Never a dull moment with Finlay Donovan and her crazy adventures. This is the 5th book in the Finlay Donovan series and it was not disappointing, I've been waiting for this book for a year after binge reading the series last year. I hope this series never ends, Vero, Nick, Sylvia and Steven and all the side characters bring something funny, entertaining and exciting. I could not put this book down and am so sad I'll have to wait another year for the next one.

Fun continuation of the series. Feels a little fillery. I preferred the second half to the first. Cozies are hard for me, but I generally enjoy the pacing of these. I don't get the obsession with the cop. I would never date a cop. Give me a hot lawyer any day.

🥃 Take a shot every time the fetus lawyer is hotter than the cop
🥃 Take a shot every time Mrs. Haggerty is the best character
🥃 Take a shot every time you should punch your school bully

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio

Another 5-star hit from Elle Cosimano! Special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio for granting me early access to Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave. This is the fifth book in the Finlay Donovan series. While it could technically be enjoyed as a standalone, you’d really be missing out on the previous books in the series. The audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawes, and I can’t stress enough how incredible she is at bringing this series to life. Her skillful voice work gives each character a distinct personality, making the whole experience even more engaging.
Already looking forward to the next book! :)

Publication Date- March 4. 2025

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook. It’s always a fun ride with Finlay and her crew and this one didn’t disappoint. I really liked the pace and progress in the overall story that this is set. Will continue to read this series!

4.5 stars rounded up. I think this is my new favorite Finlay book. It had all the elements I loved about book 1 and then some.

I listened to the audiobook and followed along in the ebook. The audio was outstanding. Angela Dawe did an excellent job with the narration. Her tone and cadence were clear and natural, and the pitch/vocal alterations for the various characters were incredibly well done. I was so impressed with her work. I’d highly recommend a listen.

Like the other books in this series, this one picked up where the previous book left off. We’re back all of our favorite characters in Finlay, Vero, Nick, Javi, the kids…and even Steven. Added to the fray this time around was Mrs. Haggerty, fresh out of jail and dropped off on Finlay’s doorstep by her grandson. It turned into a wild ride with Steven implicated in the crime she was accused of and the crew then had to (reluctantly) race against time to clear his name. Teen hacker extraordinaire Cam was also back and added so much to the story. Without saying too much, this one kept me on my toes, had me laughing, shaking my head, thinking “Only Finlay” more than once, and ends with a cliffhanger that left me ready for the next book right now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Can’t believe this is the 5th book of the series and… dare I say it… my favorite since the first one!

Finlay & Vero are back to their usual antics, and this time Nick is along for the ride. Ms. Haggerty is back in a big way, and it was so fun!

Finlay Donovan Digs her own Grave is the delightful 5th book in Elle Cosimano's series. Whether reading the print edition or listening to Angela Dawe's excellent narration, this fun, quirky book will catch and hold your interest. Finlay, her sidekick Vero, and the whole cast of family, friends and neighbors all manage to get into and out of all kinds of trouble, both serious and funny. At the conclusion the main mystery is solved, relationships are deepened and all is satisfying indeed—and then the doorbell rings. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for the chance to read/listen to this early.

I loved this one! One of my favorites in the series. I loved how all the characters interacted and how fun the adventure was. These books are so outlandish and totally unrealistic, but that's what makes them so fun! Finlay and Vero's antics are a hoot and I'm still always baffled how they seem to ditch the kids so effortlessly to attend to their crime solving. I also loved how it sets up the next one in the epilogue. Such a fun book! The audio is so well done and I really like the narrator. It's a book that you just want to keep listening to!

Finlay solves another mystery that she finds herself in the middle of.

I think this is my favorite book of the series so far! It's really a toss up between Book 1 and this book. I really like the leap that Finlay and Nick's relationship took. I also loved the dynamic of the elderly neighbor crashing at Finlay's house.

I can't wait for the next book to come out!

I believe this is my favorite series so far! I loved it so much!
We begin when police discover a body in the backyard of Finlay's neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, and they suspect her of murder. However, they released her, and she is no longer a suspect. Because her home has no electricity or heat, she is staying at Finlay's house until they fix the heating.
They arrested Finlay's ex-husband for the murder because the wife of the man found buried in her backyard accused him of having an affair with her during his marriage to Finlay. Believing Steven, she starts her investigation of the murder and the curious mishaps of what Mrs. Haggerty is doing and where she is going.
This one was an absolute hoot! I loved the complete story and there were several times I was rolling with laughter because of the antics in the story! I received a copy of the audiobook to listen to and review, and it was amazing! I love it when a series uses the same narrator for different audiobooks because this narrator fits the story and brings it to life! Giving me lots of laughs this time! Thank You Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read/listen and review this one, and thank you for the laughs!

In the latest installment of the Finlay Donovan series, Finlay and her nanny Vero have stumbled across another murder. It just so happens that the body is discovered in Finlay's neighbor's, Mrs. Haggerty's backyard. Not known for being friendly, Mrs. Haggerty ends up staying with Finlay while they try to solve the murder, and all kinds of chaos and hijinks ensue. I love this series! Finlay and Vero will have you laughing out loud, and sitting on the edge of your sear wondering how they are going to get out of the newest sticky situation they have found themselves in. The narrator is great, and handles all of the different voices with ease. Highly recommend!

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is a light-hearted and comedic mystery thriller with romantic elements. I would recommend it to fans of shows like Only Murders in the Building and fans of books by Holly Jackson, Lucy Score, Ally Carter, or Christina Lauren.

I love the Finlay Donovan books - I picked up one of the books at a little free library this past summer on a whim and ended up devouring the series! Mysteries and thrillers usually aren’t usually my thing, but the Finlay Donovan books are so cozy, entertaining, gripping, and laugh-out-loud funny, and book 5 is definitely no exception. Also, as someone who is new to mysteries and thrillers, I appreciate that the Finlay Donovan books are always light-hearted and fun, they are definitely suspenseful and have intriguing twists, but I never find them scary. Mrs. Haggerty wasn’t really my favourite character in the first 4 books, so I wasn’t sure how to feel about her playing a bigger role in Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave, but I really enjoyed getting to see a different side to Mrs. Haggerty; one that has some unexpected similarities to Finlay. There are also some super cute and comical moments between Mrs. Haggerty and Finlay’s children (one of which is suspended from preschool and the other who is struggling with potty-training) and Cameron (the young computer hacker who helps with Finlay’s tech needs in exchange for homecooked meals).

If I had to list a downside, I have to say that the romance was a little lacking in comparison to the other Finlay Donovan books. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see a lot of Vero and Javi’s “newlywed” relationship. Also, since Finlay is still hiding her criminal involvement from Nick and is preoccupied with Mrs. Haggerty for a good portion of this book, we didn’t get to see a lot of Finlay and Nick’s romance either. But the romance that we did get in Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave was still swoony and I am hopeful that we will get to see more of Vero and Javi’s and Finlay and Nick’s budding relationships in book 6.

Overall, I’m loving the Finlay Donovan series and would highly recommend it to readers looking for lots of laughs, swoony love interests, “ride or die” female friendships, and page-turning mysteries.

Once again, Elle Cosimano has knocked it out of the park! Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is an absolute blast—fast-paced, witty, and full of the charm that makes this series so addictive. This installment not only delivers the humor and suspense we love but also opens up exciting new avenues for so many characters. I flew through it and already can’t wait to see what’s next for Finlay and the gang. If you’re a fan of the series, you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s always a pleasure spending time with Finlay, Vero, and the gang.

I thought this installment was notably weaker than its predecessors, but it’s still a fun read and well-paced. That’s a bit tough after book four, which I thought was the best of the series. Still, Cosimano did at least set up the ongoing story to go in a direction I’m interested in at the end of this one.

This one lost a lot of the humor that has made this series so good, and though there are moments that are truly funny, there are a lot less of them than we’ve seen previously. I didn’t love the mystery here either (felt a bit like tacking something unrelated onto a concept that the story already seemed to have sorted out), but at least it worked structurally.

I’d love to see the series get back to more Finlay and Vero hijinks and less constant circling back to the ex-husband in ways that don’t really serve the greater plot. I’m not wild about where things are going with Nick either, but that’s more of an opinion than a critique.

Still, the end had a lot of promise and the series has been consistently good, so I’m looking forward to the next installment.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future. The entire Finlay Donovan series is chefs kiss!!! These characters really come alive on the pages, and they keep me coming back for more.

Finlay and Vero are back in the fifth installment of the series. The body of a local is found buried in Mrs. Haggerty’s house across the street. And after being release from jail and cleared of the murder, Mrs. Haggerty moves herself right into Finlay’s house to stay while her hair is repaired and released. Soon Finlay’s ex husband is arrested and Finley and Vero must hunt down the real murder so Steven doesn’t take the fall, and chaos ensues.
This book has become my favorite of the series! We get to hear more from Finlay’s busybody neighbor, more from Nick and Finlay’s relationship, and of course the normal chaos of raising toddlers. Too funny!

Constantly chasing that 5-star feeling from the first book, but Finlay Donovan is too wacky not to love. The side characters continue to get stronger and stronger with each book (I would now die for Nick) and I love how old friends continue to make new appearances.

Woo! This series redeemed itself and was almost as good as the first book. I could have done without the sex scenes though. Yuck.

Fans of the series will enjoy this. It was a wild ride, fun, clever, and most of the characters were back to themselves. The new new granny here was superb.

Very much looking to the new storyline in #6

Thank you netgalley !!!! 4.25

Finlay Donovan fans have another fun adventure to enjoy! This time Mrs. Haggerty is the center of the mystery with Finlay and Vero jumping on the case. Ex-husband, Steven, gets tapped as the suspect and “hot cop” Nick helps. Of course, Finlay’s kids, her agent Sylvia, and techie guru, Cam, are also part of the story. A fun little mystery with humor and romance.

Angela Dawe continues to do a great job as the narrator of the Finlay Donovan books. I have had the pleasure of listening to this series read by Dawe and I feel like I’m with an old friend each time. Dawe does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life.

How long do we have to wait for the 6th Finlay addition?

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the complimentary Audio Book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another fantastic installment of the Finlay Donovan series. A few books ago, I was feeling that this story was getting stale but I am so glad I have continued to stick with this story. This one and book 4 were the best yet.

I am loving the developing relationship between Nick and Finlay. With all the drama and murder, the budding romance between them keeps things light and fresh. I also love the growth that Finlay has made as these novels go on. She is still impulsive and fearless but I just love that about her.

I cannot wait to see what new messes Finlay gets herself into in future books.

As far as the audiobook. This series is one of the best. The narrator has very district voices for the characters and it really brings the story to life.