Let’s just start by saying I loved this book and Finlay. I haven't read a laugh out loud book in a while, so this was a nice change of pace!

Finlay is a struggling single mother. She’s broke, she’s having difficulty writing her next book and she has to deal with her ex-husband who is engaged to the woman he cheated on her with. Finlay finds herself in some hilarious predicaments after she is overheard discussing her next book with her agent. She’s wrongfully hired as a hit man to kill a woman’s husband, an accountant who does some sketchy business on the side. Finlay desperately needs the money so her and her kids’ nanny, Vero, share some laugh out adventures.

This is a light, quick read full of adventure and mystery. It was such a fun ride! I highly recommend.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.




St. Martin's Press
Minotaur Books

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! Finlay is a single mom to 2 kiddos. Finlay is broke and her ex is a total jerk who is now engaged to the woman he cheated on her with. Finlay writes books and is way behind deadline turning in her next book that she has already received her advance for. Bills are piling up, her electricity is turned off, and she keeps having to ask her jerk of an ex-husband for money. When she meets her agent at Panera to discuss her book, a woman sitting close to them assumes they are discussing murder for hire and not a book idea! Things get crazy funny after the Panera meeting. Finlay along with Vero her kids nanny, have some of the most laugh out loud funny things happen to them as they try to negotiate the situations they find themselves in. I love the relationship between Finlay and Vero as they are true friends that are there for each other. I simply cannot wait for what I hope are many more books in this series following Finlay and Vero and their adventures! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Elle Cosimano is Killing It! I loved this book and Finlay the main character. Her point of view kept me laughing. She is a likeable mother of two whose husband has just moved out to live with his pregnant girlfriend, who by the way, is the real estate agent that sold them their new more expensive house that Finlay didn't really want. Can you see the crazy dip her life has taken? Finlay's life reads like a comedy of errors. I enjoyed this author's voice. I will happily buy her next book.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#FinlayDonovanIsKillingIt #NetGalley

The first third of this book, I hated the main character. The second third, once I got to the mystery, she seemed to calm down and become tolerable. By the end of the book, I would have considered reading future books because of the secondary character. But the epilogue made me want to definitely read another book. If you like Janet Evanovich, you might like this book, but it has A LOT of similarities.

<i>Finlay Donovan is Killing It</i> is a delightful read--utterly ridiculous and equally fun, this is an easy read. Finlay Donovan is an author struggling to get on track. After a long-term affair, her husband left and has been a bitter thorn in Finlay's side. Now, Finlay is trying to juggle her two children, keeping house, and working enough to pay the bills on her own. It hasn't been going well.

At a meeting with her agent, an eavesdropper hears Finlay talking about her murder mysteries and takes the conversation as fact. She tries to hire Finlay to kill her husband, and wants to pay Finlay $50,000 to do the job. Absolute insanity ensues--none of it believable--but the kind of story that makes you not really care (picture a crazy soap opera plot that continues to build).

Finlay is joined in her accidental killing spree by her nanny-cum-business-manager, Vero. Vero is a spunky, saucy addition whose unconditional support of Finlay is great to read about. Vero epitomizes the kind of friend every woman deserves to have: protective, encouraging, non-competitive/nonjudgmental, and who always has your back.

While I read this book, I kept envisioning what a great move it would make. It also invites a sequel, which I would be excited to read! My only complaint (and the reason this is a 4.5 star instead of a 5) is that it got a little long and circuitous at points.

Highly recommend for a plane or a beach, or if you need a distraction from stress or misery. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It is a refreshing, laugh out loud read that deserves 5 stars.

The author had me at the dedication to her friends "....because I would bury a body with either of you"

Finn I would also bury a body with you and have a pint with you as well.

The pages flew by as you watched and waited for Finn and Vero to get themselves out this huge mess of supposedly being hired killers.

This is a must read and you will be smiling and laughing out loud

The ending was perfect, hoping Finn will return and entertain us one more time.

FInlay Donovan is Killing It will be a big hit. Mark your calendars. Can't wait to buy it for my daughter.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an refreshing enjoyable read.

I was so excited that @netgalley allowed me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book for an honest review. So, let’s get started!

First off, this was such a delightful read! Usually you don’t say that for a book involving mystery and murder, but this one is a little bit different.

Finlay is a divorced mom of two small children going through a messy custody battle. She’s also a struggling author trying to write her next book in order to pay her bills, not lose her house, and keep her kids. She meets her editor in a Panera Bread one day, but has to disguise herself, because she had previously been banned from this Panera for life. During this meeting, she comes in contact with Patricia who leaves her with a note. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Patricia has just hired her to kill her husband for $50,000! Not only is Finlay up a creek as now being a hired contract killer, she now has inspiration for her new novel!

Finlay becomes involved in the mob, helping a police investigation, becoming acquainted with a bartender soon to be lawyer, all while trying not to get arrested and finish her novel.

I laughed in so many spots, but there were a lot of serious moment as well. Since this was the first adult novel written by @ellecosimano, it was very well rounded and enjoyable. There seems to be a cliffhanger as well, so I’m hoping she continues on with the story!

Put this on your TBR for 2021! This will be released in February 2021!

Thank you to @netgalley, @minotaur_books, and @ellecosimano for my gifted copy of Finlay Donovan is Killing It! You can grab this fantastic mystery for yourself on February 2nd.

Synopsis: Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano’s adult debut Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a witty, fast-paced mystery series, following struggling suspense novelist and single mom Finlay Donovan, whose fiction treads dangerously close to the truth as she becomes tangled in real-life murder investigations...

Y’all, I got SUCKED into this book. Finlay and Vero, the two main women, are such strong characters and are SO much fun to root for. These women are two women that you want to be best friends with after reading about them. I read this with @lovearctually and got to chat with @ellecosimano, and after hearing about how she planned out their characters and wanted the book to have strong women supporting women, I loved it even more. And the bad guys, y’all...they were also extremely well-developed, and fun to dislike.

You can tell how well Cosimano has researched police procedures, evidence gathering, and all of the aspects of a great mystery. No stone is left unturned, and there are lots of twists and turns throughout the book to keep you guessing. I don’t want to say too much to risk spoilers, but this was a hard one to put down once you got into the book.

Watch out for the epilogue in this one, y’all. It’ll shock you, and leave you yearning for Cosimano’s next book. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This was a fun book to read. It was a light, easy, quick read and very entertaining. The reader had to suspend belief a little bit, but I do not believe this was intended to be a gritty, hard-hitting novel about the Russian mob or professional hitmen. It was a book about a heroine who was easy to identify with and root for, despite all of the questionable decisions she makes throughout the book. Finlay was a great protagonist and I really enjoyed reading about her, including all of the problems with her ex-husband, job, love life, and mistaken identity. I would love to see more adventures with Finlay and Vero.

I know it is very early in the year, but I foresee this being one of my favorite books of 2021! Thank you to both Minotaur Books and Netgalley for copies of Finlay Donovan is Killing It in exchange for an honest review. Finlay Donovan is a struggling writer trying to stay afloat in her mess of a life. Then a crazy opportunity transpires in the dining room of a Panera when she is mistakenly overheard speaker to her publicist about killing someone (in regards to her upcoming novel) and is offered money to kill a husband involved in horrible activities. Against her better judgement, Finlay disguises herself and attends an event at a local bar where the husband is and the events that occur afterwards will change Finlay's life forever!

I loved the comedy aspect of this unexpected thriller novel, I had to hold in laughter multiple times while the rest of my household was asleep! I also loved how flawed the main character was, it was just enough that you wanted to yell at her for some of her decisions, but still root her on in hopes of a happy ending! I heard that this could possibly be turning into a TV show and I am so here for it, I want to see Finlay and her sidekick Vero come to life and I'm excited which actresses are chosen for their roles. And that epilogue! It leaves you wanting so much more and hope that a second book is in the works. Thank you so much Elle for creating a really fun story that has everything you could possibly want in a comedy turned thriller novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It in exchange for an honest review.

Finlay Donovan is a writer of lightly-read romantic suspense novels, but she’s late with her latest draft and at risk of having to forfeit her advance. She’s behind on her bills, and now her ex-husband is engaged to their former real estate agent and is gearing up to fight for custody of their two kids. In short, Finlay’s life is a mess.

And then one day someone overhears Finlay talking to her agent about her books and gets the mistaken impression that Finlay is a contract killer. By the time Finlay realizes what happening, she’s unwittingly agreed to kill this woman’s husband for $50,000. In part out of curiosity about why this woman wants her husband dead, in part feeling like this situation might give her a new idea for a book, and in part thinking about the money, Finlay begins to investigate the man she’s been hired to kill. Before long, Finlay has a body to bury, a new nanny/roommate/partner-in-crime named Vero, a possible hot bartender boyfriend, a possible hot police office boyfriend, but only if she can avoid being arrested for a murder she didn’t commit and avoid being killed for getting mixed up with the wrong people.

Gritty, realistic crime fiction this is not. Finlay makes a few choices early that you just have to accept in order to get into the story. And some of the characters are a bit one-dimensional and cliché. But the story works because Finlay is a well-developed character who you can’t help but root for, and her partnership with Vero is consistently hilarious and full of snarky banter. Finally, the story works because at the heart of the tale is one big mystery and several smaller ones that were unpredictable.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a fun read, with lots of snarky banter and a fast-moving plot full of twists and turns. Recommended.

Such a fun read! I had hit a reading slump and needed something to get me out and this was the answer! The MC did take me a while to warm up too but I eventually did. The plot isn't anything revolutionary but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good read. Would definitely recommend!

Hooked from the very first sentence I could not put this book down. Finlay has not a single good thing going for her. She’s behind on all of her bills, she’s behind on writing the book that’s due to her agent, her husband left her for their real estate agent and just the general chaotic life of two young children. Long story short life is falling apart.
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After a woman overhears her explaining her plot with her agent she mistakenly assumes she’s a killer for hire and she hires her to kill her husband. After a series of misadventures Finlay’s life is set off on a course she never expected, all with her trusted friend by her side and a dose of humor.
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This was such a unique story of just your average mom in yoga pants who falls into the life of a hit woman. With dark humor and so many different pieces to form the perfect puzzle this book is smart and witty. This was a perfect ending and I truly hope there is a book two that I can devour soon.

My first book of 2021 was a 5 star read! I absolutely loved Finlay Donovan is Killing It. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the book from @Netgalley and I will be discussing with @lovearctually tomorrow night! This book was so fast paced that just couldn’t put it down.

Finlay Donovan is a down on her luck author, a newly single mom of two young kids, and in desperate need of a break. She meets her agent in a Panera to discuss her latest book and a woman overhears her discussing and thinks she’s a hired hitwoman! She gets stuck in the middle of with her nanny, Vero, and they get into so many high jinks. There’s also many flirtations with two men and lots of laughs. Everything that can go wrong does and Finlay is always stuck right in the middle. It was such a fun and exciting start to 2021!

Finlay and all her situations reminded me so much of Stephanie Plum. I love that they both just happen to end up places with guns and mobsters. The supporting cast of characters in both also help make the stories! Vero and Finlay make such an unlikely friendship and I think this is what made the book for me.

Thank you to @netgalley, @minotaurbooks, and @ellecosimano for the advanced reader copy. I’m also very excited the author is already working on book 2 because I need waaaay more of Finlay. This book is out on February 2 and you should absolutely be adding Finlay Donovan is Killing it to your TBR!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received this from NetGalley in exchange for an hones review. Thank you.
I started this with high hopes and unreasonable expectations. New year, new free book. But, I could not put this book/story down.
A fun romp comedy of errors. When Finley finders herself in a sad state, about to loose her home, children and her low paying book deal, she gets an offer she can't refuse. Just take out a women's evil husband for $50k. While Fin wants to do this for the money, the fact she does not want to kill anyone, causes a bit of a problem.
In the final credits the writer just might have a great series. I hope to read the next . I will follow this writer

I was immediately sucked into Finlay Donovan is Killing It. The book starts with this truism: “It’s a widely known fact that most moms are ready to kill someone by eight thirty a.m. on any given morning.” The first scene is the sort of morning that any mom will recognize immediately, fraught with an absent nanny, a home haircut, a lot of maple syrup, and almost missing an important meeting you really can’t miss.

Recently divorced single mom Finlay Donovan has already missed a deadline to get her book to her agent, and she’s in danger of having to pay back her paltry already-long-ago-spent advance. While discussing the finer points of her murder plot with her agent at a Panera, a woman at the next table overhears and misunderstands, mistaking Finlay for a contract killer and tries to hire her to get rid of her husband. And that’s just the start of the craziness of this witty, hopefully-a-series mystery available February 2nd.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Finlay’s exploits although some of them did push my that-could-never-really-happen button. There’s a great female friendship at the center of this book, and I think one of the bigger themes was female empowerment and the importance of supporting each other. A theme I love and want to read more of! What makes it even better is knowing that the spark of the idea for this book came from a group of women supporting each other. The author had the idea with her critique partners at a Panera when they worried about how their murder-filled conversation might sound to an eavesdropper.

The book has a bit of a love triangle, a lot of funny parenting debacles, and many, many female detective hijinks. Overall, this was just a really fun book to read, and, having loved @ellecosimano YA books, I was thrilled to get a chance to read this one early. While all the main story threads do get wrapped up, be forewarned that there’s a bit of a cliffhanger. I’m hoping we get a book two soon!

I’ve been reading this as part of a buddy read with @lovearctually. Thanks to @netgalley, @minotaur_books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an unexpected gem this was!! I loved it! A hot mess protagonist turns in to quite the badass. Cannot with that last line. There’s gotta be a book 2 and I need it now!! What a surprise hit for me (see what I did there ;) so glad this fun book was my first read of 2021. Well done and reminiscent of the tv show Good Girls which I also adore.

I was pleasantly surprised with this one! It started off pretty slow for me, and the first couple of chapters I had jumped to conclusion that Finlay Donovan was a divorcee who was trying to read a book that couldn't get her shit together and how in the world was she actually going to perform the task she had at hand (without spoilers). As I kept on, I actually really enjoyed this book! I loved the plot twists, I loved the fact that she still considered her ex- real estate's fate as her children's soon to be step mom, and I love Vero! I wish I had a Vero in my life.

I simply really enjoyed this book. This had all the great plots and twists, romance, friendship, relationship that you could ask for in a book. AND- I love the ending! I can't wait to read the next book (there has to be with that ending!).

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a chance to review this for an honest review! 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press/Minotaur Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. Finlay Donovan is Killing it comes out February 2nd!

“I’m not taking a penny less than fifteen thousand…. Let’s bury this one and move on to the next.”

Finlay Donovan is a single mother of two kids whose ex husband left her for the realtor. She is also a writer and broke. She has to write a stellar novel to help pay her bills. Nothing seems to be going her way. Her babysitter was fired, she needs her ex to help pay her bills and she’s close to losing custody of her children. She meets with her agent and is told she must produce a novel and fast. As she writes, her novel is leaning closely with reality as she becomes involved in a murder investigation.

What did I like:
1. This book is hilarious. I have never read a mystery book that has made me laugh so much. The characters personalities and their banter and were so funny at times my abs hurt from laughing. (ok I might be exaggerating a tad but it was super funny and I laughed a lot)
2. The characters. I loved them all. All the characters were pretty likable, even the bad guys. I especially loved Vero, who was the fired babysitter who was rehired (read and find out why) and became a good friend. I need a Vero in my life.
3. The overall story was fast paced and well written. I seriously loved everything about this book. Will probably be a top read in 2021.
4. I don’t know why but I kept getting Dead to Me vibes while reading this.

What did I not like:
1. My only complaint was how the detective involved Finlay in the investigation. I am not sure that’s totally believable but at the same time it added a lot of value of the story. It is a work of fiction and so I can live with that.

Overall, this is such a fun read! I highly recommend it!

I enjoy reading books about authors and the literary world they work in. I also love a good mystery. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It combines these two interests and wraps it up in one entertaining package. This book is Elle Cosimano’s debut into adult fiction and I sincerely hope that she will continue writing in this genre.

Finlay Donovan is a single mother of two in deep financial debt. She’s already taken and spent the advance on her next book, but can’t find the time or a story to write about - particularly now that her estranged husband has fired the nanny. She meets with her literary agent over lunch to discuss the book she’s supposed to be writing and is overheard by a woman who believes she is a contract killer. Out of a need to get out of financial debt, she inadvertently finds herself accepting the offer to kill this woman’s husband for $50,000.

What transpires is a humorous set of events that delves Finlay deeper and deeper into a world she doesn’t belong. With the assistance of Vero, her once fired and now live in nanny, Finlay finds herself being able to write a story similar to reality. But will she get herself out of this mess in time to complete her book?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is well developed, and the characters were both interesting and likeable. There were many humorous moments in the book which I appreciated. I loved the addition of Vero as Finlay’s partner in crime - she’s supportive, gutsy and a little crazy. While parts of the story were a little predictable, it didn’t decrease my level of enjoyment for the book. The set up is there for a sequel to this book and I will be watching with interest for one.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.