Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson is a witty and charming novel that explores the relationship between a true crime junkie, Phoebe Walsh, and her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, who she thinks might be a serial killer. The novel is a delightful mix of romance, comedy, and true crime that will keep readers entertained until the very end.

Phoebe is a relatable character who is struggling to finish her dissertation on true crime while dealing with her own anxieties about the world around her. Her obsession with true crime is a major part of her personality, and it's used to great effect throughout the book, with references to real-life serial killers and their crimes. The way in which Phoebe's childhood and personality are linked to her interest in true crime is well done, and it's clear that the author has done her research on the topic.

The romance between Phoebe and Sam is the heart of the novel, and it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book. The slow burn nature of their relationship is believable and the way in which Sam gradually wins over Phoebe's heart is both sweet and heartwarming. Sam is a genuinely nice guy, and it's easy to see why Phoebe is attracted to him. Their chemistry is palpable, and their interactions are always entertaining.

One of the highlights of the book is the side characters, particularly Phoebe's little brother, Connor, and her old friend, Alison. Connor is a hilarious addition to the novel, and his relationship with Phoebe is one of the most endearing aspects of the book. Alison is also an interesting character, and her reconnection with Phoebe shows that no matter how much time has passed, old friends will always be there for you.

The novel does have some flaws, however. At the start of the book, Phoebe isn't a particularly likable character, and her prickly personality can be off-putting. However, as the book progresses, Phoebe shows genuine attempts at character development and becomes a kinder and more thoughtful person. Additionally, some readers may find the true crime references and Phoebe's obsession with the genre to be too much.

Overall, Love in the Time of Serial Killers is an entertaining and enjoyable read that will appeal to fans of romance, true crime, and comedy. The novel's mix of genres is well done, and the characters are engaging and relatable. While the book may have some flaws, it's a great debut novel from Alicia Thompson, and I'm excited to read more from her in the future.

This was such a great book. I don't think I've ever read anything similar with a serial killer plot to it so I love the author did this. The cover is gorgeous and the inside is fun, witty, relatable and so entirely sweet. I adored the side characters and the romance. It felt genuine. Oh and the cat!! Lenore has my whole heart. This book truly had everything: friendships, family, pets, career and love. I'm so excited to read more from Alicia!

This was a book I'd had on my radar for a while - the plot sounded dark and witty: following a PhD candidate studying true crime who ends up living next door to a suspicious handsome guy who she suspects is a serial killer but she ends up falling for him.

Based on that concept alone, this book would definitely have been 5 star quality for me. However the story I actually got fell a bit flat for me. The fun serial killer plot died very early on and this novel was simply a romance story. Usually that wouldn't be a problem, but the main characters just weren't as in depth and as lovable as I would have liked (Conner and Shani were an absolute dream though, loved them!) and the chemistry between them felt like it came out of nowhere. 

Important issues were tackled in a really good way however, such as the main character being overweight, which was refreshing and presented in such a natural way without there having to be some uncomfortable experiences in there. Also emotional growth was handled wonderfully and was something I did enjoy in this one.

Overall, not the experience I was expecting and I simply just think that I wasn't the desired audience for this one. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

P.s. Love the cover! By far one of my favourite book covers this year.

I now know the hype around this book. I love it and can’t wait to read more form Alicia Thompson. Thanks for the ARC!

Loved this book. Phoebe is renovating her late fathers house. She is slightly obsessed with crime, even her Phd is based on it, so it is no surprise that she thinks her next door neighbour is up to no good. A fun read.

4.5*

This was such an enjoyable read. I really loved the depths given to Phoebe, the way she created walls around herself, her experience of grad school, how the 'prickly woman gradually reveals her soft side' theme was developed organically and believably.

The use of the true crime narratives was really well done too, with a sensitivity to the topic and a clear but not overdone link between that and Phoebe's childhood and personality.

An entertaining, witty, and caring romance that I'd definitely recommend

This book felt very much meh to me. It wasn't until 200 pages in that the plot began to get interesting. Sam was such a boring character, we saw no personality from him until they hooked up and even after that his personality was barely there. Phoebe was okay as a main character but i found a lot of her action annoying, she was so self-destructive which i get was part of her character arc but the ending of her finally changing her attitude felt so rushed it didn't justify 300 pages of her making weird decisions. The true-crime and pop culture references felt so forced and I got a lot of "I'm not like other girls" vibes from her when she mentioned stuff like taylor swift and dance moms and then followed up with a speech along the lines of "oh i only know about this from adverts and such, i have never willingly interacted with these things".

Idk this whole book just was not it for me, which is a shame because i really thought i would enjoy it. The characters, the plot and everything about it just fell flat.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House and Alicia Thompson for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

I loved Phoebe and Sam, and how they were the complete opposites! I also loved the true crime element of the story, which made the premise of the book sper unique.

I would definitely recommend if you're a fan of quirky, loveable characters.

Despite the title, there are no serial killers nor murders in this book (thankfully). Instead, we have Phoebe Walsh who’s fixated on true crime for as long as she remembers and she uses the genre for her Ph.D. dissertation. It’s also on her journey navigating life the way she’s comfortable with and the realizations she discover when that ground of foundation is shaken up.

From the start, we immediately see Phoebe’s cynical personality on how she associates true crime with how she views life. There’s a lot of true crime references and some jokes, which most of them go over my head. Personally, I’d rather not search it up myself as it would just trigger an onset of my own anxiety (lol). However, we learn more about Phoebe’s childhood and her formative years which makes her fixation on true crime make sense.

Phoebe was in her head a lot which makes it quite hard to root for her character arc and the romance brewing between her and Sam, especially as she’s adamant on her beliefs (despite them mostly being misbeliefs in a way). That’s not to say that I don’t like their romance and the story because I do and I was interested to read until the end. All that to say, I felt underwhelmed with how it went.

We don’t get to see much action until halfway into the book. While I can feel how much they cared for each other and understand that Sam is the type to fall first and fall hard, I didn’t get how it transitioned from mutual like and attraction to love. I assume it’s because of how the narrative is viewed through Phoebe’s POV that maybe I’m seeing things as she’s seeing them. But yeah, I don’t know where the shift in their relationship began and it felt like it happened quickly.

Again, I still liked this. I love the characters in the story and how they somehow helped her change her view of life, from the I-can-do-life-on-my-own mindset to her being open to have people in her life take care of her and her them. I’m also interested to read what else Alicia Thompson will write about.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

[Goodreads and Bookstagram [@pagesofcharm] review to be posted near publication date)

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House, Transworld for this eARC.

I know this book has received mixed reviews and I honestly think the main points of criticisms are all well-justified but by the end of the novel I was unashamedly won over. Yes, at the start of the book Phoebe wasn’t by definition a nice person, but she did show some genuine attempts at character development. Much of Phoebe’s prickly personality stemmed from her instinct to protect herself. This tended to translate to her being combative and pre-emptively hostile, especially when it came to her initial interactions with Sam. However by the end, Phoebe was sincerely trying to be a kinder and more thoughtful person.

OVERALL: Mirroring the heroine’s feelings towards her love interest, I took time to warm up to this novel. I was won over by the heartfelt character growth, the sweet sibling dynamic and the surprisingly swoony romance.

Would I recommend?… Yes, stick with it!

Love In The Time of Serial Killers


Thankyou to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for sending me an advanced reading copy…..but I will admit I was too impatient and still ordered myself a copy!

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She’s even analysing the genre in her dissertation - if she can finish writing it. It doesn’t help that she’s low-key convinced that her new neighbour, Sam Dennings is a serial killer. It’s not long before Phoebe realises that Sam might be something much scarier - a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armour to reach her vulnerable heart.

As a fellow true crime obsessed junkie I knew this book was going to be right up my street and it was indeed one aspect I loved about the book was the reference s to serial killers throughout because Phoebe has a habit of making any topic turn into serial killer talk and I was here for that.
Phoebe and Sam are adorable together as I expected them too be, her little brother Connor is so funny, I loved the side story of Phoebe reconnecting with her old friend Alison too, it shows no matter how much time has past and whatever else has happened, old friends will always be there for you.
Overall, if you want something a little bit quirkier, I highly recommend this.

Phoebe has just moved back to her childhood home to prepare it for sale after the death of her estranged Father. But an avid interest in true crime leads to some issues with the neighbours! I love a murder mystery, but Phoebe was a little bit too obsessed. And just generally not a great character. Loved Sam though!

I think this book might be a bit of an acquired taste, and I wasn't keen on it overall. A shame, I hope others enjoy it more!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

this was HILARIOUS! the romance mixed up with a murder mystery was great, i always love a good murder mystery. i liked the diverse cast of character (always nice you know) but it was slightly too predictable in my opinion which, in my opinion, is not necessarily a bad thing. on top of that, i wasn’t a big fan of phoebe and the spicy spicy scenes were not to my liking with slightly weird descriptions. 3.75⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the earc of Love in the Time of Serial Killers
I was excited to read this from the title and cover alone, the premise was right there for it to be a fun and enjoyable read.

Whilst we can all connect over the true crime aspects and it was fun following Pheobe throughout, however at times she was a mean and I was unsure why the author decided to portray her that way.

Im not the biggest romance reader but this one was a quick, cozy read.

I thought the premise of this was really good. I love a serial killer documentary so all the references were great. I also really liked Phoebe and was rooting for her to get her act together and fall in love! Only
Issue was the book was missing all the letter F’s, but just meant I had to guess some words haha

This combined two of my favourite things, True Crime & Romance.

Phoebe is a PhD candidate that’s obsessed with true crime, when she had to move back to her childhood home to help get it ready to sell after her father passed away. She bumps into the next door neighbour, who she’s convinced might be a serial killer…

I found this was actually a really funny and quirky book. Phoebe is very closed off and suspicious at the beginning of the book but she really becomes more likeable as the book goes on. As for Sam, the neighbour, he is honestly a sweet cinnamon roll and I feel like they complement each other perfectly.

I would definitely recommend this book!

Thanks @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Phoebe is VERY paranoid when she meets her new neighbor Sam. But also intrigued.
As we get to know both, we understand that in a life with not so perfect parents, Phoebe got obsessed with serial killers and built a wall around herself. Now she has to help her brother empty their dad's house, a house not filled with just good memories for her. And there is this neighbor doing suspicious things at suspicious times...
This was fun and cute...and yes, life can get dark and following serial killer stories can make you paranoid... and life can make you unsure as to who to trust.

*thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for access to the ebook against an honest review.*

Unfortunately I was unable to read this book due to formatting issues. My review is based on the blurb.

Phoebe is a true crime expert, specialising in serial killers. Fate brings her back to Florida where she has to sort out her estranged Father’s estate, finish her thesis and determine if the hottie next door is a serial killer.

This book is funny and I appreciated that Phoebe wasn’t your average protagonist for a romance book. It’s an easy book to read. However, I found the pace a little slow, especially in the latter half of the book when I was waiting for Phoebe to get out of her own way. I could have done with a little more spice and will they/won’t they tension. I would recommend it to readers who flock to the gentler size of romance reads, without hesitation. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to the author, her publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and easy to read. An adorable romance. Overall a funny, easy quick read.