julieclair's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A well done seasonal cozy mystery. The pumpkin festival setting was fun.
cassia8720's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
roniiweasley's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
beauty_and_the_rose's review
1.0
I was excited to read this Halloween themed mystery but it didn't live up to my hopes. This is a mystery but the murder didn't even happen until halfway through the book...
On top of that there was no real mystery to it. Lucy figures it out within two chapters of the murder happening and then sets about figuring out how to prove herself correct. It was so rushed i couldn't even really enjoy trying to figure it out.
This story was about Lucy and her family not about a mystery. It was a side plot. Not what i was looking for in a mystery...
On top of that there was no real mystery to it. Lucy figures it out within two chapters of the murder happening and then sets about figuring out how to prove herself correct. It was so rushed i couldn't even really enjoy trying to figure it out.
This story was about Lucy and her family not about a mystery. It was a side plot. Not what i was looking for in a mystery...
twocatstailoring's review
- 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
2.0
First, from a technical standpoint, the book has some obvious editing mistakes. The book jacket misnames a principle character, exact phrases are repeated when it's not necessary, and a character who isn't even in the story is mistakenly given dialogue in one scene.
Secondly, the repeated references to women dieting/losing weight and the women's ages (always too old) are tedious. They add nothing and make the main character appear a bit dim - she's meant to be a journalist, so her surprise at the laws around the country making news plus her going on about her age makes her a less-than-reliable narrator. Not great in a sleuth.
Secondly, the repeated references to women dieting/losing weight and the women's ages (always too old) are tedious. They add nothing and make the main character appear a bit dim - she's meant to be a journalist, so her surprise at the laws around the country making news plus her going on about her age makes her a less-than-reliable narrator. Not great in a sleuth.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Fatphobia
mariahroze's review
2.0
I have been wanting to read a Halloween book, since I have been reading so many books for my book clubs. However, I did not pick a good Halloween book. This was an extremely fluffy story that was super random. I loved how they tried to talk about equal rights between the genders; however, it was super random in this story. It was not a good fit.
katkinney's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this Lucy Stone mystery! Halloween is growing near in Tinker’s Cove, Maine an the town is gearing up for the pumpkin-themed celebration. I am a reader who DELIGHTS in holiday-themed books that go all out on the holiday cheer and “Candy Corn Murder” did that in spades, with a candy corn guessing competition, the whole town growing giant pumpkins, the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin special, Halloween themed ice cream, and Lucy’s husband Bill building a giant catapult in their yard for pumpkin throwing. So much fun. Patrick, Lucy’s grandson, is also staying with them, and in between searching for who in town is sabotaging the festival and smashing pumpkins, Lucy is dealing with “new age” childcare expectations and the list of foods from Patrick’s parents that he isn’t allowed to eat (including anything a 4 year old will willingly eat.) I always love the books that are set in Tinker’s Cove the best, and this was one of my very favorites that I know I will enjoy rereading at this time of year.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
crownofcrafting's review
1.0
1⭐️
Yeah… that was literally just so weird. I am blacklisting this author, I will never read this author again. A LOT of misogyny and fatphobia within 5% of a 9 hour audiobook. Just so much bad stuff packed into a supposedly “cute & cozy” mystery.
My head hurts
Yeah… that was literally just so weird. I am blacklisting this author, I will never read this author again. A LOT of misogyny and fatphobia within 5% of a 9 hour audiobook. Just so much bad stuff packed into a supposedly “cute & cozy” mystery.
My head hurts
cj_mo_2222's review
4.0
It’s almost Halloween and Lucy Stone and her family are getting ready the upcoming celebrations taking place in their hometown of Tinker’s Cove, Maine. In fact, Lucy thinks her husband Bill is going a little overboard in the preparations and is tired of Bill’s friend Evan making himself at home while they work on their contest entries. However, Lucy never would have wished for Evan to meet the fate he did and is devastated when Bill becomes the main suspect in his friend’s murder. Lucy knows her husband is innocent, so she won’t stop until she finds the real killer.
I like the main character of Lucy, who is likeable and fun and has a great sense of humor. I liked Lucy’s friends and family members as well, especially her easygoing husband, Bill. I hated how the local police officers latched onto Bill as a suspect without a proper investigation, but was glad to see that Lucy didn’t give up and that their friend and lawyer was there to help.
There were a couple characters I didn’t care for. One was Lucy’s daughter-in-law whose over-the-top rules for her young son left me shaking my head, but luckily she was only in the book briefly. Lucy’s grandson’s preschool teacher, Heidi, was equally self-righteous and annoying and I was surprised to see the other women in the town allow Heidi to get her way in planning a ridiculous Halloween party for the children of the town.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I like the “cozy” writing style of the author. However, I did confused about who was who in the Cousins family, which made it hard to follow all of the plot details. I have to give kudos to the author for dealing with a serious subject in such a creative way. Flashbacks of a young woman from 1979 tie into the overall mystery as well as the domestic violence theme which plays an important role in the story. This gave depth to an otherwise lighthearted mystery novel and was very well-done.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I like the main character of Lucy, who is likeable and fun and has a great sense of humor. I liked Lucy’s friends and family members as well, especially her easygoing husband, Bill. I hated how the local police officers latched onto Bill as a suspect without a proper investigation, but was glad to see that Lucy didn’t give up and that their friend and lawyer was there to help.
There were a couple characters I didn’t care for. One was Lucy’s daughter-in-law whose over-the-top rules for her young son left me shaking my head, but luckily she was only in the book briefly. Lucy’s grandson’s preschool teacher, Heidi, was equally self-righteous and annoying and I was surprised to see the other women in the town allow Heidi to get her way in planning a ridiculous Halloween party for the children of the town.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I like the “cozy” writing style of the author. However, I did confused about who was who in the Cousins family, which made it hard to follow all of the plot details. I have to give kudos to the author for dealing with a serious subject in such a creative way. Flashbacks of a young woman from 1979 tie into the overall mystery as well as the domestic violence theme which plays an important role in the story. This gave depth to an otherwise lighthearted mystery novel and was very well-done.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
augustgreatsword's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0