I really appreciated the risky format the author chose: the story begins in the present and moves backward in time toward the event that shaped one married couple. It has hints of character study alongside the suspense, and while I would call it more of a slow burn than a thrill ride (not a bad thing) it kept me reading until the last little twist.

I have been a fan of Peter Swanson's for many years, falling into his books after someone recommended Kind Worth Killing. I was so excited to be granted the opportunity to read Kill Your Darlings ahead of the publishing date.

Overall I really enjoyed the storyline and the twists written in classic Peter Swanson formatting. I appreciate that there is mystery but it is never the who-done-it, that he keeps on the page and obvious. I enjoyed the backward timeline showing the devious milestones in the couples history starting with their end to the beginning.

The only thing I wished for was more. I wanted to know more about some of the events but since the timeline spanned from 2023-1982 we were only able to get briefer highlights.

Will absolutely be adding to my Peter Swanson list of recommended reads to anyone who will ask or listen.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

As a huge Peter Swanson fan, I was so excited to read this ARC but unfortunately it lacks the thrill and excitement of his usual books and because of that I'm even hesitant to call this a thriller. It didn't pick up for me until the last 20 percent. If I had gone into this with that expectation and not read his other books I probably would've enjoyed it. I saw another review that called this more of a "character study" and I 100 perfect agree with that, it's more fitting than a thriller and I think it should be marketed more as such.

Now, there are aspects that I did really enjoy. The storytelling from present day and then going backwards, I thought that was unique and gave it a fresh take.

It was also both enjoyable and heartbreaking to watch our two characters start with the hate and destruction and learn how they feel so far from their original love and see where it all started.

This one is a 2.5 star for me because of the slow slow start. I found myself not really caring about what happened to anyone and that is not my hope for a thriller. I want to get lost in the twists and turns from page one!

I'll be blunt and candid: in my opinion, Kill Your Darkings has nothing 'unique' or original in its narrative form. What Peter Swanson has done here, other authors have done before - it is not a common use of narrative, but it has been done before.
Also, if you have read at least 2 books by this author before, you already know what's coming. You already know the tropes and the twists this book will provide.
If you liked everything you have read by Peter Swanson, consider reading this book as well. You might be pleased.
If you haven't, you might consider not picking this one up.
I personally loved The Kind Worth Killing and Every Vow You Break, and those 2 books, in my opinion, are very superior to this new one.

The Kind Worth Killing is a book that I read twice, and I never re-read books. So, when I saw Peter Swanson had Kill Your Darlings coming out, I was ecstatic. This is a book that I had to take time to process. After thinking about it, I bumped it up to a four star read because it really is a smart novel, that is a little unusual.
Kill Your Darlings is the definition of slow burn. There is a lot of repetition and little “action” or twists for a lot of the book. Don’t let that scare you off. It allows the reader to really dive into the story and appreciate Swanson’s story telling. Once I was able to think about what I read, I appreciated it a lot more.

Swanson starts out the novel in 2023 and moves backward until 1982. This is not a love story, but more of a story about the demise of a relationship. The reader is taken on a journey through Wendy and Thom’s marriage from its current state, backwards to when they first met, and all the twist and turns in between.

Although this was not what I was expecting, I do appreciate Swanson ‘s writing and ability to paint a picture and create a world. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a unique mystery that begins with a crime, then tells the story of the characters' lives in reverse. I liked this different approach, but I found that it left the end feeling a little anticlimactic... although the reveal on the last page was such a great twist! The characters Wendy and Thom were both written to be somewhat unlikeable, so while I enjoyed reading their love story in reverse, it was hard to really connect with them. This was an interesting study in how love evolves through a lifetime of partnership, but as a thriller, this missed the mark for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was definitely a slow burn, but it did have a unique premise. This book works backward through time as we watch Wendy and Thom Gaves' life unfold backwards. Wendy wants to kill Thom after 25 years of marriage, and to understand why, we must see their journey to the beginning, where a dark secret lies. I will say that the secret is not so big and was known from early on. But, the story was interesting enough that it made it a good read.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book was really interesting that the storyline went backwards. It was interesting to see how key pieces to the story tied in together.

Oh, how I wanted to love this one!
Thank you, William Morrow Books,  for the gifted copy of Kill Your Darlings {partner}
 
Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  6.10.2025
Pages: 288
Star Rating: ☆☆

Alright, so this review pains me to write because I typically do love Swanson’s books, but this one was just not for me. Maybe it was the formatting? Or perhaps it was just how unlikable the characters were, but once I hit the 30% mark, I could not wait for the book to end. 

I think it’s one thing to have morally grey characters. Still, Thom and Wendy Graves were so awful to one another and the people around them and just a general hindrance to the world that I could not fathom reading about their terrible qualities for another minute. 

I have read one book that is written from the current time moving backward, and it was a breakup romance - that concept worked, but for a mystery, it didn’t. It was confusing, hard to follow, and seemed to remove any amount of suspense from the storyline. 

Again, I would love to recommend this, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. If you’re looking to read something from Swanson, I recommend starting with Before She Knew Him!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book and when I started it I was hooked but then as I continued reading I found it very slow and boring.

I had to put it down and could not finish. Maybe I will started again we will see.

Kill Your Darlings was a captivating slow burn for me. It’s different than the typical thriller but enjoyable nonetheless. The only complaint I had was the choppiness of the timeline, I usually love flashbacks in books but the overall jumping around combined with the chapter length didn’t work for me and took away some of my enjoyment. I still recommend the book, but the layout format wasn’t my favorite.

I was so excited to see this book available and couldn't wait to start reading it. It is written with the timeline going in reverse, an interesting structure, but ultimately that might be the most intriguing part of the story. The two main characters, Thom and Wendy, are simply dull and privileged. In their early 20s they conjured a scheme to get a lot of money. This in turn, has not so subtly destroyed their marriage. With the timeline as it was, I was hoping or expecting some kind of major twist at the end, but it just stopped abruptly. Pretty disappointing. Still written well though and I look forward to more from Peter Swanson, one of favorite contemporary authors.

Well told story that is told backwards (you'll only find out why in the last page! A couple held together by a secret murder...but maybe not only one! Fun and fast read.

I love a good Peter Swanson, ever since I read The Kind Worth Killing years ago.
Kill Your Darlings follows the crumbling marriage of Thom and Wendy Graves, but details the story of their relationship in reverse, starting with present day and going backwards chapter by chapter to when they met in 8th grade. I loved the creative take on the timeline, however you get most of the big “surprises” early on, with small logistical details sprinkled in as the story goes back in time. In all, I very much enjoyed the story, but the ending was a bit of a let down, as it just, ended.
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and William Morris Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this latest thriller by Peter Swanson. The format of this book was done in a unique way with this being told in a backwards timeline, essentially each chapter going back in time in reverse.
I do enjoy the authors writing style and he did a good job with the unusual format but ultimately this wasn’t one of his best. For a thriller to be great it really has to captivate my interest and wow me. Because of the way this book was written the reverse chronology doesn’t leave room for the possibility of a twist or OMG moment like most thrillers do. I was hoping the ending would be fulfilling and satisfying but instead I was left with an empty feeling of wanting more than provided. Again I understand what the author was doing and acknowledge his unique writing style but sadly this book just missed the mark. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

This book felt like quintessential Peter Swanson - featuring complex characters with thorough development, a study of marriage and how it changes over time, and a reversed timeline. Truth be told I questioned how a story could have suspense when told this way, but I'm happy to say I was surprised still. This doesn't quite register as a thriller for me, but it certainly does have some elements of mystery. Will recommend this book and continue to make Peter Swanson an automatic read. Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy!

I just have to say it: I absolutely adore Peter Swanson! I've read a significant portion of his books, and every single one has earned at least 4 stars from me. So, getting approved on Net Galley (big thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow publishing) felt like a huge victory! I finished this book in about two days. The narrative follows Thom and Wendy in reverse, starting from the end and revealing how everything came to be. What a thrilling experience! Initially, I was skeptical about the reverse storytelling, but it turned out to be genius. This book revolves around two academics, Thom and Wendy, who have been in love since their teenage years. They lead a successful life with a lovely home and a small family, but dark secrets from their past threaten to unravel everything. One holds deadly intentions towards the other and one will be dead in the first few chapters and then the story is told on how it got to that point. The ride to get from there to here was intriguing and the ending was pretty good! Wasn’t expecting it.

Thank you Netgalley! Review is my own!

Let me begin with saying that I have historically really enjoyed Peter Swanson thrillers. Some definitely more than others, but overall they’ve usually been pretty solid. Now, his upcoming book was one of my most anticipated 2025 reads, but honestly I was extremely underwhelmed.

Firstly, I will give credit for the format as it was a unique way to tell a story, especially for a thriller. Basically, the story is told in reverse, so you start in the present and then slowly work your back. It starts you off by introducing Wendy and Thom, a married couple in their 50s, and then from there it continues to jump back to different points of time within their relationship. During each chapter, you begin to learn more about their marriage and the secrets they’ve harbored for years.

While it was different, I unfortunately think this format made for a VERY slow burn and I didn't find it thrilling or suspenseful at all because you already knew what happened and by the time you got to it, it was not a surprise.

For me, this book felt more just like a character study of Wendy and Thom + their marriage and how it started off strong, but slowly began to crumble. It showed a bit of the toxicity of their love and how it was built on such questionable foundation. Plus, they were both pretty terrible people.

Overall, there was never really that “aha!” moment where I felt like everything fell together and made to all feel worthwhile. Sadly I felt like nothing really happened and by the end it all seemed so drawn out with nothing to show for. Definitely not a favorite Swanson of mine. But don't let this sway you as I can see fans of the slow burn thriller perhaps enjoying this more than I did.

Peter Swanson's “Kill Your Darlings” is a story told in reverse and very reminiscent of film noir. We learn more and more about this moral-less murderous couple’s story as the story goes backwards in time. There is nothing redeeming about them, which bothered me a bit. It wasn’t until the last paragraph that I thought, oh good. Interesting and a quick read and to be honest would be a good film noir. As a book? I expected more.