It is a lovely book. However, the designs were not what I am interested in at this time. Others artists would appreciate it.

The book series and characters have potential. I felt a bit disconnected but as this is a first book in the series that is to be expected. Sam is a likable character so I look forward to see how she develops as the series progresses.

A fantastic cozy mystery that has me guessing until the end. Loved the story and the characters.My first book by this author.

Thank you to the author Sarah Vernon, publishers Oh Honey Projects, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of PAINTED TO DEATH.

In this short cozy mystery that takes place at a Boston art school, the fmc Sam(antha) is inspired by Nancy Drew, and this book really does remind me of those old YA mysteries. Well, if you cross them with THE IT GIRL, that is. When Sam's best friend Catherine turns up dead from an overdose of her diabetes medication, law enforcement dismisses her death as a suicide. But Sam isn't convinced and starts digging for answers. The problem with asking such questions to and about the people you know is you start to learn things about them that you can't unlearn. Will Sam uncover the truth about Catherine's death before she turns herself into a target?

I didn't have an idea this time about who might have been the murderer. I had a better instinct for who was being thrown in as a red herring, and there were quite a few of these. I actually love reading mysteries in which I don't have a guess about a suspect. It seriously could have been three different suspects!

I enjoyed that this book feels complete even though it is only 150 pages. Vernon does drop you right into the action, so there's no slow burn, which is pretty common fare these days, but I love this stylistic choice. 20 years ago, in media res was the style of the day, not the slow burn. Tastes and style trends change, that's all!

Rating: 🎨🎨🎨🎨.5 / 5
Recommend? Definitely
Finished: March 4 2023
Read this if you like:
📒 Novellas
🔎 Cozy mysteries
🕵‍♀️ Amateur sleuths
🖌 Art
🦸🏽‍♀️ Strong female characters

Sam Green is an art student with creative habits when it comes to solving mysteries. When her friend Catherine is found dead in the painting studios the police are quick to rule her death a suicide but Sam knows something doesn’t seem right. Sam starts to poke around the art studio and soon uncovers some surprising suspects and motives in an art department simmering with artistic jealousy resentment and relationship drama than a daytime talk show. This was a very good story easy to follow and I would recommend to everyone.

This has potential however, it was a struggle to get through the book. It was a lot at once and I had trouble following along. It could be a great series if it was flushed out more. The mystery was a little to simple. Overall it felt like it was missing parts and parts that were unneeded.
#PaintedtoDeath #NetGalley

Book review :

Painted to Death is a colourful cozy with a mysterious demise, miniscule sculptures, a cold climate, a romantic crush, and a prying roommate. This book is is the debut of A Triple-Decker Mysteries.

The story revolves around Sam Green who is an art student with some pretty creative habits when it comes to solving mysteries. Her roommate, Catherine, died in mysterious circumstances in her painting studio on their college campus. She sets out to learn what happened.

I really enjoyed the art school setting. There were a bunch of possible suspects . I was able to quickly guess, but I really enjoyed the journey as Sam investigated and we learned who did it. Plus there's a fun mini romance mixed in.

All the characters were relatable and likable, and I enjoyed Sam's relationships with her friends and roomies. It included some good humor and at times I was chuckling. However, there was a lot of art related information that sort of made me glaze over some .

The author has beautifully depicted the art gallery and the emotions underlying roomies if such a thing happens. The way all the scenes are depicted is marvellous.

I really enjoyed the underlying murder mystery and sneaky amateur detecting involved, and the twist at the end was not what I expected. If you are looking to cozy up with a good fast mystery, I highly recommend this one.

Happy Reading!

Painted to Death by Sarah Vernon is the debut of A Triple-Decker Mysteries. I had trouble getting through this book. It is a short story that felt much longer. The first chapter is not engaging. I felt like I had been plopped into the middle of a movie and I had no idea what was happening. We are introduced to a variety of characters. I did not feel that any of the characters were developed. The mystery is light. It can easily be solved long before the reveal. There is romance, of course. Sam has a crush on her friend’s brother, Arun. Sam is happy that Arun is helping her investigate her friend’s death. Painted to Death was a challenge to finish. I suffer from insomnia and this book was helpful in getting me to sleep. Painted to Death is a colorful cozy with a mysterious demise, miniscule sculptures, a cold climate, a romantic crush, and a prying roommate.

This was a fun read! I found Sam’s character to be quite relatable, especially with the whole barely brushing her hair and being a messy creative type - I wish I had the excuse of art school. This book is written from Sam’s perspective, and I enjoyed that greatly. Having things explained from her point of view, listening to her inner monologue, and following her detail-oriented lines of logic kept me engaged and invested in the story. It also kept the whole thing very relatable and believable. In a way, Sam reminded me of if Harriet the Spy grew up and went to art school. She has that same nature of being suspicious of practically everyone and always judging their actions in the context of what she’s looking for. I definitely wouldn’t hire Same to investigate a murder, but I’d love to amateur sleuth with her between classes.

I was delighted to find that this is just book one of the series, so hopefully there are a great deal more adventures with Sam Green. But that does worry me for her friends and family - I hope they aren’t all victims in the coming books! I am also realizing this means I get to see if her relationship with her crush, Arun, develops! I sure do love a series.

I’m sure, once again, I did a terrible job explaining why this book is good, but just trust me, it is. And if you don’t trust me, maybe just read it to see if I’m full of shit?

I love books about art and artist. Now mix that with a cozy murder mystery and I'm all in!! And this book was good. I really enjoyed it and lost myself in it. The characters drew me to them and made me care about them and what happened. This book was so good.
I just reviewed Painted to Death by Sarah Vernon. #PaintedtoDeath #NetGalley
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I took a break from this story, part of the way through, before returning to finish it. The opening is a bit disjointed for me, as the protagonist opens with a group of college friends meeting after one of their friends is dead, apparently by suicide. I had a hard time getting into the story because the characters didn’t resonate with me. The writing was clear.

I liked the end of this book but not the beginning. The first chapter is not engaging. The book is light on the plot with not much going on. I had a hard time staying interested in it. #PaintedtoDeath #NetGalley

This thriller/mystery was a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the development of the main character Sam as she worked to discover who killed her friend.
The book kept me entertained and I thorough enjoyed it. I felt that the end was rather quick and I would have liked a little bit more details on what happened. It seemed a tad abrupt.
However, I enjoyed it from start to finish and would highly recommend.
Thank you

A new series. Sam Green is an art student in college. A good main character. At times the story is slow but hang in there because the plot is good. Would like to read the next to see how Sam's character develops. Thanks#netgalley and #OhHoneyProjects for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I struggled with this, my first book by Sarah Vernon. While I did finish it, I stopped a third of the way in to read something different, unsure if I would return. Part of that is me - I didn't realize this was a college story, which are not my favorites. Part of that was the writing. I just couldn't get into it. The book felt a bit clumsy and the main character was sort of one=dimensional. I didn't feel drawn in by the plot, the book felt too long for the small amount of action within. The protagonist and main character misses obvious things along the way and her habit of breaking the veil to talk to the reader is forced and inconsistent.

2 stars, because I did ultimately finish the book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

"Sam Green is an art student with some pretty creative habits when it comes to solving mysteries, in this new series from author and artist Sarah Vernon."
This is a very good cozy mystery. Sarah Vernon is a new author to me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.