Finlay Donovan is Killing It
Ratings227
Average rating4
Well, “[b:Finlay Donovan Is Killing It 53138099 Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Finlay Donovan, #1) Elle Cosimano https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659447956l/53138099.SY75.jpg 79311104]” by [a:Elle Cosimano 5444060 Elle Cosimano https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1432140791p2/5444060.jpg] has certainly and clearly managed to kill any link to reality early on...Finlay Donovan, desparate housewife, mother of two, divorced from her serial-cheating husband and in a custody battle with him over their kids, who has probably swatted a fly or two at worst, accidentally murders a person, tries to hide that together with her children's nanny and goes on to stumble from one mess into the next.Ok, I knew I would likely have to suspend my disbelief a little more forcefully with this one than with other books but the premise didn't prepare me for the utter nonsense that this book consists of. Not only is Finlay an uncoordinated mess, massively behind at writing her book, drowning in bills and debt, no, she doesn't really get anything done but hopes things will magically resolve themselves somehow.And, in fact, in this book they actually simply do: Her nanny keeps pushing her in the right direction, the cops are stupid, the witnesses are blind and ruthless, hardened mobsters make rookie mistakes...Finlay herself is unbelievably and annoyingly naïve. Right when she realises she's in deep and the mafia is involved she has a brilliant idea...»Then I would do the most adult thing of all. I would throw the backpack full of cash at her and run before she had a chance to stop me. Possession was nine-tenths of the law. I wasn't sure whose law, or if the mafia even cared about the law. But math was math, no matter who was holding the calculator.«All of this could maybe have been funny or at least interesting but, basically, the story is moving slowly and sedately. At no point is there any real danger or even a feeling of real urgency. It's just meandering along without any real highlights nor any great lowlights.I was never completely bored but the “just one more chapter” (or even sentence!) drive was completely missing for me. Never did I feel engaged, worried for Finlay (whom I remained indifferent towards) or even Vero (the nanny, whom I actually liked better than Finlay). At every single stage of this “mystery” I knew that nothing truly bad would ever happen.Also, mystery? There simply is nothing mysterious here! (Apart, maybe, from the daftness of every single character!) The “twists” were mostly predictable and so strongly foreshadowed I found myself completely unsurprised.Pretty much the only redeeming quality of this book is that its story as a whole is just barely interesting enough to want to know how it ends - and even that is messed up because the publisher for reasons unknown obviously contracted the author for two books...Three out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam
I wanted to fall into the slapstick situation of Finlay and enjoy the goofy ride. This book had fun and laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, much of the plot was cringe worthy. Still worth reading, but it will take many 4+ star reviews to have me read the next installment.
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!
Solid 3.5 stars. A fun read but a bit obvious in places. It often felt unfocused, like the author couldn't decide on a genre so she picked like three. Which totally could have worked, but instead resulted in a strange mix of tones throughout the book.
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.
Listened to the audiobook version. I loved it!
A great read! I loved the cast of characters Finlay finds herself involved with. I can't wait to read the next one!
So funny. Loved her inner dialogue.
So excellent. I gave it a 4 only because of a couple of minor plot holes. More review to come...
This book was so much fun - I found myself laughing out loud and reading quotes from it to my fiance, who also found the deadpan humor and snarky dialogue hilarious. I loved Finlay's character, found Vero to be a perfect sidekick, and generally enjoyed every page!
I'm having so much fun reading this book. I think this is my first time reading this kind of satire boom. The topic is serious but the plot is mixed between mystery & comedy, I find myself giggle couple of times. Oh, and I feel so relate with Finn and everything about the motherhood sarcasm.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It was definitely a BookstaMadeMeDoIt and then let it sit on my shelf for a while after I got it. That tends to happen a lot.
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.
★ ★ ★ 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.
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.
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