Findlay Donovan is a stressed-out, struggling author and single mother of two.  Her latest book is overdue, her ex-husband is threatening to go to court for sole custody of the children, and the bills are piling up.  Things go from bad to worse when she is mistaken for a contract killer and offered a job. 

Elle Cosimano’s first book for adult readers is a hit with me. The story is witty and well-written, with good dialogue, great characters, and a plot that moves along at a nice pace.  But, beyond a good story, it is also about a woman who is trying to be a good mother, take care of her children, and deal with a divorce that upended her life. Along the way Findlay and her babysitter/friend, Vero, confront one situation after another, but always seem to land on their feet (mostly).  

As the book progressed, I enjoyed watching Finlay develop more confidence, even though she made some questionable choices in the process, while the character of Vero is a perfect contrast.  All in all Finlay Donovan is Killing It is very good read and I’m hopeful that there will be more Finlay Donovan books to look forward to.  

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Finlay Donovan is Killing it is a chick-lit style murder mystery starring a divorced mother of two and author. 

While in a suburban Panera begging her publishing agent for more time on her next deadline Finlay is mistakenly assumed to be a contract killer by a woman seated nearby. The woman asks her to kill her husband in exchange for cash and since Finlay is both broke and curious she decides to take a closer look at him. What follows is a lot of bad luck, hasty cover ups and snooping around by Finlay and her partner-in-crime Vero. 

This was a fun fast paced mystery that bordered on cozy. I think a lot of women can relate to Finlay’s struggles as both a mom and working woman trying to do it all while her ex and his fiancée get the much better end of the deal. While a lot of the legal and police work bordered on both unrealistic and improbable (especially everything involving hot detective Nick) it was still a fun ride. I really enjoyed the character of Vero and the balance and organization she brought to both Finlay’s personal life and the investigation. 

I think readers looking for a less intense murder mystery with a relatable heroine and some laughs will enjoy Finlay Donovan is Killing It. It has enough twisty action to keep the reader’s attention balanced with a little romance plus the story of a woman trying to hold it together after divorce. I especially recommend this one to fans of the Stephanie Plum series. 

4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My copy of Finlay Donovan Is Killing it was provided by NetGalley and the publisher for review purposes

This was a fun one! I’d put this in the amateur sleuth + hijinks + teensy romance? department contemporary mystery. 

Finlay is having a bad year - a crap divorce, a crap ex-husband, her book advance is running out and she still hasn’t written the book yet. She’s overheard talking to her editor in a Panera about the plot of the thriller she’s writing and gets mistaken for an assassin - and shenanigans ensue! 

I really loved her partnering up with the smart and no-nonsense Vero, and though I gave side-eye at first to the TWO love interests that appear, it turned out alright in the end.

This wraps up nicely but with an epilogue that was very dun-dun-dun!!!! For the next in the series. I’ll definitely pick up the sequel when it comes out.

This book, which opens amidst the morning chaos of a young mother with two children, one of whom has just cut part of her hair off right before school, breezily catches the feel of young motherhood.  It’s exasperating, exhausting, and nerve wracking. Finley drops the kids off at school as she heads off to meet her book agent and deliver the bad news that the book she’s supposed to turn in is nowhere near finished.

On top of all this, Finley’s husband has left her for the cute realtor, his sod business is going full blast, and she has a mountain of bills to pay with no means to do so.  Also, to spite her, her ex has let the baby sitter go.  Things go poorly with her agent where they’ve met for coffee, but a woman nearby, over hearing – and misinterpreting – their conversation (Finley writes thrillers) leaves a mystery note on Finley’s table.  The sum of $50,000 is mentioned and there’s a phone number.

Finley is curious and she gives the woman a call: it turns out she wants Finley to kill her husband in return for $50,000.   This is a plot heavy book and the set up is clever and meticulous.  Finley actually considers killing the man, and begins to research him online, wondering just how bad a husband he could be.  The wife appears to do nothing but work and volunteer at a pet shelter.

So, that night, she dumps her kids with her sister (a cop, of all things) and goes to the bar where the man hangs out to scope him out, wearing the wig she uses as a disguise when she’s in her author persona.  She tells her sister she’s doing “research”. Through a twisted series of events, she actually ends up with the man passed out in the back of her mom van.  Not sure what to do next, she takes him home.

The turn of events from here on in takes a leap of faith on the part of the reader.  The man does end up dead – and it seems like Finley is responsible, but her next decision, to get the babysitter (who turns up to collect her things while Finley is in the garage) to help her bury him on her husband’s sod farm seems like a terrible idea.
Cosimano is an extremely accomplished and smooth storyteller and she puts the story across, forcing – yes, forcing – you to keep reading to find out what happens next.  Her roots are in young adult fiction and it shows in the narrative style (i.e., very, very readable).  Finley is also an incredibly appealing character with relatable problems that most people have experienced.  The problem of being assumed to be a hit woman is just the extra bit that makes this a novel. 

When another woman offers Finley and the babysitter (they are now a team) $75,000 to kill her husband, Finley feels things have gone too far, but the babysitter takes the money.  Desperate, Finley takes the time while her kids are away for the weekend to turn the whole thing into her new book which she then sends to her agent, who loves it.

The rest of the story is a caperish, dark comedy with lots of threads and clues (read carefully) and my initial worry that I was reading about, and bonding with, a murderer, was assuaged.  It all seems like it could have happened, which, considering the fantastic story being told, is a real achievement on the part of the author.  It was just the read a I needed on a grey January day.  If you want a laugh as well as a change of pace, give this one a try.

Finlay Donovan is a newly divorced mom, trying to write her next crime novel and care for her two young children while struggling to pay the bills.  After overhearing a conversation about crime between Finlay and her literary agent, a woman mistakenly assumes that Finlay works as a hired killer and contracts Finlay for a murder job.  The only problem-- Finlay is not a murderer!  Or is she??

This story is a bit far-fetched.  Finlay makes so many terrible choices; it's hard to believe that anyone would ever find themselves in the situtations that these characters end up in.  And yet, it was a lot of fun to read about Finlay's misadventures and find out how she went from being a frazzled mom to a murderer.  I thought the concept was creative and unique and definitely unforgettable.

This was an entertaining story, a dark comedy with lots of twists and turns and craziness.  If you are looking for a serious crime story, this may not be the book for you.  But if you are looking for an entertaining and darkly humorous mystery, this one is great fun!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.  This book will be available on February 2!

Finlay Donovan is Killing It was a delight to read. The book had me laughing out loud at the situations Finlay found herself navigating and I hope there are more books to come featuring this fun character and her crew.

Finlay Donovan is on the struggle bus to put it mildly, and the more she tries to put things right in her life, the more things go awry. 

As single mom and writer who is barely holding it together, Finlay's day to day world consists of managing her empty bank account, her unruly children and a horrible ex and his new girlfriend. That is until a misunderstanding leads her to an offer she can't refuse that has big payoffs but even bigger risks.  Enter her nanny turned sidekick, Vero and hilarity ensues.

This story is the perfect blend of romantic comedy and mystery/thriller and I could not wait to see what happened next. 

This was the first book I've read by Elle Cosimano and it will not be the last.  Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the author for the advance copy. Highly recommend this one!

A great read with a very eclectic cast of characters. Finlay is a mother and struggling author. She finds herself being accidentally being solicited for murder and unable to refuse. This leads to a hilarious chain of events. Her nanny/partner/accountant Vero is a trip. Her 5 year old daughter says the darnedest things. The authors writes the story in such a way that you cannot help but feel like you are living each detail with Finlay. It is a wonderful journey that will put a smile on your face.

A light, funny book about a writer deep within the clutches of writer's block, that somehow turns into a killer for hire. A set of comical circumstances set into motion the answers to all Finlay's monetary concerns, if only she was willing to kill someone's awful husband.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It also ends up being a book about women coming together to help women and seeing the potential in yourself and each other.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for a honest review.

This book is a campy, fun, unbelievable romp! Finlay is the author of several low budget books but can't seem to get her own life in order and is at risk of losing everything: her advance, her agent, her kids, her home, etc. Her life is a chaotic mess until her conversation with her agent is overheard by someone who makes an odd assumption and wants to hire Finlay to kill her husband. Things get worse (or better) from there. I love the silly impossibility of all the wacky things that take place! A lot of the story seemed pretty easy to figure out ahead of time but, like I've said, sometimes that is just fine. I seriously suggest you read this book that doesn't take itself too seriously!

If you’re looking for a seriously fun thriller that’s totally different you have got to check this one out! Y’all, this one was just a blast to read, normally funny isn’t a word I would use to describe a thriller but it’s fitting here. Think cozy mystery but with an edge, and more wit and that’s what this one was for me. 

Finlay was the type of heroine who I immediately liked and also related to, she’s a hot mess mom, and well so am I 🤷🏻‍♀️ The situations she managed to get herself in we’re outrageous, wild and totally entertaining and I read this one so fast just anxious to see what she would do next. @scaredstraightreads said fans of the show Dead to Me would like this and I wholeheartedly agree, it’s a great comparison and it’s what made me so excited to read it. Super excited they’ll be another book as well, can’t wait to see what happens to Finn next ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

{Thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review}

Do you know that feeling when a book comes into your life at the exact right moment in time? Finlay Donovan Is Killing It was that book for me last week. After months of waiting and hoping everything would go smoothly for Inauguration Day 2021, I felt like I could finally breathe a big sigh of relief. I was ready for a fun and engrossing read that would make me want to curl up on the couch and read away the weekend...and not feel like I had to refresh the news on my phone every few minutes.

Elle Cosimano has written YA novels for years, but Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is her first novel geared towards adults. It's part contemporary fiction/romance and part mystery/suspense and was just an incredibly fun reading ride. It's a little out there, and that is exactly what I loved about it.

We meet the main character Finlay, a 30-something author and mom of two who feels like her life is in shambles and is not sure how to dig her way out. She's a bit naive and a bit of a mess which made her all the more likable and kept me rooting for her along the way. I loved how things came together while simultaneously falling apart. Life is like that...as something gets figured out, other things come undone.

This isn't an intense thriller and it's not a super serious character driven novel, but if you are looking for a captivating read that makes you laugh and keeps you guessing, this is for you! I loved the aspects of female friendships so much and was a highlight of this book for me. I enjoyed how each relationship and character added something unique to the storyline and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end.

If you are looking for a fun weekend read I highly suggest Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and I can't to see what author Elle Cosimano comes out with next!

I thought I would love this one more than I did! It was fun, but just over the top. Finlay Donovan is a stressed out, single mom who is trying to write a new suspense novel. When she meets her agent out for lunch, she is mistaken for a contract killer when she's overheard speaking about the premise of her book. She's trying to make ends meet, and inadvertently accepts the offer for money and gets caught up in a real life murder investigation!

This wasn't the most suspenseful, and there was a lot going on. I do think the author is a good writer and overall it was entertaining enough. It's an easy read and has a few twists along the way! I will give the next book in the series a try because I want to see how it continues. 

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the copy!

This book has such an interesting, captivating concept! Findlay is a writer struggling with her next book.  When she meets her editor at Panera, someone mistakes her for a contract killer.  Not only is she struggling to pay the bills, her ex-husband is being a real prick about money.  Would you kill someone for an insane amount of money? That’s what Findlay is asking herself.  The relationship with Finlay and her nanny, Vero was such a great one to see developed throughout the story.  They seem to really understand each other and are the friends the other really needs,  though the story was a bit far fetched, it had this mystery mixed with comedy vibe that I really enjoyed.  Each character added something new to the story and I particularly loved Julian.  Though more of a minor character, he was real which was refreshing.  I will say however, that the first half of the story drew me in a bit more than the second half.  The second half fell a little flat for me but it was still an enjoyable read! I am definitely interesting in reading the next part of Finlay’s story!

This may be a mystery story, but I have not laughed so much in a long time! Right from the start I was laughing out loud at least once per page. There was so much I could relate to about what it is like being a mom with young children (even though it's been a while) and then there's the crazy premise of a writer taking about her book getting mistaken for a hitwoman. Somehow Elle Cosimano makes all of the crazy twists and turns work, and I love the two strong female main characters. This was just just such a fun book--the perfect escape on a stormy winter day.

This book is like if a rom com book and a mystery book had a baby. It is funny and delightful while also being thrilling and a page turner. Finlay is a writer and her life is a mess. Her ex-husband just fired the nanny with no warning, she is behind on writing the book she promised her agent, and her four year old just decided to give herself a haircut. When a conversation heard out of context leads her to be mistaken for a contract killer, a chain of events begins to unfold and she sets off trying to keep all the dominoes from falling in her life.

These characters are fleshed out and compelling. The way they interact makes you love them all the more. The story jumps off the page and I can imagine it so clearly on screen (please tell me this is going to be adapted for a mini series!). I was left constantly guessing and that ending set us up to have hopes of a sequel. Fingers crossed we get one!

TW: Death, Domestic Abuse, Murder, Infidelity, Rape

I had such a good time reading this book.

It's hard to imagine how a story featuring a harassed single mother, heaped with emotional and financial woes, can be made funny, but Elle Cosimano manages it. This is a comedy of errors that blends a good dose of suspense and a dash of romance, neither of which overwhelm the solid matrix of female friendship and support.

Cosimano skillfully uses the comedic elements of misunderstanding and miscommunication, along with some too-close brushes with the criminal element. But not all is slapstick. What lingers is the "you go, girl" feeling of feminine empowerment.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an advance readers copy.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It- killed it ! This book was so well written that I didn’t want to put it down. Finlay is kind of a train wreck, who’s an unknown mystery author, who’s husband cheated on her and divorced her and her life is falling apart.⁣
⁣
Until one piece of paper is left on her table at Panera and her world is flipped upside down. This story was so entertaining and filled with dark humor. Finlay makes poor decision after poor decision, she reminds me of a perfectly real hot mess just trying to get through life and I loved it. ⁣Vero her nanny/accountant is pretty much her awesome sidekick who tries to keep Finlay’s life together and I adored her.
⁣
She accidentally gets involved with the Russian Mob. She acts almost as a vigilante, and then she turns her life into an awesome mystery novel that finally gets her name out there - at the worst possible time. ⁣
⁣
This was the perfect escape- a mystery thriller, a little romance, some laugh out loud moments, and a strong female lead that seems more real than fictional.⁣
⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 ⁣
⁣
Thank you @minotaurbooks for an ARC for my honest review. Out 2/2! #books #bookcommunity #finlaydonovaniskillingit #minotaurbooks #mystery

I absolutely got sucked right into this novel and completely devouring it,  I absolutely loved it. I'll definitely be checking out some of her back listed books.
This is one fast paced novel that deals with the struggles of co-parenting, single motherhood while trying to juggle a job to pay the increasing stack of bills. When you need to decide weather your morals or money to survive matter most.  Suspenseful yet humorous mystery, this is definitely a book you need to add to your tbr.
Finlay is a struggling single mother and author.  Her husband recently left to be with his mistress and they are determined to get full custody of the children. Finaly has a book deadline coming up,  but hasn't had the motivation to write since her husband left.  Finaly  finds a note offering her a large amount of money, but it includes murder, on the fence of what to do Finaly decides to at least investigate why the wife wants her husband killed.  Things start to get messy but Finaly comes up with an idea for her novel

Finlay Donovan has been having a rough time just getting through the day lately. She's late on turning in her most recent book (like, really late), the bills are piling up, and she has 2 small children depending on her. After meeting with her agent at Panera to discuss the overdue book, her problems are either about to get remarkably better, or horribly worse. A woman sitting close to her in the restaurant has seen through Finlay's disguise (she's banned from that Panera), and after overhearing her discuss the book, thinks Finlay is a hitman. Er...hitwoman. Um, hitperson. Ugh, assassin. She mistakenly assumes that Finlay is a murderer for hire, and she offers A LOT of money to have her husband whacked. But that's ridiculous, right? Finlay wouldn't do something like that, would she? 

I don't want to give much else away, but what follows from there is a comedy of errors. Poor Finlay really does have rotten luck, but she also has a warm heart, and a smart mouth. In addition, Finlay has an important ally; Vero, her children's (former?) nanny. I think Elle Cosimano really has a winner here. The book feels fresh and original, and has lots of laughs. If you're growing weary of reading "The Girl who Drowned the Other Wife and the Farmer's Daughter, Anna Smith" cliched and cookie-cutter novels, Finlay Donovan is Killing It will be a breath of fresh air. 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this gifted copy.

Cosimano is a successful American author of several YA novels, but this is her first adult release. The book is a humorous mystery and features Finlay, a divorced mother of two young children who is in debt and barely hanging on.  She is a book writer and is way behind on getting the draft of her next mystery book to her agent.  As they discuss plot possibilities in a local restaurant, Finlay notices a nearby woman staring at her.  After her agent leaves, the woman slips her a note offering her $50,000 to kill her husband, having mistaken her for a hitman.  Thus begins this madcap adventure.  In addition to the humour and mystery there is also an element of romance.  It would be a great recommendation for fans of Janet Evanovich, or mystery fans looking for something a little lighter.