I really enjoyed this funny contemporary romance with a lot of true crime references. Phoebe Walsh heads down to Florida for the summer to clean up her fathers house to get ready to sell after he passed away (an issue Phoebe is still dealing with). Her fathers house is across from the delectable Sam.

Phoebe is doing her dissertation on true crime, and I really loved this. Lots of true crime woven in, without any actual crime. After determining that Sam is not a serial killer they quickly connect and while it was fast you could see their connection despite their differences. Phoebe is relationship scared and this impacts a lot of the book, but you know she has what it takes to overcome her fears.

I also enjoyed her brother and his girlfriend. Supportive family (while also calling out Phoebe's BS). Her brother could be a little over the top at times, but that just added to the fun.

Highly recommend!

Romance and humor create a light, engaging tone throughout, but the book also includes some thoughtful aspects related to emotional trauma and its lingering effects. The main character is smart and funny, and her obsession with true crime is certainly unique! A great summer reading choice.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing an e-arc for an honest review.

First can we talk about how amazing the cover of this book is? I absolutely love it! Now let's talk about how amazing this book is! Phoebe is a PhD candidate who is studying the effects of true crime and why so many people are fascinated with it. She herself is a crime junkie and has a morbid cynical view of the world. Then we meet Sam from next door. The handsome, nerdy, elementary school teacher from the perfect family. Obviously he is a serial killer or at least committing some sort of heinous crime. No one is that perfect!

Phoebe has to learn to not only trust that Sam is actually a great guy(which in all honesty may be scarier than a serial killer) and that opening up to your family and friends isn't such a terrible thing. That you actually don't have to go it alone. This is a sweet humorous story of vulnerability, family, and Dirty Trash Cats. So grab your Pacific Cooler Capri Sun and untoasted Pop-tarts and enjoy Love in the Time of Serial Killers.

After 15 years away, Ph.D. candidate Phoebe returns to Florida to prepare her childhood home for the real estate market. As a true crime scholar, Phoebe does not trust easily, and her middle of the night introduction to next-door-neighbor Sam makes her question his intentions.

Could he be a serial killer???

Spoiler alert: Sam is the prospective love interest. A friendship or relationship takes time, though.

Phoebe and her now deceased father were estranged, and naturally that relationship—or lack thereof—has colored her openness to and interactions with others. She has open wounds and scars from childhood—some deeper than others—and Thompson treats Phoebe’s aversion to vulnerability and her inability to trust, her anxiety and depression, and her tumultuous past with care. That unstable family history, combined with academic pressure and grief in its various forms, impacts Phoebe’s mental health.

On top of all of that, Phoebe has this perception of herself that is deeply ingrained, and frankly, not all that accurate.

These deeper themes are balanced with fun pop culture references and moments of pure joy. You see a rekindling and mending of friendships and familial relationships, humorous moments, and some hot-and-cold adoration and indifference from Lenore the cat.

And Sam—oh my heart—Sam is a sweetheart. He has been added to my list of favorite book boyfriends.

The love scenes between Phoebe and Sam are steamy and emotional and feel so very personal. Their relationship is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

This was a five star read for me. I definitely recommend joining Phoebe's journey, watching her heal and grow, and feeling her fall in love.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Short synopsis: Phoebe goes to Florida to clean her recently deceased fathers house, and meets Sam the mysterious boy next door.

My thoughts: This was a slow burn romance with some fun pop culture themes, quick wit, and serial killer references. I also liked the gentle reminders to women especially to be cautious of their surroundings and the people they interact with.

The romance was cute, Sam was pretty honest with his intentions from the beginning, and went out of his way to make her feel comfortable.

Phoebe had a fascination with true crime and found a way to use that interest to get a doctorate degree and teach others. I thought the sibling relationship was great even though it had been strained for many years. And the cat sub plot was a fun add in to the story.

I did a mix of listening and reading this one, and the audio was so well done and added to the experience. Thank you @prhaudio, @berkleypub and @netgalley for a copy of this book!

Read if you love:
* True Crime and Pop Culture
* Sassy Cats
* Procrastinating Academic dissertations
* Sizing people up as Possible Serial killers

Five stabby stabs for this book!

As someone who loves true crime, I appreciated all of the cultural references in this novel. Phoebe felt like a genuinely real person: a little neurotic and a lot guarded. She was also a super fun narrator and her sense of humor reminded me a lot of my friends. She is absolutely someone I would hang out with, and connecting with her as a character added an extra layer of enjoyment.

This book made me laugh out loud and it also made me cry, which to me is the correct balance for what I deem a perfect / near perfect book. It was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and I am so glad that it delivered on multiple levels.

There was so much about this book that rang true to someone in her thirties, especially the concepts of friendship, of love, of loss, of connecting with people, and of forgiveness.

I will say that it's categorized as a thriller / mystery and I think that's a little misleading. It's more chick lit romance with references to serial killers and true crime. It did shift my expectations a bit when I realized that what I was waiting for was a red herring. Then I had to change my reading perspective a smidge. However, I enjoyed it either way, just differently before and after.

Also, the spice was nice.

This will be the perfect read for those of us who relax at the end of the day in some ratty sweats, a high messy bun, and a true crime documentary.

It took a little while for me to warm up to this story, but once I did I found it truly adorable. As odd as “adorable” is to describe a love story where the main character is obsessed with murderers and true crime.

Returning to Florida to handle the estate of her estranged father, Phoebe is forced to confront her past while working on her future. As she wades through fixing up her childhood home for sale, she needs to continue to work on her PhD thesis on serial killers while at the same time navigating the reconnection of a relationship with her brother, and the budding attraction with her neighbor, Sam…. who seemed very suspicious at first. Because who had large vats in their soundproof garage, and wore coveralls while secretly working in there until all hours of the night?

At first, I didn’t truly like Phoebe. She seemed very harsh and unforgiving, relishing in her status of not needing anyone or anything. She was socially awkward, abrasive and frankly, odd. But as the reader got to know her, it was clear that she was more scared of the connection with other people than anything else. Rather than having to confront the newness of it, and possibly be disappointed, she found it easier to push people away than to let them in. But as she slowly opened up to her childhood friend, her brother and his girlfriend, and the slightly less suspicious neighbor that always seemed to be around, she found that the craving for the connection outweighed the fear.

Phoebe and Sam were not the typical romance couple. They were not ravishing, flashy or high powered. They were not popular or muscular or over the top. They were normal people, living normal lives and finding what happiness they could in that, and there was something very charming and sweet in their relationship that I came to love. Characters I found to be annoying started to grow on me just as they grew on each other, and in the end, I felt that I had journeyed with them in the life they carved out for themselves.

It's about time! A romance for those of us who can't decide between watching the Oxygen network or the Hallmark Movie Channel!

To say Phoebe is obsessed with true crime almost seems like an understatement. Working towards her Master's, Phoebe's deep-dive into the connection between true crime authors and their subjects has her questioning every person she meets, measuring them against a scale of innocence to possible serial killer. Enter Sam, her late dad's neighbor and elementary school music teacher on summer break, who makes the mistake of offering to help her move an old Victorian desk at 3 in the morning on a dark street. The threat of a heavy dose of mace leads to romance in this witty, sweet, yet existential rom-com that's truly one-of-a-kind.

Thoughts: The 80s-90's childhood "easter eggs", the witty banter and sarcasm, the adorableness of MMC Sam, and Phoebe's true crime dissertation thesis -- chef's kiss! I adored this entire story! I love the cool librarian friend, the depth of Phoebe's character, that the story recognizes childhood trauma, all of the existentialism that doesn't muck up the plot, and the chemistry between Phoebe and Sam. This was such a fun read that was part true crime fandom (I'd LOVE to read Phoebe's dissertation) and part sweet rom-com (Sam is total BF goals). One of my favorite rom-com reads of 2022 so far and I'd highly recommend it to any combo romance/crime readers out there!

**Thank you Netgalley and publishers for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

DNF at 37%
As much as I adore the concept, title, and cover, I could not get into this book. I listened to four hours of it and was not invested in the characters or plot. The MC, Phoebe, came across as rude and self-involved with little to no character arc. In comparing it to another book featuring an MC enthralled with true crime, this didn't hit home in the same manner. Frankly, I was bored and I have been strict with myself about only reading books I am invested in lately.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy and PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Ugh. I wanted to like this one so much.

I want to start off with saying that I have come to the conclusion that this just wasn't a book for me. So many things in this book are on my dislike list, I just couldn't jive with this one.

The main character is extremely immature for her age. Her brother... cue eye rolls. The plot. I just wasn't feeling this one. Every man isn't a criminal or looking to do something evil or sinister, just saying.

I am sure many readers will love this one. The things I tend to dislike are things other tend to love.

There wasn't anything inherently bad about this book in my eyes, unfortunately I just don't think I connected with the story and the characters as much as other people did, and found myself just skimming by the end to finish it. Thank you Netgalley & Berkley for the ARC :)

This was a fun yet emotional read. I love that it is set in Florida because Florida is weird. It added to the vibe of the novel which is a heroine who has always been on her own path and not gone with the norm. Sometimes she tried TOO hard not to be a pick me girl and it landed her in a mess that she could have avoided but she's a fun, serial killer/ true crime loving kind of girl. I loved the fact that she has used this love to fuel her dissertation and the small glimpses into higher ed were also an aspect of the novel I greatly enjoyed. Phoebe is balanced by her general grouchiness by fun-loving, cheerful people like her brother and new interest Sam. Don't let the title fool you, there's no actual crimes being solved. It's just a Dateline loving kind of take on what happens when you watch too much of it (a warning for myself). Sam has moved back home to deal with her father's sudden death and when she arrives, a strange man offers to help her move a desk and seems to always be everywhere. I mean he is her neighbor but he has odd comings and goings. When she puts her real life dissertation work to the test, she finds out that she needs a new hobby and needs to grab onto life more. This was a fun romance that I highly recommend to any true crime lover.

I could not put this book down! It was utterly delightful. As someone who is generally paranoid of serial killers skulking around the bend, having a protagonist who also lived her life like that but then found love and opened up a little bit, was quite affirming.

The story is witty, and full of banter and some family drama. The characters are smart, and well-rounded, and I could easily picture them in a town like theirs. The author's note at the beginning was also a very nice touch. I was glad to learn there weren't actually serial killers in the book, just mentions of them, and to expect some sensitive topics to come up.

I went home for a family reunion this weekend and legitimately told 5 people to read this book when it comes out.

First things first… Thank you NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for this ARC.

So, here’s the thing about Love in the Time of Serial Killers, I liked it but I didn’t love it. Now, keep in mind that I’m not a big romance reader, this is probably my second/third romance book in about 2 years lol(?, so I don’t think I have much experience with the genre to hate on it so I’ll just be honest and constructive.

Phoebe is funny. I loved her for the first half of the book. She’s a true crime gal, the one who’ll put on murder podcasts in the background to do chores or chill, and because I do the same a loooot, I connected with her.

The first interactions with Sam were nice but I didn’t get that crazy chemistry that they were supposed to have, their falling for each other felt way too rushed and a lot of their problems were caused because of Phoebe’s issues (and low key Sam’s intensity, he didn’t come out as romantic but clingy for like 70% of their situationship.)

It does get some brownie points because the main characters are not described as super models who are quirky and don’t know are beautiful.

Also, I’m sure this was a wink wink to the parent trap (aka terrible parenting, Phoebe and her brother basically grew up far from each other but they knew they existed so that’s the twist(?)

Anyway! The new rating (sorry, y’all should get used to me changing my mind after digesting the books lol) is 3.5 ⭐️

This book had me laughing so hard at times, even when dealing with tough situations. I loved the writing style, and appreciated the short chapters. Once I picked this one up it was extremely hard to put down.

I absolutely fell in love with Phoebe immediately! She was quirky and sarcastic and so hilarious I couldn’t get enough of her. Her obsession with true crime is such a relatable quality in this day in age.

Overall I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, romance that centers around a love of serial killers. It had such a unique take on character development that I respected. I cannot wait to read more by this author, she is very talented at storytelling.

It’s a yes from me! I was definitely apprehensive at the beginning because I just didn’t know where this book was gonna go. I'm happy to say I really enjoyed it! It's a mix between contemporary fiction and a romance novel, but it’s ultimately just a really good book no matter how you categorize it. The writing style was really compelling and clever, and had a lot of sarcasm, wit, and emotion. I really enjoyed watching Phoebe grow as a character. By the end, her personal relationships were very wholesome and cute; her and her brother especially! I do wish that the serial killer aspect had been included a bit more, as this was something that made the book stand out to me more than other romances when initially reading the synopsis.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I would say its a 3.5 rounded to a 4 star read with the multiple batman references made throughout the book (I'm predictable I know).
Anywho, this was a cute romcom read! It was relatively light, even with the true crime references. I really enjoyed seeing the two sides of her and her brother's relationship with love given their divorced parents; one kid who was jaded and didn't believe themselves capable of love while the other is planning to propose.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was fine- it dealt more with the main characters family trauma and her coming to terms with that than it did anything else. I was bored by the 70% mark and wondered when it would be over. While I enjoyed her dissertation topic that was throughout, there was parts that didn’t make sense in the scheme of the story (I.e. the Sunshine Killer part) and the romance felt more forced by proximity than anything else. I mean, I really would have preferred this from the love interest’s POV or hell, even the brother. I just couldn’t stand Phoebe or anything she said- she was very ‘unhappy teenager’ despite being 30 fucking years old. ALSO, the way no one knew what a dissertation was in this book?? As if the romantic opposition didn’t have a whole ass degree in order to teach??? What? It’s giving ‘not like other girls vibes’ but for dummies.

Short Review: Suspicious neighbors? Serial killers? Love? What's not to like? This book had me feeling all the feels.

Long Review: This one gets an A-plus for character growth and pulling at the heart strings. I didn't expect to tear up at the end, but I did. Endearing, awkward, and a bit messy, these characters are all ones we can see a little bit of ourselves inside. Get this one on your must-read list. You might just even start watching your neighbors a bit more closely ;).

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I watched Law & Order and all those other crime shows back in the day, just like everyone else, but I am by no means a true crime fan. However, this story immediately hooked me. The beginning was utterly hilarious with Phoebe’s irrational suspicions of her neighbor Sam being a serial killer, and I rather enjoyed all the serial killer factoids, as well as the small bits Phoebe’s dissertation that were shared.

Though I found all of Phoebe’s theories about Sam amusing, I loved their growing friendship and budding romance even more. Sam was precious, and I was truly rooting for him to break through the fortress around Phoebe’s heart because those two belonged together. Sam was the perfect person to beside her as Phoebe worked through her childhood and trust issues. He was patient, loving, and kind, and if she didn’t want him, I did.

Phoebe. She was a very complicated woman, but I fully embraced her, scars, flaws, and all. Though her reason for her return to her childhood home was not a very happy one, it did lead to her renewing old friendships, reconnecting with her brother, falling in love, and coming to terms with the pain of her past. Thompson handled the weightier parts of this story with as much skill as she did the humorous and fun parts. Folks, that’s saying a lot because this book was hysterical at times.

Yes, I laughed, I cried, and I was touched too. Seriously, simply wonderful! I always say, it’s about balance for me, and Love in the Time of Serial Killers is a great example of all the best elements being combined in the perfect way. A fabulous feel-good ending capped off a fantastic reading experience for me, and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.