I loved the first two in the Finlay Donovan series but this one just didn’t do it for me. It was too mob based and complex. I enjoyed the humour and accidental killings in the first one but I feel the series is being prolonged more than it should be at this point

I want to thank @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my ARC of the new Finlay Donovan book. If you liked the other two, you will enjoy this one as well. They are fun, entertaining reads. Elle Cosimato nails parenting toddlers. I laughed at the antics of Finlay’s son because it was so relatable.

Wow
Another good one! Funny and just a quick enjoyable read! This is the third book of this series.

Once again she knocks it out of the park. These keep getting better. It is laugh-out, action-packed with a little bit of romance thrown in. I highly recommend this book if you want a fun light read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me a digital copy for my honest opinion.

This third installment of the Finlay Donovan series started off a little slow to me. But Finlay and Vero always win me over with their antics.

This book follows the two through a mock police academy for civilians while they are trying to find the identity of Easy Clean.

Jumps The Gun has more tension between Finlay and Nick. Stephen is being a controlling jerk per usual. And as it gets going the mystery of Easy Clean and Finlay’s love life push the story forward.

While it is not my favorite book of the series it was still enjoyable and those cliffhangers definitely left me ready for book 4.

i am an avid fan of "filler books" in series' - i think they are CRUCIAL. you need smaller plot threads cleared up, character relationship building, and relationships ending - that's how you create a memorable series, in my opinion. "filler books" aren't common anymore and they SHOULD BE!!!! they're so important!!!

i wish that nick would learn everything about finn and then turn his back on the law for her. that would be the ideal next step, for me personally.

thank you st. martin's press and elle cosimano for an arc!!

Finlay and Vero are back with their wild shenanigans and it is another fun and wacky ride!

I fell in love with this series when I read the first two books earlier this year and I pterodactyl screeched when I got approved for this ARC!

Finlay and Vero are still on the hunt for the true identity of EasyClean and are participating in a sort of adult day camp police academy. They go through several training simulations while Steven (Findlay’s ex husband) is most definitely up to something strange and suspicious wherever he is. More nefarious activities start taking place where they’re staying and more and more people are starting to look suspicious. Findlay’s latest revision of her next novel has also been rejected by her publisher and she’s stressed.

Book two is still my favorite so far but after reading this I look forward to reading more bizarre adventures of Finlay Donovan and Vero!

4 stars

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series! Does it get a little unbelievable at some parts? Sure! But am I willing to suspend my belief to tag along in Finlay and Vero’s journeys? Absolutely! As a mom of small children, the opening scene of this book had me laughing and definitely empathetic to Finlay’s parenting adventure!

This time around, Finlay and Vero find themselves at a citizen’s police academy trying to hunt out EasyClean. Many of the same cast is back, including the unlikeable ex husband, the potential love interest cop that Finlay has been avoiding, and even a guest appearance from a former love interest! Finlay and Vero find themselves in all sorts of jams - overhearing conversations they shouldn’t, impersonating cops, and doing whatever they can to not implicate themselves in past crimes. A fun, light hearted mystery similar to the previous two book.

This should not be a standalone book — go read the first two NOW! The ending is another cliffhanger, leaving me not wanting to have to wait for book #4! Ugh! Need it now!

Mixing Finlay Donovan with police academy? Yeah it's a recipe for hilarity. Often times in a series, by the 3rd book you've begun to slow down. But with Finlay? The brakes are cut and we've got the green light. This book is laugh out loud ridiculous in the best way.

What makes this book even better is that we get to dig into Vero's past and deepen the relationship between Finlay and Nick (like FINALLY). And that the mystery is really open-ended. It honestly kept me guessing throughout and I flip-flopped on my EasyClean guess multiple times. I would probably be happy reading Finlay Donovan books for the rest of my life.

*Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Now that I’ve finished the third book in the Finlay Donovan series, I don’t know if I should scream with sheer joy to have been so incredibly lucky to have discovered these books, cry a river of tears because I’ve finished the last one, or just grovel at Elle Cosimano’s feet begging her to write another one!

These books are hysterically witty, incredibly imaginative and so much fun. I believe there’s enough low hanging fruit for a fourth book. Please! These books are my guilty pleasure and I need more.

I give this book five well-deserved stars. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Finlay is back! Just when she has completely sworn off men, Finlay and Vero get wrangled into attending a week-long citizen police training camp led by none other than sexy detective Nick. The resulting story is completely ridiculous, as expected, and so much fun. Get ready for a stolen police cruiser, an uncontrolled fire, a huge bag of money, a mob boss, a loan shark, a crooked cop, and a mutilated CPR mannequin. And of course it wouldn’t be a Finlay Donovan book without some sort of accidental death. The action never stops, and the ending sets us up for another Finlay installment, which I will most definitely be reading.

One thing I often do not enjoy about sequels or books in a series is the tedious rehashing of characters and storylines that came before. This book, however, has little to no recap from previous stories, which I appreciate as a continuing reader but may make it difficult for newcomers to the series to understand what is happening. I loved the over-the-top antics and the friendship between Finlay and Vero. This story, just like the rest of the series, is pure light-hearted entertainment.

3.5⭐
Read...laugh...repeat! Get ready for more antics!

It’s never a wise move to owe a Russian mob boss anything. But that’s where Finlay and Vero now find themselves in this latest edition of a hilarious series.

The two must find a contract killer known as Easy-clean. And their super-sleuthing is leading them to the conclusion that this mysterious killer could be a cop. So when (super hot- cop) Nick assembles a citizens police academy, Finlay and Vero sign up! What better way to investigate the cops than infiltrating their activities all day long!

This is book three of the series and though it’s capable of standing on its own I highly recommend starting at the beginning, with Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.

⚠️To avoid any embarrassment, be mindful where you read this. You will sure to be laughing out loud!

Was this my favorite in the series? Well no. But a fun romp just the same!

A buddy read with Susanne

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Book

The Finlay Donovan books get more and more fun every single time a new one comes out.

Finlay and Vero are roped into going to a police academy “training” ran by Nick and his fellow officers. They’re still being threatened into completing a murder for hire job and have to dodge goons while trying to determine who Easyclean is. Chaos ensues.

I cannot get enough of these characters and I absolutely have adored every single book in this series.

Finally finding out who Easyclean is!? Yes! Nick and Finlay finally get together? YES! Georgia has a crush? YES! Another great cliffhanger? YES and also Nooooo cause how do I wait!? I am so excited for more.

Side note - I still don’t trust Joey and I definitely KNEW Charlie was up to something.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love these books. I think Finlay Donovan and Vero are my favorite characters of the year. Somehow, Elle Cosimano can write a mystery, suspenseful, romantic, funny book, with characters that feel completely real. I could imagine meeting Finlay and Vero in a bar and either enjoying ease dropping on their conversations or trying to become friends with them. It is impossible not to thoroughly enjoy the ridiculous binds they get themselves into (and out of) on a regular basis. Third book in the series and the books just keep getting better, the characters more defined, the relationships more entangled and interesting, and the mysteries keep piling up. In this book, something is going on with Steven, but you do not find out what it actually is.... a cliffhanger for book four... and YES! There will clearly be a book four, as this book leaves off in a way that the author could not possibly leave hanging.

I cannot say enough about the hilarity of this novel. It is laugh out loud funny from scene one where Finlay desperately tries to get her son Zach out of a stall in the men's bathroom in Walmart.... and deal with the man who is IN the stall with him. The hits keep coming throughout and when the book came to a close, I felt like an addict jonesing for more.

I am thankful to Netgalley, St. Martin Press and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Finlay signs her and Vero up for a week away at a citizen's police academy under the guise of finding inspiration for her next novel. In reality, she is trying to figure out what police officer is really a criminal and use that information to cut ties with the Russian mob.

I know that this is a beloved series so I hate to say it but the truth is that I just didn't love this one. I definitely liked it but not nearly as much as the other books in the series.

The story follows the arc of the previous two books with a mystery to be solved, some sticky situations and a big whopping surprise at the end to make sure you read the next installment in the series. 

I understand that the farfetched and ridiculous goings-on in these books are usually what makes them funny however I found the humour lacking and the situations to be way too unbelievable. The story did end on a good cliffhanger but it wasn't the jolting shock that I expected it to be.

.The story fragged a bit for me and only picked up around the 70% mark.

This book had a lot to live up to. It can't be easy to write a series. Overall, it was a fun read and if there is a fourth book, I will absolutely read it

Elle Cosimano does it again! Another great novel that I simply could not put down. Finlay's story keeps going, and she continues to find herself involved in sticky situations. Most of the time, sequels don't compare to the first book, but both book two and book three have exceeded all expectations I've had. Great read!

4.5 ⭐ This is my favorite book in the series so far. Elle Cosimano has totally won me over with Finlay and Vero. I can't wait for the next book!

When Finlay, an author, is mistaken for a contract killer, her life is turned upside down. Now, she is just trying to stay out of trouble, while also trying to find out who tried to kill her ex husband. She is in over her head with the Russian mob, has complicated feelings for a cop, and her nanny, Vero, owes $200,000 to a loan shark in Atlantic City. What could go wrong? 😉

If you liked the first two books, you will love this one.

I love Finlay Donovan. She is me in a book character. Life is chaos and she is always getting into something. Thoroughly enjoyable read. Can't wait for more!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun releases January 31/2023.

This is the third installment in the Finlay Donovan series, and it does leave off on a cliffhanger.

I was hesitant going into this because I didn’t actually enjoy the second book all that much, but this one caught me by surprise and ended up being my favourite of the series so far. I found it to be much more cohesive, and less chaotic. The two kids also played a lesser role in this which I think really benefitted my reading experience.

Finlay and Vero are the dynamic duo once again — dodging loan sharks, mob bosses, revising manuscripts, and finding out the identity of EasyClean.
An opportunity is presented to them to take part in the FCPD Citizen’s Police Academy. A week long retreat where they’ll be in close proximity to hot cops (ahem, Nick), forensic experts, and firearm examiners. Here, they’ll hopefully be able to get several steps closer to identifying who EasyClean is, as well as sparking some much needed romance (for book research purposes, right?).

The book within a book was toned down in this, which was a relief. It allowed Finlay to be more present in her actual life to figure out some feelings and realizations.

One of my favourite scenes was probably the mock trial. I remember doing these years ago in law class. The entertainment value was definitely there, especially given the nature of going off-script.

If you’re a fan of integrations of tv show’s like I am, you’ll be pleased to find it here as well. Examples include: Grey’s Anatomy, Temperance Brennan, Clarice Starling, The Walking Dead, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Law & Order.

I could have done without the man in chapter two that was touching bras and sniffing panties in a Walmart with a boner… but that’s probably my only major issue.

Overall, I’d give this a shot regardless if you already love this series or were still on the fence like I was.
With the ending, I’m excited for the next book because I have a feeling that Vero will have a much more prominent role. It’ll be interesting to see what escalates between her and another certain character.


“It was one thing to have a separate identity to stamp on the cover of my books, but I was done compartmentalizing myself to fit in other people’s neat and tidy boxes.
Mostly, I was done denying myself my own happy ending.”

“All this would make a pretty great story, you know. It’s got courtroom drama, car chases, deep cover agents… not to mention a pretty tricky mystery to solve.”

My least favourite book in the series so far and it's probably because it feels like Finlay Donovan's whole situation is being dragged out for as long as possible. And it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

I wouldn't necessarily consider this book filler, but it definitely isn't as engaging as the first two books. Everything feels more side quest-ish, rather than main storyline, if that makes sense.

There is one improvement, however! The love square has died - thank goodness! I'm over guys throwing themselves at FD, so I'm glad she's finally chosen one that seems to be the one to stick for good.

This also has a generous dose of the signature over-the-top dramatics that these books are known for. So I think if you are really quite obsessed with this series, you will find this newest installment to be filled with pages of fun adventure. But, if you are like me and tend to lose interest the longer a story is dragged out, then you may find this one lacking just a tiny bit.