Love in the Time of Serial Killers is perfect for a body positive, feminist, who listens to true crime podcasts while scrubbing the toilet. It follows Phoebe, a true crime aficionado, as she writes her dissertation, cleans out her late father's house, and investigates the suspicious goings on of her (hot) neighbor. It is a story of a woman learning how to love and how to let others love her.
Ok, so I started this book right around Halloween when I was in a spooky season reading mood. I had just finished a bunch of witchy rom coms (The Ex Hex, The Kiss Curse, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and Small Town Big Magic). I was looking for something that mixed spooky and rom com energy, but, friends, this was not the best of both worlds. That's not to say it isn't a good book. With a never ending supply of cartoon cover romcoms that all seem to blend together, it is positively delightful to find a novel that so clearly knows what makes it unique. True crime is the selling point here.
I will forever remember this book as "the true crime one" which is great unless, like me, you aren't really a fan of true crime. I'm not really opposed to it, but I don't really understand how people become obsessed with it, which makes the protagonist, Phoebe, a little bit hard for me to relate to. After all, the best rom com heroines are the ones we project onto and Phoebe was simply not the large blank wall I needed. This is probably why the book didn't really hook me. I read a few chapters before setting it back down and leaving Phoebe to wait in my kindle while I listened to an entire audiobook. I had already added it to my DNF shelf on goodreads before I picked it up again and gave it another chance. Once it got going, this was a lovely book to read while I commuted or right before bed, but I never had an issue putting it down to get some sleep. It was good but not great.
One of the positive factors that actually stood out to me was the diversity of the women in the novel. Phoebe the protagonist is a plus sized woman, something we don't see enough of in romcoms, both in books and on our screens. So its incredibly refreshing to read a story where a fat woman isn't the butt of the joke and doesn't need a makeover to get the guy. We get to hear about some of the ways fat-phobia has impacted her relationship with her mother and a past boyfriend but Phoebe's size is not in any way the main focus of the book. She is a multifaceted, interesting, and often irritating character. She makes bad choices and hurts people she cares about even though she really tries her best not to. Overall, she is a strong character even if I don't really like her as a person.
Alison, Phoebe's childhood friend, was born in South Korea and adopted by white parents and raised in Florida. Her relationship with the presentation of adoption in media and her experience as an Asian child of white parents are both briefly mentioned. Alison is also married to a woman, making her the only LGBTQ+ character in the novel (we never actually meet the wife). She is honestly my favorite character. She is willing to reconnect with Phoebe, even though their friendship ended on rocky terms. She encourages her to adopt a cat and gives her all the information she needs to be a good cat mom. And she's a librarian. Solid win for me.
Shani, Phoebe's brother's girlfriend, is Indian American. She isn't one of the most present characters in the novel, but we hear about her making Indian food and planning a wedding with Indian relatives. She is described as a truly kind person and is working towards becoming a nurse. At one point she buys Phoebe a well intended yet poorly received book on teen grief. Phoebe is an adult woman by the way, but Shani is trying to lookout for her in whatever way she can.
Oddly enough, for a book with three diverse main female characters, both of the main male characters are straight white men. First, we meet Connor, Phoebe's little brother who is immature and goodhearted. We learn in chapter two that he wants to propose to Shani and a key element in the relationship growth between Phoebe and Connor is the planning of this proposal. Connor also functions as a foil for Phoebe, having experienced similar childhood trauma, but maintaining his belief in love.
Secondly, we have Sam, the love interest/neighbor/potential serial-killer, also a straight white man. He is a music teacher, though, so we give him a handful of dreaminess points because he plays the guitar with children. Sam is stable and emotionally mature. He is shy but always willing to help out if Phoebe needs something. He and Phoebe don't have the best chemistry that I've read even though they have a couple of spicy scenes. Most of their interactions are just Sam helping Phoebe with her car or her house or her cat. Their relationship kind of screams daddy issues now that I think about it.
Overall, this book is cute, but, to be fully honest, I didn't like any of the characters enough to really root for them. I kept expecting a serial killer related plot twist and was kind of disappointed when the book ended without a single murder. False advertising? Or do I just need to read an actual thriller instead?
If you like the show Only Murderers in the Building and the book 90 Percent Mine this will probably be up your alley.
Two stars out of 5.
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Fat Heroine, Man Falls First
Content Warning: Mention of Suicide, Death of Parent
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