Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson


Title: Love in the Time of Serial Killers
Author: Alicia Thompson
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 16, 2022





Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isn’t exactly conducive to modern dating—and one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when she’s used to suspecting the worst.

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She’s even analyzing the genre in her dissertation—if she can manage to finish writing it. It’s hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn’t had a relationship with for years.

It doesn’t help that she’s low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he’s clearly up to something). It’s not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier—a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart.










"I don’t regret giving you my heart, Phoebe. I just wish you’d taken more care with it.”

This is one of those times when a cover made me want to read the book. It also had a clickbait title for someone who likes to read thrillers and romance too.

Phoebe Walsh is doing her Ph.D. dissertation on true crime. She travels to Florida to have her dad’s house fixed before selling it. Her dad who was in his 50s passed away suddenly from a heart attack at the grocery store.

When she was a teenager Phoebe’s parents divorced. She left with her mother, and her brother Connor stayed with her father. This scarred her for life. She is closed off to love. She doesn’t trust easily and prefers to be a loner in the company of her serial killer books.

However, seeing her once best friend Allyson around is making her discover that she misses having a girlfriend she can count on. In addition, meeting her young neighbor Sam who is nice to look at, and spending time with her brother and his girlfriend are all causing her heart to thaw. Especially, when a feral cat enters her life too.

I liked the story but didn't love it. I did love Sam. He was sweet and supportive. I understood why Phoebe was so scared of opening her heart coming from a broken home but I thought she was really rude to Sam most of the time. I understand protecting yourself but I have no clue why Sam would let her treat him that way.

I will say that this novel has plenty of political comments so if you're like me who prefers romance without any of them in it, this might not be for you.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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