Dull and forgettable. Those are the first two words that popped into my head when I finally finished this book. It was a wonder I didn’t put this book down after the first 60 pages, but I had made promises to review it so here we are. Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson made a lot of promises that it didn’t deliver on. I absolutely was swindled by a cute book cover and a professionally written synopsis with “come hither” vibes, but that’s not at all what I received. So buckle in, because I’m about to take ya’ll for a ride down this rambling rabbit hole of a mess Thompson created.
When I picked up Love in the Time of Serial Killers, I was expecting something of a rom-com. It sounded like a paranoid woman was moving in next door and was going to do some Nancy Drew type investigations to determine if her suspicious neighbor was a serial killer or just a hot guy with plausible deniability. Needless to say, that plotline was over and done with in the first 30 pages of the book.
Phoebe is obsessed with true crime to the point it borders on pretentious. Her father recently passed and it’s up to her and her younger brother to fix up the house in Florida to sell. During this time, she meets their neighbor, Sam, who she suspects for 30 seconds may be a serial killer, but then ends up finding him attractive.
I wish I could say there was more going on, but that’s it. That’s the whole plot in a nutshell. The whole book follows Phoebe being rude to everyone she meets and the author trying to make it seem like a quirk. Chapters include: cleaning the house, painting the house, working on a dissertation about serial killers, and trying to deny that she’s interested in an elementary school teacher who has an equally boring life.
Phoebe’s brother who’s trying to propose to his long-time girlfriend is more interesting than the main characters. The author tries desperately to make Phoebe relatable, but she’s a 12-year-old in a 30-year-old body. Her immaturity is glaring and I had to take a step back to remind myself this was supposed to be an adult. It was hard to believe that Sam was actually interested in her if I’m being honest.
And (spoilers ahead) the only reason she decided to take a chance on Sam after insisting they were having a summer fling and then leaving to finish up her schooling was because she thought he may have moved on to another girl. I’m not into the “I don’t want you, but I don’t want anyone else to want you either” mentality.
The author packs the story with numerous pop culture references that are too cool for you. We get it, Pheebs, you need everyone to know you have inside jokes. Overall, it was a drag to get through and I didn’t care for the political nonsense involved. Once you start dissing other authors in your story, I’ve checked out.
This isn’t one of the stories I typically review, given I mainly review indie authors, but I figured I’d add in some traditionally published works as well. If you feel so inclined, you can check out the book yourself and draw your own conclusions. I’m just glad I borrowed this one from the library. Happy reading!
Author Lauren Eason 