ohlittleowl's review against another edition
4.0
Breezy cozy with cute characters and enough twists so that I came THIS CLOSE to guessing it, but was surprised in the end. My only complaint would be . Other than that, total Hallmark-Movie kinda read.
Spoiler
that I kinda hoped there would be some comeuppance for the snooty attitude the protagonist and her bff took at points. For a book that was warm and fuzzy in a lot of ways, they had a serious mean-girl vibe toward some of the characters that seemed out of placecaitkom's review against another edition
3.0
I gave this 3 stars. I really liked the story but I had a hard time staying hooked. The setting was in an idyllic small town in Maine (which automatically gets a plus in my book). The protagonist, Candy Holliday moved back to her dad's blueberry farm in Maine after her life fell apart in Boston. She is a baking fiend making pies for the Blueberry Festival. During the talent show one of the contestants is murdered, the prime suspect being her handyman, Ray. Ray swears he is innocent and Candy and her friend Maggie set off to find the truth. While doing a little exploring Candy is offered a job at the local newspaper which gives her a perfect excuse to nose around and ask questions.
megan_prairierose's review against another edition
2.0
2 3/4 stars.
Quite silly, but overall a light fun read.
Quite silly, but overall a light fun read.
kairosdreaming's review
4.0
As you've probably guessed, this is a cozy mystery. Something filled with charm and a little violence and an unlikely heroine to save the day. Hey, what can I say, I'm a sucker for these types of books, especially when they involve food.
Candy lives with her dad in Maine running a small blueberry farm. And that's a good thing right now as its the town's annual blueberry festival. But then, before the festival can go off, a local is killed. Admist this mystery the crowning of the blueberry Queen still proceeds but when an unlikely person wins the crown and appears dead a few days later, the town launches into even more of an uproar. And a friend of Candy's is considered the main suspect. She doesn't want to do police work, but can't help but find herself sleuthing around trying to solve the murder case.
Candy is an ok character. She changes her mind very quickly so I don't understand her thought processes sometimes. And I also think its funny that she's not a fan of cooking yet takes a job baking pies, but thats just a small thing in this book. The town does have a lot of characters in it, from the lady who is murdered to Candy's best friend they all have a few quirks. But I think the most misused character in this book is Candy's dad. He seems like he would be fantastic to read about but isn't really used all that much in the story. I would have liked to read more about him.
For a mystery I do have to say that I never guessed who it was. And probably never would have as there weren't that many clues. It didn't quite ruin the story for me, but I always like to have at least a fighting chance at guessing who the killer is. But the setting was done well and the mystery interesting so it was still a decent book. And I really did appreciate the blueberry recipes that were thrown in at the end. I can definitely tell I'll be trying to blueberry whipped cream sometime.
A good cozy mystery. Not stupendous, but a nice read for a cold winter's day.
Town in a Blueberry Jam
Copyright 2010
312 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2011
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Candy lives with her dad in Maine running a small blueberry farm. And that's a good thing right now as its the town's annual blueberry festival. But then, before the festival can go off, a local is killed. Admist this mystery the crowning of the blueberry Queen still proceeds but when an unlikely person wins the crown and appears dead a few days later, the town launches into even more of an uproar. And a friend of Candy's is considered the main suspect. She doesn't want to do police work, but can't help but find herself sleuthing around trying to solve the murder case.
Candy is an ok character. She changes her mind very quickly so I don't understand her thought processes sometimes. And I also think its funny that she's not a fan of cooking yet takes a job baking pies, but thats just a small thing in this book. The town does have a lot of characters in it, from the lady who is murdered to Candy's best friend they all have a few quirks. But I think the most misused character in this book is Candy's dad. He seems like he would be fantastic to read about but isn't really used all that much in the story. I would have liked to read more about him.
For a mystery I do have to say that I never guessed who it was. And probably never would have as there weren't that many clues. It didn't quite ruin the story for me, but I always like to have at least a fighting chance at guessing who the killer is. But the setting was done well and the mystery interesting so it was still a decent book. And I really did appreciate the blueberry recipes that were thrown in at the end. I can definitely tell I'll be trying to blueberry whipped cream sometime.
A good cozy mystery. Not stupendous, but a nice read for a cold winter's day.
Town in a Blueberry Jam
Copyright 2010
312 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2011
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
rondabain's review against another edition
3.0
"I Love Lucy" meets "Murder she wrote". Exactly what we need during Covid-19.
pagesplotsandpints's review against another edition
4.0
Initial Impressions 5/19/12: This was a cute first book to the series! I really liked Candy's character - Although I have to say, what's with all the cozy mystery series and their wacky names? This one has Candy Holliday, Sapphire Vine, Jock Larson, and Candy's dad "Doc" Holliday. Really? But regardless of silly names, I had a lot of fun with this one. Some of the smaller puzzles/mysteries, I did have a solid (and correct) guess at before they were revealed, but as to who the real killer was, I really didn't know until the end. I'm glad they didn't go for the easy choice here! I really do look forward to reading more in the series! I think it's Candy's character who's really bringing me back. I just really felt like she was down to earth in the rural setting even though she was supposed to be transplanted from the big city after she had suffered some hardships and moved back in with her dad up in Maine. I was glad we skipped the whole transition stage though and that she wasn't portrayed as an outsider even though she was not a native "townie"!
Review as originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: You know, I really enjoyed this little story. It's the first book I've read that's set in Maine (a place I so desperately want to visit -- Heard it's just gorgeous there!) and despite some super cheesy names like Candy Holliday (nicknamed 'pumpkin' by her dad - both names because she was born on Halloween), Sapphire Vine, and Jonathan "Jock" Larson (why do they always have cheesy names in these cozy mysteries? If I weren't so sucked in to these kinds of books, I might actually be really annoyed!), I thought this book was a lot of fun! I really liked Candy's character a lot. We didn't really get too into her past, but we do know that she gave up her old life after many hardships and came to live with her dad "Doc" Holliday (another name... sheesh, guys) on the blueberry farm in SE Maine. I really liked her switch from business exec to blueberry farmer. Unlike a couple other cozies who have tried to make this transition, Candy has already fully come over to the rural side of life and we weren't bothered by the awkwardness of having her feel like an outsider or someone who hasn't found her place. Instead, it was quite natural to be in the rural Maine setting and I found the town and other characters in the town quite pleasant!
That being said, I will say that I'm getting a little tired of so many cozies using a "slow" character (mentally) as a common scapegoat for a crime. It's happened in quite a few cozies that I've read recently (maybe it's just the order I've happened to choose to read them in), but the reoccurrence among authors is getting a little old! Ray the handyman is the "slow" character in this book and of course gets blamed for a murder he didn't commit, and this spurs on Candy's investigation. I just found that story line a bit tiresome.
Other than that, I really did enjoy the mystery. I had guessed a couple of smaller puzzles that had come up throughout the book, but as for who the killer was, I was actually pretty surprised in the end. Glad they didn't go for something too easy!
Review as originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: You know, I really enjoyed this little story. It's the first book I've read that's set in Maine (a place I so desperately want to visit -- Heard it's just gorgeous there!) and despite some super cheesy names like Candy Holliday (nicknamed 'pumpkin' by her dad - both names because she was born on Halloween), Sapphire Vine, and Jonathan "Jock" Larson (why do they always have cheesy names in these cozy mysteries? If I weren't so sucked in to these kinds of books, I might actually be really annoyed!), I thought this book was a lot of fun! I really liked Candy's character a lot. We didn't really get too into her past, but we do know that she gave up her old life after many hardships and came to live with her dad "Doc" Holliday (another name... sheesh, guys) on the blueberry farm in SE Maine. I really liked her switch from business exec to blueberry farmer. Unlike a couple other cozies who have tried to make this transition, Candy has already fully come over to the rural side of life and we weren't bothered by the awkwardness of having her feel like an outsider or someone who hasn't found her place. Instead, it was quite natural to be in the rural Maine setting and I found the town and other characters in the town quite pleasant!
That being said, I will say that I'm getting a little tired of so many cozies using a "slow" character (mentally) as a common scapegoat for a crime. It's happened in quite a few cozies that I've read recently (maybe it's just the order I've happened to choose to read them in), but the reoccurrence among authors is getting a little old! Ray the handyman is the "slow" character in this book and of course gets blamed for a murder he didn't commit, and this spurs on Candy's investigation. I just found that story line a bit tiresome.
Other than that, I really did enjoy the mystery. I had guessed a couple of smaller puzzles that had come up throughout the book, but as for who the killer was, I was actually pretty surprised in the end. Glad they didn't go for something too easy!
mrsmarch's review against another edition
4.0
I tried to pick this one up from my great teetering pile o' mysteries some time ago, but I had literally just put down a book by an author I really like and am really familiar with, and Town in a Blueberry Jam suffered by being started so hot on the heels of the other book. I was disappointed with it, so I put it back in the pile. I just took it out again a few days ago wanting something a bit different, and this time it grabbed me and wouldn't let go! Pages and pages flew by as I got caught up in the place, the characters, and the multi-layered story! So I suppose the lesson I learned was to give myself a little bit of breathing space between books, so the second book doesn't suffer. I am really looking forward to Town in a Lobster Stew now!
thehodgenator's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the plot, the pacing, the characters.
More to come.
More to come.
marjolaine_lafreniere's review against another edition
DNF. Couldn't connect with the writing.
janessamann's review against another edition
3.0
not great, the main character is a little slow even though everyone says she's smart