“Getting the job done” for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It.One of “The Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2021” —ParadeOne of “The Most Anticipated Debuts of 2021” —BustleOne of “The Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021” —GoodreadsOne of “The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2021” —Crimereads “Funny and smart, twisty and surprising.”—Megan …
“Funny and smart, twisty and surprising.”—Megan Miranda
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.
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If you enjoy a fun, cozy mystery, this is for you! Finlay Donovan is an aspiring author, recently divorced, and life around her is seeming to collapse.
Out of the blue, all of her literary and financial problems are solved by a note dropped in her lap at Panera. From here she is entwined in mob activities and she must figure things out before she ends up in prison or worse!
With a little luck and a good friend, she is able to narrowly escape through several tricky situations.
I loved this book. Findlay and Vero are an awesome some duo. I’m looking forward to more of their adventures.
Finally. FINALLY!
I’ve been waiting for something to break me out of this slump, and Finlay Donovan has done it!
I was captured from the very beginning, a struggling mom of 2, a stupid ex husband and his new companion, and a misunderstood conversation over heard in a Panera.
I seriously spent this entire book, trying to solve the mystery, and I didn’t figure it out until Finlay did, although all the havoc all over town with an alias made me WEAK.
I kept snorting, and my kid kept checking to see if I was ok.
I can’t wait to read more from this author. That ending! I wanna see what’s next for Finlay Donovan & Vero as well!
Edgar-nominated author Elle Cosimano’s adult debut has everything I love ― a plucky protagonist, perfect plot twists and Panera! Finlay Donovan is not only killing it ― she just may be my new favorite character. You won’t be disappointed.
When you’re already laughing out loud a few pages into a book, you know it’s going to be a good time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this comedic mystery and am so glad it’s the start of a series. The premise is FANTASTIC, the writing stellar, and the humor on point. Finn is an easy character to root for, and even though the romantic interests (yes, there’s more than one!) felt somewhat contrived, in the end, I found I didn’t care. I was game for the ride and having too much fun to nitpick!
My only quibble is that the humor I enjoyed so much at the start of the book waned as the story went on. Maybe that’s what happens when you become an unintentional “assassin,” but I did miss those moments of snark and hilarious POV later in the story that hooked me at the start.
Regardless, I cannot wait to see what’s in store next for Finn (and Vero).
RATING: A- (4½ stars)
(Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.)
Quirky and fun light reading
my 6.5 year old asked multiple times at the final chapters “why do you keep laughing and saying oh no???” that’s how much I enjoyed this book! The first 20ish pages didn’t grip me, but the second Steven, the ex-husband threatened going for full custody I was hooked. So glad I gave it a second chance because I was gripped trying to figure out the REAL killer and how it was going to play out. Now I can’t wait for the sequel. The final page leaves you in a major cliff hanger – and now I’m just left wondering who wants Finlay to take out this person.
4.5/5
If you are looking for a super fun mystery that will make you laugh Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is where it’s at!! This was a hilarious and engaging debut novel, and I enjoyed everything about it. The writing was wonderful, the mystery and contract killer parts amazing, and I even loved the way our main character Finlay found herself in the middle of all this. I was very excited to learn this is officially book 1 of a series, and I really hope Cosimano writes a bunch of them because I don’t think I could ever get sick of Finlay. She has such a great personality, and I really enjoyed the way she is written. She felt incredibly real to me as well as all of the other characters which is always a plus! I think this is a great book to go into mostly blind so I am going to try to stay away from the actual plot as much as I can. This is easily something that can be read in 1 day and 1 sitting, and I loved how quick the pacing moved.
I also have to mention how wonderful the audiobook is. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is narrated by Angela Dawe and she was FABULOUS! I love when narrators hit it out of the park and that is exactly what Dawe did. She made the perfect Finlay and I really hope she will continue narrating for however long this series lasts. It is tough for me to decide, but I might have to say this is even better on audio than it would have been reading it. There was just something so amazing about Dawe and she brought a lot to the story and characters for me. And can I just mention the cover? I know authors don’t really have too much say in them, but WOW! I love the cover for this book, and I also love the cover for book 2, and was very happy they are complimentary. I feel like illustrated covers are hugely popular right now and I love it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I don’t read a lot of mystery, but this title came to me highly recommended and I loved it. So funny, smart, women-centered, and an engaging mystery rounds it all out. Now it’s my turn to highly recommend – Check it out!
Elle Cosimano is killing it! Truly, this was such a great read! A change of pace from everything else out there.
This was so witty and hilarious, yet full of murder, mystery and intrigue (anyone else hearing Michael Scott here?? “There has been a lot of murder and a lot of intrigue…” )
I absolutely loved everything about this book and can’t wait for the next in series! So good!
Finlay Donovan is a character that will take you on a wild and hilarious ride along with her nanny/accountant. What a great duo has hit the scene!! There are so many moments that made me burst out laughing. The book is fast paced and the characters are definitely memorable. I am thrilled to know there will be another book coming out next year. I can’t wait to see what happens next for Finlay.
4.5 Stars!
I call this type of book Women’s Fic/Mystery/Suspense (with a little wit and romance on the side.) It’s the second book of this type that I’ve read in the last week and it’s everything I wanted Arsenic and Adobo (by Mia P. Manansala) to be, but wasn’t.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It was a snarky and suspenseful mystery with superb character and plot development. I loved Finlay and all of the different relationships she had within the pages. How she managed to get into her darkly comedic predicaments were maybe self-inflicted and a little over the top, but they worked fluidly into the storyline and created a crazy and fun scenario. Finlay also had her college-aged nanny as a proactive and creative cohort, which made for a really fun duo who played well off each other. I also enjoyed the way the author built tension between Finlay and each of the two romantic interests. It was perfect. I rooted for both men, but was completely satisfied with how it wrapped up.
In the end, Finlay not only had to bumble her way through a precarious murder mystery, she also needed to figure out her writer’s block, financial situation, and a way around her conniving ex-husband. All of which was handled with a deft writer’s hand. This author left me completely satisfied, yet also clamoring for the next book after a surprising hook in the epilogue.
Y’all… the hype is real on this one!
Even days after finishing this book, I’m not sure if I can adequately express my enjoyment of this book. It was such a far fetched story, yet it was immensely enjoyable. It was funny and light hearted, even when dealing with a heavy subject as a murder-for-higher. I think that many women can see themselves in Finlay, she’s just a hot mess just trying to keep it all together for her young kids. This book had me hooked from the first page until the last, and could easily be a binge worthy book (I probably would have if my kids hadn’t needed me).
: The first thing I did after I finished this book was to look to see what other books this narrator has narrated on. I loved her voice and how easily she was able to change her voice for the different characters. If you’re looking for a good audiobook, I HIGHLY recommend this one!
The premise behind this story was quite interesting, with an author getting caught up in a contract to kill situation. There were multiple times that I was yelling at Finlay in my mind while reading. There were some shenanigans that had me laughing and some real life home situations that showcased the raw and real of parenting. I enjoyed the ride this story took me on!
Lots of fun and not you’re run of the mill story.
This book is a very good read. It is very funny. I love the scrapes Finlay gets into and how they are resolved. The characters are loveable and you are pulling for them. Extremely entertaining.
Best-Selling Author or Killer for Hire?
Finlay is a delightful mess and she’s someone I would love to be friends with. Her practicality and imagination lead to an unexpected murder, cover-up, and the race against the clock to solve it before she’s arrested for a crime she didn’t mean to commit.
I’ve seen several positive reviews over the last several months, so I had to give it a go. I didn’t really know what to expect but found a little happy nostalgia when hints of Stephanie Plum-esque vibes bled through over the course of the book. I’m extremely excited to see what Elle does with Finlay’s next adventure!
I adored the narrator, Angela Dawe. Her voices for each character are fantastic and she was so easy to listen to. I highly recommend the audiobook.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
I don’t know why this book appeals to so many people. I don’t think it’s funny. I can’t say that the main character doesn’t do anything to me. She gets on my nerves. That she does. So the book doesn’t leave me indifferent. But I cannot identigy with ms Donovan. Not in the least.
A fun read.
A thoroughly enjoyable romp, Finlay Donovan is Killing It is the newest release from Elle Cosimano, author of thrillers for teens and adults. This title is aimed toward an adult audience, but older teens might enjoy it as well. Dismayed by her current circumstances, Finlay Donovan is a single mom whose life is on the brink of collapse. Her middling literary career is stalled out, she is in danger of breaching the contract on her next book and is already deeply in debt despite her small advance. To add to her troubles, her ex-husband and his enviable fiancé are threatening to sue for custody of their two young children. It is no surprise then, that her desperation leads her to contemplate an outrageous offer of a job as a contract killer. A woman overhears Finlay’s description of her latest work-in-progress and jumps to the conclusion that Finlay might provide the solution to her dangerous marriage. Even though she explains that the woman is mistaken, Finlay’s insatiable curiosity leads her to stake out the proposed target. Through a series of unlikely events, this decision drops Finlay right into a murder mystery that rivals her wildest literary imaginings. All the tropes are here: the inept “fish-out-of-water” heroine whose bravery and luck alternatingly places her in danger and saves her; the side-kick Nanny who comes to her aid, but also becomes overly enthusiastic; the cop and the bartender who vie for her affections; and the one-dimensional stereotypical bad guys that menace but underestimate her. To Cosimano’s credit, these well-worn roles are refreshingly depicted, and wholly engaging despite their familiarity. Fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum or Lisa Lutz’ Izzy Spellman would be delighted to discover this book, as well as devotees of the old “I Love Lucy” escapades. Finlay Donovan is Killing It is a truly enjoyable read, with a main character who is relatable and fun to watch in a “train-wreck” sort of way. It would not be surprising if this title were swooped up to be developed into a movie or series that would be a huge success if given the right treatment and casting.
Thanks to the author, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.