This was probably a 3.7 star, if I'm being technical, but I'm rounding up because I want this debut to succeed. I get what it was trying to do, and I'm 100% on board for it. I just felt there was something lacking in the execution.
Reading Love in the Time of Serial Killers was a bit of a disparate, off-putting ride for a large portion of the book. I feel this debut had a hard time finding its footing. I was convinced I'd rate it three stars until the last 15% or so, which made up for some of my issues with the majority of the book and saved it a star.

Love in the Time of Serial Killers follows Phoebe Walsh, a thirty-year-old PhD student trying to finish a dissertation about true crime. When her estranged father passes away, Phoebe returns to Florida for the first time in a decade to clean out her childhood home (and the fraught memories therein) with the help of her optimistic, total-opposite-to-her younger brother, Conner. Despite her efforts to keep to herself and feel as little as possible during the packing-up-the-house process, hoping to focus only on her duties to her family and her academic career instead of having any fun or getting "closure", Phoebe finds herself drawn to her neighbor, Sam, who she initially suspects is a serial killer due to her true-crime-obsession-induced paranoia. But throughout the summer, Phoebe learns about herself, her family, and the terrifying realities of love. Ultimately, she comes away with way more than a completed dissertation (including, but not limited to, a Disgusting Trash Cat named Lenore).

I'll start with the highlights of this book. The writer jumps directly into Phoebe's life and voice in a way that was seamless and required no getting used to, despite the mundanity of the actual events (can it start in the middle of the action if that action is just Phoebe arriving at her dad's old house and trying to figure out how to unload her heavy Victorian desk from the roof of her car?). Her voice is distinct and interesting even in terribly dull moments of her life, and her humor often surprised me. Additionally, while researching for her thesis, Phoebe discovers a serial killer who was active in her Florida hometown not long before she was born and dives into the memoir written by the serial killer's daughter, which was a compelling element to the book. The author employed real skill in weaving in details of true crime cases, including the aforementioned "Sunrise Slayer", and was able to subtly draw parallels between Phoebe's own relationship to her dad and the daughter of the Sunrise Slayer's own daddy issues. I almost wish there was a bit *more* clear parallel, at least before the end portion of the book, but I found the resolution of this mostly satisfying.

I also absolutely LOVED Sam. He was endearing and sexy without being over-the-top—a romance hero without the rose-colored glasses. I loved the details about Sam's life and career, and all of the banter between Phoebe and Sam was funny, fresh, and realistic—clever, but not overtly, ridiculously so. I enjoyed the romance more than I expected to by the end, considering some of my other issues with this book, and more specifically, Phoebe's character.

As a true crime fan, a romance fan, and a emotionally-reserved Capricorn with an English degree not unlike Phoebe herself, I should have been the perfect audience for this book. However, through the first 75% of it, in between some stellar moments of romance and humor, I found myself getting frustrated with Phoebe as a narrator. Phoebe is probably a textbook "unlikeable female heroine," which I'm usually 100% in support of, and which can be written in such a way that the reader sympathizes and roots for her anyway. However, I was often disconcerted by Phoebe's seeming apathy toward life and the wonderful people who just wanted to support her through it. She often comes off surly, socially inept, openly depressed with no self awareness about it (which I say as a reader with severe depression), and apathetic to the point of being tedious to read. I hated that I spent large sections of the book thinking, "I get why she likes Sam, Conner, Shani, and Alison—but *why* are all of these lovely people so unabashedly in love with *her*?"

Phoebe is thirty years old and has never had a decent relationship—romantic, platonic, or familial. Her childhood angst over her parents' divorce and her distant, sometimes-volatile father has given her deep issues around attachment and showing affection, even to her delightful brother, Conner, who was maybe my favorite character in this book (okay, third favorite—first was Sam, then Lenore the DTC). While I understand the motivation of this, and in some ways it was completely justified, I think her emotional distance was severe to the point of being annoying to read. It was illogical how she pushed herself away from people who showed absolutely no signs of ever wanting to reject her—especially her brother, who seems to have always thought the world of her. She grows closer to Conner through the book, helping him to propose to his long-time girlfriend who Phoebe also claims to love despite never making an effort to show it, but Conner's unconditional love and support for Phoebe struck me as unearned and sad because it went so unreciprocated. I will say that Phoebe "shows" her love by helping Conner with his proposal plans, though I think her help is minimal and not quite enough to balance out what I understood to be years of basically ignoring him, but her inability to express love to her brother until the very end of the book made me a bit uncomfortable/sad for him. Conner is openly affectionate and constantly spouts his high opinion of Phoebe, and as a younger sibling, it was painful to read such a seemingly-uncaring sister as Phoebe.

Additionally, Phoebe reconnects with her estranged childhood best friend, Alison, throughout the book. With Alison, Phoebe multiple times mentally decides what she needs to do or say to have a smooth and pleasant social interaction despite a complicated history (from 15ish years prior, which didn't help me to understand her severe discomfort), but she always goes with the weird/off-putting choice instead out of fear and standoffishness. (There was a moment when she had a specific thought in her inner monologue about "I should have said [insert nice/normal thing], but instead I just gave a weird nod.") It made me wonder why Alison, whose life is full and happy and who seems well-adjusted and kind, would be so hellbent on reconnecting with someone who seems so disinterested. That's a theme of all of Phoebe's relationships, especially with Sam, her love interest—they're one-sided on the part of the other person, who is always too good for Phoebe and puts in way more effort to connect than she does. That frustrated me. Why would the author give us all of these lovable, good side characters, only to constantly mistreat them through the lens of the apathetic, often-selfish narrator?

In conclusion, aside from a few issues with the frequency and specificity of the pop culture references in this book, I think my main beef with Love in the Time of Serial Killers was how it missed the mark in some of its emotional beats. Phoebe was often a joyless narrator, and I wish she'd realized she needed therapy for what, to me, read as clear depression instead of simply realizing she had people who she loved and she could accept love from them. Especially because Conner was open about going to therapy, I think this one small decision would have improved Phoebe in my eyes immensely. I wish I hadn't been so preoccupied with Phoebe's flaws while I was reading this; it would have been more enjoyable, and I think even something small (maybe a brief moment to endear us to Phoebe toward the beginning of the book, instead of jumping in with her being weird, paranoid and rude from the start) would have made a big difference. I'm still glad I read it, and I hope the author goes on to write more weird, off-the-beaten path books. I will definitely give her writing another shot in the future.

Ahhh! I absolutely adored this book and I can't tell you how glad I am that I requested it. Usually, contemporary romances are a true hit or miss with me (most of the humor comes across more cringey than cute), but I can say undoubtedly that this is one of the best I've ever read (and it actually made me laugh out loud!)

Phoebe Walsh is obsessed with true crime (it's even the focus of her dissertation), has an ungodly amount of 90's movies graphic t-shirts, and a chip on her shoulder. After the death of her father, who she hadn't seen in years after a messy divorce ended up with her staying with her mom, she is back in her hometown in Florida, ready to sell his house and get out as soon as possible. Her brother Conner is there to help, but they never got to spend much time together, seeing as his parent of choice was their dad. But Conner has an infectious sort of personality, a big kid with a love for Crash Bandicoot and Mountain Dew. And now, he needs help with one of the most important moments of his life--proposing to his longtime girlfriend, Shani. Phoebe isn't sure true love exists, but she's not going to let him down.

To keep her busy (and to procrastinate about finishing her dissertation), Phoebe is keeping an eye on her new neighbor, Sam, who has a soundproof garage and nocturnal activities--could he be a serial killer? Or is he something even more dangerous, a man who might have captured Phoebe's heart?

Phoebe was so relatable to me. As a woman who came from a home similar to hers, I struggle with the exact same issues as she does: opening myself up, being vulnerable, and admitting that sometimes I do need an extra bit of help. I loved seeing someone like us find love with such a wonderful guy, who was funny and cute and wonderful for her, and it really warmed my heart. I also really liked the secondary characters, like Conner and Shani, and Phoebe's childhood bestfriend, Alison.

This book is perfect for the broken girls who still want a bit of romance, those who love true crime, and might I mention there is a cat? Perfect!

I really enjoyed this funny contemporary romance with a lot of true crime references. Phoebe Walsh heads down to Florida for the summer to clean up her fathers house to get ready to sell after he passed away (an issue Phoebe is still dealing with). Her fathers house is across from the delectable Sam.

Phoebe is doing her dissertation on true crime, and I really loved this. Lots of true crime woven in, without any actual crime. After determining that Sam is not a serial killer they quickly connect and while it was fast you could see their connection despite their differences. Phoebe is relationship scared and this impacts a lot of the book, but you know she has what it takes to overcome her fears.

I also enjoyed her brother and his girlfriend. Supportive family (while also calling out Phoebe's BS). Her brother could be a little over the top at times, but that just added to the fun.

Highly recommend!

Romance and humor create a light, engaging tone throughout, but the book also includes some thoughtful aspects related to emotional trauma and its lingering effects. The main character is smart and funny, and her obsession with true crime is certainly unique! A great summer reading choice.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing an e-arc for an honest review.

First can we talk about how amazing the cover of this book is? I absolutely love it! Now let's talk about how amazing this book is! Phoebe is a PhD candidate who is studying the effects of true crime and why so many people are fascinated with it. She herself is a crime junkie and has a morbid cynical view of the world. Then we meet Sam from next door. The handsome, nerdy, elementary school teacher from the perfect family. Obviously he is a serial killer or at least committing some sort of heinous crime. No one is that perfect!

Phoebe has to learn to not only trust that Sam is actually a great guy(which in all honesty may be scarier than a serial killer) and that opening up to your family and friends isn't such a terrible thing. That you actually don't have to go it alone. This is a sweet humorous story of vulnerability, family, and Dirty Trash Cats. So grab your Pacific Cooler Capri Sun and untoasted Pop-tarts and enjoy Love in the Time of Serial Killers.

After 15 years away, Ph.D. candidate Phoebe returns to Florida to prepare her childhood home for the real estate market. As a true crime scholar, Phoebe does not trust easily, and her middle of the night introduction to next-door-neighbor Sam makes her question his intentions.

Could he be a serial killer???

Spoiler alert: Sam is the prospective love interest. A friendship or relationship takes time, though.

Phoebe and her now deceased father were estranged, and naturally that relationship—or lack thereof—has colored her openness to and interactions with others. She has open wounds and scars from childhood—some deeper than others—and Thompson treats Phoebe’s aversion to vulnerability and her inability to trust, her anxiety and depression, and her tumultuous past with care. That unstable family history, combined with academic pressure and grief in its various forms, impacts Phoebe’s mental health.

On top of all of that, Phoebe has this perception of herself that is deeply ingrained, and frankly, not all that accurate.

These deeper themes are balanced with fun pop culture references and moments of pure joy. You see a rekindling and mending of friendships and familial relationships, humorous moments, and some hot-and-cold adoration and indifference from Lenore the cat.

And Sam—oh my heart—Sam is a sweetheart. He has been added to my list of favorite book boyfriends.

The love scenes between Phoebe and Sam are steamy and emotional and feel so very personal. Their relationship is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

This was a five star read for me. I definitely recommend joining Phoebe's journey, watching her heal and grow, and feeling her fall in love.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Short synopsis: Phoebe goes to Florida to clean her recently deceased fathers house, and meets Sam the mysterious boy next door.

My thoughts: This was a slow burn romance with some fun pop culture themes, quick wit, and serial killer references. I also liked the gentle reminders to women especially to be cautious of their surroundings and the people they interact with.

The romance was cute, Sam was pretty honest with his intentions from the beginning, and went out of his way to make her feel comfortable.

Phoebe had a fascination with true crime and found a way to use that interest to get a doctorate degree and teach others. I thought the sibling relationship was great even though it had been strained for many years. And the cat sub plot was a fun add in to the story.

I did a mix of listening and reading this one, and the audio was so well done and added to the experience. Thank you @prhaudio, @berkleypub and @netgalley for a copy of this book!

Read if you love:
* True Crime and Pop Culture
* Sassy Cats
* Procrastinating Academic dissertations
* Sizing people up as Possible Serial killers

Five stabby stabs for this book!

As someone who loves true crime, I appreciated all of the cultural references in this novel. Phoebe felt like a genuinely real person: a little neurotic and a lot guarded. She was also a super fun narrator and her sense of humor reminded me a lot of my friends. She is absolutely someone I would hang out with, and connecting with her as a character added an extra layer of enjoyment.

This book made me laugh out loud and it also made me cry, which to me is the correct balance for what I deem a perfect / near perfect book. It was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and I am so glad that it delivered on multiple levels.

There was so much about this book that rang true to someone in her thirties, especially the concepts of friendship, of love, of loss, of connecting with people, and of forgiveness.

I will say that it's categorized as a thriller / mystery and I think that's a little misleading. It's more chick lit romance with references to serial killers and true crime. It did shift my expectations a bit when I realized that what I was waiting for was a red herring. Then I had to change my reading perspective a smidge. However, I enjoyed it either way, just differently before and after.

Also, the spice was nice.

This will be the perfect read for those of us who relax at the end of the day in some ratty sweats, a high messy bun, and a true crime documentary.

It took a little while for me to warm up to this story, but once I did I found it truly adorable. As odd as “adorable” is to describe a love story where the main character is obsessed with murderers and true crime.

Returning to Florida to handle the estate of her estranged father, Phoebe is forced to confront her past while working on her future. As she wades through fixing up her childhood home for sale, she needs to continue to work on her PhD thesis on serial killers while at the same time navigating the reconnection of a relationship with her brother, and the budding attraction with her neighbor, Sam…. who seemed very suspicious at first. Because who had large vats in their soundproof garage, and wore coveralls while secretly working in there until all hours of the night?

At first, I didn’t truly like Phoebe. She seemed very harsh and unforgiving, relishing in her status of not needing anyone or anything. She was socially awkward, abrasive and frankly, odd. But as the reader got to know her, it was clear that she was more scared of the connection with other people than anything else. Rather than having to confront the newness of it, and possibly be disappointed, she found it easier to push people away than to let them in. But as she slowly opened up to her childhood friend, her brother and his girlfriend, and the slightly less suspicious neighbor that always seemed to be around, she found that the craving for the connection outweighed the fear.

Phoebe and Sam were not the typical romance couple. They were not ravishing, flashy or high powered. They were not popular or muscular or over the top. They were normal people, living normal lives and finding what happiness they could in that, and there was something very charming and sweet in their relationship that I came to love. Characters I found to be annoying started to grow on me just as they grew on each other, and in the end, I felt that I had journeyed with them in the life they carved out for themselves.

It's about time! A romance for those of us who can't decide between watching the Oxygen network or the Hallmark Movie Channel!

To say Phoebe is obsessed with true crime almost seems like an understatement. Working towards her Master's, Phoebe's deep-dive into the connection between true crime authors and their subjects has her questioning every person she meets, measuring them against a scale of innocence to possible serial killer. Enter Sam, her late dad's neighbor and elementary school music teacher on summer break, who makes the mistake of offering to help her move an old Victorian desk at 3 in the morning on a dark street. The threat of a heavy dose of mace leads to romance in this witty, sweet, yet existential rom-com that's truly one-of-a-kind.

Thoughts: The 80s-90's childhood "easter eggs", the witty banter and sarcasm, the adorableness of MMC Sam, and Phoebe's true crime dissertation thesis -- chef's kiss! I adored this entire story! I love the cool librarian friend, the depth of Phoebe's character, that the story recognizes childhood trauma, all of the existentialism that doesn't muck up the plot, and the chemistry between Phoebe and Sam. This was such a fun read that was part true crime fandom (I'd LOVE to read Phoebe's dissertation) and part sweet rom-com (Sam is total BF goals). One of my favorite rom-com reads of 2022 so far and I'd highly recommend it to any combo romance/crime readers out there!

**Thank you Netgalley and publishers for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

DNF at 37%
As much as I adore the concept, title, and cover, I could not get into this book. I listened to four hours of it and was not invested in the characters or plot. The MC, Phoebe, came across as rude and self-involved with little to no character arc. In comparing it to another book featuring an MC enthralled with true crime, this didn't hit home in the same manner. Frankly, I was bored and I have been strict with myself about only reading books I am invested in lately.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy and PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Ugh. I wanted to like this one so much.

I want to start off with saying that I have come to the conclusion that this just wasn't a book for me. So many things in this book are on my dislike list, I just couldn't jive with this one.

The main character is extremely immature for her age. Her brother... cue eye rolls. The plot. I just wasn't feeling this one. Every man isn't a criminal or looking to do something evil or sinister, just saying.

I am sure many readers will love this one. The things I tend to dislike are things other tend to love.

There wasn't anything inherently bad about this book in my eyes, unfortunately I just don't think I connected with the story and the characters as much as other people did, and found myself just skimming by the end to finish it. Thank you Netgalley & Berkley for the ARC :)

This was a fun yet emotional read. I love that it is set in Florida because Florida is weird. It added to the vibe of the novel which is a heroine who has always been on her own path and not gone with the norm. Sometimes she tried TOO hard not to be a pick me girl and it landed her in a mess that she could have avoided but she's a fun, serial killer/ true crime loving kind of girl. I loved the fact that she has used this love to fuel her dissertation and the small glimpses into higher ed were also an aspect of the novel I greatly enjoyed. Phoebe is balanced by her general grouchiness by fun-loving, cheerful people like her brother and new interest Sam. Don't let the title fool you, there's no actual crimes being solved. It's just a Dateline loving kind of take on what happens when you watch too much of it (a warning for myself). Sam has moved back home to deal with her father's sudden death and when she arrives, a strange man offers to help her move a desk and seems to always be everywhere. I mean he is her neighbor but he has odd comings and goings. When she puts her real life dissertation work to the test, she finds out that she needs a new hobby and needs to grab onto life more. This was a fun romance that I highly recommend to any true crime lover.

I could not put this book down! It was utterly delightful. As someone who is generally paranoid of serial killers skulking around the bend, having a protagonist who also lived her life like that but then found love and opened up a little bit, was quite affirming.

The story is witty, and full of banter and some family drama. The characters are smart, and well-rounded, and I could easily picture them in a town like theirs. The author's note at the beginning was also a very nice touch. I was glad to learn there weren't actually serial killers in the book, just mentions of them, and to expect some sensitive topics to come up.

I went home for a family reunion this weekend and legitimately told 5 people to read this book when it comes out.

First things first… Thank you NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for this ARC.

So, here’s the thing about Love in the Time of Serial Killers, I liked it but I didn’t love it. Now, keep in mind that I’m not a big romance reader, this is probably my second/third romance book in about 2 years lol(?, so I don’t think I have much experience with the genre to hate on it so I’ll just be honest and constructive.

Phoebe is funny. I loved her for the first half of the book. She’s a true crime gal, the one who’ll put on murder podcasts in the background to do chores or chill, and because I do the same a loooot, I connected with her.

The first interactions with Sam were nice but I didn’t get that crazy chemistry that they were supposed to have, their falling for each other felt way too rushed and a lot of their problems were caused because of Phoebe’s issues (and low key Sam’s intensity, he didn’t come out as romantic but clingy for like 70% of their situationship.)

It does get some brownie points because the main characters are not described as super models who are quirky and don’t know are beautiful.

Also, I’m sure this was a wink wink to the parent trap (aka terrible parenting, Phoebe and her brother basically grew up far from each other but they knew they existed so that’s the twist(?)

Anyway! The new rating (sorry, y’all should get used to me changing my mind after digesting the books lol) is 3.5 ⭐️

This book had me laughing so hard at times, even when dealing with tough situations. I loved the writing style, and appreciated the short chapters. Once I picked this one up it was extremely hard to put down.

I absolutely fell in love with Phoebe immediately! She was quirky and sarcastic and so hilarious I couldn’t get enough of her. Her obsession with true crime is such a relatable quality in this day in age.

Overall I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, romance that centers around a love of serial killers. It had such a unique take on character development that I respected. I cannot wait to read more by this author, she is very talented at storytelling.

It’s a yes from me! I was definitely apprehensive at the beginning because I just didn’t know where this book was gonna go. I'm happy to say I really enjoyed it! It's a mix between contemporary fiction and a romance novel, but it’s ultimately just a really good book no matter how you categorize it. The writing style was really compelling and clever, and had a lot of sarcasm, wit, and emotion. I really enjoyed watching Phoebe grow as a character. By the end, her personal relationships were very wholesome and cute; her and her brother especially! I do wish that the serial killer aspect had been included a bit more, as this was something that made the book stand out to me more than other romances when initially reading the synopsis.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I would say its a 3.5 rounded to a 4 star read with the multiple batman references made throughout the book (I'm predictable I know).
Anywho, this was a cute romcom read! It was relatively light, even with the true crime references. I really enjoyed seeing the two sides of her and her brother's relationship with love given their divorced parents; one kid who was jaded and didn't believe themselves capable of love while the other is planning to propose.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was fine- it dealt more with the main characters family trauma and her coming to terms with that than it did anything else. I was bored by the 70% mark and wondered when it would be over. While I enjoyed her dissertation topic that was throughout, there was parts that didn’t make sense in the scheme of the story (I.e. the Sunshine Killer part) and the romance felt more forced by proximity than anything else. I mean, I really would have preferred this from the love interest’s POV or hell, even the brother. I just couldn’t stand Phoebe or anything she said- she was very ‘unhappy teenager’ despite being 30 fucking years old. ALSO, the way no one knew what a dissertation was in this book?? As if the romantic opposition didn’t have a whole ass degree in order to teach??? What? It’s giving ‘not like other girls vibes’ but for dummies.