‘Finlay Donovan is Killing It’: the most relatable (and hilarious) bookish mom ever?

You know a book is good when the final page makes you whisper-shout to yourself, “Oh my fucking GOD!”

It’s a widely known fact that most moms are ready to kill someone by 8:30AM on any given morning.

I don’t read a lot of mystery books, but it’s a genre I’ve been wanting to read more from, so when I saw my entire bookstagram feed seem to collectively lose it over the release of the second book in this series, I had to see what the hype was about – and I’m so happy that I did, because this was easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

My Google search history alone was probably enough to put me on a government watch list.

Despite being thrown into the most ridiculously outlandish scenarios one after another, Finn is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever met in my life. She doesn’t have it together, she’s totally frazzled half the time, and she’s getting by on not much more than her dedicated love for her kids, sheer luck, and some spite. She’s absolutely hilarious and so endearing from start to finish, and as a mother of a young child myself, the way her love for her kids jumps off of every page won me over right off the bat.

“Because nothing screams innocent like a rotting corpse in three thousand feet of Cling Wrap!”

Perhaps the best part of this book for me, aside from how much I loved Finn by herself, is the incredible friendship between Finn and Vero and how delightful they are together. Their banter is so funny and authentic, and Vero herself is the best supporting character I’ve read in a long time. Too many books that feature woman/woman friendships don’t offer a fleshed-out view at that relationship, but Finlay Donovan really lets us see women supporting each other, going to bat for one another, and working together to make each other’s lives better, and it’s incredible.

My relationship with Panera was complicated. I liked their soup. Panera didn’t like that I’d poured it over another customer’s head.

All in all, Finlay Donovan is a hilarious, lovable mystery/comedy story that pans out in some of the most unlikely ways and keeps you on your toes. Despite the fact that I knew this would be a series, there were so many moments that had me genuinely wondering how Finn was going to come out of a situation. You definitely need to be a reader who’s comfortable with the suspension of disbelief since some of the scenes play out so conveniently well for Finn, but I truly didn’t mind that at all and loved watching the shenanigans play out. I’m so excited to continue this series and can’t recommend it highly enough!

Buddy read with Leslie! ♥

Vero is Latinx; Finn’s sister Georgia is a lesbian

— destiny ♥

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