Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an advanced reader copy of Kill Your Darlings in exchange for my honest review.

I'll read anything Peter Swanson writes and The Kind Worth Killing is at the top of my list of favorite books EVER so it sets the bar high!

But I loved the format of Kill Your Darlings where the story is told in reverse chronological order. I had no idea how he'd wrap up the story given the format, but I liked the ending!

Well done.

Peter Swanson's latest book, "Kill Your Darlings" is a great, suspense filled drama that doesn't let up. You are hooked and in for a ride with this one.

Where it all began and where it all went wrong.

This is Thom and Wendy’s origin story. A story of a toxic and loving marriage told in reverse. We first meet the couple after 25 years of marriage and travel back to the day they met on an eighth-grade field trip to D.C. Present day, Thom and Wendy seem to have it all. Wealth, careers, friends and family. Problem is, Wendy wants to murder Thom. Peel back the layers of their relationship filled with joy, sadness, infidelity and of course secrets.

Kill Your Darlings is filled with dark secrets and tasty twists than only Peter Swanson knows how to deliver. Captivating and unforgettable to the final gasp worthy twist at the end…or is it the beginning?

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a massive fan of The Kind Worth Killing, I'll request just about every ARC from Swanson that I see. I am VERY glad I requested this one, as this book was so incredibly inventive and well-written. I devoured it in less than 24 hours. I loved the concept of the story of the couple being told in reverse after you initially meet them, and it builds to the secrets that have bound them together and kept them complacent for all these years.

Bonus points as always for Swanson when he writes about New England - there's just something about being able to identify the towns, landmarks and places when an author references them because it's home. Five stars.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭.

Oh, I wanted so much to love this book! The premise sounded amazing, but for me, the unusual execution was a calculated risk that unfortunately fell a little flat as it's a story told in reverse.

Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for a quarter of a century. They live a comfortable life, each one boasting some level of success in academia. Their only child is an adult, and all appears serene, except for the fact that Wendy wants to murder her husband.

But what unravels has everything to do with what came 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆. The reader watches the story of this couple's life together unravel in reverse time, going through every milestone until we're brought to a single incredible act they plotted together so many years before that would keep them bound to each other forever...or so they thought.

My main issue with the book is how detached I felt while I was reading it. I was not able to immerse myself in the story, and I'm not sure if that's because the characters didn't have the depth I was hoping for or because I was confused by the ending that was too abrupt for my liking.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and will probably read it again because I feel like I missed some small details. I just wish I had been able to completely immerse myself in the story. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the early copy. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish on June 10, 2025.

I’m a fan of this book! The reverse storytelling was super unique and, honestly, “made” the story. It was definitely one of the most clever ways to tell a story that I have seen in a while- and I read a lot of books! This is not a super twisty read so may not be for everyone, but I actually appreciate that about it.

I love that the ending (or is it the beginning?) doesn’t straight up tell you what happened in “the future,” but leads the reader to interpret it for themselves. I went back and reread the first chapter after I finished the book and it is filled with so many Easter eggs! I feel like if Taylor Swift wrote a book, it would be like this.

My only dislikes: the cover didn’t seem to match the vibe of the story/author and the chapters were loooong! But it still gets 5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this novel.

I hate that I spent so much time on this book, but I really thought the ending would really wrap it all up nicely. This fell so so flat for me. It was told in a reverse chronological order and i truly did not see the point of that.

Wendy and Thom murder Wendy’s husband so she can have his money. They get away with it. It’s such an easy thing for Thom to do. And he murdered a woman the same night and never was a suspect. Again, I felt like I just kept waiting for the twist. It NEVER came. The story was so dry and drawn out at some points.

There was a lot of infidelity to the story as well. Wendy “knew” and was apparently unphased, meanwhile, Thom was so riddled with guilt he drank himself stupid every night. Wendy despised him for it and ended up murdering him in the beginning of the book (again because it was told in reverse). I, again, thought it would end with the present to tie it all together? Nope.

Really disappointed, because I truly have enjoyed Swanson’s stories in the past. This one was not it for me.

3.5 ⭐
Kill Your Darlings was such a fun concept. Wendy and Thom's story begins in 1982, but the book is told in reverse. From 2023 back to 1982, we discover the secrets they have kept for decades.

The book started strong, but I was able to foreshadow everything, so the ending felt a little uneventful. I wish their secrets had been a little more scandalous. Overall, Peter Swanson delivered another twisty, quick thriller.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could!! Peter Swanson is my favorite author so I was so excited to be able to read Kill Your Darlings!! Of course he did not disappoint. Wendy and Thom’s story told in reverse timeline will have you on the edge of your seat. If you love books that are cleverly written, reverse timeline, multiple pov, with unreliable main characters, secrets, lies, murder plots and an awesome twist you will love Kill Your Darlings as much as I do.. The ending is perfection! I suggest adding Kill Your Darlings to the front of your TBR list.

what an interesting book told backwards through time of a couple. we see them at the beginning being older and being questioned about a murder of a co worker and then later in the past we see them questioned about another murder . We do know between the couple who murdered who and who felt the consequences. very different story

When I received this book, I had to stop everything I was doing to read this! It is excellent and valuated why I love all Peter Swanson books!

This is about Thom and Wendy Graves and their life starts with the ending and takes the reader to the beginning. You learn all the secrets in between and the good live they have built for themselves. The time span is 1982 to 2023. So much happens from ending to beginning. I liked reading 2023 first and finding out why it ended the way it did. The reader will see the dysfunctional love story play out.

Thom is an English teacher in his mid fifties, has a drinking problem and a cheater. Wendy is beautiful and smart. She received an inheritance from her first husband after he died in an accident. She wants her current husband Thom to be dead and has once tried to kill him.

Once I was finished, I reread the ending and it is a great one!

Stunning, Brilliant Writing and a Toxic Love Story!

5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This book will be released 6/10/25.

#KillYourDarlings #NetGalley
Outstanding. 5 ⭐
IT'S A MURDER MYSTERY IN REVERSE 😱
Peter Swanson’s Kill Your Darlings is a riveting psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of marriage, morality, and the enduring weight of shared secrets. Told in reverse chronological order, the narrative unravels the story of Thom and Wendy Graves, a seemingly ordinary couple whose lives are built around a dark and chilling act from their past.
Likes :-
1 Unique Structure: The reverse storytelling is masterfully executed, gradually peeling back the layers of Thom and Wendy’s marriage to reveal the shocking event that binds them. It’s a fresh approach that keeps the reader intrigued.
2 Character Depth: Both Thom and Wendy are deeply flawed yet compelling characters. Their inner conflicts and deteriorating trust create a fascinating exploration of loyalty and guilt.
3 Atmospheric Setting: The New England backdrop, with its quiet charm juxtaposed against the couple’s unsettling dynamic, enhances the story’s tension.
4 Twisted Morality: The novel effectively explores how a single act can define a relationship, forcing readers to question where their sympathies lie.
Dislikes :-
None.
Overall :- Kill Your Darlings is a dark and thought-provoking exploration of love, betrayal, and the lengths people go to preserve their secrets. With its unconventional narrative and morally ambiguous characters, it stands out as an engrossing domestic noir. While it stumbles in pacing at times, its unique storytelling and psychological depth make it a compelling read for fans of character-driven thrillers.
It's a murder mystery in reverse so please give your ratings. It's hard to write such a book.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this darkly twisted tale, Thom and Wendy’s 25-year marriage is built on love, secrets and… murder. The author’s backward timeline of the chilling exploration of loyalty, betrayal, and the deadly price of secrets make this novel an easy read.

3.5 Stars

Wendy and her husband Thom are both respected academics with Wendy having published a book of poetry and Thom being a tenured professor. They have built themselves a good life and live in a nice home in a quaint New England town overlooking the water. Everything seems to be going well for them except for one small thing: Wendy wants Thom dead!

The novel spans from 1982 through 2023, but it starts in 2023 and works its way back to finish in 1982. It’s a very interesting concept. However, I can’t say that it worked for me with this novel. We start out in 2023 with a bang and then work our way backwards. While there are certain twist and turns, there wasn’t much to hold my attention. I found myself getting bored. Some chapters./years are dedicated towards major milestones in their lives, but then other chapters/years delve into their dynamic and give insight into why Wendy wants to murder Thom. It just felt a bit choppy to me and not fluid enough for me as a reader to hold my attention.

Now for that ending….. I totally missed it the first time. I think it was because I fully wasn’t paying attention due to what I described above that when I hit the acknowledgments, I knew that I had to have missed something. I flipped back and reread and had that. Ohhhhhhhhh moment. It was a good ending for sure.

This book is certainly a good read. I just have read a ton of Swanson’s previous books and while this is up there, it’s not the best but that’s just my opinion. There are a ton of glowing reviews and five star ratings out there with mine being an outlier opinion. If you've never read Swanson before, I think this is a great one to start with and even if you have totally give it a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I find this book kinda hard to review because I’m not really sure how I felt about it. Swanson has become a go-to thriller author for me even though he’s had a few misses. This one is definitely for the Kind Worth Killing crowd as it follows a similar storyline about a couple, I don’t wanna reveal too much because it’s best to just let the story unfold. The thing about this book is that it’s told in reverse, which is a very tricky tactic for a thriller because it’s hard to be truly surprised - and I think that’s why I wasn’t fully on board with this book as a whole but the FINAL chapter wrapped everything up so perfectly (the last sentences are the best reveal of the whole book) and then I understood the point of doing it this way. It does make for a kind of confusing read at times though because you have to keep reminding yourself that it’s a backwards timeline.

Writing a story backwards is such a cool idea and I was curious to see how it would work. It was definitely an interesting way to tell a story. Kill Your Darlings starts out great and has a brilliant ending, but I did find it a bit dull and tedious in the middle. Mostly I found this book depressing. As you go further back in time, you see how happy, connected and in love Wendy and Thom used to be, and it was just sad knowing how it eventually ends. I did wonder how a book that ends in 1982 could provide any sort of closure to a book that begins in 2023. Peter Swanson pulls it off though in a very clever way. I can't say this is my favorite Peter Swanson book, but it was a cleverly told, unique portrait of a marriage poisoned by its start with a fabulous ending. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

With a clever premise and backwards storytelling, #KillYourDarlings starts off with a bang and hooked me right in. Then about halfway, it got tedious. Thom was SO wearisome, with his existential angst, his insecurity, and drinking. I got bored and no ending, however much of a mic drop, could make up for the SLOWEST middle.

P.S. thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Peter Swanson has become one of my favorite authors. This new novel, Kill Your Darlings, is excellent (just like his other books I’ve read). I usually don’t like stories told in reverse, but it works for this perfectly constructed novel. I’ll be recommending it to my friends who like “unputdownable” fiction books.

This one was not for me. The storyline didn’t flow well and I could not connect with the characters.
****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This hit the spot for the kind of thriller I’ve been DYING to read. This was one of the most cleverly executed books from the first page straight to the last. I actually gasped at the last page. Absolute perfection 👏🏻

Kill Your Darlings begins with Wendy wanting her husband Thom dead. The first chapter ends with a bang and we then go back in time throughout their relationship to find out how everything led to this.

I knew this had to jump the line on my TBR the second I was approved. This was twisty, exciting, brilliant - I could go on and on. I think I’m gonna have to go back and read every Peter Swanson book I haven’t read to chase this high.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!