*Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to LibroFM for the gifted ALC*

What a bafflingly interesting concept! For a story whose plot was laid out basically from the first few chapters, it still managed to surprise me. A murder told in reverse, as we try to understand Wendy's rationale for killing her husband Thom? Yes please. An exploration of her unreliable narration while we travel backwards in time? Yes yes yes! I thought it was interesting to have a male narrator for the entire book, but he thankfully refrained from doing any obnoxious female voices (yay!). I almost want to read this story back to front to make sure I didn't miss any details. And that ending was such a little twist of the knife, I loved it.

The book was short and savage, and one of my favorites of Peter Swanson.

The cover caught my eye for this one, but I couldn't stay into this book. I wanted to have a positive review, but it just wasnt for me.

Thanks so much for the gifted copy

This book was different, but it was good! It was not at all what I was expecting but I did love it. It was a book that to me had a lot of back and forth and change like that while reading for me is hard to follow around. I truly enjoyed the book, just not the rollercoaster that was the book.

The hype about this book was intense.
But I’m one of those oddball readers who just couldn’t get into the book.
The one element I liked was going back in time as the book progressed.
However I thoroughly disliked both Wendy and Thom. Neither had any redeeming qualities.
The book dragged for me.

I was a little unsure about this one when it started out at the end of the plot and worked backward with the telling of the story, but I was quickly hooked! I honestly didn't like the main character Wendy from the onset, as she just gave off a vibe of being someone I wouldn't want to be around and definitely not trust (I was right). That being said - I did like how it all played out though and the foreshadowing told in reverse was a definite twist to presentation I liked much more than I thought I would. I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews, so I'll just say that I REALLY enjoyed the way it ended for characters that in my humble opinion needed to come to a reckoning! Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this one ~ 4.5 stars.

Unfortunately, though, there was plenty that let me down between the attention-grabbing start and shocking last page. The definition of a slow-boiling suspense/thriller, while there was tension imbued within every page, we found out the big plot points way too early on. My biggest pet peeve, though, was how unattached I was to the handful of characters. Perhaps it was due to the original format, but the stop-and-start narrative kept me from really connecting. Alongside of unnecessary details and a repetitive feel, I’m truly sad to report that this newest release by one of my all-time favorite authors landed with a thud rather than a bang.

All said and done, despite being less than blown away by this clever spin on a love story’s undoing, I was nevertheless hooked from beginning to end. Was this down to my preexisting love for the author—or the tension and intrigue that oozed from the pages? I’m not sure I’ll ever be 100% sure, but I am positive that while this wasn’t my favorite by Swanson, it was still an overall good read. An intense character study of the dual POVs as well as marriage, it made me think long and hard. Just the same, it wasn’t the slam dunk that I was expecting, as I much prefer Swanson’s edge-of-your-seat thrill rides over this puzzle-like read.

A solid domestic mystery. But there wasn’t much mystery since it was told in reverse. This idea seemed cool but in the end felt pointless. Nothing was too thrilling and there weren’t too many interesting twists. This was more a look into this messed up marriage and how they got to this point.
Not my favorite Peter Swanson but I would read more from him in the future.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This is the first 3 star review I’ve ever given Swanson, as he is usually a solid top 10 read for me. Thom (just because it’s spelled with an H, you know he’s gonna be awful) and Wendy are at the end of their marriage. She is sick of him and wants to kill him. We go backwards in time to find out what caused this demise in their relationship. It’s a clever book and the slow deterioration of each of them keeps it interesting, but there are high expectations for Swanson for me and it falls a bit short in the end. Still a good read, just not one my favorites from him.

I feel like this is trending to be an unfavorable book from a very beloved author for many. I, however, enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the writing and going back in time. I do feel it ended very abruptly though.

The story being told in reverse mostly just didn't work for me. I was never able to get my brain following correctly. There were some parts of Swanson's novel that worked for me but overall it was just ok.

This is definitely not your typical love story—in fact, it’s more like the un-love story. Told in reverse, from 2023 back to 1982, Kill Your Darlings unpacks the unraveling of Thom and Wendy’s marriage, peeling back layers of secrets, betrayals, and manipulation. It’s a slow burn character study with a clever structure that makes you rethink how we typically experience a story—and a relationship—falling apart.

While I really liked the concept and Swanson’s sharp writing, the execution didn’t fully land for me. The reverse timeline was interesting, but it also made the pacing feel a bit off and dulled any major twists, since you know how things end right from the start. That said, Wendy is a standout character—calculating, complicated, and kind of fascinating to follow. Not my favorite Swanson novel, but still an intriguing read if you’re in the mood for something a little darker and unconventional.

Big thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC copy! This one is out now.

It truly pains me to say this, but this is my least favorite Swanson book. I have enjoyed all of his others and he is one of my favorite authors, but this book was just such a miss for me :(

I was hoping to love this one, and thought that getting the story "backwards" would be an interesting take, however I found myself getting pulled out of the story a few times wondering what was going on. I didn't really like any of the characters and the "twist" didn't really land well for me.

I wouldn't say it's a bad book—just not the right fit for me. If you’re a die-hard Swanson fan, you might still find something to enjoy here. Just go in with slightly lowered expectations in my opinion.

This was SO GOOD!!! I’ve never read anything by this author but I can see him quickly becoming an autobuy!

Main characters Thom and Wendy have been married for more than 25 years and now Wendy is plotting how to kill her husband.

The reader is taken through Wendy and Thom’s story, from meeting in 8th grade to reconnecting as adults, from getting married to having their son, celebrating milestones, building their life together, and keeping deep and very dark secrets.

In an unusual take, we start in the present time of 2023 and each subsequent chapter goes backward in their timeline, sometimes by months, sometimes by years, until we get to when their story begins in 1982.

From the start, we know they are jointly and individually hiding big things. Learning the details of those secrets and getting their development in reverse order was risky. I was worried that I’d lose interest after the reveals, but there was so much behind them and each disclosure led to more intrigue.

As an added bonus, there were a number of pieces that came together at the end, bringing the story full circle. In a twist, it gave the reader insight into pieces the characters are unaware of, allowing us readers to hold secrets of our own.

This book was done so well. In addition to the wonderful writing and great storytelling, the author made a crazy premise absolutely work. He went deep and could easily have lost the reader with the structure and two largely unlikeable characters. Credit to him for continuing to hook us with surprise after surprise.

This is my first Peter Swanson read. While I typically go for historical and contemporary fiction, I’ll definitely look for more from him.

While I didn’t get to read the book in time for pub day, I very much appreciate NetGalley for the advanced copy.

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙼𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢/𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
I really enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing by the same author so I was intrigued by this new book by him. He’s always been an author I’ve been wanting to read more of! Thank you for my gifted copy William Morrrow Books.

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
Thom and Wendy have been married for twenty five years. What seemed to be a happy marriage, turned out to be a complicated one behind closed doors, because Wendy wants to kill Thom.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5. This was a twisted and dark story of a couple told in reverse timelines. You begin at the end and unwrap the layers of the characters that explain what had transpired in their past lives that made them who they are, and what had led to their actions. It was an acquired taste and i found it unique, but i can tell it might not be for everybody as you might tend to lose interest along the way. It was more character driven due to the writing style being told in reverse, but overall I still enjoyed this domestic suspense.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘖𝘝, 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦

This was a pretty typical domestic mystery - however, what set it apart was the complex way it was told. I found the structure of this novel really interesting, but it also kind of kept the development of characters slow and the pacing was a bit off for me.

Fun and fast mystery but ultimately not anything shocking or setting the genre on fire. I like the authors style of laying out the story and pieces and keeping you engaged, but I did feel it tried to include too many red herrings.

I’m a Peter Swanson fan, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I generally enjoy the concept of a story being told in reverse order - but this felt very anticlimactic and pointless. I really enjoyed the beginning with the drama and intrigue and as the story progressed it just fizzled out and became boring.

This is a twisty thriller about a marriage gone wrong told in reverse similar to Christopher Nolan's "Memento." I loved getting the backstory to the murder and learning why it happened. The characters are unlikable but the plot is compelling and kept surprising me. Definitely worth a read if you love slow burn character-driven books.

Peter Swanson is an excellent writer and he takes us down a dark path with this book about marriages and murder. I loved the twist at the end!