A Killer's Guide to Falling

by Kristin Wollett

The Unhoneymooners meets The White Lotus in this Hawaii-set romantic comedy from Cosmopolitan's Cosmo Reads imprint, where a cynical mystery writer fake-dates a resort heir for research after her romance-writing co-author is left at the altar, only to find herself pulled into an investigation ripped from her own book and a romance she never saw coming.Eve writes the murders. Harper writes the romance. Together, they're the bestselling duo behind Love, Lies & Alibis. But just weeks before their big-deal manuscript is due to the publisher, Harper gets left at the altar. And their manuscript falls apart with her.Eve's solution? Turn Harper's nonrefundable honeymoon into a two-week Hawaiian writing retreat. One Harper's too heartbroken to write a single swoony word. And Eve—the murder half of the team—doesn't believe in love anyway.Then a bride goes missing at the resort, and Eve crosses paths with Miles gorgeous, charming, and annoyingly good at reading her. He's also her only ticket into the couples-only activities she needs for "research."So, they strike a fake date their way through paradise. She gets the romance scenes, he gets help finding the missing bride, and they both pretend not to fall for each other.But when a plot twist straight out of one of Eve's books blows everything up, she'll have to play it safe and walk away or rewrite her ending and bet big on real love.Murder, margaritas, missing brides, and a love story no one saw coming—except maybe their readers.

Genres: Romance

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 9, 2027

About the author

Kristin Wollett writes romantic comedies with heart, humor, and emotional depth. Her debut novel, As a Last Resort (Forever/Hachette, 2025), was named the #1 Romance to Read in 2025 by Radio Times and praised by New York Times bestselling author Annabel Monaghan as "fresh, funny and crisply written."

Set on a small Florida island, As a Last Resort is a slow-burn, best-friend's-brother rom-com about going home, confronting the mess you left behind, and falling for the person you never saw coming. Readers call it "therapy wrapped in a rom-com" and compare it to the emotional warmth of Abby Jimenez, the coastal charm of Annabel Monaghan, and the cozy humor of Sarah Adams — with a fully closed-door heat level. And Kristin narrated the audiobook herself!

Her next novel, A Killer's Guide to Falling, releases February 2027 from CosmoReads/Sourcebooks — a rom-com with a mystery twist set in Hawaii, featuring a thriller writer who doesn't believe in love and her romance-writer best friend who just got left at the altar.

Kristin is also a working actress whose credits include Christmas Wreaths & Ribbons (Great American Family), County Rescue (Great American Pure Flix), and Detroiters (Comedy Central). She lives in Florida with her husband and five children.

Readers looking for: closed-door romance, clean romance, no-spice romance, sweet romance, wholesome rom-com, best friend's brother, return to hometown, slow burn, second chance, Florida setting, small-town romance, beach read, emotional depth, Hallmark-but-deeper.

Reviews

[ahmeeka]

I need this on my desk immediately

[Kristin Wollett]

This romcom is suspiciously aligned with my sense of humor and my taste in men…Again. Starting to think this author knows me personally. (Hi! It’s me! I wrote another one!)

I’m so excited to share my next rom-com, A Killer’s Guide to Falling, with you. This one comes with a Hawaiian couples resort, a nonrefundable honeymoon, and a mystery writer who would much rather write a murder than a kissing scene. So naturally, I gave her both problems.

It’s a rom-com with a splash of mystery. There are lots of questionable decisions, and feelings that absolutely were not on the itinerary. But falling in love is the main event in this book (even if Eve would prefer to investigate literally anything else.)

At its heart, it’s a story about the things we do to protect ourselves and what happens when someone makes us want to risk being known anyway. There’s friendship, laughter, and the kind of hope that shows up when you least expect it to.

Thank you for choosing to spend a little time at the Overton with me. I know you have a gazillion other books waiting for you, and it means so much that you chose mine. I hope you fall in love with Eve & Miles the way I have. And if you do, please tell a friend! I’m so grateful for the support.

xo,
Kristin

[Pía]

First, thank you, NetGalley and Cosmo Reads, for letting me get an e-ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

3.75/5 — stars

I like the premise so much. The Unhoneymooners meets The White Lotus, and I am glad to say I like the book as much as the premise.

Evie, the FMC, was so much fun to read. I love seeing characters who don’t believe in love find it.

Miles, the MMC, was a treat, and I liked seeing his family and his relationship with them.
Their banter was witty, and their romance felt believable. The Hawaiian vibes were pristine.

My only issue was that the romance felt like a B plot, at moments even a C plot, and I would have liked it if, instead, the romance had been the B plot and the mystery the A plot.

Overall, it was a fun, quick read. I will definitely be reading more books from this author, and I will recommend this book as a perfect vacation read, especially if you’re going to Hawaii. The only thing I will say is that if you are expecting the mystery to be the main plot, this book may not be your cup of tea.

- First person
- Dual POV
- Hawaiian setting
- Mystery

[Zoe Lipman]

3.25/5

I love the idea of The Unhoneymooners meets The White Lotus (because I love both of those and the idea of those combined). Mystery meets romance.

This was fun, summery, and entertaining.

I did want a bit more from both the romance and the mystery. It just took me a bit too long to get into either.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Shouty]

THIS GAVE ME SUCH *FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL* VIBES I WAS IN HAWAIIAN RESORT ROMANCE HEAVEN