Love in the Time of Serial Killers is one of those books that swept me away. Pretty quickly I fell in love with Phoebe, but I wasn’t expecting how much. For fans of true crime and romance, this is the perfect read for you. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Promising complex and difficult family situations, Love in the Time of Serial Killers delivered. Phoebe navigating her relationship to her recently deceased father was one of my favorite elements. Because in death we have to reconcile who the person we thought we knew was versus who they might have been. Sometimes we can have someone who will change our perception of them. And other times, we have to realize that the person we thought we knew was an illusion to who they actually were. It’s a process full of resentment, anger, and lingering feelings.
Not only that, but throughout Love in the Time of Serial Killers Phoebe also gets to know her brother. The ways how as they were separated by divorce and how they grew up. Speaking of Phoebe, I loved her character. I could never listen to as much true crime as she does – I’m a huge scaredy cat – but I loved how much it influences her life. How in some ways it’s supposed to prepare us about the dangers in plain – or hidden – sight. But also how it’s profoundly shaped our ideas of fear and cultural ‘bad’ guys.
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Her emotional journey – in relation to her family, her romance, but also herself – is emotional and fascinating. We can think we are protecting ourselves, but sometimes it can be a defense mechanism to keep ourselves closed to the world. Intimacy in our lives, romantic or not, can be terrifying because it can leave us so deeply wounded and afraid. Love in the Time of Serial Killers is well rounded. It delivers romance, family exploration, and self-discovery. Find Love in the Time of Serial Killers on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.