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A review by bandysbooks
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Finlay Donovan is Killing It? Right? Not so much in my opinion. This book is just not for me. I went in hoping for something funny and light, but this was well past over the top, unbelievable almost to the point of existing in a different world, and ultimately required more suspension of disbelief than most science fiction or fantasy. It was just kind of messy, but not in the way I'd hoped.
Finlay is a relatable character initially. She's recently divorced from an unfaithful husband who left her for a younger woman. She's desperately trying to cope with now being a single mother to two very young children and building a career as a writer. When we're introduced to her she's stressed out, exhausted, and just barely scraping through life. She's still reliant on her ex-husband for financial assistance and he lords it over her in the douchiest of ways. I could 100% see Finlay in all of the stressed out, overworked moms that I know and was really rooting for her at the start.
But then we get into the plot and suddenly Finlay becomes wildly unrelatable to me. Without spoiling the plot, let's just say that Finlay makes a series of horrendous choices. She goes from smart, but exhausted to a complete idiot who stumbles her way through bad choice after bad choice and is only saved by those around her. What's worse is there's never really a time when she learns from all of these bad decisions.
I did really enjoy Vero, Finlay's nanny turned sidekick. She was much more rational and kind of seemed like the adult in most situations, but even still makes some very questionable decisions too.
Then there's the plot. It's a murder mystery with humor mixed in...but it's hard to take the bad guys seriously at all because they're just as bumbling as Finlay is. You can't tell me that on one hand the baddie is one of the most infamous crime bosses in a region, but on the other hand he leaves himself open to some of the dumbest resolutions possible. I had such a hard time taking any of it seriously.
The one saving grace of this book is the humor. I did find moments funny. Sometimes I even laughed just because most of the plot was just so silly. That said, I think this would've actually been better had she reigned the slapstick qualities of this back just a bit.
All in all, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I prefer a bit of subtlety to my humor instead of being beat over the head with it. I also find that if a book is supposed to be set in reality, I need it to have an actual grounding in reality instead of insane decisions for the sake of plot progression. (Clearly, I am in the minority with my feelings toward this book, so make sure you read all of the positive reviews for a balanced take.)
Finlay is a relatable character initially. She's recently divorced from an unfaithful husband who left her for a younger woman. She's desperately trying to cope with now being a single mother to two very young children and building a career as a writer. When we're introduced to her she's stressed out, exhausted, and just barely scraping through life. She's still reliant on her ex-husband for financial assistance and he lords it over her in the douchiest of ways. I could 100% see Finlay in all of the stressed out, overworked moms that I know and was really rooting for her at the start.
But then we get into the plot and suddenly Finlay becomes wildly unrelatable to me. Without spoiling the plot, let's just say that Finlay makes a series of horrendous choices. She goes from smart, but exhausted to a complete idiot who stumbles her way through bad choice after bad choice and is only saved by those around her. What's worse is there's never really a time when she learns from all of these bad decisions.
I did really enjoy Vero, Finlay's nanny turned sidekick. She was much more rational and kind of seemed like the adult in most situations, but even still makes some very questionable decisions too.
Then there's the plot. It's a murder mystery with humor mixed in...but it's hard to take the bad guys seriously at all because they're just as bumbling as Finlay is. You can't tell me that on one hand the baddie is one of the most infamous crime bosses in a region, but on the other hand he leaves himself open to some of the dumbest resolutions possible. I had such a hard time taking any of it seriously.
The one saving grace of this book is the humor. I did find moments funny. Sometimes I even laughed just because most of the plot was just so silly. That said, I think this would've actually been better had she reigned the slapstick qualities of this back just a bit.
All in all, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I prefer a bit of subtlety to my humor instead of being beat over the head with it. I also find that if a book is supposed to be set in reality, I need it to have an actual grounding in reality instead of insane decisions for the sake of plot progression. (Clearly, I am in the minority with my feelings toward this book, so make sure you read all of the positive reviews for a balanced take.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship