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kermittuesday's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Dementia
Minor: Grief
yvonne_yvonne's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Body shaming
makerealityvanish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I'm not a huge crime reader, in fact it has been 5ish years since I read one. I really loved this one. It was exactly what I needed after reading Wuthering Heights. It was a fast paced and engaging read. I wouldn't usually think to describe a crime book as cosy and sweet, but that is exactly how this one felt. I loved all the main characters. I laughed, I shed a tear. Cannot wait to read the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Dementia
Moderate: Eating disorder
yeppenny's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
sophiestbr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? No
3.75
This was a quaint and cosy book, that's the best way I can describe it, despite it being a murder mystery. The idea of it taking place at a retirement home with a cast of characters overwhelmingly over the age of 75 was a surprisingly intriguing and easy to get into.
It is written in a really accessible and straightforward way, the mystery is set up early and in a way that made me want to read on and get to the bottom of it. The characters are rich and interesting, easy to connect to in one way or another.
Where the book fell down for me and soured the experience is a spoiler that comes with a trigger warning, so read on at your own risk:the author used suicide as a way out of storylines or as a scandalous side note far too many times that ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth. I think there were at least 4 characters that committed suicide or whose stories featured it.
Overall, with the above and the fact that I felt too many of the 'red herrings' were resolved too quickly made it less gripping and suspenseful than other crime/mystery novels. That said, I will read at least the next book in this series at some point to give another mystery with this fabulous cast of characters a shot, they were really the highlight for me.
It is written in a really accessible and straightforward way, the mystery is set up early and in a way that made me want to read on and get to the bottom of it. The characters are rich and interesting, easy to connect to in one way or another.
Where the book fell down for me and soured the experience is a spoiler that comes with a trigger warning, so read on at your own risk:
Overall, with the above and the fact that I felt too many of the 'red herrings' were resolved too quickly made it less gripping and suspenseful than other crime/mystery novels. That said, I will read at least the next book in this series at some point to give another mystery with this fabulous cast of characters a shot, they were really the highlight for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Cursing and Pregnancy
sierraclimbs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
So fun!
Richard Osman did an amazing job creating an immersive world involving a retirement village solving crimes.
The way he crafted a mystery using all the tropes you would expect, but then with an added little twist you would never guess! Was *chefs kiss*
It gets very emotional in a beautiful way because of the relationships these elders have with each other & their spouses (dead & alive).
Can't wait to pick up the next one & rejoin these characters on their adventures.
Richard Osman did an amazing job creating an immersive world involving a retirement village solving crimes.
The way he crafted a mystery using all the tropes you would expect, but then with an added little twist you would never guess! Was *chefs kiss*
It gets very emotional in a beautiful way because of the relationships these elders have with each other & their spouses (dead & alive).
Can't wait to pick up the next one & rejoin these characters on their adventures.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Suicide, and Murder
chsm8's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Murder
paradoxchild's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Took me a bit to get into it. I don’t know why everyone is calling this light hearted it made me cry more than laugh. Also I think the audiobook would have benefited from a full cast, it was hard to tell people apart and whose POV we were in sometimes, especially with the diary entries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Dementia
Moderate: Body shaming and Terminal illness
Minor: Pregnancy
gracegeeks's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
chriswoody94's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence