Reviews

Wreck the Halls by Sarah Graves

mwalkerelders's review against another edition

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

3.0

git_r_read's review against another edition

2.0

Decent cozy series.

krystlekouture's review against another edition

2.0

Below average cozy. Didn't care for the ending or the characters.

dtaylorbooks's review against another edition

Where did I stop reading? 17.5% in

Why? The storytelling was all over the place. It was a struggle to keep my attention for the 50ish pages I did read, let alone trying to get through the rest of the book. There’s a lot of exposition for the fifth book in the series. As a reader who’s jumping into it at this point I don’t mind some to set the stage, but these were just constant wandering tangents to the point where I kept losing the plot. The opening was strong, but it just got watered down with all of this superfluous detail that really dissolved any tension or suspense the story could have had.

ptaradactyl's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

linnybeebooks's review against another edition

4.0

Now, here's the deal. Everyone rates these books poorly and I'm not sure I blame them. However, as an audiobook, they perform remarkably well. The narrator hits all the right notes, bringing emotional honesty to the awkward dialogue. It's great entertainment for my commute!

mredman345's review against another edition

2.0

I almost feel like this book was written out of order from the others. One instance that really bugged me is Tommy, Sam's friend, has a different last name in this book than in past books. Also the house is said to be haunted in other books but there is no mention of that in this book. That would have explained the continuous smell of blood and the stickiness feeling on her hands after she discovers the bodies. For some reason this book just didn't really line up for me. I was also really confused by the ending of this book as far as who did it and why. It just didn't really line up for me.

cupcakepearls's review against another edition

2.0

Okay, so obviously if I've read 5 of thesenow I liked something about then so let's start there. I like that Jake has a steady love interest with no drama. I like the writing style (people complained about it in other reviews, but I think I liked it better because I listened to the audiobooks). I like Jake herself, she makes me laugh.

Now let's go on to what I don't like. The town doesn't feel like a town. I'm fairly new to cozies so my big example for small towns is Gilmore Girls. There were characters that popped in and out of the main characters lives, they had relevance and then they didn't. But this series isn't like that, other than rhe main cast there are really no recurring characters. No one from one book who was involved on that one needs is ever seen again! In and town of 2000 people, the author is rapidly using bodies up only to never mention them again. Letying us see characters from previous mysteries serves to make it real.

There is also always an "unrelated murder" that doesn't get much attention and is always related. After five books it's not an interesting plotting device anymore, sorry.

All of that said, I'm probably goinh to keep reading them. I'm listening to then at work and they're good enough and interesting enough to make rhe day go by.

craftingkatie's review

4.0

Now, here's the deal. Everyone rates these books poorly and I'm not sure I blame them. However, as an audiobook, they perform remarkably well. The narrator hits all the right notes, bringing emotional honesty to the awkward dialogue. It's great entertainment for my commute!