Binge worthy!

I recently devoured Finlay Donovan is Killing It in anticipation of reading her 2nd novel. I did the same with Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead. This was a great follow up to accompany this series.

I love the pacing, the connection points between Cosimano’s first novel into this one, all the characters, and the overall comedy. Would love to see this adaptation into a series and look forward to what else Finlay and her partner in crime Vero has to deal with in the future. Give me more!

Finlay, you are so lovable!! The second installment in what will clearly be a successful series did not disappoint at all. Fast-paced action, quirky comedy, and a great cast of characters jam pack this novel with all the makings of a good read.

I have to admit, I did enjoy the first book, Finlay Donovan is Killing It slightly more, but that’s okay to say right? There were times when this novel felt much more rushed, where Finlay’s assumptions lead the action a bit too much and poked a couple holes in the plot. All the loose-ends were tied up a little too conveniently. BUT, that’s really okay with me in this kind of book. It happens, it didn’t take that much away from the joy of reading it.

I could not help but imagine this book as a tv series. I am pumped that it’s been picked up by Marlene King! It will be so fun to see this brought to life, the writing style is already perfect for script adaptation. Definitely keeping my eyes peeled for casting info! 👀

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed the first, loves general comedy fiction, whodunnits, and romance (though there isn’t a ton of that yet 😉).

I was surprised that I liked this book even more than the first book in the series! I love that this book combines mystery and contemporary fiction. Finlay is such a real character and I loved seeing her grow from the first book. She always keeps it real as a single mom, figuring out dating and co-parenting with her ex-husband, even when he has people out to kill him. I love how contemporary this book feels and it makes me want to embark on a mystery of my own (with less murder of course). I also enjoyed reading about Finlay as a writer and seeing how she uses real life in her books. I hope there is more in this series!

This series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. The characters are fun, the plot is quick and engaging, and conclusion leaves you wanting more. Definitely will be a buy for our library.

A great follow-up to her first book and one I can easily recommend! I do suggest you read them in order because of character development in the first book and plot lines.

Finlay Donovan is me…your typical mom that does the kid thing. She’s also separated from her husband with divorce on the horizon, and she has a few love interests on the side, if she has time. She also has a great nanny/side kick/friend, Vero. Vero is my favorite character for sure! Amongst the chaos of regular life, Finlay has been watching a womens chatroom where someone has put a hit out on her ex. She just can’t let that happen, OR let their kids be in the cross fire.

Finlay has the best intentions, but she just keeps stepping deeper and deeper into the problems including theft, the mob, money, arson, dead bodies. It gets crazy, and it’s all done with humor. Perhaps that’s what I like the very most! Is it believable? Not really, but the plot is well thought out and smart enough and written with some great lines that I found myself grinning, and that is exactly what I need right now!

Thank you to Net Galley, St Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the advanced e-reader copy in return for my honest review. Published 02/01/2022.

I will post to IG closer to pub date.

Finlay Donovan is trying to finish her next novel and at the same time manage her children as a single mother. Her live-in nanny and friend, Vero, is there for Finlay and helps share the work load. Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, also helps to carry the work load and is generally a good father. But when someone wants Steven out of the picture, things get a little crazy!

Elle Cosimano delivers another gem in the Finlay Donovan series. This story will keep you laughing and guessing! It is a well laid out mystery, full of suspense and plenty of humor thrown in. If you enjoyed the first Finlay Donovan book, you will love this one and I am hoping for a third!

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Finlay Donovan is BACK! The second in a series, Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, is even more over-the-top than the first. I absolutely cannot put these "romantic suspense author turned accidental hitwoman" books down. They are such crazy page-turners. I just NEED to know what happens and how Finlay and Vero will work it all out. I adore their teamwork and friendship.
Filled with twists and turns and tons of action, it was so outrageous and unbelievably fun. I did wish for more page time with her sweet kids but was glad they were safe with family members for a majority of the book.
Especially loved her literary agent requesting more of the "hot cop" in her second book, haha!
This is one of those rare sequels that are even better than the first book! Perfect for fans of the TV shows Weeds, Dead to me, and movie The 'Burbs.
Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Minotaur books for this advanced e-arc, reviews are my own!

Elle knocks it out of the park again! This book is the perfect blend of comedy, suspense, and dark humor. Finlay is such a train wreck, yet it’s impossible not to love her. Can’t wait for #3!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A fun follow up to the first book, though I found myself less intrigued with the mystery in this one. I still adored Finlay's adventures, and love the genre blending of women's fic elements with mystery and suspense that Cosimano pulls off with such expertise, I already can't wait for number three!

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘em Dead
By: Elle Cosimano



Our loved Finally is once again having a hard time with her new novel. She is still fighting with her baby daddy. Still struggling with her two kids, and now, the only person she thinks she can trust is also keeping secrets from her.


Her newest issue? Someone is after her ex-husband’s head. She doesn’t care that he is a total jerk, he is still a good father… or at least he is tryin to be. So she will do everything in her power to find out who is this person that wants Steven out of the map.

While doing her own investigation she finds out way more than she was hoping for. Getting her involved once again with the Russian mob and endless things that if I tell you… I would literally spoil everything and I won’t do that to anyone because, you just have to experience this yourself.

This book, scratch that. This series has become my obsession and I know it hasn’t come out yet… but I just want to read more. We got the hilarious banter and the unbelievable plot that we got in the first book but it gets even better. How is that possible? Don’t ask me!

The amazing friendship she was able to develop in the first book, is still strong and beautiful, and the new challenges they will face together will solidify it even more.

I just know that I loved it and it is everything I was hoping for, if not even more. I do have one question… why does her little boy always seem to have sticky finger? Kinda gross.


Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

I loved “Finlay Donovan is Killing It” and couldn’t wait to read this book! It was definitely not as fast paced, and rather repetitive. It felt as though I kept reading the same story ~ Finlay tries to catch the bad guy, Finlay finds herself in a pickle, avoids death, repeat. I love her as a character but I wanted more here! Thanks Net Galley.

Finlay Donovan is back and I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of this! I finished this in two days and was completely sucked back into the wild life of Finlay.

Just when you thought that all the craziness in Finlay Donovan's life was over all the old characters reappear in the second installment of Cosimano's mystery series. In the first book Finlay took down the mob boss and he's now behind bars. But the story didn't end there and now Finlay needs to figure out who has taken out a hit on her ex-husband, Steven. While Finlay isn't his biggest fan she certainly doesn't want him to end up dead. So her and Vero, her ever faithful nanny, team up to figure out who's behind the messages requesting that he be killed. They end up in some shady corners of the Internet and dealing with even shadier individuals. The mob is still involved and Finlay needs to get to the bottom of all this before it's too late for Steven.

I loved the first Finlay Donovan book and the sequel did not disappoint! These books are over the top and laugh out loud funny. All the situations Finlay ends up in are completely unrealistic but that's what I love about this series. It's so ridiculous that I can't help but laughing along with Finlay's missteps and I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. All the characters plotlines were strung together really well and they had good overlap. Finlay is a larger than life character that I adored and all the side characters are fantastic as well. I was rooting for one of Finlay's love interests over the other but I won't give any spoilers about the romance. There's mystery, drama and romance thrown in here. Cosimano had me guessing until the end about who had taken out the hit and there were quite a few surprises throughout the book. I was never bored while reading Finlay's latest adventure and I highly recommend this series to any mystery lover that wants something lighthearted but still has a serious theme. I hope there will be more Finlay Donovan books released in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I think I’ve come to the conclusion that this series is just not for me. I really did not like the first in the series, but I was really excited to give the second one a try. I did enjoy the second one much more than I enjoy the first one, I felt like the author found her groove in her writing style and I really enjoyed that… But I still found the entire story totally unbelievable and way too far-fetched. I do think Finley’s mom was the absolute unsung hero this book and I loved her character, but I did call pretty early on what the surprise in the mystery was.

I loved the first one and I loved this one EVEN more!!! It’s very similar to the first one, as in very Finley and Vero style-esque it’s either unrealistic or they are just SUPER lucky! I loved the love triangle and so glad Nick was in this, he’s my favorite. I can’t until until February for the release so that I know the third book is even closer!

3.5 STARS

Finlay Donovan is back in book two and one of my highly anticipated sequels.

I enjoyed the first book so much with Finlay and Vero's capers. Finlay's misfortune of being mistaken as a contract killer was a riotous set-up that was both funny and quirky. Book two has her cheating ex-husband, Steven in a pickle as someone wants him dead and they are willing to pay someone to do it.

While I still enjoyed this one, it seemed to be missing the laugh out loud moments and page-turning magic that I found in the first. We have a lot of characters in this one and some of the scenes/descriptions were a bit too macabre for this lighter mystery in my opinion. I wish the author hadn't gone that direction.

That being said, I still look forward to the next in the series and hope we get the signature hot mess, but loveable Finlay involved in a more appealing crime adventure. Finlay and Vero are still a pair I'm invested in and look forward to seeing what direction they take next!

I’d built up a lot of hype in my mind about the return of Finlay Donovan. Cosimano absolutely won me over with the first in the series, and I can’t stop recommending it to everyone I know.
Now for the but.
Knocks em Dead was really missing that *something* that made Killing It such a delight to read. There weren’t any of those Laugh Out Loud moments, though it was funny. Nothing really happened in the romantic department, and nothing really happened with Vero’s development, either. I felt like I was reading a teaser to the real sequel. Where’s the meat?

✨ Review ✨ Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead
Finlay and Vero return in book 2 of this series with more hijinx. Book 1 ended with someone putting out a hit on Stephen, Finlay's ex-husband, and this book follows that plot as Finlay and Vero try to beat the cops at uncovering who's out to get him.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: cozy comedic mystery
Location: the suburbs

I enjoyed this book - it was silly and it furthered the plot from book 1. Vero and Finlay made more dumb mistakes, got in over their heads, found dead bodies, and more.

Book 1 of this series DELIGHTED me. I giggled throughout it and so it would be nearly impossible to match. I thought this made a solid follow up, furthering the "everything goes comically wrong for Finlay" plot line but with just less comedy this time. This one still made me smile at the unexpected things but didn't really make me giggle like the first one did.

In the first book, the kids' shenanigans turned Finlay into a hot mess, and in this book the kids were just kind of there. Vero was also just kind of there, along for the ride as well. And the juggling of the cop vs lawyer love interests was just kind of flat for me as well.

For me, it was still worth the read, but it lacked the silly joyful magic the first one had.

Thanks to #Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur books for the eARC!

What is there not to love about this sequel? It picks up right where the last one left off and the whole cast is back. Finlay and Vero are back to their regular shenanigans in no time and it had all the humor, crazy twists, and awkward encounters I was hoping for. Thoroughly enjoyable all around. Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Finlay Donovan is back, with more mysteries, more murders and a brand new wig.

Picking up right where book one ends, Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead starts a month after Finlay accomplished the impossible. Not only did she manage to finally write her book, but she also somehow managed to stay out of jail. But now with her pretend hit woman days behind her Finlay is once again struggling with writer's block. It isn’t easy following up on success, but it also doesn’t help that someone has put a serious hit out on her ex-husband. Steven has no shortage of enemies, and Finlay and Vero are racing to find who has $100,000 worth of reasons to want him dead.

I think what I love most about the Finlay Donovan series is how perfectly Elle Cosimano walks the line between comedy and murder mystery. Her characters are funny and bright, often jumping off the page with their quirky dialogue and scheming antics, but the stakes are real and so are the murders. Finlay and Vero’s high-jinks are just as fun & wild, but they seem much less far-fetched than some of the things the duo got up to in the first installment.

I still absolutely adore Vero as a character. I think she is a perfect foil to Finlay and I’m so glad that Cosimano delved more into her character’s past, family and motivations. If I had to pretend to be a hitwoman with anyone it’d be her. There is a part of the book where she calls herself an office and I think if that would have been an actual twist it would have blown my mind.

Book two does get off to a much slower start compared to the first one. In the first book the plot felt very fast paced with action around each turn, while the second has much more of a slice of life feel to it in the beginning. While I do think the development of the world is necessary as Finlay’s adventures extend to more books, there are points where the different storylines get a bit lost in themselves as they build up. This can make a few points feel a little muddy, but overall wasn’t a huge problem and did not impact my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

Wooo the romance here. The hot lawyer and handsome cop are back, as much as Steven hates it. I will admit in the first book I didn’t have a preference for who Finlay ended up with at the end of her little love triangle. Julian was hot and kind - his approach to Finlay having kids and also being a bit messy was refreshing and felt like something she needed. So I was definitely a little surprised that he took such a turn in this one, and ultimately didn’t care much when they decided to put things on hold. Nick on the other hand surprised me in book one with his sudden romantic entry, but I liked that he challenged Finlay and called her on her messy moments because he cared for her. I’m glad that he made a resurgence in book two and I really hope there’s more to come.

I would like to see a little more compassion and understanding for Finlay in the future. Yes, she is a bit messy at times, and she does make some rather questionable decisions, but she’s also under a crazy amount of pressure and in some dire circumstances. It would be refreshing for other characters to not just make fun of her, or tease her for being a mess, but rather to try to uplift her and understand where she is coming from.

In the end Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is just as, if not more fun than the first installment in the series, and it leaves me with just as much thrill and anticipation. My Nancy Drew loving heart is so happy, and Finlay is a heroine I can root for again and again. This book doesn’t come out for another five months and I am already dying for the third one. I hope there are several more books planned for the series as I’m not ready to say goodbye to Finlay and her sleuthing ways anytime soon.

4.5 Stars ****

Finlay Donovan is back!! This was such a fun follow-up to the first book and spoiler alert…it totally leaves you with a cliffhanger so you know a third one is coming!

Finlay and Vero are back with even more accidental and totally unbelievable (but LOL) criminal activity. They’re on a mission to find out who wants Steven dead and of course things get messy. Plus Finlay is STILL procrastinating on her book deadline. We also learn some backstory to some of the secondary characters which I loved.

My only complaints were that at times so much was going on that it was hard to keep up with who did what. But it all eventually came together in the end and made sense (as much as any of this series makes sense HA!). I also was a little confused at the lack of information and character development with Vero and her past. I felt like the build up made it seem like more was supposed to happen there but maybe that’s coming?? But overall can’t recommend this series enough. Def some of my favorite books this year!

Thank you so so much to Elle Cosimano, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest review!