I’m enjoyed this cleverly written book by Peter Swanson! It starts with a major event and then works its way backwards in time to tell the full story of what led up to the event. I thought the ending might disappoint as I could tell from the table of contents that the current year is not revisited, but it did not disappoint!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of Peter Swanson book and was so excited to get such an early copy of Kill Your Darlings to read. To be honest, I had no idea what it was about and read it purely because it was written by Swanson.

This was a very different book from this author. The biggest thing was that it was written in reverse. We track the relationship of Wendy and Thom from 2023 back to 1982 when they first met at school. It did take a little to get used to but it was a very clever way to do it. We learn that their relationship has run its course and slowly find out why. This couple have a bond that is keeping them together, something that they did in their past.

I think this is going to have mixed reactions from readers. It wasn’t my favourite book by Swanson, but it was entertaining watching these 2 people that were very hard to like at all, live their lives in reverse. It does mean that the ending was somewhat less exciting than a usual thriller, but Swanson still had a shock for us there too. I did find a few things that I have questions about that were not resolved and I am trying to remember if I missed the signs.

Overall a fun and quite easy read. Publishes on June 10th. Thanks to William Morrow for my advanced copy on NetGalley to read

This was an interesting format to read, it literally back tracks the whole relationship from end to beginning, and I haven’t read something like that before. That being said, both main characters were annoying as fuck hahah. A lot of the book felt repetitive, which upon finishing it I can see was maybe on purpose. To demonstrate patterns repeating and all that jazz. But… still… meh. The last two pages did give me a chuckle though, I wasn’t expecting that. So I bumped it from 2 stars to 3 haha.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of this! I believe it comes out in June, and I’d say it’s worth a read just for the unique format alone. But maybe don’t have high expectations for character development.

Kill Your Darlings is an usual read, kind of Inception meets James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. Swanson takes the reader backwards in time, from 2023 (the end of Wendy and Thom Graves' marriage) to 1982 (when Wendy and Thom first met). In between are many secrets and betrayals, and lots and lots of bad behavior by both main characters.

Honestly, while I was super excited to read this book due to the novel format, I'm not entirely sure that it worked for me. There are a few small surprises throughout the story, but the big “secret” of Wendy and Thom's marriage isn't really a secret at all. You know what's going to happen from very early on, and I kept waiting for a big shocking twist that never came. Also, because of the format, this story doesn't have a climax in the traditional sense - most of the excitement is over and done with well before the end of the novel. There were a couple of clever details that made me go “ooh” (the one at the very end was particularly nice), but I'm not sure that they were enough to make the reverse timeline and it's lack of a substantial ending worth it.

This book is also the very definition of a slow burn. There's lots of repetition and nothing happens quickly. With a rare exception or two, you read about events for many, many chapters before (after?) they actually occur.

But, with that said, I didn't dislike this novel. It's entertaining enough and it managed to keep me reading. Wendy and Thom are awful people, but you can't help but wonder what they're going to do next (before? previously?). It's also kind of interesting how they go from “two young kids in super duper love” to whatever special kind of hell their relationship was at the end (beginning? This format is so hard to write about!). Wendy and Thom were convinced as young twenty-somethings that they were destined to be “special,” so how did things fall apart so spectacularly?

My rating: 3.45 stars, rounded down. This isn't my favorite of Swanson's novels and I don't think the unusual format does much to enhance the story (and in some parts actually hinders it), but overall it's an entertaining-ish read that'll make you wonder if your spouse is secretly planning to off you during your next weekend getaway.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is June 10, 2025.

This was a very different style for Swanson and while it wasn’t my favorite by him, I’m always happy to try something new and different and it was an entertaining quick read.

You start the story in the present before going back through time to understand the relationship and history between Thom and Wendy until you arrive at their beginning and the event that first tied them together. It’s a creative idea and I liked the process of seeing them at the start (which is their ending) at their worst and going back to slowly see their relationship unravel piece by piece. Unfortunately even with seeing it from both of their perspectives, I still felt like we didn’t get much depth and character development, especially on Wendy and other side characters too such as her first husband and mom. There were actions from characters that didn’t really make sense, and some plot points that left me with questions or relied on major coincidences.

There was a lot of focus on Thom’s drinking and smoking or talking about how he should stop drinking and smoking. It became monotonous and repetitive very quickly with those aspects. This is also very description and internal thoughts heavy, which added to the slow pace.

I finished it in a few sittings and never lost interest, but the middle did drag a lot for me. I thought the majority of it was easy to predict, except for a twist or two which did surprise me. I’d recommend it if you like family dramas and want something a little different. Don’t go in expecting a fast paced thriller with lots of twists - instead sit back, relax and watch unlikable characters do bad things. 3.5⭐️ rounded up

Thanks William Morrow and NetGalley for the DRC!

Kill Your Darlings was a well written mystery. I have never read a book written in reverse and found it very difficult to get into.

3.5 stars

The concept of the reverse storytelling is great. However this book was a little slow for my taste (currently). I guess with mystery/thrillers I really want to be on the edge of my seat, so slow burn doesn’t work for me.
That being said, I do love how the story was weaved together and all came together in the end,

My first Peter Swanson book and sadly was not a fan. The conceit of the book is interesting; starting at the end of a relationship, the relationship gone sour after many years of shared secrets and ending murderously. The book unfolds like Memento, time traveling backwards to reveal what secrets our married couple Wendy and Thom share. However, the issue with starting with the dissolution of the marriage is that you care very little for the setup of the relationship. I know it's meant to peak your interest as to how the couple arrived at this moment but I genuinely never formed any connection to Thom or Wendy. I didn't particularly like either character nor did I care much about what happened to them. If I'm being generous I'd say Swanson's ability to form Thom and Wendy into complex characters is hindered by the plot. If I'm being ungenerous, I'd say a stronger author could have made these characters more three dimensional. I'd recommend skipping this book.

This book was kind of a slow burn. I like how the story was told in reverse. It jumped around quite a bit but it all came together in the end. Peter Swanson is a must read for me. This book did lot have all the shocking twists one comes to expect from him, but I always enjoy his storytelling.

This was an interesting slow-burn, reverse timeline about Wendy and Thom. Wendy wants to murder Thom and as you read the book you start to understand why. The main characters are unlikable on purpose which sometimes makes it hard for me to connect with them.

I hope it's marketed more as a domestic suspense instead of a thriller. I went into it expecting it to be a bit faster so I think my experience suffered. The writing is still solid and after I adjusted my expectations I really enjoyed it. The twist is decent and well worth the time spent getting there.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. The opinion in this review is my own.

I love Swanson’s earlier novels but I found this one, told in reverse, difficult to plod through. Early on I disliked the characters, Thom and Wendy, and their un-simple solution for ending a marriage….murder. So, found this hard to plod through.

There are many ways to tell a story in reverse, but Swanson failed to draw me in.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Thanks Netgalley for the free ARC! I enjoyed this novel and found the reverse storytelling very intriguing. I loved the complex characters and their emotional insights. I thought the novel was very engaging and kept my interest throughout. I would recommend this novel and Peter Swanson’s other works as well… he’s a great writer!

This is a slow boi, but the reverse storytelling (and the last minute surprise) are more than worth the wait. Swanson is endlessly inventive and a treat to read.

I really enjoyed this as a murder-mystery, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the concept. I was hooked from the first page and thought everything that I wanted from the description. I thought everything worked overall and hope to read more from Peter Swanson.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'Kill Your Darlings' by Peter Swanson - expected release date 06/10/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I've read a lot of Swanson's books and liked them, so I was really excited to receive this ARC. This was written differently than his past books, with a timeline going backwards from the present all the way back to when the two main characters, Wendy and Thom, met at the age of 14. I had a hard time staying invested in the story because it dragged on and on thru the middle. The last chapter was decent but the slow middle just didn't do the book any justice. Wendy and Thom were unlikeable and insufferable, I couldn't find anything to relate to or like about them. I was also confused how Swanson could just drop a quick chapter on a pregnancy and adoption right in the middle of the story and not give any more info about it. And the shocking name of the baby Wendy gave birth to...Was the Annabel given up for adoption the same Annabel that Thom currently works with and is crushing on? Did he know about the pregnancy/adoption? Also I didn't really understand why Wendy killed Thom's boss. I know he saw her coming out of a motel but she and Thom had an "understanding" so it didn't seem like that was the reason. Too many plot holes, too many questions.

Peter Swanson is a very prolific suspense author, and he knocks it out of the park with his newest release! I loved everything about this book!

Peter Swanson is one of my favorite writers, and I always get excited when he has a new one out. This one is quite different from his usual style. It tells the story backwards as it goes through years and decades of Wendy's and Thom's relationship. Very well written, and I had no problems following their story even though it was told in reverse, revealing some very dark secrets. I really enjoyed this one. Thank you, netgalley, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the the idea and premise of this one, but it just fell a little short for me. Thom and Wendy have been married for many years and they seem to have everything they want, but the secrets of their past are threatening to come to light. This was a psychological thriller that was literally written in reverse. We have to take the context of the previous chapters and apply it to the past that is unraveling, which was really interesting.

I think this was clever structure, it was definitely attention grabbing and I have to say that it helped with the character development going backwards. Each chapter helped us to figure out more and more about what makes the characters who they are. The ending, really put it all together. Overall, I think it was a good read, there were really slow parts, but it was a solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Peter Swanson for the eARC of Kill Your Darlings in exchange for an honest review. Publication date for Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson is set for 10 Jun 2025.

As a big fan of Peter Swanson, Kill Your Darlings was an automatic yes for me, and it did not disappoint! This was a fast, engaging read that kept me hooked from start to finish. What I loved most about the book was its unique structure—starting at the end and working backward, with each chapter taking us further into the past. It was like unraveling a reverse timeline, and it added a fascinating layer to the storytelling.

At first, I wondered how the final chapter would tie everything together given this approach, but I should have known better than to doubt Swanson’s ability to deliver. The ending was satisfying and made the entire journey through the pages even more rewarding. If you enjoy clever, unconventional thrillers with a strong narrative voice, this one is a must-read!

3.5 stars - Kill Your Darlings follows Wendy and Thom throughout their lives and what leads Wendy to want to murder him. This book was very unique since the story is told backwards, starting with Wendy wanting to murder Thom and each chapter goes back in time to show the events that lead up to it. My brain had a hard time remembering that the story was being told in reverse.

This didn’t really feel much like a thriller to me, but more of a romance with thriller elements. The story was mainly focused on Wendy and Thom’s relationship. Not a bad read and I love Peter’s writing, but wasn’t the best I have read. Points for creativity though!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.