Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Finlay is a mess...and it was a blast to read. This book verges on funny just how much she is going through and struggling with, and while at times it is over the top, it's also relatable because every single human being is struggling with at least something, so reading about characters who aren't perfect and rooted in real time feels like a much needed reassurance to get. Awesome book, and despite all that Finlay struggles with and does at points, she is now one of my favorite fictional characters!

Received an ARC from NetGalley!

This was a fun read. I actually was guessing up until the end of the book of how it would end and all plots tied up together.

This poor woman just had all odds against her. It wasn't her day or week in the beginning of the book. But with random chances, miscommunications, lots of adventure, and two hot guys - her luck turns around.

Treat yourself to a murder! FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT is @ellecosimano's adult debut mystery, and I could not put it down. Thanks @minotaur_books and @netgalley for the e-ARC. Out 2/2/21 in the U.S.

Let's set the stage: Finlay Donovan, struggling author and single mother, is late on her upcoming next book. Her advance has run dry, her bills are racking up, and now she has to meet with her agent over lunch to discuss her very overdue manuscript. But her conversation is overheard and misunderstood, and suddenly Finlay receives a job offer to “dispose” of a terrible man, as a contract killer. This offer would alleviate some of her financial woes, but she won't actually go through with it... or will she? And then shit happens.

!!!

This book is Santa Clarita Diet (one of my favorite TV shows) meets murder mystery. There is less gore and no zombies, but the bodies are piling up left and right with humor galore. It feels fresher and more feminist than other mystery series that I could compare it to (such as the Stephanie Plum books).

Get your popcorn ready for this twisty, well-paced mystery. It's the kind of romp I love. The only problem now is waiting for book 2 to be announced

The plot, overall, was interesting enough to sustain my interest but I found the narrator bothersome and the nanny was the only character I actually liked. The writing itself is clunky and the plot points are loudly telegraphed. Definitely won't be bothering to read the sequel but if they make a tv show, I'm down for that.

If you like shows like “Dead to Me,” “Ginny and Georgia,”and “The Good Girls,” you'll enjoy this book. This reads exactly like a binge-able Netflix series and was easy and quick to get through. Fin and Vero are enjoyable and likeable characters, they're relationship is very precious and something you only hope to have as a suburban single mother.

Although enjoyable and very much a comfort read, this type of story is something I've come across before whether on tv or other murder mystery type stories. The twists and turns were eloquently made though some were predictable. I won't be continuing the series but the ending did make me chuckle.

Not sure how I feel about this one. It was a cosy mystery with a sprinkle of comedy. I felt like the book never excelled in either theme, as a mystery nor as a comedy. The plot was far-fetched and it could've done without the romance subplots. But all in all, it wasn't terrible, just nothing exceptional.

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT ABOUT?
Finlay Donovan is a writer of romantic crime novels who is struggling to meet her deadline—that's not true, she's so late that her publisher is on the verge of demanding a return of her advance.

What's caused her to get behind is turmoil and upheaval in her life—she's in the middle of a messy divorce, she has almost no money for rent (paid to her soon-to-be-ex to live in their house), food, or gas. Her husband's lawyer is gearing up to wrest custody of their kids from her. This has shot her confidence, her trust in herself, and her ability to focus on anything.

So, she's in a Panara, meeting her long-suffering agent, trying to get a little more time for the overdue novel, and is overheard by someone at a nearby table. This woman is convinced that Finlay is describing a contract killing and offers her a good sum of money to kill her husband.

Finlay doesn't want to take the job—because she's not a monster—but is curious about the husband, does a little research on him, and then arranges to meet him. Shortly thereafter, he's killed. Finlay and her kids' nanny, Vero, dispose of the body (to keep from having to answer uncomfortable questions).

Finlay soon has a guilty conscience, a healthy dose of paranoia, a nice stack of money, a referral for another job, and (most importantly) a plot for her new novel. She and Vero form an alliance to deal with it all—and, well, things go nuts from there.

HOW WAS THE NARRATION?
Angela Dawe's narration was solid—she captured the comedic sense of the novel along with the tension and emotional moments. There were a few accents involved and she did a believable job with them, too. This book really was a balancing act between the various tones and characters, and Dawe dealt with it admirably.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT?
I really don't have a lot to say about this one, as much as I've tried. It's a clever idea and it was executed well. I think the pacing could've been a bit tighter—it seemed like there was a good amount of wheel spinning at the end of the second act/beginning of the third. Not enough to turn me off of the book, but enough to make me impatient.

This is a good mix of suspense, quirky humor, and a dash of romance. I enjoyed the characters and situations. I'm pretty curious about where the second book is going to take the characters and hopefully answer a couple of lingering questions I have. For example: why was Vero so willing to throw her lot in with Finlay and jump into this life of crime (or a life adjacent to crime)?

It's a fun ride, you should give it a whirl.

I should know by now that I have a very specific set of genres I enjoy.

This book follows Finlay, a recently divorced author that needs money. Through a misunderstanding, she is offered $50k to murder someone. When she accidentally does this, her life is turned upside down.

There wasn't anything particularly bad about this book. It was fine. Just kind of boring. I didn't really care for the characters or the plot. I just think contemporary fiction, unless it's cute romances, just isn't for me.

The audiobook narrator was good though!

“Thank you,” I said, genuinely sad for her when I thought of all the heartbreak ahead of her— all the phalluses just waiting to be drawn in the dust on the windshield of her future. I wanted to tell her to run. To save herself while she still could. But I had been about the same age when I'd fallen for Steven, and if anyone had told me he'd turn out to be a philandering creep, I never would have believed them.'

It is hard to sum up how much I love this book. For me, this is the perfect comedy novel. There were moments where I didn't want to turn the page because I knew what was about to happen and it was making me cringe too hard (but in the best possible way).

If the setup doesn't swing you, I don't think we can be friends: Finlay is the author of romantic mystery novels and a newly single mother of two young kids, struggling to keep her house afloat and meet her agent's deadlines. At lunch with her agent, in disguise because she's been banned from the establishment for throwing soup on her ex's new girlfriend - she is mistaken for a hit-woman and accidentally hired to kill this woman's husband. Things get worse when she accidentally fulfills the hit! Now, she has a bag of dirty money, and a dead body, and still needs to finish that novel. What's worse, she finds herself in a love triangle with a hot cop Nick, and a trainee lawyer/sexy bartender Julian. Can Finlay finish her novel, stop her husband from taking custody of the kids, work out her feelings, and - ideally, obviously - not go to jail for murder?

This novel is just full of hijinks, Finlay spends most of the book trying desperately to get out of one tight corner only to box herself into an even tighter one. Each time, you can see the car crash coming and you just want to scream at Finlay to stop! It is delicious and hilarious and the romance is enthralling as well. One of my favorite books of the year.

This book is a fun and engaging mystery with a down to earth protagonist who just cannot seem to avoid mishaps in her life. One event after another goes horribly wrong until Finlay Donovan is stuck in a situation that could rip her whole life to shreds. While this sounds tragic, the story manages to remain light and funny. To put it simply, this book a good time.

Finlay Donovan's life is in complete disarray as the story opens. She is divorced from a cheating ex-husband who is currently threatening to take primary of custody of her children. The deadline for her latest book, which she hasn't even begun writing, is fast approaching. While discussing her book with her agent, a woman overhears the conversations and mistakenly believes that Finlay is a hitwoman and hires her to kill her husband. From there, chaos ensues.

Finlay's life is a disaster, but it is so entertaining to read about. She is a humorous character who takes life's punches and still keeps getting back up. She laughs off some things, but also panics when things get out of hand. Just as most normal people would. The witty banter between her and Vero, her nanny, keeps things light-hearted, even though the subject matter is anything but. As a reader, I felt a little guilty laughing at Finlay's mishaps, but the dialogue was so funny that it was impossible not to do so.

The twists and turns in the plot are pretty far-fetched, but somehow completely believable within the context of the story. One of the best things about the book is how certain coincidences lead to some pretty crazy situations for Finlay. She manages to find a way out of many situations, not because of skill but because of luck and coincidence.

I love that this book takes situations to an almost farcical extreme and uses humor to lighten the mood. It is not a believable chain of events, but it is definitely entertaining. I would recommend this book to just about anyone.

At first I thought this book was going to be similar to Nora Goes Off Script, at least for the first couple of chapters, but then it went every other direction possible. I loved all of these characters. Vero stressed me tf out, ngl, but I loved her. I loved hating Theresa and Steven. They were awful. I love that Julian won out over Nick. I definitely need to purchase more of this series. I will say that I was let down that it was Aaron who did it. I get that it's fun to make the most unlikely character the one “whodunnit” but it wasn't satisfying at all to find out. Oops. Spoilers. I will say that the most terrifying part of this book is how after thinking she had fully murdered another human, Finn did not have any sort of existential crisis...she didn't even cry. Wild. And once again reading about a mom character has further solidified my absolute desire to never have children. lol