Wow! Just... wow!

This is probably my favorite book that I've read in a long time.

Kill Your Darlings is set in reverse chronological order. It opens with the end of a marriage and slowly goes back in time to the beginning. I love when books switch things up, and Peter Swanson was a master of it in his latest novel.

This book tells the story of a couple bound by secrets, and completely hooks you from the first sentence. Once I started it, I finished it in less than 24 hours. I had to know how it ended!

Thank you, Net Galley, for the early read!

I am a huge fan of Peter Swanson and I’ve loved everything I’ve read by him so far. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit short for me. With the timeline working backwards, the reader knows everything up front so there are no huge twists or “Aha!” Moments. This book was an enjoyable leisure read, but didn’t hold my interest intensely like his other books. Still definitely worth the read, though!

Thank you to Peter Swanson, NetGalley, and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Kill Your Darlings" is a riveting read with a unique twist—the story unfolds in reverse chronological order! This intriguing format keeps you on your toes, constantly guessing how the narrative will wrap up. The tension and suspense build up masterfully, making each chapter more compelling than the last.

I was completely captivated by the way the author managed to maintain coherence and depth, despite the unconventional storytelling method. And the ending? It did not disappoint. It tied everything together in a way that was both surprising and satisfying.

If you're looking for a book that challenges traditional narrative structures and delivers a powerful story, "Kill Your Darlings" is an absolute must-read.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me access to this book!
Kill Your Darlings is the new release by Per Swanson, it'll be released June 10th.
Thom and Wendy Graves' seemingly perfect marriage hides a dark secret: Wendy wants to murder her husband.
Told in reverse, the story unravels pivotal moments in their lives, revealing a terrible act they conspired to commit in their twenties.
As their shared secret begins to unravel, they must decide if their bond is worth preserving—or if it's time to let their secrets die with one of them.
It was very intriguing but I struggled to stay focused on the story, it was too slow for my attention span!

Peter Swanson's latest novel, Kill Your Darlings, is a slow burn murder mystery told in reverse. It traces Thom and Wendy Graves' marriage back in time, to allow the reader to uncover the dark secret the couple shares. Oh, and also- Wendy wants to kill her husband.
Thom and Wendy have been married for over 25 years, and they live in a beautiful Victorian home on the north shore of Massachusetts. Wendy is a published poet and Thom is an English literature professor. They have one son, who is now all grown up. Their story is told in reserve, so this may lead the reader to believe they know the big secret early on. However, we move backward through key moments in their lives, including their 50th birthday party, buying their home, their son's birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague... and eventually we learn the details of what Thom and Wendy did in their early 20's, 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.

I love Peter Swanson's books and was SO excited to receive an advanced copy of Kill Your Darlings. This one did not end up being my favorite of his, but is definitely one for the fans of The Kind Worth Killing, which IS my favorite. It has a similar slow burn and twists that surprised me until the very end. It was a quick read and I was just dying to know how it ended.

Everytime I see Peter Swanson has a new book coming out, I immediately add it to my TBR. I was over the moon excited to receive an ARC of this one as he’s one of my favorite authors.

I really enjoyed how this story was told backwards (from present to the past) - it was super unique and different than anything I have read before. There were tons of OMG moments throughout this book and was filled with tons of twists. Although I thought it was a good story and kept my interest throughout, it wasn’t my favorite by him. Part of me wishes at the end they circled back to the beginning because I felt I was left wanting more. But the other part of me doesn’t think it would have been such a strong ending if he did circle back.

Overall, I did enjoy this one although it wasn’t my favorite. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this!

The format of this story was very unique. It's told in a sort of backwards timeline. The thing with this, for me, that I didn't totally love is that you know the "big secret" early on in the story, so I lost that excitement of the big climax that you come to expect at the end of a thriller story. There were other small twists sprinkled throughout the book that were really clever, and worked well with the story, however, that somewhat made up for it. This is a slower burn story, and I thought it worked well with the reverse format. There's lots of character development throughout so I was really able to connect to the characters.
Overall, a fun read. I would rate closer to a 3.5 for uniqueness.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

Seeing this story unfold in reverse was quite a treat. While the characters are not the most likeable, you don't mind as you get to see them get the just desserts.

I'm a Swanson fan and will jump at the opportunity to be an advanced reader for Kill Your Darlings. It pains me to say that this book did not meet my expectations. Swanson begins his story of a crumbling marriage in the present tense and then takes us backward. The reverse chronological order did not work for me as a reader as the text heavily hints at what we will discover in the past. There is a dissatisfying twist and then the book ends. While I was reading, I was consistently eager to return to the original timeline to find out what happens next, but we only learn what has already come to be, and that made the book feel unfinished.

Kill Your Darlings follows a couple, Thom & Wendy - in reverse chronology - and their devolving marriage, as well as the dark secret they share from their past. As you progress through the book, you learn more details about that dark secret and what has led to the troubles in their relationship.

I was excited to receive this ARC, as I have enjoyed Peter Swanson's books in the past. Unfortunately, this one left me rather disappointed. It is much more a character study and study of a marriage than it is a thriller. If that's what you're looking for, it may deliver. Personally, I was expecting more twists and turns - and I really, really disliked both of the main characters, so it made it hard to want to find out more about them.

Thanks for the advance copy, NetGalley and publisher!

A fascinating exploration of a couple who are tied together by a murderous history. However, as the story progresses backwards through their relationship, the reader discovers that there are multitudes of secrets to uncover between the two that date back to their time together as middle schoolers on a school field trip to D.C.

The format of this book was a bit hard for me to wrap my head around at times and I found myself needing to go back and re-read chapters to made sure that I understood the order of events correctly. There were also a few characters that were introduced who felt a bit superfluous to me - for example Emily in 2023 - but perhaps I just missed the way they were supposed to tie into some of the later chapters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Man, I love Peter Swanson, and this one was something very different and delicious from him. It starts out very literary and thoughtful, like maybe a Raymond Carver story about an older married couple who are in a troubled relationship and whose love for eachother may be exhausted. The book begins in 2023 and you can see the wife, Wendy, is at the end of her rope with her cheating, boorish husband Thom, who also happens to be a hack writer while Wendy is a genuinely talented poet. Then, slowly, the story turns into something out of a film noir, and you learn that 1) the couple has a dark secret, and 2) somebody may have to die soon. But it takes some time to find out the what of the secret and the why of the death. So from there, we reverse in time, and the story becomes darker and more noir as you go along, year by year, learning about the couple: More and more dark secrets and crimes are revealed, but the literary tone and the focus on the relationship continues, so that at some point the book becomes Double Indemnity meets John Cheever. Things get progressively more noir and twisted right up to the positively delightful (in an evil way) ending.

I loved the backwards timeline of the book, starting out with an older couple set in their ways at the beginning, and progressively reversing through the years to watch them get younger and more in love. And of course, to find out the secret they gave shared for years. And some of the secrets they don't share with eachother, too.

The most fun I had with this book -- which I recommend -- was reading the beginning chapter again immediately after I read the last chapter. There are a couple of great Easter eggs in there that you won't have understood the first time reading, but that you'll get once you've gotten to the end, and one of them is truly shocking.

Another five-star read by Peter Swanson, who for my money is not only one of the best mystery plotters but also one of the most literary and thoughtful thriller writers out there. Now I begin the wait for his next book!

I love everything Peter Swanson writes and this was no exception. It was quite the love story. I’m still not sure if I liked how it was written from end to beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this before. It was very interesting to see the relationship between Thom and Wendy sort of self destruct and then go backwards through the evolution of it. I’ll be thinking about this book for quite a while.

Peter Swanson has been a must read author for me since I read The Kind Worth K*lling. I binged all of his other books and read each new title as soon as possible.

K*ll Your Darlings follows wealthy fifty-somethings Thom and Wendy Graves back through the decades, literally starting in the present and going back through time to when they first met. They’ve got some secrets that can’t leak outside their marriage.

I’m all for experimental structures, but how much you love this book depends how you feel about the structure. I loved Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent, I didn’t love Wrong Time,Wrong Place by Gillian MacAllister. I think it’s often harder to built up pace and momentum with such unusual time lines.

They were bits I I liked, bits I liked less. It’s a must for Peter Swanson fans, and fans of experimental timeline structures. General readers should read a few different reviews before deciding.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow

What a truly unique story—Peter Swanson has done it again with another masterful hit! Kill Your Darlings begins with a shocking, jaw-dropping scene that instantly pulls you in, and then works its way backward, unraveling the toxic relationship of Wendy and Thom piece by piece.

Told in reverse, the novel meticulously deconstructs their lives together—from the birth of their child to a joint birthday party, their reunion years after middle school at a professional conference, and ultimately their origin story as classmates in middle school. Each chapter takes you further back in time, revealing the milestones and fractures of their relationship, while hinting at a single act from their past that has tied them together inextricably.

Thom, on the surface, seems like the quintessential, frustrating middle-aged man—he drinks too much, indulges in affairs, and seems oblivious to the consequences of his actions. His roving eye and selfish decisions make you wonder why Wendy has stayed with him for so long. Wendy seems incredibly unhappy, but it's not clear what would make her happy or what she really wants.

A brilliant examination of two humans, this novel is as thought-provoking as it is compulsively readable. If you love twisty thrillers and character-driven suspense, you won’t want to miss this one. Peter Swanson has once again proven why he’s a master of the genre.

#WilliamMorrow #PeterSwanson #KillYourDarlings

The Kind Worth Killing is one of my favorite books. I was extremely excited to read an ARC of Peter Swanson's newest book, but unfortunately I found it almost painful to read. I had zero interest in Thom & Wendy who are both awful characters. I pushed myself to keep prodding forward waiting for it to get better.

Peter Swanson knocked this one out of the park! I loved the roller coaster of the plot with the twists and turns. Similar to his ‘Kind Worth Killing’ series, this book is based in New England and makes it all the more relatable as I’m a native Mainer. Navigating the plot as it was told in reverse was a fun switch up to the normal thriller.

Thank you to #netgalley and #peterswanson for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't been a fan of Swanson since TKWK but he is back with his newest! Told backwards, I didn't know what to expect but LOVED the unique storytelling.

Peter Swanson has been an immediate go-to author for me through the years. I have always enjoyed his books. I was thrilled to be approved for this. I dove right in. I just wasn't connecting with this book like I did with his others. I think the reverse storyline and me just didn't mesh. I still love his writing, and will definitely continue to read his future novels.

Amazing book and so twisty. I enjoyed seeing the downfalls and why this marriage had taken its toll. The timeline was easy to adjust to