Scan barcode
saranel81's review
1.0
Plot-wise, this worked fine for a cozy. It's a textbook cozy mystery plot, and though it was a little predictable (I picked out the killer by the middle of the book, but that's not a big deal), it moved well and made sense. My only complaint about the plot was that all of the clues that directly point to the killer are crammed into the last 20% of the book. It felt a bit sloppy, but it didn't completely ruin the plot.
My big problem was with the style. The narration is repetitive to the point of distraction. The phrase "cracked/cracking up" was used nearly a dozen times, and the protagonist would repeat exact phrases in conversations with three different people. Also, the dialogue is stilted and unnatural; everybody sounds like they're reading lines from a badly directed movie. There's a problem with "talking heads" in many scenes, especially when it's a phone conversation. And maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine, but in real life, two people in a conversation don't usually say each other's names every other sentence. They know who they are, I know who they are, the names don't need to be repeated three or four times in a five-minute conversation.
And then there was the protagonist. I just didn't like her. I didn't like her sense of humor (for example, I found no amusement in the scene in which her friends joke about a suspect not lasting long in prison because he's too attractive), and I didn't appreciate her constant name-dropping of her favorite brands. This was done so often that I couldn't tell if the author was making fun of the character's total obliviousness to how ridiculous she sounded or if the character really was so blase about money and style.
Lastly, I applaud the diversity of the characters in the book (as suggested by their surnames), but they're so thinly developed that they're hard to differentiate. The main character has a Japanese married surname, but there's nothing else to suggest that her husband or his family are anything but white. The protag compares him to a generic "anime hero," but that's it. Everybody else in the neighborhood seems to be white as white can be. I could be wrong in that, because the description of people is scanty as best. Many cozy mysteries out there are populated mainly by white people, and I was hoping this would be an exception, but it doesn't seem to be.
All in all, solid story, but that's about it. I didn't hate the book, but I didn't like it enough to give it two stars. I'm not sure if this will be the first in a series - the clunky epilogue seems to suggest that it is a stand-alone - but if there is a second book, I probably won't be picking it up.
My big problem was with the style. The narration is repetitive to the point of distraction. The phrase "cracked/cracking up" was used nearly a dozen times, and the protagonist would repeat exact phrases in conversations with three different people. Also, the dialogue is stilted and unnatural; everybody sounds like they're reading lines from a badly directed movie. There's a problem with "talking heads" in many scenes, especially when it's a phone conversation. And maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine, but in real life, two people in a conversation don't usually say each other's names every other sentence. They know who they are, I know who they are, the names don't need to be repeated three or four times in a five-minute conversation.
And then there was the protagonist. I just didn't like her. I didn't like her sense of humor (for example, I found no amusement in the scene in which her friends joke about a suspect not lasting long in prison because he's too attractive), and I didn't appreciate her constant name-dropping of her favorite brands. This was done so often that I couldn't tell if the author was making fun of the character's total obliviousness to how ridiculous she sounded or if the character really was so blase about money and style.
Lastly, I applaud the diversity of the characters in the book (as suggested by their surnames), but they're so thinly developed that they're hard to differentiate. The main character has a Japanese married surname, but there's nothing else to suggest that her husband or his family are anything but white. The protag compares him to a generic "anime hero," but that's it. Everybody else in the neighborhood seems to be white as white can be. I could be wrong in that, because the description of people is scanty as best. Many cozy mysteries out there are populated mainly by white people, and I was hoping this would be an exception, but it doesn't seem to be.
All in all, solid story, but that's about it. I didn't hate the book, but I didn't like it enough to give it two stars. I'm not sure if this will be the first in a series - the clunky epilogue seems to suggest that it is a stand-alone - but if there is a second book, I probably won't be picking it up.
dnwarren24's review
4.0
I received this book as an ARC. I had so much fun reading this book as I could put myself in the shoes of the main character. I am a mother, planner, and I love being involved in my kid's school functions. This book is about a small community that finds theselves trying to solve a murder before the wrong person is convicted or the murderer strikes again. This was a fast read that kept me on my toes until the end. I would recommend this to others looking for a fun read and plan to read more of the author's work in the future!
mrsreads1's review
3.0
Sydney Yoshida is a mom of two who spends her days organizing her family – planning carpool, dinner, and work as vice president of the PTA around her husband's work schedule and her daughter's soccer, cheer, and basketball schedules, all while trying to squeeze in a bit of time for herself. Her gated community is usually quiet so when sirens break the silence one morning she finds herself out on the street with the rest of her neighbors, horrified when news of the death of fellow cheer mom and PTA president Trisha becomes apparent. In between helping the widower plan the funeral and helping take care of Trisha's children, Sydney also struggles with the police investigation that has targeted her neighbor and best friend Beth. Sydney is forced to take a closer look at people she considered friends to get to the bottom of Trisha's death while trying not to get herself killed in the meantime.
I had a blast with this book. I'm a sucker for a fun cozy mystery and this was right up my alley. I’m addicted to my planner (I'd be lost without it) and hoard office supplies like it's the end of the world, so the little mentions of pens, washi tape, and stickers made me laugh. Also, being a mom myself I could relate with the frustrations of the main character – trying to balance a home life with volunteer commitments, connecting to other moms through their children's school and extracurricular activities, and even maintaining a healthy relationship with her husband while being pulled in a dozen different directions.
This book had the typical bumps that come with first-in-a-series books and especially from a first-time novelist. Some of the character and place descriptions felt forced rather than being introduced more organically, and the book could have benefited from a more "show, not tell" approach. There were also references to name brands that were a humorous nod toward the "planner girl" community that might be lost on readers who aren't familiar with it. After about half-way through the book, however, the bumps had passed and the story itself was engrossing and the ending was entirely believable. Like any good mystery it was full of red herrings and had me guessing the murderer's identity and then changing my guess as I realized I was wrong.
This was a fun book that I would recommend to any cozy mystery lover, especially if you love crafting or depend on a series of lists to keep your life together. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
(Thank you to Ms. Tom for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
I had a blast with this book. I'm a sucker for a fun cozy mystery and this was right up my alley. I’m addicted to my planner (I'd be lost without it) and hoard office supplies like it's the end of the world, so the little mentions of pens, washi tape, and stickers made me laugh. Also, being a mom myself I could relate with the frustrations of the main character – trying to balance a home life with volunteer commitments, connecting to other moms through their children's school and extracurricular activities, and even maintaining a healthy relationship with her husband while being pulled in a dozen different directions.
This book had the typical bumps that come with first-in-a-series books and especially from a first-time novelist. Some of the character and place descriptions felt forced rather than being introduced more organically, and the book could have benefited from a more "show, not tell" approach. There were also references to name brands that were a humorous nod toward the "planner girl" community that might be lost on readers who aren't familiar with it. After about half-way through the book, however, the bumps had passed and the story itself was engrossing and the ending was entirely believable. Like any good mystery it was full of red herrings and had me guessing the murderer's identity and then changing my guess as I realized I was wrong.
This was a fun book that I would recommend to any cozy mystery lover, especially if you love crafting or depend on a series of lists to keep your life together. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
(Thank you to Ms. Tom for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
More...