a slight misunderstanding at a Panera.
There's no way she would ever do something like that, though? Right?
Though she initially thinks she wouldn't the $50,000 payout is enough to get her thinking about it- and before she knows it Finlay is deep into a world of Russian mobsters and cops.
This book was such a fun read from start to finish. It's a little more campy than your average thriller but Finlay is such an honest and relatable heroine you won't mind if the storyline is a wild ride.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

While Finlay Donovan definitively is not killing it - she is a hot mess! Elle Cosimano definitely killed it with this novel! This was a fantastic mystery thriller with quality humor, irony and sarcasm that just made this story simply fabulous.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Great mystery, suspense, a whole lot of WTFs, and great laughs! If you're looking for a mystery thriller that isn't just dark and morbid, Finley Donovan is a great pick as it dark, morbid AND hilarious.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books - St. Martin's Press and Elle Cosimano for a copy of your book!

I LOVED this book! If you are looking for fresh take on the genre, Elle Cosimano delivers. This thriller kept me both interested and surprised. More than that, it was:

Hilarious! I laughed out loud multiple times.
Relatable! All the mom quips and truths. + a really awesome, spunky daughter.
Realistic in that, Finlay is far from perfect. She knows it, owns it, and grows from her worst case scenarios.
Focused on strong female friendship.
A debut book in a series and I’m GIDDY that there will be more!

This book was so entertaining. It reminded of the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. In which a series of improbable events keep happening to Finlay leading to the humor in the novel. It was a quick read and very engaging. I kept wanting to see what would happen next.

Finlay is a recently divorced writer that is desperate for money. She is very deep in debt. She has been kicked out of Panera for something she did in the past so she is dressed in disguise to meet her agent in Panera for a lunch discussion. While talking about her idea for a new novel, she is overhead by another customer. This woman tries to hire Finlay to kill her husband. Finlay doesn't want to do this job and while she is trying to find out what the husband is up to, she finds him dead. She decides to investigate the murder. The woman who hired her thinks she killed him. Finlay tries desperately to explain that she had nothing to do with the murder and while trying to explain to the first woman, a friend of this woman tries to hire Finlay to kill her husband. You guessed it, he turns up dead as well. I don't want to spoil the ending but Finlay and her nanny through a comedic series of events find themselves trying to solve the mystery of the men's deaths. If you are looking for a fun, easy, quick, entertaining read, this is it! I highly recommend this book.

This novel is a "killer". Finn is a now-single mom of two young kids and an author of murder mysteries. She's constantly behind on bills, deadlines, and life in general. A stranger overhears a vague conversation with her agent, and mistakes Finn for a contracted killer. With her ex-husband trying to get full custody of the children, Finn seriously thinks about the offer for 50 g's... she's a murder mystery novelist after all; shouldn't she know the ins and outs of a murder? Follow Finn's story as she keeps getting into one troublesome situation after another. Oh, and to make matters even worse, her sister is a cop.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It is laugh-out-loud funny, witty, and will keep you on your toes. It's fast-paced, and has one surprise after another.

Finlay Donovan is my new favorite mom/detective/hit woman. I loved this book featuring a fresh character to get to know (and whom I hope to read more about) and a clever, satisfying plot.

After reading some real stinkers this month, I finally read a winner!

Finlay is struggling through life when we meet her. Her husband left her for another woman, she can’t pay her bills, debts are piling up against her and she can’t find the time to write a book she promised her agent would be ready months ago.

While having lunch at Panera with her agent and discussing the plot of her current book, an opportunity falls into her lap to kill someone’s husband and earn a huge pay check. Most people wouldn’t even consider this, but when you’re down on your luck, the offer sure is tempting. As Finlay sets off to learn more about this man she’s been hired to kill, she understands the world would be a better place without him. And she just might be crazy enough to take a crack at this new gig!

This book was such a breath of fresh air- it is witty, fast-paced and just pure entertainment. Finlay is gutsy and just a mom trying to get by, even if she does questionable things to pay her bills- you still love her and root for her. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this advance reading copy. This book was published earlier this month on 2/2/21- treat yourself this month and buy this page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
"Finlay Donovan Is Killing It" by Elle Cosimano was a funny and entertaining start to a new cozy mystery series.
The writing was clever and the plot was original.
I like how it ended, wrapping up a few storylines but including a huge cliffhanger to interest you in reading the next book in the series.

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was in this book. I went into thinking I would totally love it and it was only so-so. There was some comedy in it as to how she gets mixed up as a hitman for hire. But the follow through just wasn't there.