Book Review: If Books Could Kill
If you want a romance with all the cute, swoony, and steamy feels of a contemporary romance combined with the fast-moving plot and thrillers or a mystery or thriller, then you NEED to pick up If Books Could Kill by debut author Kate Eberle.
I am really starting to enjoy the genre mash-up of romance and mysteries/thrillers. If Books Could Kill gives a wink and a nod to many of readers’ favorite romance tropes, from meet-cutes to just one bed (at an inn, too) to confession-in-the rain. The novel was often humorous along with way, with witty banter between Roxie and the “love interest,” English professor and handsome cat dad, Grant.
As the book begins, protagonist and all-around baddie Roxie is at self-defense class, then chats with her bestie Steph for a phone call/book club meeting, as they gush about their favorite author Anna Matthews.
Spontaneously, Roxie makes a wish (uh-oh), wishing that she were the next protagonist of her favorite author’s books, and a random street performer with special powers just so happens to be nearby, and in the mood to grant a wish.
Next thing you know, Roxie is having a meet-cute at the Boston Public Library with Jack, who would make the perfect book boyfriend. I was all-in on Jack, who had planned a picnic in the library courtyard with Roxie, and I almost forgot I was reading a romance-thriller rather than a romance, until an attempted romantic evening turned into attempted murder! Worst first date ever.
From there, the plot and pacing picks up quickly, when Roxie gets her REAL meet-cute by stealing a car that turns out to be an Uber (to get away from Jack), and an anxious professor (Grant) is in the backseat. They become a comedic and will-they-wont-they crime-solving duo as they realize that Roxie is living not inside an Anna Matthews romance novel, but a crime-fiction and kind-of romance novel. Luckily Grant is kind of an expert on crime fiction, so his knowledge of genre beats just might help them on their adventures.
From Boston to London, the two have to team-up to catch a potential serial killer (or two or three). The book was light at times, insightful at times, and cute and swoony at others. If Books Could Kill is a fun novel that will get you out of a reading slump and remind you to “be careful what you wish for.” I felt like the increasingly common micro-trope of “what if your book boyfriend became real” was done well here.
Thank you to Viking Penguin and Penguin Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
