Andrea Ward
This book is exceptionally readable. There are a lot of people in the story of this neighborhood bar, but I was able to keep them straight. There are also a lot of tough issues that Coogan's supported people through. We see how they worked to provide unity to the neighborhood and the writing doesn't really take sides. In the end, this is a bar that worked hard to be more and I'm glad that I could read about it.
If you want an easy to read book about people trying to do good, pick this up. You will be happy you did.
This was so much more fun than I expected! Pepper is a great character and fun to follow. Magnolia Cove is a great place to visit. There were not enough clues to the mystery, but there was a lot of other stuff we had to learn in this first book. I am definitely going to continue with this series though.
I love Sunni's attitude and reporter's instinct. Her sneaking around the school for clues and questioning felt pretty realistic as well. I like the solution. It was believable for the characters involved. I'm not sure what I think of the ghost or the police officer yet. This is a great start to the series.
Book 2 lived up to book 1 with the magic and action. I liked seeing a bit more of how the booksellers extended network works. I liked seeing Susan struggle with figuring who she wanted to be. I liked the addition of some of the ethical aspects of the booksellers as well. I can't wait to see what happens next.
This book is so special! For the first time ever, I had to look at the ending to see who did it because I was so falling in love with characters. The clues seemed obvious to me, so the mystery was the secondary storyline. Vera's investigation and growing relationship with the other characters is the primary storyline. That storyline is so powerful. I am certain that it will stick with me for a long while.
The best part of this book is the relationships. The romance part progresses nicely. The relationship between Tess and her mother is complicated and at times felt hopeless, but it wasn't. It was not a one note relationship and I appreciated seeing the highs and lows.
The mystery was good and Tess does some good sleuthing. The solution was not what I expected and I'm not sure if I like it. But I don't hate it either.
Tess starts her book store, but is never there. I know that is a trope that several people don't like, so I don't know if the author is poking fun at it or not. So that distracted me. This one didn't strike me as funny as the other one, but that might just be me.
So overall, I liked the character development, but I'm not sure about the overall plot/ life developments for Tess.
We see more behind the scenes in Sage's business and a lot of Bax's business. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I did like learning more about the characters that work in Bax's business. The mystery had several twists. The murder victim wasn't exactly who they thought and the solution to the mystery has a twist that I wasn't expecting. I thought the reveal was good, but there are some who probably won't like it. The post mystery events were unexpected and I liked that part. The setting wasn't my favorite, but the characters and plot were good.
This was a cute quick story about a man working to make a life he is happy with. It isn't easy and he makes some bad decisions, but he does make some good friends along the way who are willing to help him get to that life. And it does involve a few fish fry events that might make you hungry.
Thanks to NetGalley.
Wow! The book hangover from this one will last awhile. I was so entranced with Amina and her crew. The world that Chakraborty set up is compelling and really made me look at history in a different way. The adventure is amazing. The characters are so well drawn. I just wanted to hug this book when I was done and not put it down.
I liked the gothic English manor and the romance was okay. The ghost part of the story and all that happened because of it was unique, but I'm not sure that I liked it. The way it was written was done well, but that part of the plot seemed like a romance where they just won't talk to each other. I did like the characters enough to be happy with the ending.
I love the way the story is told with early chapters from Sadie and then interspersed with the podcast and as it progressed we get more from the podcast. I ended up caring about Sadie as well as her family. The slow reveal of information made me want to keep reading. The ending is as not what I expected and will stick with me for awhile. I am pretty sure I liked it, but I'm guessing it is not everyone's cup of tea.
If you like a good thriller/mystery with a surprising ending, pick this up.
There is a lot of family and business stuff happening in this book. I enjoyed getting to know Lyndsey's parents better and seeing the extended family work together. I liked hearing some different things they were making.
However, it didn't leave a lot of time for investigation and it seemed to take a while for some Lyndsey to ask some important questions. So the mystery moved a little slower than I would have liked.
Part of the solution was obvious, but there was still a part that surprised me. I was pleased to guess part of it and also be surprised. I enjoyed the book and I enjoyed seeing Lyndsey grow more confident.
Family Cozy Mystery
I like the way Maddie's family was incorporated into this book. I liked the investigation and the reveal. I liked the way Maddie slowly gathered a group around her to help with the investigation.
I have not read the other books in this universe, but the hints i get in this one make me consider picking those up.
Enjoyable first in the series.
I was skeptical to read a book about a cross word puzzle competition. I should not have been! There were lots of secrets and intrigue with the cruciverbalists. This is the first in the series that I have read, but I knew who everyone was and how they related to each other. So you can start anywhere in the series and be aware of what is going on.
The town of Crystal Cove is very cute and quaint. Jenna, Rhett, and Aunt Vera are all characters I enjoyed getting to know. Jenna did make a stupid decision toward the end, but she was called on it. So I liked that it was acknowledged. Cinnamon and Appleby are a great team for the police. The names were funny, but the characters charmed me right away.
And the recipes at the end!! There were so many and they sounded to yummy.
This was a good mystery with lots of suspects and a good investigation. These characters are good to get to know and Crystal Cove is a nice place to visit.
The right amount of mystery and camp.
There are just enough campy tropes to make me smile while I was reading the book. I love the way Hazel and Lexi just rush forward into their next adventure. I also love the way Nico and Ryan are trying to deal with them. There is a slight amount of romance which is good for this point in the series. Pine Lakes and Bean Around Town are great settings. I am loving this series.
At the beginning, there were so many characters and the two timelines. This and the habit of sometimes calling them by their family name and sometimes calling them by their individual names made it difficult to follow the first part of the book. I think it would have been easier if I had a physical copy of the book, so I could flip back and forth between pages as needed. As I kept reading, I was able to better figure out who was who.
As to the mystery, I was able to figure out part of it early on. However, there were other details that were not even on my radar. So I liked that surprise. There was also a twist as to the ‘bad guy' that I didn't see coming. I thought that was very clever as well.
I was also intrigued by the way that gender played out in the book. There were moments that felt like traditional Western gender roles were being fulfilled and other times when they felt like they were being subverted. Considering this is a Japanese novel, the fact that there was a difference was not surprising. However the way that difference played out was more enjoyable than I expected.
I have heard about people talk reverently about Japanese murder mysteries and I'm glad I was finally able to pick this one up. I will definitely be looking for more like this.
I liked this book better than book 1! Byron did a great job setting up book 1, so that the found family aspect in this one feels natural and fun. Ricki is capable and important to Bon Vee because we read what she did in book 1. Her passion for her pups is again natural and fun because we saw how she got there in book 1. There is so much from book 1 that pays off in this one. I love the family developments with the Charbonnets. There were several mysteries to solve throughout the book. I liked the way those mysteries were solved and propel us through the story. This book will make you fall in love with the series!
I liked all the puzzles that led to the investigation. I mostly liked the twist, but it did make me stop and wonder how realistic that could be. But then I decided that I didn't care how realistic it was because it was a fun read. I think that is what I came away with. It is a fun mystery with several puzzles. There are a couple clues along the way that lets you know there is more going on than the surface level of the story.
I liked the Guatemalan parts of Maya's story and history. Her dealing with her addiction issues was pretty well done. Her romantic relationship was also well done. She was struggling with several things, but she wasn't hopeless in the struggle. The actual thriller/ mystery part was a bit slow going and the twist was kinda drawn out. So the pacing was a bit weird. The characters were good, but the plot struggled.