Member Reviews

I love everything Peter Swanson writes and this was no exception. It was quite the love story. I’m still not sure if I liked how it was written from end to beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this before. It was very interesting to see the relationship between Thom and Wendy sort of self destruct and then go backwards through the evolution of it. I’ll be thinking about this book for quite a while.

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Peter Swanson has been a must read author for me since I read The Kind Worth K*lling. I binged all of his other books and read each new title as soon as possible.

K*ll Your Darlings follows wealthy fifty-somethings Thom and Wendy Graves back through the decades, literally starting in the present and going back through time to when they first met. They’ve got some secrets that can’t leak outside their marriage.

I’m all for experimental structures, but how much you love this book depends how you feel about the structure. I loved Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent, I didn’t love Wrong Time,Wrong Place by Gillian MacAllister. I think it’s often harder to built up pace and momentum with such unusual time lines.

They were bits I I liked, bits I liked less. It’s a must for Peter Swanson fans, and fans of experimental timeline structures. General readers should read a few different reviews before deciding.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow

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What a truly unique story—Peter Swanson has done it again with another masterful hit! Kill Your Darlings begins with a shocking, jaw-dropping scene that instantly pulls you in, and then works its way backward, unraveling the toxic relationship of Wendy and Thom piece by piece.

Told in reverse, the novel meticulously deconstructs their lives together—from the birth of their child to a joint birthday party, their reunion years after middle school at a professional conference, and ultimately their origin story as classmates in middle school. Each chapter takes you further back in time, revealing the milestones and fractures of their relationship, while hinting at a single act from their past that has tied them together inextricably.

Thom, on the surface, seems like the quintessential, frustrating middle-aged man—he drinks too much, indulges in affairs, and seems oblivious to the consequences of his actions. His roving eye and selfish decisions make you wonder why Wendy has stayed with him for so long. Wendy seems incredibly unhappy, but it's not clear what would make her happy or what she really wants.

A brilliant examination of two humans, this novel is as thought-provoking as it is compulsively readable. If you love twisty thrillers and character-driven suspense, you won’t want to miss this one. Peter Swanson has once again proven why he’s a master of the genre.

#WilliamMorrow #PeterSwanson #KillYourDarlings

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The Kind Worth Killing is one of my favorite books. I was extremely excited to read an ARC of Peter Swanson's newest book, but unfortunately I found it almost painful to read. I had zero interest in Thom & Wendy who are both awful characters. I pushed myself to keep prodding forward waiting for it to get better.

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Peter Swanson knocked this one out of the park! I loved the roller coaster of the plot with the twists and turns. Similar to his ‘Kind Worth Killing’ series, this book is based in New England and makes it all the more relatable as I’m a native Mainer. Navigating the plot as it was told in reverse was a fun switch up to the normal thriller.

Thank you to #netgalley and #peterswanson for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I haven't been a fan of Swanson since TKWK but he is back with his newest! Told backwards, I didn't know what to expect but LOVED the unique storytelling.

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Peter Swanson has been an immediate go-to author for me through the years. I have always enjoyed his books. I was thrilled to be approved for this. I dove right in. I just wasn't connecting with this book like I did with his others. I think the reverse storyline and me just didn't mesh. I still love his writing, and will definitely continue to read his future novels.

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Amazing book and so twisty. I enjoyed seeing the downfalls and why this marriage had taken its toll. The timeline was easy to adjust to

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I liked the way this was written in reverse order but found the ending to be a little anticlimactic! I do like his writing style though

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This is such a unique twist on the classic murder mystery--the story is told in a reverse timeline, and I couldn't put it down! Wendy and Thom are 50-something academics who have been married for over 25 years, and their marriage is feeling the strain of their shared history. Their relationship has gotten so stale, in fact, that Wendy thinks she just might like to murder her husband. She decides that the perfect place to commit the act is the spot where they shared their first kiss, many decades ago. Each chapter goes back in time to an important event in the couple's shared history, revealing their many secrets. I loved the way everything tied together in the last chapter, and I had to reread the first chapter to confirm my suspicions about one of the characters. Highly recommended for fans of smart character studies--be sure to add this one to your summer reading list when it releases in June! Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and author Peter Swanson for the librarian preview copy.

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Man, every sub-3.5 GR review for this uses “slow burn” like it’s some sort of group project. Makes me remember why the only actual use for GR is to win ARCs. Though I won this one through Netgalley.

Anyway, Swanson’s hit or miss for me, but this is a hit. It’s constructed perfectly and assumes the reader is intelligent, always a risk when looking at places like GR, of course. The premise: In the present day, Wendy Graves, a middle-aged woman, has grown to resent her English professor husband, Thom, prone to affairs and blackout-level alcoholism. When she learns that he’s writing a mystery novel that might reveal dark secrets from their past, decides to kill him on a trip to Georgetown by pushing him down the famous Exorcist Steps, where they shared their first kiss forty years prior.

We then start going back in time, each chapter taking us to previous key points in Thom and Wendy’s lives, from the death of Thom’s boss to the birth of their son to the start of Thom’s first affair and further. Swanson doles out new information without ever making the earlier chapters feel like he was cheating, and getting both Thom and Wendy’s viewpoints on different issues (including secrets the other isn’t aware of) allows the revelations to come across organically. It’s only by the end of the novel — set on the night of that first kiss — that every secret is revealed, and the last paragraph does a brilliant job of actually resolving the book and letting you know what’s going to happen in the present day.

It helps that Thom and Wendy are genuinely interesting characters, and seeing how their love blossomed after knowing how things end adds a nice sense of irony to the telling of the story. A fun one-night read.

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This was a really good book! I loved how the story went backwards in time to help convey where all of these feelings really stemmed from. I think it was well written, very thrilling, with lots of twists and turns!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

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Really good but definitely had to pay attention. Kept reminding myself we were going in reverse. I love Peter Swanson, I’ll read anything of his and once again this didn’t disappoint. So unique! Thank you NetGalley for this Arc

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Peter Swanson has done it again. He’s quickly become a must read for me, and this continues his streak. I love how he writes strong, cunning female characters and weak men. I also like how we get to witness the demise of this relationship. And that subtle twist ending!!!!!! I gasped!

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3 stars.

The story of Thom and Wendy Groves is told in reverse. They’ve been married for twenty five years and live an erudite life in Massachusetts. They share Jason, their adult son and Wendy is a published poet while Thom teaches English literature at the local university. Oh, and Wendy wants to murder her husband.

Why? We go backward in time to find out and visit the couple’s important moments. A joint 50th birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth and then a singular event that results in thoughts of killing Thom.

“The happiest people are the ones who are able to forget their past. Don’t be sentimental about people.”

So, I get where Wendy is coming from. She’s a psychopath, sure, but I understand. Interesting book.

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Kill Your Darlings is a twisted love story packed with supreme suspense and drama all unfolding in reverse, crafted superbly by Peter Swanson as one of a kind thriller.

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What a diabolical story! Loved the change of pace with telling the story in reverse. I really enjoyed Wendy’s character arc and will read anything Swanson writes. 3.75 stars

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I received a free eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m a sucker for a Peter Swanson mystery. I’d been saving this for a plane read, but it ended up being a snow day read instead. This time I did make damn sure it wasn’t secretly part of the continued dull adventures of Kimball and Kitner. And unless one of them made a cameo that I missed, I’m happy to say this is its own stand alone story.

I’m wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this one, because although I found it really entertaining and hard to put down, I can’t decide how much heavy lifting is being done just by the timeline shenanigans. Like…if this were a linear story, would it still be just as interesting? Or is the gimmick (the fact that it’s told in reverse) all there is? I’m not totally sure it’s worth it just for that reveal in the final line.

Our protagonists are a married couple - Thom and Wendy Graves. When we meet them, they’ve been together 25 years, and although they no longer seem particularly in love (or even to like each other that much), it’s hinted that there’s a Terrible Secret that binds them together, and it means that they're stuck with one another for good. The story progresses backwards through time, as we see Thom and Wendy’s relationship develop in reverse, and eventually the aforementioned Terrible Secret Which Binds Them. It’s nearly impossible to go into too much more detail without giving stuff away, but the story all felt very surface - like a treatment for a TV series rather than a fully fleshed out novel. Also both of these characters are kind of obnoxious. Wendy’s a bit of a sociopath (or at the very least seems to lack an empathy chip), and Thom is one of those annoying self-pitying sad sacks. I didn’t really feel much sympathy or empathy for either of them, and Swanson doesn’t do much to *build* any sympathy either. I can’t decide if that’s deliberate or if it’s just how he rolls. Like, there’s an opportunity to make us understand what Wendy went through with her first husband - what did she see in him in the first place, how did they get together? But we never get any of that. It’s almost like we’re just progressing from one death to another and any chapters that might have given us more character development got left in the cutting room…or were never written at all. But it’s an entertaining popcorn read, and that’s really all I’m looking for from this particular author!

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Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC - Peter Swanson has become an auto-buy and definitely doesn't disappoint with this latest offering. I enjoyed his lyrical prose and flew through this in just two sittings. Fascinating and non-formulaic as usual.

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Well holy cow! What did I just read? And I loved it! Another fabulous book by this talented author. I look forward to each new book and love them and I loved this one too. I’m still smiling over that ending which was so unexpected and so brilliant.

The characters were so well written, pretty sure I didn’t like any of them which made the story even more fun. This was just a pure enjoyment, “watch the craziness of people and truly hope it’s all fiction” kind of book.

I recommend this book to lovers of good psychological suspense, and those in need of a take me out of my life moment and let me see the craziness of someone else’s life. This is exactly that book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

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