An interesting premise of a book which starts with Thom and Wendy, married for years. He has affairs and thinks she doesn’t know about them and she is fed up with him and is plotting to kill him! They share a deep dark secret from their distant past that cannot come to light. I enjoyed the story although I was a bit confused with the timeline which went backwards. A good idea, but difficult to keep track of what stage of their lives we were at.

I loved this topsy turvy tale and think it would make an interesting film. If I had a complaint it would be that that it was repetitive but in a way I can’t explain without giving spoilers Other than that I found it quite a clever book with a delicious twist on almost the last page.

I didn't finish it but I read enough to know not I wouldn't enjoy it. I found it very tedious and the main characters were so dislikeable I struggle to care one way or another even after Wendy pushed her husband down the stairs. It's a shame because I really enjoyed one of Peter Swanson's previous titles!

I was really looking forward to reading Kill Your Darlings as I’ve read several fantastic novels by Peter Swanson and he’s an author I always look out for.

While I did enjoy Kill Your Darlings, this is probably my least favourite of his books that I’ve read. The main issue was that the story jumped around so much between different time periods. This isn’t usually a problem for me but with this book I did find it a bit confusing as some of the chapters were just a few years apart and it made it slightly tricky to remember where the storyline was chronologically. Having said that, there was a brilliantly clever twist at the very end which I very much appreciated. It was a satisfying end that left you wondering what would happen next after the book ends.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have also published this review on Goodreads and will publish a shorter summary on Amazon.

📚 Book Review 📚

Mmmm… I was intrigued with this one at first because it is a thriller with its timeline in reverse. This is a pretty bold start as we start in the present with married couple Thom and Wendy Graces and head back in time towards the murders that sparked their present.

Each chapter reveals something about their past and a secret that they share which has shaped their lives together. This is a slow burn, too slow actually, and the reveal doesn’t pay off. The big reveal isn’t one and instead felt more like a confirmation of what I thought was it was going to be. Still, it was neatly sewn up at the end.

I thought this was my first Peter Swanson book but I actually read The Christmas Guest at the end of last year which I enjoyed much more. That was a corker. I would like to read more of his in the future though.

I’d like to thank Faber & Faber Ltd, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

Book released on 3rd July 2025

⭐️⭐️

I chose to read a free eARC of Kill Your Darlings but that has in no way influenced my review.

I have been a fan of Peter Swanson’s dark and twisty thrillers for such a long time now. It all started with The Kind Worth Killing (read pre-blog) and has snowballed since then. He’s one of a small number of authors whose books I buy without even reading the synopsis. I always look forward to the publication of Swanson’s next book (because I’ve read everything he’s written to date!). His thrillers have strong characters, shedloads of suspense, twists and turns galore and are nigh on impossible to put down. A new book by this author is one of the main highlights of my year.

Kill Your Darlings is unlike anything I’ve read before. The presentation of the story is quite different, but the characters, plot and building intrigue all have Swanson’s distinctive style. This is, without a doubt, a Peter Swanson book, but a Peter Swanson book with a difference. A difference I was very much intrigued by. If you’re a regular visitor to the blog, you may be aware that I’m very much a character-focussed reader. I like my characters to have depth, layers and ultimately, to be believable. I don’t necessarily need to like or warm to them, but I need to feel *something* (loathing, despair, anger – all good!). One of the things this author does particularly well, in my opinion, is to write fascinating characters. Characters you become invested in. You want to see how things will turn out. Which is what happened with Wendy and Thom Graves from the moment I met them.

Wendy and Thom met on a school trip to Washington in 1982. Now, many years later, Wendy has pretty much had enough of her husband. She sees his flaws for what they are. Truth be told, the rose-tinted spectacles slipped many years ago. Plus, with Thom’s excessive drinking, there is every chance he’s going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person and ruin both their lives. Because Wendy and Thom have a secret. A secret that could destroy everything. So Wendy has decided to kill her husband. No hard feelings, eh Thom? It’s just something she has to do to save herself. After all, how hard can it be to kill an ageing drunk? Certainly harder than Wendy thinks…

Kill Your Darlings turns the domestic thriller on its head by starting in the present day and working its way back in time to the day Wendy and Thom met as teenagers. It’s a clever and intriguing way of telling the Graves’ tale. Keeping the reader engaged from the get-go, with intrigue building over the course of the book, ensuring the reader keeps turning the pages. This isn’t a story you can put down and walk away from. You become strangely invested in the couple, in their fate, in how they got to this devastating point in their lives. Where did it all go wrong? Or has it never actually been ‘right’? It’s an intriguing, fascinating premise which Swanson has handled with great skill.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Kill Your Darlings is a unique tale with such an intriguing, compelling premise. There is always something happening, but overall, the pace is more sedate than Swanson’s earlier novels. Not really a problem for me as I don’t mind a gentler paced book, providing the characters are keeping my interest, and in Kill Your Darlings they certainly did! The layers of this unhappy marriage are stripped away, taking us to the withered heart of a couple held together by a devastating secret. How did they get to the incomprehensible point where murder seems to be the only option? Why does Thom drink so much that he struggles to remember? How did it all go so, so wrong? All in all, a highly intriguing tale from a master storyteller. Peter Swanson remains one of my favourite authors, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next. Clever, inventive and entertaining from start to finish. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Kill Your Darlings. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

A suspenseful thriller - told in reverse from the night Wendy tries to kill her cheating husband Thom. A secret seems to be central to the story - will Thom reveal it ? A brilliant read with some amazing moments.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
I'm a fan of Peter Swanson's books and this one is no exception.
Very cleverly written, beginning at the end and ending at the beginning, this is the story of Wendy and Thom who meet whilst teens, go their separate ways and meet up many years later with neither having forgotten the other despite being in relationships.
Don't want to give away too much of the story and I'll just say this was a highly entertaining read and I thoroughly enjoyed it

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Faber & Faber, and the author Peter Swanson.
I really enjoyed this book! The back-t0-front format was interesting and new, and the story and characters kept me pretty gripped throughout. Not an earth shaker, but would highly recommend for a holiday read and I look forward to seeing the film. 4 stars.

Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson, is a slow-burning, psychologically thriller.

Thom and Wendy Graves, live in a coastal Massachusetts, a life that is picturesque. Married for over twenty-five years, they appear to have it all, a beautiful Victorian home, respectable careers in the arts and academia, and a grown son who has moved on to his own adult life. But appearances can be deceiving, Wendy wants to kill her husband.

The story moves back in time, chapter by chapter, covering Wendy and Thom’s life together with each chapter revealing secrets from the past. Each page read uncovers the true feelings of the couple and the illusion of their perfect marriage.

The couple committed a shocking act in their twenties that focussed their bond in guilt and secrecy and now, decades later, the cracks in their relationship are beginning to show. Thom and Wendy begin to wonder whether their survival requires the other’s death but who will strike first.

A very entertaining read from start to finish.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber and Faber for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book because I liked the idea of the story told backwards. Nonetheless it is quite formulaic. I'm probably not the right audience. I think it is well-written but emotionally thin. I often find this in books where other works are referenced (book titles, songs, etc), but not felt.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the story went backwards before so this was really interesting if a little confusing 😂 it took me a little while to get my head round and I did have to sometimes skip back to see what the previous year was to get my bearings!

The main characters Thom and Wendy are the focal point of the story and we hear back through the years how we got to the events at the start of the book.
I actually felt quite sad by the end about how it all started for them and where it ended up.

I loved how it still managed to a slot together even though you were reading in reverse. There were still some revelations along the way.

I found the pace to be quite slow and for me and maybe that’s what didn’t quite grip me enough but it was still a well written book.

The final twist/reveal was good though and you realise how the rest of the story would pan out if it carried on!

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

This was an okay book, the USP was obviously that it is told backwards in time so the reader knows near the beginning that Wendy murders Thom and then we follow their relationship back to when they first met. I didn't find the characters particularly likeable or interesting so must admit I didn't really care about their lives as the drama had already happened.
Thank you to netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advance copy of this book.

This is one of those read in one go books and Peter Swanson never fails to disappoint when it comes to having you on the edge of your seat. The character development and story line were perfect!

Not my favourite book by this author, as, for me, it lacked tension. Telling a story backwards is a good concept, but it lacks the edge of wondering what is going to happen. Unlikeable characters throughout too, which doesn’t help. Accomplished writing, but something is lost here.

Thom and Wendy have been married for years and have the perfect life, except for the fact that Wendy wants to murder her husband. Is there a reason for this?

I have read a few books by this author now and have found them intriguing, therefore was looking forward to this one. I enjoyed that the structure of this story was slightly different, being a timeframe of their relationship with one another from present to past. Although this was an interesting layout, it did make for quite a slow burn and ended up more of a character lead dark romance novel.

I was engaged by the introduction to this story and keen to see where it would go, however by the end I had started to lose interest in the plot and the characters. There were also no major twists and you come into the story knowing most of what is going to happen. I ended up in two minds about this one. I appreciate what the author was trying to achieve and found it compelling, however I prefer his other more fast paced and thriller style of novels. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4

I'm very conflicted about this book... I love Peter Swanson's books, they're always so tense. With this one I felt my interest ebbing away, as it was such a slow burn. Probably also because the story is told in reverse, I was missing the suspence I love. However, it was very clever, especially the ending!

It took me more than a little while to really get into the swing of things with Kill Your Darlings. Whilst certainly a novel way to tell a story, in reverse from various points of view, I was just left feeling cold and disconnected from the characters. Too many plot points felt like they were blowing in the wind with potential connections that never really went anywhere. A real shame as I wanted to love it!

Kill Your Darlings uses a unique storytelling format that gets confusing at times. While clever in concept, the structure can distract more than it intrigues.

I wanted to love this, I really did. Peter Swanson was written some of my favourite thrillers, often coming up with unique storytelling techniques to make mysteries feel that little bit different to the same old tired tropes. Sometimes it works, like in The Kind Worth Killing and Seven Perfect Murders, and sometimes it doesn't. And unfortunately I don't think this narrative style worked for me. It's essentially told in reverse, as we follow married couple Wendy and Thom at the end of their relationship back to the day they met. It's an interesting concept certainly, but it meant that I really struggled to connect to these (largely unlikeable) characters for most of the story, and by the time plot points started making sense, I'd lost interest. The finale kind of ended on a whimper rather than a bang too. There's not the typical twist I was expecting from Swanson here. It actually really reminded me of Samantha Downing's book 'A Twisted Love Story's in terms of the couples relationship dynamics, and I also disliked that book for the same reason. I think if you liked that book, you'd probably enjoy this one too.

A cool idea, that sadly didn't work for me.