Scan barcode
agathajanemaud1908's review
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It took me a bit to get into the story, but I ended up staying for the characters. I found them really well-written. The mystery itself was a bit convoluted and sometimes there would be conclusions made by characters regarding the mystery that didn’t quite make sense to me.
With that in mind, I’m hoping that the author will continue the story of Jo’s mysterious family and everyday lives of the townsfolk but with a tighter mystery.
With that in mind, I’m hoping that the author will continue the story of Jo’s mysterious family and everyday lives of the townsfolk but with a tighter mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Child death, Infertility, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Grief, Infidelity, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcohol, Death of parent, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
torismazarine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Infertility, Death of parent, Medical content, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Outing
Minor: War
idk_indigo's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Jo was a sweet and cute MC, and I loved her insight on random facts, plus her love interest was oh-so adorable; I really wish we'd seen more of him and his sweet, romantic ADHD self. I much preferred Jo's POV and wish we'd gotten more of it, at least compared to how much we see McAdams in the book. I got sick of him, he wasn't a bad character but definitely didn't hold my interest enough to be, like, 80% of the POV. I missed Jo, and I got so excited whenever she came back in the scene :)
The book was also really great autism rep; it made me so happy! However, I'm knocking off a few stars for a couple of reasons: 1) the mystery aspect of this mystery novel was lacking quite a bit. The conclusion was very meh for me, and lowkey I cared less about Sid's death than about Jo's deep dive into her own family history. I hated the wholesex trafficking victim-turned-murderous villain, like genuinely what the f*ck was that? I honestly love an autistic character as a MC for a cozy mystery, but I do wish the mystery had been better organized. 2) The pacing was all the way off, and 3) as mentioned above, McAdams started to piss me off a bit.
I would honestly think a series like this would be so cute? Like, either Jo or another autistic MC in cozy mysteries solving crimes and info dumping. ILY JO!!! <3<3<3<3<3
The book was also really great autism rep; it made me so happy! However, I'm knocking off a few stars for a couple of reasons: 1) the mystery aspect of this mystery novel was lacking quite a bit. The conclusion was very meh for me, and lowkey I cared less about Sid's death than about Jo's deep dive into her own family history. I hated the whole
I would honestly think a series like this would be so cute? Like, either Jo or another autistic MC in cozy mysteries solving crimes and info dumping. ILY JO!!! <3<3<3<3<3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Gun violence
kerryamchugh's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A sneaky sleeper of a book, one I hadn't really heard of and picked up on a whim after one fellow reader shared her love of it. A cozy whodunit style murder mystery, contemporary but set in an aging English countryside estate and with a dose of historical mystery, to boot. Neurodivergent MC and a twisty turny murder plot made for great listening, even if my sleep-deprived brain sometimes lost track of who was blackmailing whom (but that's ok, bc the cops did too...).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Ableism, and Death
More...