Reviews

Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette

nellps's review against another edition

4.0

well written but the mystery wasn’t the besttt thing i’ve read

bookwoman37's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious fast-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

3.5

This was just an OK cozy mystery for me. Callie has returned home to Cattail Island on the Outer Banks. She gets a job at the local book store. When a local woman falls to death from the lighthouse just like her mother she sets out to prove it is not a curse or an accident. I really liked the outer banks setting and the characters but I found the mystery to be weak. The treasure hunt was fun but the solution did not make much sense and felt like it came from left field. The sleuth goes off by herself to confront the killer. There was also a lot of filler in the book, certain places and people were described over and over again. 

jennfux's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This was a good book, an easy read, and not predictable. 
That said I felt nothing for the characters, or for the town. Toby gave me a ick, and for awhile I thought he may be the killer!! 
That said I will probably read the second book, as I think it’s a good read for a plan, or sitting in jury duty. 
It’s not very taxing, and it makes for light work. 

rmhs14's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It took a little bit of reading to decide if I even cared about the main character. But probably about a fourth of the way through she started to grow on me. The story then seemed to grab my attention and I wanted to keep reading.

amberleavesreads's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

3.0

mreads03's review against another edition

I just didn't care about the characters. Wasn't gripping. Started two other books before I decided to put this one down.

tuxa's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.0

elliez's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-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

4.0

n00biez's review against another edition

adventurous reflective 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

1.75

The writing style was underdeveloped. I enjoy strong description as a reader and this book had few, and the descriptions that they did include weren’t enjoyable. The weirdest parts were when the main character “debriefed” other characters on the happenings of the mystery within a paragraph. This happened more than four times. The most disappointing character was Toby. I’m glad the main character had some sort of romance but he ended up being so cringey I would have honestly walked out several times if I witnessed some of the things Callie saw. The whole bit about his tattoo gave me the ick. And the martial arts?? Why? I wasn’t sure what the actual mystery was until 90% through the book because the details meant to throw you off the trail were just so random. Won’t be reading the second book of this duo. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Suicide

bloomva2023's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0