Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
Publication Date: August 16th 2022 by Berkley
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★½
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads
My
Thoughts:
Phoebe is back in Florida to clean out her estranged father’s
house after his death. She also must finish her dissertation for her PhD with
the subject of true crime, how the stories have been shaped based on reporting.
Her studies and upbringing have taught her to be careful and suspicious of
others, a view that isn’t a bad idea these days, IMO, but it’s also kept her
from allowing anyone to get close. So, when her next-door neighbor, Sam, hot as
he is, offers to help she immediately rebuffs him. However, after a bit of
persistence on his part Phoebe gets to know him better, gets closer, and the
mutual attraction they feel starts to grow.
I’m a Forensic Files/Dateline/true crime junkie as well so I appreciated all the references and I’m totally on board with being cautious. Phoebe had a lot of baggage from her parent’s ugly divorce, and the way her father treated her growing up. I did feel bad for Phoebe, but her prickliness got to me, and I had a hard time connecting to her. I adored Sam, he was a sweetheart and I wondered at times why he was interested. Phoebe’s brother, Connor, was a fun, nerdy, likeable character as well, and I was pleased how Phoebe was truly sweet to him. They had a great relationship despite the fact they were separated for a lot after the divorce.
Despite my issues with Phoebe and the fact I thought the story
could’ve been edited down a bit, I did enjoy Love in the Time of Serial Killers
overall. There was some fun, laugh-out-loud moments, and the romance was sweet
and steamy.
3.5 Stars
Book Description:
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.
