Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is an incredibly fun, chaotic, and suspenseful thriller. It has everything you could want in a comedic mystery. The storyline and characters feel authentic and relatable to the common man, or more accurately, the common mom.

Finlay Donovan is a struggling writer who is learning how to navigate her newly single status, parent her two kids, and overcome her woeful financial situation. Her problems just keep piling up. Not only does she have a looming book deadline, but her ex-husband's pursuit of custody, as well as his perfect new mistress turned fiancé, threaten to unravel the last of Finlay's sanity.

Yet everything changes over lunch at Panera. While meeting with her book agent and discussing the plot of her next novel, Finlay finds herself recruited as a hit-woman by a desperate wife who feels she has nowhere else to turn.

Finlay's new novel becomes the epitome of art imitating life, as she finds herself in the center of a mystery that she must solve to make all her problems disappear.

This story was awesome! While Finlay's character stressed me out a bit with her over-the-top "solutions" to problems, she was also incredibly funny and relatable. She definitely takes "armchair expert" to a new level, as the material for her novel turns into necessary real life application. From the very beginning Cosimano kept me guessing about what on earth would happen next in this series of unfortunate events. I couldn't put this book down. Overall, Cosimano crafts a dynamic story filled with suspense and a whole lotta heart.

If you find yourself unsure of what book to pick up next and would like a little bit of everything (mystery, romance, humor) this one is perfect!

Soon to be divorce mom and writer, Finlay Donovan, is about to lose it. Not only is her husband divorcing her for his mistress, but she’s on the verge of losing her children, has been mistaken for a hitman, writer’s block has set in, and she’s just killed a man, or at least she thinks she has. As her life spins out of control, her only saving grace might actually writing her new murder mystery novel.

This book is so fun y’all! I was completely sucked in, couldn’t put it down, and I am so hyped that it’s just the first in a series. This is first and foremost a murder mystery. But it’s a murder mystery will all the most ridiculousness of all the most outlandish murder mystery sceneries that you can imagine.

This book is completely over the top and if you’re looking for some comedy mixed in with your murder than this for you. It gave my Psych vibes because of the comedy and I am so here for it!

If you need a chuckle in your life, as I’m sure we all do; do yourself a favor and read this book!


Finlay Donovan is Killing It is out now. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Thanks to Minotaur for the free book. This book was hilarious and so fun. Finlay ends up in so many scenarios that she’s not meaning to, and they see to just happen to her instead of her being in control. I enjoyed the tension in the book. The entire time I was wondering if Finlay and Vero were going to be caught or if they’d figure out how to literally get away with (almost) murder. It was also a surprisingly believable story. I am hoping there will be more of Finlay’s story after that ending.

This was a hilarious, fast-paced book. I enjoyed Finlay from the beginning and loved the storyline. Finlay is discussing her upcoming novel with her publisher or agent, I don't remember, and someone overhears what she is talking about. They mistake her for being a hitman and the result is hilarious. Crazy humor, murder mystery, and authentic single mother life all rolled into one.

I was excited to see that on Goodreads it lists it as #1 so I will definitely be looking out for #2!!!

Finlay Donnovan is many things. She's a writer, a mother, a divorcee, and... a killer?
This book is a delightful and hillarious account of a struggling romance writer and single mother who gets solicited to commit murder after a slight misunderstanding at a Panera.
There's no way she would ever do something like that, though? Right?
Though she initially thinks she wouldn't the $50,000 payout is enough to get her thinking about it- and before she knows it Finlay is deep into a world of Russian mobsters and cops.
This book was such a fun read from start to finish. It's a little more campy than your average thriller but Finlay is such an honest and relatable heroine you won't mind if the storyline is a wild ride.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

While Finlay Donovan definitively is not killing it - she is a hot mess! Elle Cosimano definitely killed it with this novel! This was a fantastic mystery thriller with quality humor, irony and sarcasm that just made this story simply fabulous.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Great mystery, suspense, a whole lot of WTFs, and great laughs! If you're looking for a mystery thriller that isn't just dark and morbid, Finley Donovan is a great pick as it dark, morbid AND hilarious.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books - St. Martin's Press and Elle Cosimano for a copy of your book!

I LOVED this book! If you are looking for fresh take on the genre, Elle Cosimano delivers. This thriller kept me both interested and surprised. More than that, it was:

Hilarious! I laughed out loud multiple times.
Relatable! All the mom quips and truths. + a really awesome, spunky daughter.
Realistic in that, Finlay is far from perfect. She knows it, owns it, and grows from her worst case scenarios.
Focused on strong female friendship.
A debut book in a series and I’m GIDDY that there will be more!

This book was so entertaining. It reminded of the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. In which a series of improbable events keep happening to Finlay leading to the humor in the novel. It was a quick read and very engaging. I kept wanting to see what would happen next.

Finlay is a recently divorced writer that is desperate for money. She is very deep in debt. She has been kicked out of Panera for something she did in the past so she is dressed in disguise to meet her agent in Panera for a lunch discussion. While talking about her idea for a new novel, she is overhead by another customer. This woman tries to hire Finlay to kill her husband. Finlay doesn't want to do this job and while she is trying to find out what the husband is up to, she finds him dead. She decides to investigate the murder. The woman who hired her thinks she killed him. Finlay tries desperately to explain that she had nothing to do with the murder and while trying to explain to the first woman, a friend of this woman tries to hire Finlay to kill her husband. You guessed it, he turns up dead as well. I don't want to spoil the ending but Finlay and her nanny through a comedic series of events find themselves trying to solve the mystery of the men's deaths. If you are looking for a fun, easy, quick, entertaining read, this is it! I highly recommend this book.

This novel is a "killer". Finn is a now-single mom of two young kids and an author of murder mysteries. She's constantly behind on bills, deadlines, and life in general. A stranger overhears a vague conversation with her agent, and mistakes Finn for a contracted killer. With her ex-husband trying to get full custody of the children, Finn seriously thinks about the offer for 50 g's... she's a murder mystery novelist after all; shouldn't she know the ins and outs of a murder? Follow Finn's story as she keeps getting into one troublesome situation after another. Oh, and to make matters even worse, her sister is a cop.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It is laugh-out-loud funny, witty, and will keep you on your toes. It's fast-paced, and has one surprise after another.

Finlay Donovan is my new favorite mom/detective/hit woman. I loved this book featuring a fresh character to get to know (and whom I hope to read more about) and a clever, satisfying plot.

After reading some real stinkers this month, I finally read a winner!

Finlay is struggling through life when we meet her. Her husband left her for another woman, she can’t pay her bills, debts are piling up against her and she can’t find the time to write a book she promised her agent would be ready months ago.

While having lunch at Panera with her agent and discussing the plot of her current book, an opportunity falls into her lap to kill someone’s husband and earn a huge pay check. Most people wouldn’t even consider this, but when you’re down on your luck, the offer sure is tempting. As Finlay sets off to learn more about this man she’s been hired to kill, she understands the world would be a better place without him. And she just might be crazy enough to take a crack at this new gig!

This book was such a breath of fresh air- it is witty, fast-paced and just pure entertainment. Finlay is gutsy and just a mom trying to get by, even if she does questionable things to pay her bills- you still love her and root for her. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this advance reading copy. This book was published earlier this month on 2/2/21- treat yourself this month and buy this page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
"Finlay Donovan Is Killing It" by Elle Cosimano was a funny and entertaining start to a new cozy mystery series.
The writing was clever and the plot was original.
I like how it ended, wrapping up a few storylines but including a huge cliffhanger to interest you in reading the next book in the series.

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was in this book. I went into thinking I would totally love it and it was only so-so. There was some comedy in it as to how she gets mixed up as a hitman for hire. But the follow through just wasn't there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Finlay Donovan is Killing It! I loved Finlay and Vero and I'm so excited it's the start of a new series. So many parts were laugh-out-loud funny. I also was surprised at some of the twists and how genius it was. Plus, a couple of good-looking guys doesn't hurt, either. I can't stop thinking about this book. I can see it being an awesome tv show, too.

Amazing. I expected this to be fun but it totally exceeded my expectations. I didn't totally realize that this would be an actual thriller; I expected this to be more light contemporary with some shenanigans. But this was a mystery/thriller for sure. CANNOT wait for the next one.

Finlay Donovan once had it all: the perfect husband, two adorable kids, a gorgeous house, and a budding career as a novelist. Now she’s newly single, her ex ran off with the real estate agent, the kids are chaos on legs, and Stephen suddenly fired the nanny. Sending your 4-year-old to school with her freshly-shorn hair duct-taped back onto her head is not the sign of a woman who has her life together. As for her career, the more left unsaid, the better.

With a deadline already come and gone (and her advance right along with it), Finn heads to Panera to meet her agent in a last-ditch attempt for one more delay. As she’s discussing her haphazard, cobbled together plot, a woman at a nearby table hears bits an pieces…and mistakenly assumes Finn is a hitwoman for hire. As she leaves she slips Finn a note – a target and a sum with more zeros than she’s seen in a long time. But she wouldn’t be crazy enough to actually go through with it, right? Especially not once she learns about the ties to the mob. Then again, all those zeros..

I’ll be honest, going into this book I wasn’t that impressed. I was most definitely not a fan of Finlay’s ex-husband and the new fiancée was more a caricature of Mean Girl stereotypes than anything. Review after review – from several VERY trusted friends – praised Finlay Donovan is Killing It so I knew to tough it out and keep reading. And I’m so glad I did. Once the story really got going and the plot took off, I was hooked and couldn’t look away.

When the man she (honestly) never really intended to kill (scout’s honor!) winds up dead in the back of her minivan, Finn realizes she in way over her head. With her newly-rehired nanny back in the ring (for a 40% cut, of course), Finn has to somehow solve a murder, write a bestseller, AND dodge referrals from more prospective…clients who also have problems they would like Finn to dispose of. As if the hitwoman hustle isn’t bad enough, Finn uses the details as inspiration for her novel – and her agent loves it.

With wacky hijink after wacky hijink, Finlay Donovan is Killing It felt like an old-timey classic rom-com/mystery. I could easily see stars like Audrey or Cary filming a movie similar to this – and honestly, I would absolutely watch a movie version of this book. It’s funny, it’s engaging, the story is totally bonkers in an I NEED TO KNOW MORE way. I’m so glad this isn’t just a standalone, there were several plotlines I wanted to explore further (I mean, the potential for a love triangle was right. there.) and that ending…!! I honestly gasped and knew right then and there that I needed book two in my life, stat. Unfortunately I’ll be waiting a while, but I’ll be here, grabby hands at the ready.

I liked the premise, I liked the characters, I liked how Finlay was a perfect storm a mess ups. But at the same time and it’s just meh. Not sure if it was the book or if I’m just in a slump. I liked it well enough, but it wasn’t exciting or revolutionary, it reminded me a bit of Stephanie Plum. I would read the sequel though.

This book was everything I needed right now - a comedic caper of the best kind! Finlay Donovan is a mystery/romance writer who is struggling to make ends meet as a newly single mom. In a series of crazy situations, she gets roped into becoming a murder-for-hire assassin. Of course, major hijinks ensue!

I absolutely loved everything about this - the pacing, the humor, the friendship that develops between two of the main female characters. And I also gasped several times at twists in the plot! This book would be super unrealistic if it didn't grab me with its wit and occasional winks at the reader.

I can see how the author might want to make this book into a series. There's definitely plenty of source material that can be mined from this one well-rounded, lovable main character. I'll be recommending this for anyone who wants a light, fun read that comes with a kick!

This book was different, in a totally good way. It was a fantastic read with lots of twists and turns, along with some humor, which I greatly enjoyed. I liked that I could not quite figure out the culprit, so it was not super obvious. But at the reveal, the clues all made perfect sense. There were also sort of multiple mysteries, which was even more fun. The book ended with resolution but then set up a cliffhanger for the next in the series, and I cannot wait to read it!

Holy cow, this book was such a fun read! While very unbelievable, the humorous nature of the novel made it great fiction that I struggled to put down.

Protagonist Finlay Donovan is put in a sticky situation. She is recently divorced, her ex-husband is preparing to marry the woman he had had an affair with, and they are trying to get full custody of the Donovan kids. Finlay is a mystery novel author who is not very successful. She is behind on her deadlines and in danger of needing to return her most recent advance to her publisher, a situation especially problematic as she is on the brink of financial ruin with no way to pay for a custody attorney. While Finlay is discussing the bones of her supposed upcoming novel with her manager at a Panera Bread, a stranger overhears and mistakes what she has heard big time, believing Finlay to be a contract killer. Due to her financial pinch, Finlay's life gets really weird from there...

Truly a wild ride of a novel with a great (albeit a bit predictable) cliff-hanger ending.

***An ARC of this novel was provided to me at no cost in exchange for an honest review.