teri_loves_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
4.0
peggyemi's review against another edition
3.0
This a difficult review to write. I knew there were some mixed reviews on this book before I started reading, but I liked the premise well enough to give it a try. I guess my biggest problem with this book was that I really didn't like Charity Penn, the main character. She is stand-offish, prickly and paranoid. One character in the book likened her to a porcupine and I think that was a very apt description. Because of these personality traits I found it difficult to warm up to Penn and like her character. There were some interesting secondary characters that helped to redeem the story. Also, I found it strange that Penn didn't start really start investigating her friends death until after she had been in town for 4 days. That seemed a little unrealistic to me.
The mystery was good. There were plenty of suspects to choose from with varying motives. However, in what was a surprise to me, I figured out the identity of the killer about 1/2 way through the book. For me, this person just stood out too much not to be the culprit.
I'm still on the fence as to whether I will continue with this series or not.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
The mystery was good. There were plenty of suspects to choose from with varying motives. However, in what was a surprise to me, I figured out the identity of the killer about 1/2 way through the book. For me, this person just stood out too much not to be the culprit.
I'm still on the fence as to whether I will continue with this series or not.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
salene27's review against another edition
1.0
Not sure which was more annoying the main character or reading about her poor unwanted dog. This book was terrible!
The "mystery" makes no sense and the main character is whiney and annoying.
The "mystery" makes no sense and the main character is whiney and annoying.
govmarley's review against another edition
2.0
Wow. This was a hot mess of a book. Unlikeable MC. Unlikeable townspeople. A mystery that really made no sense if you looked at it too closely. And dropped plot lines everywhere. Welcome to Camellia Beach, South Carolina. You won't want to stay too long. Just grab your chocolate and go.
Charity Penn is a rich girl with a serious chip on her shoulder and a ton of daddy (and mommy) issues. That, on the surface, shouldn't make her unlikeable. I enjoy my MCs flawed. However, when she mentions at EVERY turn that she thinks people are after her money, she needs to stop talking to anyone but her shrink. She's annoying, y'all. Oh, and she tells people her name is Penn. Just Penn. Not short for Penny. Just Penn. Like Madonna. Or Prince. Or Beyonce. Seriously, Penn, get over your damn self. P.S. take a detective class or something, because you are a big dummy who can't even be bothered to read what is handed to you in a very important envelope. Who does that? Well, I guess Penn, and Penn only. Common sense 101 wasn't taught at her prep school, clearly.
Also, the plot was dumb. We are supposed to think her friendship with Skinny is a deep one of trust, but then she knows nothing about him. Nothing, because she can't stop talking about how people want her money. And she calls the police and accuses like 200 different people, and they keep listening to her, because this universe is the most unrealistic one on the planet.
Secrets, lies, and nonsense abound. Plus a poor dog who desperately needs an obedience course before she has to be put down for biting the wrong person. Probably the dumbest part of a terrible book. 1.5 stars.
Charity Penn is a rich girl with a serious chip on her shoulder and a ton of daddy (and mommy) issues. That, on the surface, shouldn't make her unlikeable. I enjoy my MCs flawed. However, when she mentions at EVERY turn that she thinks people are after her money, she needs to stop talking to anyone but her shrink. She's annoying, y'all. Oh, and she tells people her name is Penn. Just Penn. Not short for Penny. Just Penn. Like Madonna. Or Prince. Or Beyonce. Seriously, Penn, get over your damn self. P.S. take a detective class or something, because you are a big dummy who can't even be bothered to read what is handed to you in a very important envelope. Who does that? Well, I guess Penn, and Penn only. Common sense 101 wasn't taught at her prep school, clearly.
Also, the plot was dumb. We are supposed to think her friendship with Skinny is a deep one of trust, but then she knows nothing about him. Nothing, because she can't stop talking about how people want her money. And she calls the police and accuses like 200 different people, and they keep listening to her, because this universe is the most unrealistic one on the planet.
Secrets, lies, and nonsense abound. Plus a poor dog who desperately needs an obedience course before she has to be put down for biting the wrong person. Probably the dumbest part of a terrible book. 1.5 stars.
cservat129's review against another edition
5.0
This is exactly the type of cozy mystery I love to read. The characters were fun and entertaining with a solid plot and story line. I couldn’t solve the mystery and that’s just a bonus as far as I am concerned. I would love to read more books from this author.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
3.0
I'm always in the market for a good cozy. And this one looked cute. But the first one, we only had in trade-sized PB and the second is only in HB. But we finally got this one in used, so I picked it up. It was enjoyable, though Penn wasn't my favorite character. She was too whiny for my taste. There were plenty of kooky characters to fill out the town, though.
I would read more of these, but I won't pay the cover price for these. Cozy mysteries are supposed to be light and fluffy. You read and enjoy them and move on to something else. I'm too cheap to pay double the normal price for this one (and even more for the next because it's only in HB!). If we get #2 in used, I'll probably read it.
I would read more of these, but I won't pay the cover price for these. Cozy mysteries are supposed to be light and fluffy. You read and enjoy them and move on to something else. I'm too cheap to pay double the normal price for this one (and even more for the next because it's only in HB!). If we get #2 in used, I'll probably read it.
lunifur's review against another edition
3.0
**I voluntarily read this ARC**
I tried really, really hard to love this book. The premise was great, but it failed to live up to its potential. My biggest issue was that the murderer was so obvious from fairly early on, which left me frustrated at the main character for the majority of the book. My other issue is the that main character was annoying. She was so naive, yet she kept insisting she had learned from her mistakes - as she made the exact same mistakes she claimed she had learned from. There were some enjoyable characters, and a wonderful heartwarming scene towards the end.
I tried really, really hard to love this book. The premise was great, but it failed to live up to its potential. My biggest issue was that the murderer was so obvious from fairly early on, which left me frustrated at the main character for the majority of the book. My other issue is the that main character was annoying. She was so naive, yet she kept insisting she had learned from her mistakes - as she made the exact same mistakes she claimed she had learned from. There were some enjoyable characters, and a wonderful heartwarming scene towards the end.
verityw's review against another edition
1.0
******Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*******
Where to start. Honestly. Where. To. Start. I am having such a poor run with cozy crimes at the moment. This is another which is largely devoid of sympathetic characters and which compounds that by having a detective who is almost beyond too stupid to live, with the attention span of a goldfish and the deductive skills of a fish too. Ooof. I could go on at length about my issues with the way the heroine's (tragic) backstory is set up and her inability to control her dog, but life is too short. I'm just going to chalk it up as Not For Me and move on. Sorry.
Where to start. Honestly. Where. To. Start. I am having such a poor run with cozy crimes at the moment. This is another which is largely devoid of sympathetic characters and which compounds that by having a detective who is almost beyond too stupid to live, with the attention span of a goldfish and the deductive skills of a fish too. Ooof. I could go on at length about my issues with the way the heroine's (tragic) backstory is set up and her inability to control her dog, but life is too short. I'm just going to chalk it up as Not For Me and move on. Sorry.
readingactually's review against another edition
5.0
This is exactly the type of cozy mystery I love to read. The characters were fun and entertaining with a solid plot and story line. I couldn’t solve the mystery and that’s just a bonus as far as I am concerned. I would love to read more books from this author.