Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Finlay Donovan is a recently divorced mother of two struggling to make ends meet as an author close to being dropped by her publisher. An eavesdropper misunderstands a conversation with Finlay’s agent and slips a note into her bag with a name and the promise of $50,000. Sure, the bills are piling up and her life is falling to pieces but she can’t kill a man… right? And how does the Russian mob fit into all this?

This was like a comedy of errors in the best way and it’s the only way I’m okay with the miscommunication trope. I could easily see this as a series similar to Psych and I’d watch the hell out of it. The relationship between Finlay and Vero was so good; she’s the partner that Finlay always needed. I really want to see more of Vero’s world as the series moves forward. Both of the potential love interests were fun to have around and didn’t overshadow Finlay’s personality. I can’t even bring myself to knock off points for how unrealistically down so many of these people are to commit any number of crimes.

After reading a bunch of hot garbage recently, I really needed this book in my life. Elle Cosimano hit a great blend of comedy and mystery with a dash of romance. I’m already itching to dive into book 2!

Content Warnings

behindherpages's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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leahdanielle131's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ooh I loved this one. Probably partly because this is set just right near where we live, but it's also so well written and very fun and super funny. I love the idea of just completely accidentally becoming a hitwoman. I'm very excited to read more of this series and more of this author in general.

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thiasgomez's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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amyjmcd's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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brandie_abbie19's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I almost DNFed this book about 15% of the way through. I struggled with the ridiculousness of the set up of the story (how Finlay got into the situation she did), and even though I’m a mom I had a hard time connecting with her struggle to make ends meet and her dumb decisions to lash out at her ex and his fiancé. But I powered through and I’m so glad I did! I think I just needed to be in the right headspace to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy how the story progressed. Sometimes Finlay was a little slow to see what was actually happening even though I knew as the reader, but there were still lots of questions and details to give it a good mystery.

I feel like the stuff with Patricia and the shelter boyfriend wrapped up way too quickly, especially since he was the true murderer?? That felt like a big loose end that just disappeared. Also she just left Nick in the dust? And the hot bartender just listened to her story and accepted her as is? Lots of plot holes and easy fixes to some things that were a big deal throughout the book.

I loved the parallel storylines between the book she was writing and reality- I wish I could read her book! Lol. While I was slow to read this book at the start, I read faster and faster until I flew through the end. I’m looking forward to reading more.

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