Happy February, friends! Similar to the heroine in this month’s novel, I’ve been absolutely killing it. And by it I mean my reading goals—I’m now up to 9 books so far this year! I have had a busier month this February as my studio social is coming up and I am custom writing a 26-person murder mystery party, but it’s going to be fun so I can’t really complain. Moving on, this month’s novel is another Instagram favourite, Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. And to accompany this read, I made a Blue Fin cocktail.
Blue Fin Recipe
2oz Vodka
1oz Blue Curaçao
1.5oz Cranberry Juice
1oz Tonic*
1 Swedish Fish
*This is an optional ingredient.
In a shaker with ice, add vodka, blue curaçao, and cranberry juice. Shake for a few seconds then strain into a martini glass. Finish it off with a splash of tonic and garnish with a Swedish Fish candy.
This cocktail is simple, sweet, and good. It is definitely high on the sweet meter, so that is something to keep in mind. I added tonic this month as Finlay orders a vodka tonic at the bar when the story starts taking off. This isn’t my most elaborate addition, but it works with the novel and with the cocktail, so I’m sticking with it. The tonic nicely dilutes the sweetness of the cocktail. I will note that I used handcrafted tonic that was gifted to me at Christmas, not regular tonic water. The taste should be the same but generic tonic water will likely also add some carbonation. Anyway, I absolutely recommend this cocktail as it’s tasty and pairs perfectly with the sweet and sassy novel.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It Synopsis
(from book cover)
Finlay Donovan is killing it… except, she’s really not. As a stressed-out single mom of two and a struggling novelist, Finlay finds her life in chaos.
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. Finlay soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart as she becomes tangled in a murder investigation.
Review
“Sometimes… you can’t see the whole story until it’s laid out on the page, and the only way to figure out what happens next is to write your way through it…”
Y’all, it has finally happened… IT’S MY FIRST FIVE STAR BOOK! I was hovering between a 4.5 and a 5, but Tom (my husband) told me I should finally do a 5 since I really didn’t have any complaints and have been raving about this book for weeks. It feels weird to be coming in with no negative comments to say, but also nice to be fully positive at the same time. Alright, let’s get into my glowing review.
I liked this book immediately. It’s cute, relatable, witty, and fun. The writing isn’t overly complex, but it’s also not juvenile. The best way to describe the writing would be that it’s accessible to everyone while not pandering at the same time. Cosimano masterfully handles intense and dark topics, such as rape, without making the novel too heavy or sad. Having said that, she also deals with these topics in a respectful way. Sure, the novel is funny and witty, but those qualities never made me feel that she was minimizing the seriousness of the subject matter.
This was a really important positive point in Finlay Donovan is Killing It for me. I, honestly, worried going in that this suspense/comedy wouldn’t handle the dark nature of the story properly. So, I was really pleased to see how Cosimano perfectly balanced the humour with the drama without being inappropriate. As long-time followers of the blog will know, I love true crime podcasts. I have listened to most of the big ones, and I have often stopped listening to shows I originally enjoyed because they stopped being able to handle this balance. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a little comedy with my true crime, but not when it’s handled without care or respect. So, it was just really refreshing to read this novel.
In this same vein, the humour in this novel was great. It was definitely a darker style of humour, but I like that. It matched the story well, had me smiling to myself, and did its job in lightening up the story. I also liked seeing a thriller that wasn’t taking itself too seriously and an author who wrote the story she wanted instead of what people might have expected. And on that topic, I also absolutely loved the premise of this novel. Tom and I have been loving action/comedy lately, like the movie Red Notice. It can be so boring watching just an action movie, just a comedy, just a thriller. So, it’s been awesome seeing these genre mashups becoming more popular. And seeing a novel that was doing this same kind of thing was super exciting.
It is honestly very rare for me to be truly satisfied with a novel. I almost always predict the ending within the first few pages or feel bored because it feels like I’m reading a novel I’ve read before. So, I was unbelievably pleased to read a book with such a unique premise, that didn’t disappoint in what it was offering, and that I didn’t predict. I seriously devoured this unputdownable book just to find out what happened next. Also, it’s a trilogy and it has taken everything in me to not go buy the next in the series and read it immediately!
Beyond the writing and concept, the characters were awesome. Finlay is relatable in a “why can’t anything ever go right for me” way. And, though I’m not personally a single mom or a mom at all, the struggles of being a single mom seem genuine in this novel. Especially regarding the custody battles and conversations with the ex. These things didn’t feel overdramatized and just made me like Finlay more. She was a strong, smart character. And more than that, she was a strong, smart female character who did not need to rely on men for help.
The other characters in the story were decently fleshed out, interesting, and stood out. I’m interested to see if she delves deeper into some of the side characters in the rest of the series, but I didn’t feel like they were incomplete in this story. Overall, the characters meshed well together, and all added something unique to the novel.
I am so happy with Finlay Donovan is Killing It. And I’m completely surprised that an Instagram book lived up to the hype this much! I have already been recommending this one to everyone I’ve talked to recently, and I’m going to keep doing so. Will everyone love it as much as I did? Probably not. But for me, this was pretty much a perfect book. Especially as someone who’s two favourite genres are mystery/thriller/suspense and comedy. So, if anyone knows any other books in this same category please send them my way! As per usual, I do also highly recommend the cocktail for some fun, easy drinking.
My Rating:
Thanks for reading! And, if you read the book or try the cocktail let me know in a comment or on Instagram. Also, if you haven’t yet read my previous reviews, I recommend reading Fallen Anxious People and The Invisible Husband of Long Frick Island if you liked this one!
Teghann
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