Love in the Time of Serial Killers

"DNF"

"With my unfailing love of rom-coms and all things true crime, I thought this book would be right up my alley and I was sort of right. I found the beginning of it really hard to get into. Likewise, I found Phoebe, the main character, really hard to like and it took a while to warm up to her. I’m all for sarcasm, but a lot of her interactions, especially with the love interest Sam, came off just mean. That being said, I did come to love her and her abrasive personality. She frustrated the hell out of me with her continually self sabotaging (more than some rom-com protagonists), but I was eventually charmed by her never ending love for true crime and her dry humor. The book DEFINITELY improved from the half way point to the end. Sam had A LOT to do with that. He was an incredible love interest. He was sweet, adoring, shy, attractive, etc. Just perfect! Him and Phoebe had pretty good chemistry once they got past a pretty bumpy beginning and their final confession/make up scene had me awwing and sighing all over the place. It’s not the best romance book I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone wanting a lighthearted quick read. Phoebe and Sam are worth it!"

"I’m going to start off by saying the one thing I did love about this book was that we finally got a character plus size who isn’t an ideal supermodel girl. 💖 This book was okay but I didn’t like it too much, Phoebe and Sam just didn’t connect with me. I was hoping more of a mystery but unfortunately that died within the first couple of chapters. "

"Didn't like this "

"Refreshing! ❤️ This book is socially conscious, introspective, and has some awesome themes around healing attachment wounds. The main character has some avoidant attachment tendencies from childhood trauma and emotional neglect. She pushes people away out of fear of rejection and worry about becoming too close and possibly abandoned. I love when a book focuses on main character growth, instead of narrow superficial conflict tropes. It was also uplifting and great to see that the protagonist was not a size 2 and that there was a positive portrayal of representation in bigger bodies, without making it the sole focus of the book. 💯 There are themes around mental health, attachment healing, grief, sociology, and other topics. I felt like the book could have gone a little deeper, regarding if the main character pursued therapy and the multiple complex facets of healing, systemic issues, however as a mental health professional I might be a little biased. Great read. "

"I see a lot of mixed reviews for this book, but overall I enjoyed it! Loved the true crime references. I really vibed with her conflicted feelings/memories of her complicated family relationships, though she definitely could have benefited from some therapy. Overall, this is a believable, body-positive rom com with a lot of processing and self-growth. "

"A fun read! I was cringing along with the main character during this one, so definitely quality writing "

"This was overall good. But it was honestly underwhelming especially considering all of its hype. "

"Good. Unpacked a woman who struggled with connection and a man who was ready to connect "

"This was an okay book. I thought the story and concepts were very unique. Although in some spots, I felt a disconnect. I just wish there were some things added to the end to really connect the whole book together. I just wasn’t satisfied with the ending. But, it was a good read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️"