lindscodycats's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic scrapbooking mystery from Laura Childs. I love the New Orleans setting especially at Mardi Gras time. Started off with a band and ended with an alligator. The friendship between Carmela and Ava is always a delight.
betcei's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book in Laura Childs Scrapbooking mysteries! Set during Mardi Gras, an explosion rocks a float killing the Krewe chief! Who had it out for him? His wife? Her lover? His investors? His enemies? Carmela, Ava and Babcock work to make the arrest....even through adversity everywhere
ndgrad98's review against another edition
2.0
Edit: nope nope nope. The only reason this got two stars is because Carmela is a remotely interesting main character, and I kind of liked her spunk. I could read more of her, as long as it's not set in New Orleans. Outside of being very repetitive, the book has way too many gratuitous New Orleans things thrown in. It feels like the author Googled 'New Orleans', made a list of anything that showed up as remotely being attached, and then crammed them all into this book whether or not they added value.
For instance, they went and got beers. Great. Did we need to describe them as Abita longnecks when there was no other reference to Abita or such in the rest of the book and it had nothing to do with the scene or following conversations? No we did not. Similarly, they had king cake. Yum. Did we need to describe multiple times it came from some made up New Orleans-sounding bakery, when a description of what a king cake is was enough? No we did not. (Oh and I have NEVER, EVER seen beignets come in a box. WTF? They are ALWAYS in a paper bag so you can dump in your powdered sugar and shake. You can order 50 beignets and you will get a whole lot of little bags with 3 beignets in them!)
But two things really got my goat more than that! (Can you imagine?) I am all for poetic license, but as a native New Orleanian, there are a few sacrosanct things about our city; Mardi Gras is one of them. This book portrays the French Quarter as the focal point for all things Mardi Gras and parade-related. While yes, a lot of partying takes place there, only ONE out of the many parades that roll across the metro area is in the FQ. Parades in the city are concentrated in the Uptown and Downtown areas, which are rich with culture and history that she could have written into the story!
The thing that really put me over the edge was when she described MG fever as sweeping through the city "like a dangerous hurricane". I've lived through numerous hurricanes passing through NOLA, including the Big K, and this was written in very poor taste (apologies to the JPL for writing this sentiment in the book! In ink!).
I won't be reading any more of Ms. Childs' books, and suggest she steers clear of writing about New Orleans until she gets someone who can better advise her on how to portray the Crescent City.
Original: Ok so y’all know nobody talks like this in New Orleans right??
I thought this would be a fun, light read after tackling House of Leaves. Maybe it will be, but I am having a helluva time getting past the nauseating speech and over the top, too much detail descriptions of life in Southern Louisiana. Where one coat of New Orleans would have been sufficient in describing a scene, we get about five coats instead. 🤢
New Orleans is not southern. New Orleans is not Cajun. New Orleans is a blend of so many things that this book hasn’t captured so far. Maybe this overtop treatise ok for those who don’t know better but it’s driving this native nuts.
For instance, they went and got beers. Great. Did we need to describe them as Abita longnecks when there was no other reference to Abita or such in the rest of the book and it had nothing to do with the scene or following conversations? No we did not. Similarly, they had king cake. Yum. Did we need to describe multiple times it came from some made up New Orleans-sounding bakery, when a description of what a king cake is was enough? No we did not. (Oh and I have NEVER, EVER seen beignets come in a box. WTF? They are ALWAYS in a paper bag so you can dump in your powdered sugar and shake. You can order 50 beignets and you will get a whole lot of little bags with 3 beignets in them!)
But two things really got my goat more than that! (Can you imagine?) I am all for poetic license, but as a native New Orleanian, there are a few sacrosanct things about our city; Mardi Gras is one of them. This book portrays the French Quarter as the focal point for all things Mardi Gras and parade-related. While yes, a lot of partying takes place there, only ONE out of the many parades that roll across the metro area is in the FQ. Parades in the city are concentrated in the Uptown and Downtown areas, which are rich with culture and history that she could have written into the story!
The thing that really put me over the edge was when she described MG fever as sweeping through the city "like a dangerous hurricane". I've lived through numerous hurricanes passing through NOLA, including the Big K, and this was written in very poor taste (apologies to the JPL for writing this sentiment in the book! In ink!).
I won't be reading any more of Ms. Childs' books, and suggest she steers clear of writing about New Orleans until she gets someone who can better advise her on how to portray the Crescent City.
Original: Ok so y’all know nobody talks like this in New Orleans right??
I thought this would be a fun, light read after tackling House of Leaves. Maybe it will be, but I am having a helluva time getting past the nauseating speech and over the top, too much detail descriptions of life in Southern Louisiana. Where one coat of New Orleans would have been sufficient in describing a scene, we get about five coats instead. 🤢
New Orleans is not southern. New Orleans is not Cajun. New Orleans is a blend of so many things that this book hasn’t captured so far. Maybe this overtop treatise ok for those who don’t know better but it’s driving this native nuts.
randombookgrl's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! I eagerly await each new entry in this long-running series & each time, I am not disappointed!
cosmic's review against another edition
1.0
This is the 15th book of the Scrapbooking Mystery series, and thankfully I only have one left to go. I used to really like these and enjoy the mysteries as well as the characters. I don't understand how they could become so joyless. The dialogue feels lazy and eye-rolling while the mysteries are full of predictability. It's truly a shame and maybe it's a sign that this series should have ended a few books ago.
mrsburg528's review against another edition
3.0
I was provided an ARC from First to Read and Penguin Books for my honest review.
3.5🌟
Definitely a cozy mystery. I enjoyed the character development and the movement of the plot. I was surprised by the revelation of the antagonist and definitely didn't see it coming. There were some plot points I felt were left undone and I would have liked more clarification as to who exactly left the note for her to meet them at the weird apartment. I was disappointed the engagement ring was eaten by the alligator. I would recommend this book to others and probably read more by Laura Childs.
3.5🌟
Definitely a cozy mystery. I enjoyed the character development and the movement of the plot. I was surprised by the revelation of the antagonist and definitely didn't see it coming. There were some plot points I felt were left undone and I would have liked more clarification as to who exactly left the note for her to meet them at the weird apartment. I was disappointed the engagement ring was eaten by the alligator. I would recommend this book to others and probably read more by Laura Childs.
wulfwyn's review against another edition
5.0
I had so much fun reading this book! From the beginning I was whisked off from my comfy chair and set down in New Orleans, just in time to celebrate Mardi Gras! The authors did an amazing job bringing the sights, sounds, taste, fun and excitement come alive. I was bewitched! The hours flew by and interruptions were barely tolerated. I wanted to stay immersed in the vivid party atmosphere that was going on in my mind. This was my first adventure in A New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery Series but certainly not my last. Glitter Bomb is one of those books that invites you to delight your senses, as well as your mind, between its covers.
I love the characters and their senses of humor. They play off of each other with the warmth and knowledge that long time friends have. I felt like I was a part of the friendships even though I haven’t read the previous books. The mystery was well done, starting the book off with a bang! I was kept guessing and even included a suspect whose job normally keeps me from suspecting them. In the end, I was wrong about my list. I love it! That’s entertainment!
I love the characters and their senses of humor. They play off of each other with the warmth and knowledge that long time friends have. I felt like I was a part of the friendships even though I haven’t read the previous books. The mystery was well done, starting the book off with a bang! I was kept guessing and even included a suspect whose job normally keeps me from suspecting them. In the end, I was wrong about my list. I love it! That’s entertainment!
jenndian's review against another edition
4.0
Another non-stop, exciting book by Laura Childs! It’s always great to visit NOLA and Carmela and her gang at Memory Mine. This one takes place during Mardis Gras and was a great read! Love seeing the character development and whodunit!
confusible's review
2.0
I got this for free through Penguin's First To Read program. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a dud. I have read one of Childs' mysteries before, in the tea shop series, and thought I'd give her another try but I'm still not a fan. I know the cozy mysteries are meant to be fun but this was over the top. Many of the plot points were outlandish with just this one novel involving a float exploding, a masquerade party, a historic house tour, a road race, a fancy fundraising ball, and a pit of gators. I also found her character development a bit lacking. Carmela and Ava both read to me as foolish teenagers when they are supposed to be late 20s/ early 30s.
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