Who hasn’t wished that book characters were real people? In If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle, Roxie wishes herself into a book. She thinks it will be a romance where she meets her true love, but instead it’s a thriller with serial killers.

When she meets a cute guy on a first date at the library, you don’t realize that he is about to try to stab her. But he does, and she quickly escapes. However, she also steals a car with Grant inside it. I like a good meet-cute, and this one was unique. Stealing a car and accidentally kidnapping someone might not be romantic, but it would make a great story for your kids?

Grant is a writer, which makes him slightly more prepared for their situation than Roxie. Slightly is doing a lot of work. Because of the circumstances, Grant decides to stick with Roxie for the rest of the book.

The best part of this book is the banter between Roxie and Grant. Their relationship kept me reading, and I laughed at some of their conversations. The side characters were also funny and lovable, even though I wouldn’t trust most of them to solve a murder without extensive supervision. Plus, they all seemed shady.

The book lost some steam once Roxie and Grant began traveling to different events while trying to track down serial killers. As I waited for them to figure out who the ultimate mastermind was, the story started to feel repetitive. They would go to an event, try to find a serial killer, maybe encounter one, and then move on.

That repetition kept this from becoming a four-star read for me.

Still, the chemistry between Roxie and Grant kept me reading. The story has more comedy and banter than a normal thriller, and the romance gives the book its best moments.

If Books Could Kill is less a serious murder mystery and more a fast, funny warning to check the genre before wishing yourself into a novel.