4.5/5.0

A little far fetched, but such a fun mystery that I truly enjoyed. If something like this were to actually happen to me, I could totally relate to the character of Finlay. Definitely laughed out loud at more than one part.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It (Finlay Donovan #1) by Elle Cosimano, 355 pages. Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2021. $16.
Language: R (111 swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY
The start of the day is bad with a nanny no-show, a toddler with scissors, and being late to a meeting with her agent, and Finlay (31yo) is just trying to keep her head above water despite how each choice makes the day become worse—and then the worst. She’s desperate. At the end of the day, the question Finlay has to answer is whether she’s desperate enough to bury a body.
The situations that Finlay gets tangled in are convoluted in the best way, and readers get the fun of two stories in one as Finlay uses her new experiences as fodder for her writing project. All of my questions were addressed throughout the book—and I loved that Casimano gives readers the space to form the questions before Finlay does. The story ends with a cliffhanger that leaves even Finlay dumbfounded.
Finlay is described as “pale,” Julian is described as “tanned,” Veronica is implied Hispanic, and there are some Russian mobsters. Also, Georgia is part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use; illegal activity; kissing; partial nudity; mentions of drugs, strippers, pornography, nudity, human trafficking, and rape; groping; innuendo; and implied sex. The violence rating is for blood and gore, implied domestic violence, gun use, suicide, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Elle Cosimano for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this a author. This is a series I really wanted to check out. It felt like a cozy mystery with a little more grit to it. I thought it was a really fun read and I loved it! Finlay definitely went through it. Her ex-husband bugged me. I loved that Finlay was a writer. The contract killer plot seemed implausible at first, but I really loved how it was set up and carried out. I’ll definitely be reading the other books in the series!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries!

The first book in a promising series. Finlay Donovan is quirky and witty. This book is laugh out loud funny. Finlay is such a relatable character (well other than being tangled up in a real-life murder investigation). Such a fun take on a mystery book! I flew through the pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

What can I say about this book? This has to be one of the funniest books I have ever read! I enjoyed meeting Finlay and Vero and I wish I could be their friend cause they are an amazing pair! Finlay's ex husband is one of those characters that you want to hate but instead you feel pitty about. And Finlay's kids are the most adorable! I loved them!

Finlay doesn't have it together. She's struggling as a mom and as a writer and while she is discussing the plot of her new book she finds herself mistaken for a contract killer and ends up taken up the job! Finlay Donovan is not killing it but she really is, and she's in the middle of a crime that will change her life forever!

Thank you Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Woah. This was unexpectedly so much fun! It’s somehow lighthearted and funny while being about the mob and death. 😅
Finlay has to be one of my fav FMCs now. I love Vero too. They’re both incredibly strong female characters. Holding down the house while covering their tracks. And they have each other’s backs even from the first moment they met. I love them.
I’m excited to see where the romance from this book leads to as well.
And this ending?! I can’t wait to read book two!!

I absolutely loved this book! Finlay Donovan is the perfect example of a hot-mess-mama and I absolutely love her for it! The relationship/friendship that Finlay and Vero have with each other is one of my favorite things about this book. The fact that Finlay is mistaken as a hit-woman simply by pitching her book and then she and Vero never actually kill anyone but their "marks" end up dying anyway is laugh-out-loud funny! I can't wait to read the rest of this wonderful series.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ellie Cosimano and her publisher for this book. I’ve seen these books in my library, but never picked one up. But that ends today. I read the first book Finley Donovan is coming in two days. I’m onto the next book, love her character. Thank you very much for introducing me to this character..

This series is one of my very favorites! 📚
It is the perfect blend of comedy, mystery, & romance. The characters are lovable & I rooted for them even as they did morally questionable things. 😂
If you are looking for a laugh out loud funny series with tons of heart & a delightfully twisty plot, I highly recommend picking up this book! Then read the entire series! 🤓

I love this series. Finlay is funny, relatable, and witty. Her problems and their solutions give you laugh out loud moments where you question how all of this could happen and immediately follow up that thought with “Of course this is happening. It’s Finlay!”

The tone of the book and characters’ personality set the scene from the first page & chapter. The entertaining premise started on the first page and never lulled. While this is the first in the series, the relationships and personalities continue throughout the series and spin-off.

I had so much fun reading this book! I'd been in a reading slump for a week and this pulled me right out of it!

If you're looking for a funny murder mystery, I would definitely check this out!

This had already been on my TBR, but I received a review copy from NetGalley which bumped it up on my priority list! I can't wait to see what trouble Finlay and Vero get into next! 4.5/5

3.75/5 rounded up

This was such an easy read, very fun and light-hearted.

When our main character (an author and single mother) finds herself mistaken for a hit man when discussing the plot to her next book, she must decide if that is the more viable career path for her and her family...I mean, in this economy, who can blame her...

This was funny and such a unique set-up to a story, one I can really see being translated very well into a movie. (I know it's a controversial thing to say a book would work as movie because no, they should not ALL be adapted. But as a book girlie and a film girlie, I feel like my opinion on the matter is informed and valid.)

This is meant to be a dark comedy/murder mystery and I think that could appeal to a lot of people. And even be a good way to get into mysteries and darker stories if you don't want to dive right into the super dark stuff.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I love this single mom mystery! It was funny and the suspense was a great surprise. Finlay Donovan has the life that I would love and I thought it was so funny how she fell into "hitman" status! Go grab this book because you will love it!❤️

This was such a fun, cozy mystery!
I really enjoyed the writing - it kept me interested and guessing the whole time! will definitely be continuing the series

tbh, a mom whos husband left her and now her life is falling apart as the FMC is not usually my cup of tea, but I still enjoyed this book, which is saying a lot. Finlay was/is such a disaster, and at first I had to force myself not to be annoyed by her, but by the end of the book, she grew on me. plus, her and Vero are such a fun duo!

This is a great start to what should be a fun series! After having a meeting with her publisher Finlay is mistaken for a contract killer and ends up getting involved in a murder investigation and other mishaps. This story is just one accident after another and it actually kind of works. Some of the characters can be annoying sometimes and none of the events are realistic, in the end everything somehow works out for Finlay. This reads like an over the top SNL skit, and if you’re looking for a fun mystery, with a little bit of romance you’ll love this

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this e-arc

What took me so long to get into this series?! Finlay is fantastic, Vero is hilarious, and this story is wild!
This is the most off the wall, slapstick murder mystery I think I have ever read. And the glimpse into motherhood with little kids is hilariously accurate. I devoured this book.

This was an absolutely killer (ba-dum-tisssss) read. Finlay and Vero are a straight up iconic pair of accidental hitladies.

Finlay has two small children, a cheating ex husband engaged to his mistress, no money, no inspiration for her next book, and…. a note with a hit on a man she doesn’t know. Her curiosity gets the better of her, flinging her involuntarily into the world of mobs, murder, and mystery.

Stoked for the rest of the series!!!!!

This was a super fun concept. I love a book where a totally normal person ends up in a ridiculous situation and this book delivered. Finlay was so relatable and I loved how she just rolled with all the chaos she was thrown into.

This is such a fun book - the situations are hilarious, characters somehow relatable even with the craziness that happens. This would make a great tv series. I hope there are many more of these books!

As soon as I could get over how horrible Steven is, I could really dive into this witty and surprising story. It's not your typical murder mystery, and I loved it for that. Finlay and Vero are the duo we need, they're over the top which makes the story that much more fun.
Nothing in this book is quite believable and I really thought at the end we were going to learn that we just read Finlay's new novel, not that this actually happened to her.
The cliffhanger at the end guaranteed that I will be reading Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead!