This was a very fast paced quick read with a fun holiday setting.
I most enjoyed the strong friendships between these great characters.
The tension builds as Kelly can't contain herself and her curious nature after finding another dead body.
The animals contributed greatly to the story enjoyment.

I haven't read any other books in this series, but it was easy to read this one because it had a lot of the usual cozy mystery tropes, single 20 something woman with failed career, back home, a few long time friends and working at a family business.

This was a novella so there wasn't much room to build a sophisticated mystery. The killer essentially outs themself which is an irritant for me.

Would only recommend this for someone who wanted a quick, light, clean mystery.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun and very short cozy mystery, number 2.5 in the Resale Boutique mystery series. The main character, Kelly, has moved from NYC after she inherits her grandmother’s consignment shop. Unfortunately she finds a corpse and starts to ask questions. Kelly needs to find the killer before she can become his next victim.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the 2.5 book in the Resale Boutique Mystery series. This is a short and quick read. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I feel there was a lot put into this short book. I wish there was more character development. By the end I did not really care about the characters. Overall I would say it was an ok cozy mystery. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Lyrical Press) or author (Debra Sennefelder) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Kelly Quinn is hoping her boutique will make a killing with a 70's themed Halloween party in the works. A missing dog leads to a dead owner, then the real work/fun begins. An enjoyable read.

Um. I didn't actively dislike this, but nor did I actively like it (three days to read what should take an hour?). Given that this came out last year, too, I'm very, very late to the Hallowe'en party.

I get that it's a novella and therefore that automatically limits the length of the story, and everything within it, but even in this format and understanding that, it felt like a first draft. This book felt very rushed, and that's even ignoring all the standard ARC stuff (grammar, formatting, etc.).

So, based on those imposed limits, there also wasn't a lot of character development apart from Kelly, who seemed to do what she wanted, when she wanted. She said she wasn't investigating when she clearly was, and I'm still not sure I understand what the victim was doing at an old farmhouse - looking for her dog?

Anyhow. There is a series around this, so it's obviously reasonably well established. Not every book is for every body, and this one is just not for me.

A light read. Two dimensional characters. Author has potential. Will read the next book in the series.
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance readers copy. The views expressed are truly mine.

This book was adorable and fun to read. It kept me so captivated. I was definitely delighted with the characters. The plot was very entertaining and it kept me reading until the end. I finished this book in one sitting. I really liked this delightful fast paced read.

3 stars

This is the 2.5 book in the Resale Boutique series by Debra Sennefelder.

I think this story had a lot of promise but the flow of the writing was not consistant. Plus the plot was too easily wrapped up. There were two sections I thought were perfect for a suspense scene but things were strangely wrapped up and moved on from.

I can see now that this was a novella but I think the story really needed to be expanded on and made into a full blown book. The quick wrap up made it feel like the author hadn't edited the book and just wanted to move on to the next story. I totally hate that this is how I felt when I can see all the promise this story has. Please add some suspense in a few places, work on the writing flow and give us more details about the characters. I think it would add greatly to the reader's enjoyment of the story.

Good bones but it needed work to make it really good.

Kelly Quinn has left her Manhattan life to return to her hometown. She has inherited her grandmother’s consignment shop and has big plans for it.
Kelley finds a lost puppy while scouting out a cemetery for a Halloween photo shoot and brings him home. While waiting for the reward she makes another discovery. She finds the body of the puppy's owner in an old farmhouse.
This was a nice light read although a bit disconnected.

What Not To Wear to a Graveyard by Debra Sennefelder is the third book in the Resale Boutique Mystery series. I have not read the previous books, but was able to catch up to the main characters and larger picture quickly.

After trading her Manhattan digs for her upstate hometown, fashionista Kelly Quinn has big plans for her grandmother’s consignment shop. But this All Hallow’s Eve someone is already dressed to kill. A socialite’s missing dog has made front page news in Lucky Cove—complete with a hefty reward. But between renovating the consignment shop, planning her costume for a 1970s themed Halloween party, and scouting a location for a fashion shoot, Kelly doesn’t have time to search. Yet a visit to the local colonial-era cemetery—ideal for the moody atmosphere she’s after—soon turns up the precious pooch. Kelly’s looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through the heart. Kelly can’t help wondering why Constance Lane was traipsing around the farmhouse in stilettos. But as Kelly gets decked out in a vintage disco caftan, that isn’t the only fashion misstatement spooking her. Hidden in the dead woman’s past is a secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as the Halloween party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means her last dance.

What Not To Wear to a Graveyard is the third book in a series, which I did not notice right away. It was only comments about past incidents in relation to the police that really made it clear that I had missed something, so I think newcomers could pick up this book and join in the series without difficulty. Kelly is a smart, resourceful character. I liked her care for Billy (the dog) and how her mind kept circling the mystery trying to figure out the puzzle before she found all the pieces. I was right with her trying to figure out the who and why. I enjoyed that aspect of the story, and some of the friendships that Kelly has, particularly with Penny and Liv. For all that I liked, I did think that the cover led me to think it would more humorous- which I know murder is not funny but many cozy mysteries are funny. I also thought that that characters were a little flat. Characters and interactions just seemed to be lacking a little depth, they were a little too easy for me to leave behind when real life intruded, and when I finished the book. I will admit that there are a couple secondary characters that sparked some curiosity, but not enough for me to seek out the previous or next books in the series.

What Not To Wear to a Graveyard is a quick and engaging mystery.

I wanted to like this book. It disappointed. Shallow characters and a narrow plotline. I like the author's other series much better. A socialite’s missing dog has made front-page news in Lucky Cove—complete with a hefty reward. But between renovating the consignment shop, planning her costume for a 1970s themed Halloween party, and scouting a location for a fashion shoot, Kelly doesn’t have time to search. Yet a visit to the local colonial-era cemetery—ideal for the moody atmosphere she’s after—soon turns up the precious pooch. Kelly’s looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through the heart.

Kelly can’t help wondering why Constance Lane was traipsing around the farmhouse in stilettos. But as Kelly gets decked out in a vintage disco caftan, that isn’t the only fashion misstatement spooking her. Hidden in the dead woman’s past is a secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as the Halloween party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means her last dance.

Kelly Quinn has returned to her home town to manage her late grandmother's resale store. She has inherited a cat along with the store, and has renewed old friendships. When she goes to a house to view some potential resales, she finds a body and begins to investigate the murder. All sorts of danger ensues. I love this book series, but this one seemed a bit short and a little too simplistic. It was over before I knew it. I do like the characters that are ongoing in this series, as they are interesting and unique. It's also fun to read about Kelly learning about living with a cat! She's beginning to realize that he's in charge! Looking forward to the next episode in this series.

What Not To Wear To A Graveyard by Debra Sennefelder is number three in the Resale Boutique Mystery series. This is a fun series with great charcters and always a fun sleuth. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. The opinions here are my own.

I really enjoy Kelly as a protagnist. She is a take charge of her own life type of charcter and a savvy sleuth. She is enjoying making a success of her Grandmother's resale boutique that is in need of a upgrade. When she finds a missing dog that has a reward she is planning to do just that until she finds the owners body . Kelly has solved murders before and does not hesitate to make inquires and ask the necessary questions to find the suspect. I enjoyed this next in series with a well crafted sleuth and fun charcters that I always enjoy returning to. Very well done next in series !

This is book 2.5 in the Resale Boutique series and is a shorter read. Kelly is running her grandmother's consignment shop and is preparing for the Fall Harvest/Halloween season. A rich society lady is offering a large reward for the return of her missing dog and Kelly is excited to find the dog in the local cemetery. When she takes the dog back to the owner the housekeeper assures Kelly that the owner will send her a check but the next day the owner is found dead. Kelly investigates and finds a few secrets in Constant's past that have a few suspects on the list. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First off let me say I am a fan of this series. I am eagerly waiting to read the next, full length, entry, How to Frame a Fashionista (12/1/2020). This was a novella, something I didn't realize when I started it and that threw me off a bit. The pace was different but once I figured out the problem, I settled down to enjoy it.
Kelly should have stayed in her resale boutique and taken care of business. It's one thing to go to an abandoned farm house to gather up clothing to sell in her shop. That part went as planned. Too bad she stumbles over a body in the kitchen, stabbed with an expensive kitchen knife. Oh and the corpse? She was the owner of the sweet little dog, Billy - the missing dog that Kelly found and returned to her with the promise of a nice, fat $5K reward. Talk about a day that held such promise and then turned out to be beyond horrible. Of course Kelly decides that just because she found Billy and was waiting for that big check she has every right to investigate on her own. That's not how it works, Kelly but that's her plan and she runs with it. That puts her in some danger and she finds out that Constance Lane, the corpse, had some secrets. Add the Halloween theme and it made for a nice seasonal entertainment.
Overall I enjoyed the usual characters and the town setting and the mystery was good even though I wish it had been a full length book (but that's my issue). My major pet peeve? She kept going on and on about her daily choice of shoes - some not such good choices. (Yes, shoes do not interest me in the least) Kelly was a bit annoying in this outing but I still like her.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What Not to Wear to a Graveyard: A Resale Boutique Mystery
By Debra Sennefelder
Lyrical
September 2020

Review by Cynthia Chow

As much as Kelly Quinn loves the consignment shop she inherited from her grandmother, making ends meet has been a struggle. After moving from Manhattan back to her hometown of Lucky Cove, the former fashion buyer began rebranding the used-clothes shop into the Lucky Cove Resale Boutique, slowly building a social media presence targeting budget-conscious fashionistas. The stars align when during a Halloween-themed photo shoot at their local cemetery Kelly discovers an adorable, apparently lost Shih-Tzu. The purebred Billy comes with a $5000 reward after going missing from his owner Constance Lane, and Kelly is eager to receive the bounty from the famous ex-wife of a senator. It’s too bad then that Constance Lane is busy in her kitchen with a knife stuck in her chest, the result being not only that Kelly probably won’t get the reward but also that she will be a person-of-interest in a murder case.

At least knowing Gabe Donovan from childhood gives her a bit of a break in that he doesn’t immediately accuse her of murder, but that doesn’t mean that he and Detective Marcy Wolman won’t also tell her to mind her own business. That’s going to be impossible for Kelly, and even she can’t fully explain why she cares so much about figuring out how Billy’s kidnapping -dognapping – may have played a role in his human companion’s death. It’s not long before a rather intrepid and somewhat nosy Kelly learns that Constance was writing a scandalous tell-all autobiography, and that the ghostwriter helping her was still in town. An attack by a horrifically creepy clown (which are already creepy, but even more so when they threaten with a real knife), a lurking SUV, and the explosive book worth killing over all make this Kelly’s scariest Halloween ever.

This fun novella is the perfect season treat sure to inspire Halloween costumes and complete fashion makeovers. The plethora of holiday parties allow Kelly and her BFF Liv to use the Boutique’s collections for 70s iconic Big Hair-Tight Pants glamor looks, which are as delightfully vivid as they are regrettable. Clues quickly come together for an exciting and hilarious conclusion, one that comes just in time for Kelly and her friends to still be on time to hand out treats to adorable tricksters. Fashion, jealous pets, and the engaging residents of Lucky Cove all make this fun and compelling mystery that appeals to every reader’s inner child.

Kelly Quinn has inherited in grandmother’s resale shop in her hometown. Kelly has moved back and is trying to set up an updated resale shop while enjoying contact with old friends. A socialite has offered a $5000 reward for her missing dog. Kelly dreams what she could do with that money. So she’s keeping an eye out while doing her other errands.

This is an enjoyable story. It is definitely a novella, but sometimes that’s the best thing. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to more about them.

After inheriting her g grandmother's consignment shop, Kelly Quinn it's doing her best to save the business and put he own strap on it. Culling some closets at an abandoned farmhouse, she finds a body in the kitchen. Breezy and a quick read. However if you haven't read another in the series, you might not connect well with the characters. Sometimes that's an issue in a novella, either the character development or the mystery isn't fully sketched out. I'll be back to read the next in the series.

My first fashionista Kelly Quinn cozy and I know that it will not be my last! Even the name Kelly Quinn sounds fashion forward. I did feel a little like I had jumped into the middle of the story but since it was more of a novella it made me hungry for the next book, which is due out in December. This one takes place around Halloween, perfect opportunity for a fashionista with a resale business to make a killing. Or in Kelly's case, she finds a murder victim. The very same one who would have been giving her a windfall for finding a lost dog. So instead of getting ready for renovation to the Lucky Cove Resale Boutique with the reward money, Kelly is getting ready to track down a killer by following the clues. Once I got into the story I was hooked and wanted it to go further and to "meet" more characters. One last thing to remember, high heeled stiletto style boots are an example of What Not to Wear to a Graveyard.