I typically love everything I have read from this author, but this ended up being just an okay read. I was intrigued by the story being told backward, but while it was written well, there wasn't enough to keep me fully invested. As stated many times before, I hate writing negative reviews, and this is an author I truly love, so I will end it here. Three stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

To begin, I love pretty much any Peter Swanson book. Kill Your Darlings is a bit of a different read based on how it is written. The story is written backwards so that you uncover the breakdown of a marriage. I enjoyed the fast paced nature, the unreliable characters, and the uniqueness of this suspenseful thriller.

Kill Your Darlings is a strangely structured book but written by an author, whose previous novels I enjoyed. Peter Swanson constructs Kill Your Darlings chronologically backwards. The novel opens with the lives of a long married couple. Talk about disfunction. They have secrets and obviously there will be more. After this opening section, the chapters in Kill Your Darlings move backward chronologically, with each subsequent chapter being earlier than the previous. This formula is sometimes tedious and irritating and too often repetitive. Swanson sticks with this backward chronology, with each chapter moving further back. Disappointingly, there is no epilogue about what happened in the beginning. The book ends without an ending. I kept hoping Swanson would get tired of the backward chapters and return to the current time, with which he opened the novel, but unfortunately that never happened, which was too bad, since what happens to Wendy would be interesting to read.

Although the structure was off-putting, the characters were interesting and well-developed, although not nice and often cruel and rather murderous. The characters are the strongest part of Kill Your Darlings. I guess it is clear I did not care for Kill Your Darlings. The chronology structure is a gimmick that did not work for me.

I enjoy a dual timeline novel or the use of flashbacks. This telling the story in reverse was cumbersome, especially for readers. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing this ARC to read and review. The above is my honest review.
2 stars

Thom and Wendy Graves, married for over twenty years, appear to have an ideal life: a shared love for poetry and literature, a grown son named Jason, and a beautiful home. But beneath the surface, Wendy harbors a dark plan to murder Thom. The story unfolds in reverse, gradually revealing the secrets both characters keep, leading to Wendy’s present-day predicament.
While the concept of a love story told in reverse is undeniably unique and compelling, the execution seems divisive. The reader is instantly hooked by Wendy’s decision to kill Thom, but the narrative’s detailed and often monotonous moments diminish the impact of its otherwise fresh format. Despite the clear connections between chapters, the story occasionally loses momentum, frustrating expectations.
Moreover, the reverse timeline, though intriguing, lessens emotional attachment to the characters as the story moves backward. The reader feels more connected at the beginning (or rather, the end of the timeline) than at its conclusion. However, a stunning revelation on the final page offers a striking and memorable twist, leaving a mixed impression overall.

Thank you, William Morrow, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I think Peter Swanson is one of the smartest writers out there. His plotting, planning, and pacing (the three Ps?! ™️) are top tier. Kill Your Darlings is no different—the breakdown of a marriage, told in reverse.
•
I found this to be super readable but I think the reverse order, by its nature, took some of the thrill away. We already know how it ends, and the rest of the book is seeing how they got there. This isn’t necessarily bad, but I think we needed some more twists along the way. And I think we needed a much bigger payout at the end. There was a small reveal, but it was not the jaw dropper I was hoping for.
•
I landed on three stars for this one. Not my favorite but still enjoyable. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to read early and will read anything Swanson writes! Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the arc!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

2.5 stars
Interesting premise that didn't really work. In telling this story backwards - from present to past - you already know what happened, maybe not the how or why in all cases, but that takes all the suspense right out of the story. At least, it did for me. And the ending was disappointing - it should have been a gasp-inducing twist, but at that point, it was....oh, so that happened. I turned the last page expecting an epilogue - nope, The End. It didn't help that the characters were awful so I didn't care what happened to them. This is one of my favorite authors and I do enjoy his writing, but I just can't give this a higher rating or recommend it.

I absolutely loved this book! I’m not sure I can fully express what it is about Peter Swanson’s books except for the fact that I absolutely love literary mysteries and Swanson is a master of creating complex characters and a layered plot that make me want to sink into them forever. And this story, a murder-mystery reverse, is much more an exploration of the darkness within his characters than a full-out murder mystery. But he handles the ending and every nuanced moment of this story so beautifully!

Also, his books just feel so comforting to me. Which sounds weird since most of his books feature very morally-gray characters, but they feel like sitting in an old bookstore in New England and opening an old Agatha Christie novel, and I just absolutely love everything he writes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a fun thriller that starts from the end and slowing telling the story in reverse.

Wendy and Thom have been together a long time. They live the perfect life, until Wendy begins to think it may be time to murder her husband. Told in reverse, their story unfolds and leads to a pivotal moment for Wendy. Everything in life they've done together including the secret they've hiding since their early 20's.

This book was a bit bizarre, fast paced but told backwards. Everything going in reverse from current to when Thom and Wendy first met. Their story spans most of their lives and it all makes sense at the end. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Oy. Listen I understand that there are only so many ideas to write about. If you are a thriller reader, you have more than likely come across this plot. I don't mind that as long as the writer puts their own spin. While the setup of the story starts in the present and ends in the past, that's the only unique thing about the book. Once I got to the end, the payoff left me with a bit of a shrug.

I didn't love the storytelling for this novel. I found the story to be a bit convoluted and hard to follow especially as an audiobook. Maybe I will have better luck physically reading this book. Looking forward to the next Peter Swanson novel!

I was slightly disappointed in this book because I normally really enjoy Peter Swanson. It fell a little flat for and was a slow read. It still had a few twists and turns that were fun.

This is the kind of thriller that sneaks up on you when you’re least expecting it—like a plot twist in the middle of a casual conversation. The suspense builds so perfectly that by the time you reach the end, you’ll wonder how you got there, but also why you’re still holding your breath.

Wendy and Thom Graves? They’re a rollercoaster, and you’re strapped in for the ride. Every decision they make is like a domino that knocks over another, and just when you think you know where it’s all going, Swanson flips the script. You’ll be flipping pages so fast you’ll miss your coffee getting cold (it’s worth it, though).

Swanson has this brilliant knack for writing characters who make you cringe and cheer at the same time—there’s a constant tug-of-war between “I can’t believe you did that!” and “Okay, I’d probably do the same thing.” The twists aren’t just clever; they’ll make you question your own choices for a minute.

If you love thrillers that keep you guessing, throw in some dark humor, and leave you with a sense of “Did that really just happen?” then Kill Your Darlings is an absolute must-read. But beware—once you start, there’s no putting it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is about a long married couple who are holding onto a secret they’ve had for years. This story is told in reverse and the reader is led to what causes the couple to be in the place where they are in their lives. This is a slow burn read and if you love that type of book, then this definitely is the one for you.

🎧📖💚AUDIOBOOK REVIEW💚📖🎧

⭐⭐⭐💫

🥰Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the gifted ARC!

📖Title: Kill Your Darlings
✍️Author: Peter Swanson
📅Pub date: June 10, 2025

🏃🏼‍♀️💨Quick thoughts: this was a short and easy thriller that would be a perfect palate cleanser in between some longer/heavier reads. At 8.5 hours on audio or 288 pages in print, this book is the perfect binge-in-a-day thriller!

💚Peter Swanson books are always fun and he always pushes the envelope when it comes to his dark and crazy characters. This book definitely had some wild characters! 👀👀

👀The main story centers around one couple and starts in present day and tracks backwards throughout most of their lives and relationship. This was such a fun way for the story to be told as every step back in time helped answer so many of my questions about the current day timeline.

📖While the book was never boring, because we start at the end, there wasn't much as far as shocking reveals go, but that didn't bother me too much since I was just enjoying the story! Overall, I think this one will be hit for many!

3.5⭐️ Thom and Wendy Graves, married for over two decades, seemingly have it all. Described as the “twins,” they share the same passion for poetry and English lit, have a grown son, Jason, whom they love, and live in a beautiful home. But Wendy wants to murder Thom and develops a plan to do so. Revisiting their love story in reverse, it is clear that both Thom and Wendy hold a great many secrets, each contributing to the next, which will contribute to Wendy’s current-day predicament.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Peter Swanson; in fact, he is one of my few auto-buy authors. It therefore pains me to say that I did not love this one. And while I would like to say that I am an outlier here, I fear that I may not be.

There are certain elements to the story that are clear winners. I loved the idea of the love story told in reverse. We are pulled in immediately with Wendy’s decision to murder Thom, and then slowly taken in reverse to the beginning of their creepy and disturbing love story. This felt so original and fresh, and I was immediately taken with this format.

However, the minutiae is where this style lost me. There was clearly a link from chapter to chapter as we rewind time, but there were many scenes where the overabundance of seemingly monotonous detail lost my interest before I could get to the most important “nugget” of the chapter. I found this frustrated me greatly as I started each chapter anxiously awaiting the connection, only to be disappointed.

Another thing I have come to realize is that while this style is fun overall, by the time we get to the beginning, I feel myself less attached to the characters, not more (this has happened to me before with this style). I was more intrigued when we first meet the MCs at the end of their story, than when we ended at the beginning. That is until the final page when a tidbit of information created a truly mic drop moment, and I felt more confused than ever about my feelings towards one of my most anticipated reads.

Read if you like:
▪️psychological thriller
▪️domestic suspense
▪️slow burn
▪️unique formats
▪️reverse timelines
▪️dual pov

Thank you William Morrow for the advanced copy.

The format of this book was unique. Each chapter went backwards in time where we eventually see how the 2 main characters, Thom and Wendy, met. With that being said, it felt like there weren’t many twists per se because we already know what happens from the beginning. It really just went on to further solidify a certain MC as a totally unlikable and unfeeling psychopath. I think I would have preferred to read back and forth chapters (ex. Now vs then) to hold my attention. It was an interesting tragic story, but without real closure. This could have also been improved if we at least had a present day epilogue. Writing style was great and easy to read. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

No. I did not like this one. I usually enjoy Peter Swanson books but this one was just not it. I found it difficult to follow with all the past and present timelines. The story itself was just strange to me. I just really did not like this one.

*Kill Your Darlings* is slow moving, but fast reading.

I enjoyed this so much - I didn’t particularly like Thom or Wendy very much, but their characters and their relationship is so interesting to see unfold.

A smart, slow burn that reads backwards. I didn’t love the ending/beginning, but this kept me turning the pages throughout.

I’d only read one of the author’s previous works, after this I’ll definitely be reading more. Recommended.



Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the DRC

I love a good thriller and especially one with a great twist and no one excels at that more than Peter Swanson. I was thrilled to receive an arc of his upcoming novel from @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks and as usual it did not disappoint.

I loved the way this book was constructed. It was interesting to gradually go back in time and see how Thom and Wendy’s relationship gradually evolved and why she wants to kill him. As usual, Swanson has constructed a complex story with characters that will surprise you, and in this case not in good ways. You understand how these two deeply flawed individuals came together and how years of betrayal and manipulation might lead to murder. The big reveal, while effective, wasn’t unforeseen, but it’s fun to feel like pacdetective and figure things out. No worries however, any Peter Swanson novel is light years better than almost anyone else