Down on her luck author, Finlay Donavan, has a meeting with her agent to discuss the plot of her next book. A lady at the next table overhears and mistakes Finlay for a contract killer. When she offered Finlay enough money to get her out of her current hole, she faces a dilemma... and a possible career change.

This was hysterically funny! It reminded me of the early Stephanie Plum novels with all the mishaps and near misses. Finlay is a great character, flawed and relatable, minus the contract killing 😉. I sure hope there’s more Finlay antics to come!

I think this is one of those VERY rare books that crosses over to all genre lovers. I would recommend it to everyone! There’s suspense, humor, friendship, romance, and cute kids too!

My favorite parts were: how much I giggled - there were so many LOL moments! And Vero! Loved her so much! And I get the feeling we may see more of her?!?! 🤞🏼Making a suspense fun and funny cannot be an easy task and Cosimano made it seem effortless! Highly recommend to fans of Dead to Me on Netflix - I definitely got a similar dark humor vibe here!

Thanks to @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for the ebook in exchange for my honest review!

This book gave me total Dead to Me vibes and I was here for all of it.

As soon as I read the synopsis of this one, I just knew that I would be immediately sucked in. I absolutely loved Finlay's character. She was so relatable as a mom and I was rooting for her from the very beginning. Obviously everything she did was SO wrong on SO many levels, but you couldn't help but still cheer her on and want her to have a happy ending.

This book is everything I didn't know I needed:

A mother just doing her best every day and trying to get by in any way she can.
A friend that you would do anything for, like bury a body. That kinda friend
A handsome bartender/aspiring attorney.
A contract killer...
Dirty money...
A sexy cop.

Shall I go on? I absolutely loved this one. It was brilliantly written, exciting, outrageous, funny! I will definitely be reading more from this author. 5 AMAZING STARS

Author Finlay Donovan doesn't think her life can get any worse--she's a newly single mom struggling to pay her bills, fighting to retain custody of her young children, and beyond deadline on the novel she was meant to deliver to her agent weeks ago. Given the pressures and responsibilities she faces, she's understandably stressed and frazzled. Yet, when she gets mistaken for a killer-for-hire, her life takes a radical turn in which she must stay one step ahead of the law and some very dangerous people. The stakes couldn't be higher. Unless Finlay can solve a murder that she is in danger of being implicated for, she will lose her kids and her freedom--and possibly her very life.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It is a madcap comedy of errors with surprises and unexpected twists at every turn. The outlandish plot is laugh-out-loud funny, and the characters are realistic and relatable. Will Finlay extract herself from dire straits, get her personal life back on an even keel, and complete the manuscript of her next book? The answers lie within this satisfyingly escapist read.

Author Finlay Donovan is struggling. Her book isn’t finished, she needs to make some money, and her ex-husband is threatening to sue for full custody of her kids. When she’s mistaken for a contract killer while discussing her book with her agent, her curiosity and the lure of the payout) gets the best of her. She doesn’t REALLY plan to kill anyone–but somehow he ends up dead anyway.

As she tries to figure out what happened, she finds herself in the path of the local mob, dodging the police, and stealing the too-weird-to-be-true events for her novel. I don’t typically rate a book like this five stars, but it was just so absurd, so fun and funny that I couldn’t put it down and loved every minute. Fantastic escapist reading for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series–and this is slated to be a series as well!

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my ARC.

Who doesn’t love a good whodunit?

But what happens when you thought you dun it but maybe you didn’t dun it?

Finlay’s life is spiraling out of control. Piles of bills, no money, lying to everyone to hold it together so she doesn’t potentially lose her kids. But it seems she bit off more than she can chew.

This one made me LOL on more than one occasion. It also made me mouth “oh snap” on even more occasions. I loved the friendships that formed that you didn’t expect. I love how fiercely protective Vero was. I wanted to slap the sh*t out of her future ex husband. But overall, I cheered for Finlay every single step of the way.

Definitely check this one out! You won’t be disappointed!

Finlay Donovan is not killing it. In fact, not to mince words, her life is a mess. As she tries to juggle single parenting after her husband abandons her for a younger, blonder real-estate agent, she has a hard time keeping up with the demands of two toddlers, a writing career that’s going nowhere, and an ex who is more and more impatient with his requirements to pay her expenses. A custody battle is looming, he has fired her nanny, and her daughter just cut off all her hair and gave herself a nasty head wound. Finlay is late to meet her agent. She shoves the knife and rag into her diaper bag, drops the kids off at day care, and shows up late to Panera.

As she and her agent discuss the plot and missed deadlines of her latest murder mystery, she notices a woman at the neighboring table can’t seem to drag her attention away from them. The woman passes Finn her phone number. Turns out she’d noticed the bloody rag and knife in her diaper bag, overhead the conversation, and assumed Finn is some kind of assassin for hire. She wants to get rid of her husband. To the tune of $50,000! Of course Finn isn’t going to do anything about it. Of course not, although the money would solve so many of her issues. To complicate things, the woman has paid half in advance. It wouldn’t hurt to investigate the husband a bit, right? Right? Before she knows it, Finlay ends up with a real-life mystery on her hands.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is actually a really fun read. From its madcap premise to some seriously heart-racing chase scenes, it’s a fast-moving ride that manages to hit all the right notes of justice. It also manages, just barely, to stay (mostly) within the realm of the realistic, and ends with a little twist that had me curious about a sequel. I recommend it as a fantastic way to escape your humdrum life for an afternoon.

Finlay Donovan is overwhelmed. She has two children, is trying to finish a novel, has issues with her ex…and so it goes. Not easy!

One day someone overhears a conversation and the next thing Finlay knows, she is involved in a potential contract killing. How will our heroine manage to survive? Find out in this engaging, witty and entertaining novel. Many have given it excellent reviews including the New York Times, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal and more. Try it for a different read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher .. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book.
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What I loved: The story was fun. Finlay was quite the character. The story was fast paced, which I really enjoyed.

What I didn't: I would not say there was much I didn't like and this was an overall fun read. I really enjoyed it, but did not love it.

Overall this was a fun read and gave me something lighter, which is never a bad thing!

Finlay Donovan is a recently divorced romance novelist and exhausted mother of two young children. Her ex is threatening legal action to take the kids, she can't pay her bills, and her literary agent is breathing down her neck for her next completed book (which she hasn't even started yet). She's at her wits' end until the weirdest thing happens during lunch at a Panera. She is mistaken for a paid hitman...

This book was a sheer joy to read. Fast paced. Funny. Relatable characters. A quick, feel good escape from reality. It feels like a thriller but...is there such a thing as a cozy thriller? That's what this felt like. I've already recommended it to a couple friends.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

$50,000 could change you're life. But is it worth killing for?

Finlay Donovan is far from "killing it." She a super stressed single mom struggling to write a book, wrangle her two children, and stay sane. After a misheard conversation with her agent regarding Finlay's work in (somewhat) progress leads Finlay into being contacted for a murder for hire, things get wild real fast.

The novel was smart and fast past, while still being hilariously relatable. The characters are funny and well-developed. It would be a fun break from more serious thrillers, while still holding an avid suspense read's interest. The ending sets up for a sequel of what will sure to become a beloved series. Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Get ready to fall in love with Finlay Donovan! You will be cheering for this likeable heroine from the first page. The plot was not predictable and will have you staying up way to late! Once you start this wild ride, you won't want to get off! We can only hope that this book becomes a movie so we can enjoy the story again!

This book was incredibly funny!

When Finlay’s overheard discussing the plot of her new 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 . . . and she soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart.

This was light and humorous mystery. We really enjoyed reading along to see what was going to happen next. It was a really innovative premise and the story was absolutely delightful. If you need a light pick-me-up, this is a good one!

Thank you to @netgalley for providing us with a copy of this for review.

I loved this book! It started off a little slow, it felt more like "woe is me" and Finlay seemed to be playing the blame game on how she was the victim of her own life. Once she met with her publisher things picked up and took off; I had a hard time putting the book down. Did some of the plot feel a little far fetched, absolutely, but I think that's what made it so much fun to read! I can't wait for the next book and see what shenanigans Finlay and Vero find themselves in. This should be added to your TBR and picked up sooner rather than later.

This book was such a fun read with a bit of whodunit meets Strangers on a Train. A string of unfortunate situations strung together have leading lady Finlay just trying to stay in control of her life. While it’s a lot of coincidences and at no point does it seem super likely to happen, the characters are so likeable and the pace of the book is so quick that I didn’t even care.

I think the premise of this novel is very fun and quirky, it would be a great crossover to the mystery genre from a chick-lit fan. I found the characters likeable and the storyline was interesting and moved quickly. I think the that pieces fell into place a little too easily, and the book seemed poised to be a series. I did enjoy reading it though and would recommend for a light read.

I adored this book! I cannot wait to read more from Elle Cosimano. I couldn't put this book down and have recommended it to several friends!

Fun fact: the idea for this book came to @ellecosimano at a Panera, as she was having a meeting discussing plot points in a book she was working on, and overheard by fellow diners. Panera is mentioned A LOT in this book, and I was totally craving it by the time I was done.

This one has been everywhere and for good reasons! So I’ll keep this brief. This wasn’t on my radar, I’m generally not drawn to cartoony covers, but I’m so glad I gave this a shot! I didn’t realize I needed a fun thriller, but I totally did.

I love how this one takes place about 30 miles away from me in Northern Virginia. It’s always fun to recognize places in a book, especially when it’s a book you are loving. This one reminded me of Dead to Her so if you liked that show I’m sure you will like this one. I thought the ending was perfection, and can not wait for a sequel. I would love to see this made into a @netflix show.

Thanks so much @minotaur_books this one is available now!

I have seen so many five star reviews of this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I like my thrillers grittier and this was more like a dark comedy. Finlay was not relatable to me at all but I did feel sorry for her, although I’m still not sure why she would let her ex-husband treat her as he did and still be nice to him. Also, most of the plot points were super unrealistic and while I know you have to suspend some disbelief with fiction, I tended to just roll my eyes every chapter. The book did end up growing on me towards the end and I loved the “twist,” which is obviously a lead-in to the second book. I don’t generally read series and thought this was a standalone so I doubt I will continue on when it is released.

This book was so much fun. Fast paced and unpredictable, just like the title character. I loved this writing style for a weekend easy-read, a great mixture of affable and sincere. The story grips you and keeps hold through the middle, and when you don't think it's possible, pulls you even further in towards the end. I've seen other reviewers mention that they would not make the same choices as Finlay, but that is what makes this book work. While they are not choices I think I would make, I can also see where a normal writer with a curiosity streak could get pulled into this mess. There are no huge leaps of faith, only laughter and head shaking at the brilliant, craziness of it all.