This was hard for me to get into and I did not care for the story being told in reverse. The pace was so slow and it seemed to have such little development at times. I personally feel like this could have been condensed into a short story. I have really enjoyed some of Peter Swanson’s past books, but this did not do it for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Peter Swanson's Kill Your Darlings is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully unravels a marriage's darkest secrets in reverse chronological order. The novel follows Thom and Wendy Graves, a seemingly ordinary couple whose facade conceals a chilling pact made in their youth. As the narrative moves backward through pivotal moments—birthdays, family milestones, and a mysterious death—their shared past is meticulously dissected, revealing the complexities of their bond and the weight of their concealed transgressions. Swanson's inventive storytelling keeps readers engrossed, with each chapter peeling back layers of deception and moral ambiguity. While some may find the reverse structure challenging, it ultimately enhances the suspense, culminating in a haunting revelation that redefines the entire narrative. Kill Your Darlings is a testament to Swanson's prowess in crafting thought-provoking, character-driven mysteries that linger long after the final page.

I have loved most Peter Swanson books I've read and this one did not disappoint.

This book is told in a very unique way - it moves backwards through time. When I started it I was concerned it wouldn't be very engaging or compelling, but I was happily incorrect and found it impossible to put down.

Neither Wendy or Thom are very likable but I don't think they need to be -- the narrative is so engaging you just have to find out how it will wrap up.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes unique, fast-paced thrillers and relationship dynamics. I read a lot of thrillers and this was one of the most interesting ones for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years. All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband.

What happens next has everything to do with what happened before. The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, moving backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.

Eventually we learn the details of what Thom and Wendy did in their early twenties, a secret that has kept them bound together through the length of their marriage. But its power over them is fraying, and each of them begins to wonder if they would be better off making sure their spouse carries their secrets to the grave.

The synopsis already had me hooked! I mean at some point, if you haven't wanted to take your spouse out, are you even married?! But Wendy has a good reason for wanting Thom dead. This was such a fun and unique read. The story is written in reverse. We follow the relationship of Wendy and Thom from 2023 back to 1982 when they first met at school. At first I found it confusing to read in reverse, but now I can't see it being written any other way. We get new information in every chapter from both Thom and Wendy's viewpoints, and by the end of the book, set on the night of their first kiss, it all comes together (with a surprise) and everything makes sense. I was quite shocked at the ending. It is a delicious thriller unlike anything else I've ever read.

This is not the usual kind of murder mystery I read but it was quite interesting, here this story is told in reverse so we get the murder mystery also in reverse. Our main character Wendy and Thom have been married for years and now Wendy wants to kill her husband but this is not the twist, we start seeing their whole married in reverse, all milestones, different part of life and one death. They did something in their early 20s which kept them bound together even now. I keep seeing their marriage in reverse. Really interesting book!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for proving me with this eARC, all these opinions are my own!

What a unique plot line and I love the slow burn of the story and how the very end got you in a way that wasn't heart thumping but was definitely a whoaaa moment.

Kill Your Darlings unfortunately just totally missed the mark for me. The story was told backwards, which when well done - can be excellent. This attempt was quite boring and I had trouble finishing it as the plot never really thickened. I kept going because some reviews hinted at a big twist towards the end, but personally I don't think the reveal at the end even qualified as a twist. The characters were both pretty awful people which made it harder to enjoy the story especially when there wasn't any character development or growth.

Thanks to #NetGally, Peter Swanson, and William Morrow Publishing for an e-ARC of #KillYourDarlings in exchange for an honest review.

⤹ 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: Kill Your Darlings – Peter Swanson
🗓️ 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚: 6/10/25
📈 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ★★★★ ½
❗ 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ★★★★★
⬇️ 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: below

Thank you to William Morrow + NetGalley for the opportunity to read 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 by 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 before its release on 𝟲/𝟭𝟬/𝟮𝟱.

𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Thom and Wendy Graves seem to have an ideal life after decades of marriage, but Wendy secretly wants to kill her husband. Told in reverse, their story unravels a dark secret from their youth that has bound them together—and now threatens to tear them apart.

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
➝ exploration of the thin line between love & hate
➝ very clever
➝ reverse timeline (fresh style)
➝ all the breadcrumbs along the way
➝ the ending

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧:
➝ some loose ends

𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜:
𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 is an auto-buy author for me. 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 is an interesting book because it is a 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 written in a reverse timeline over a period of 40 years exploring the fine line between love & hate. I find that not everyone enjoys a reverse timeline which will make people either really love or struggle with it.

The main characters, Thom and Wendy, are not likeable. The story starts in 2023, and we work our way backward to 1982 when they first meet. The reader is present for their life milestones and by the end we understand why both Wendy and Thom are the way they are. In ways I felt sad for them both when I learned of their beginning.

If you like a Lisa Jewell style book and don’t mind a reverse timeline, I think you’ll like this. If you don’t like a reverse timeline and prefer a fast-paced, twisty Freida McFadden style, you may not enjoy it as much as I did. It is under 300 pages and could easily be knocked out in a day.

For me, this is one of those books that had me going back & rereading several parts after I finished to appreciate them with my new knowledge. I rarely reread books, but I do plan to reread this one in the future.

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩 (𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦):
I was prepared to not have a twist rating for this because we find out at the beginning what has happened & it’s pretty straight forward. I’ve seen people say there are no twists, but I felt that there were two. Both were in the last 10%. One had me feverishly going to the front of the book in panic and another had me putting my hand over my mouth and smiling. SO CLEVER!

peter swanson usually gives us snappy, twisty thrillers—but this time, he’s delivered something a little different: a slow-burning psychological unraveling of a marriage told entirely in reverse. and...it works. we start in the present day and rewind to when the pair first met as teens, with every chapter revealing another secret, another crack, another reason things fell apart. 

yes, the big secrets are more hinted at than hidden. but there’s something haunting about watching a love story fall apart in reverse. the ending didn’t have the payoff i expected, but maybe that’s the point. some endings don’t explode, they just linger. OUT JUNE 2025, so add it to your summer TBR now!

thanks to #netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy!

This novel was written in a backward timeline. It took me a hot minute to get used to it but I ended up enjoying tit. Since you find out the conclusion at the beginning of the novel, there are no real surprises, but it shows what happened that led up to what happened at the beginning of the novel.

Peter Swanson has such a unique way of giving stories true feeling and immersion that is unmatched. I am always on guard when reading his books because I know at any moment the bottom will drop out from under me. This book was no different. I could not step away from it for anything.

I loved it! First of all, something about the way Peter Swanson writes his narrators as suddenly unreliable or as simply the villains from the get go,..might be my favorite part. This story is no exception, and something that made it even more fascinating to me was to read the entire thing in reverse...You may be thinking "But wait, how can you enjoy reading a story when you already know the ending in the first chapter?" To which I would reply "The first chapter is not the ending, for you will see that the ending is in fact at...the beginning."
And not just Any ending by the way, but one that even the most confident of villains (narrators!) won't even see coming until it arrives. How one tiny, obscure secret kept by someone all of that time..one little choice..just might be their undoing.
Whether you love a mystery but haven't read this author, or if you love a mystery And you always read every book they publish like I do, make sure you add this to your TBR pile. You won't be sorry.

Peter Swanson is one of my favorite thriller writers and I was anxious to jump into his newest novel
This book was written in a backwards timline, kind of like the movie Memento.
It starts in 2023 where the main characters have now been together for 40 years with a past full of secrets, betrayals, and some romance.
As each chapter marches backward we learn a bit more about how this couple joined together and what is also breaking them apart.

Reading this novel felt like peeling an onion where you had to keep going through the layers to discover new truths in the layer below.
This was both creative and frustrating at times.

In the beginning I found this method of storytelling a bit off putting (4 stars not 5), but as you read along it does get more interesting as we go further into their histories.

This was not one of my all time favorite by Swanson, but I appreciate the innovative style and I enjoy his dark characters.
A welcome addition to my Swanson collection!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an hone

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley.

Sigh. I have high hopes for Swanson every time I read him. But honestly, the last few have just been meh.

In this story, we meet Thom and Wendy who are a married couple that have obviously done bad things together. Wendy is devoid of emotion and is beginning to loathe her husband. As the book carries on, we are brought backwards and end when Thom and Wendy first met.

Overall, I liked the idea of the book. But the pace felt slow at times, and there honestly was not a lot of depth to the plot.

Wendy and Thom Graves are a seemingly normal couple who have been married for over twenty-five years. They have built a comfortable life in Massachusetts and have both had successful careers but for Wendy, anger and resentment has been brewing under the surface. The two are tied together by a secret from their youth and Thom is getting sloppy. Wendy must decide if Thom can be trusted to keep their secret or if drastic measures need to be taken to protect the life she has built.

The story is told in alternating perspectives and in a reverse timeline which was such an interesting concept. I haven’t read anything quite like this before and loved how character focused the story was. It was very interesting to relive all of the key moments from their lives and relationships. It felt like an in-depth character study, and I definitely feel like I know both Wendy and Thom very well. I really got a kick out of the ending, and I think Thom would too! I really enjoy Peter Swanson’s work, and I will continue to be a lifelong reader :)

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

Peter Swanson tends to write character-driven, slow-burn crime fiction. And he typically has a different narrative hook in each of his books.

In this book, Swanson shows a marriage in reverse, from its murderous demise and progresses all the way backward to its origin story. I wouldn’t say it’s a truly unique concept like some of his other novels. I did enjoy it well enough though.

Wendy and Thom are unlikeable (I don’t need to like main characters). If you’re one who does like to root for your main characters, then definitely stay away from this novel.

If you read the first chapter thoroughly, there won’t be too many surprises for you within the novel. It’s told in reverse, as I said, so you know how it ends early on. There are no twists; there’s a clever detail that is in the last chapter, but it’s not a twist. The novel is really seeing how these characters got to the final moment. I was interested. I was invested. Did I want more of a thriller or at least more plot twists? Not necessarily. It just felt blander than I wanted.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes June 10, 2025.

This story is written backwards in time. Once I got used to that, I kept waiting for the fireworks, for the plot to thicken, but that never really happened.

This is a slow burn with small events happening throughout, but no real twists or revelations going on.

It’s a very interesting premise and I did enjoy the story, but I give it 3 stars as it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.

Having read a few of Peter Swanson's books before, with some really standing out as amazing and others leaving me a bit underwhelmed, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kill Your Darlings. But I’m happy to say that this one was definitely on the amazing side.

The story follows Lily, a writer who has just completed her debut novel, only to find herself tangled up in a mystery involving a famous author’s disappearance and the eerily similar plotlines in her own work. The tension in the narrative builds steadily as Lily tries to navigate the consequences of her newfound fame, along with a growing sense of dread that someone might be watching her.

What I really enjoyed about Kill Your Darlings was Swanson's ability to keep the suspense high without sacrificing character development. The plot moves quickly, and there are plenty of twists that kept me guessing. Swanson is fantastic at creating characters who feel both familiar and unsettling—his villains are always complex and multi-layered, and this book was no exception. Lily’s descent into paranoia and the complexity of her relationships were compelling, making me really root for her despite the dark turn the story takes.

The pacing was great, and while I had some minor issues with a couple of aspects of the plot (one or two parts felt a bit predictable or contrived), overall, the book kept me hooked. It had just enough of the psychological tension that I love, without going too far into unbelievable territory.

In summary, Kill Your Darlings is a definite winner in my book. While not every book by Swanson has completely resonated with me, this one definitely did. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers with plenty of twists, flawed characters, and a solid mystery, this one is definitely worth the read.

Peter Swanson tries something new in “Kill Your Darlings,” starting readers at the end before going back in time year by year. It’s the first thriller I’ve read that deploys this method of storytelling and … it’s a bit of a miss.

The story ends/begins with married couple, Wendy and Thom, who seem to be the ideal loves but it can’t be further from the truth. Cracks have begun appearing in their marriage as secrets from the past begin bubbling up to the surface. What are those secrets? Well, Swanson has decided to unfurl the story in reverse over decades with some chapters containing more to the puzzle than others. These chapters are fun, but again, because you’re receiving these details in this format, you’re sometimes wondering “yeah, didn’t I know that already?” Instead of a shock, you may think so what.

I can’t fault Swanson for trying something new but I wish the story was more interesting or that there were more twists. There’s one on the last page that hits fairly hard, but at that point, it may be too little too late. Luckily, it’s a sub 300 page thriller fans of Swanson will probably devour in a day. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

Solid 3.5 rounded up!

I have loved all of Swanson’s books but unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. The backwards timeline lessened the impact of the twists that could have been great.