What a delightfully engaging whodunit with a lovely cast of characters, engaging dialogue, and antics that had me laughing out loud. When a body was found, murdered, someone among the moms-to-be could potentially be a murderer. When Alice, her dog, Helen, and the other moms-to-be start looking into things, it becomes apparent that someone is willing to kill to keep their identity a secret. I love the writing style of the author which I found very crisp with a comfortable tone and easy to follow along. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. There were plenty of suspects, and it was fun to watch things unravel as clue after clue shortened the suspect list until there was only one person standing - the murderer and at that we learned the motive.

Interesting premise, but the plot is weak, the characters flat, and their motivations for detecting thin.

A little slow to begin. The characters are relatable. I liked how they bonded even though on the outside it seemed like they had nothing in common. Overall a good read.

Alice and Joe move to the sleepy, postcard pretty town of Penton to wait for the birth of their first baby, hoping that village life will provide the perfect place to raise a child. Alice signs up for a prenatal class held above the Nature’s Way health and hemp shop. Their second class is interrupted by actual childbirth, as Hen and her partner Antoni have, very loudly and messily, a daughter. When the ambulance finally arrives, the paramedics discover the dead body of the shop’s owner. Alice and the other expectant mothers, all now bonded in friendship, are now unlikely suspects. This makes them decide to solve the case and prove their innocence. What comes next will involve a commune, a missing girl, a poisoned dog and another mysterious death.

The Expectant Detectives is a quick, fun read. This cozy mystery has it all: a charming country location, likable, quirky characters, a fast moving plot and Helen the dog, a character by herself. I hope this becomes a series with the not so expectant detectives. They make a great team! 5 stars.

Thank you tot NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Kat Tiles for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this mystery! It was reminiscent of the Finlay Donovan series.

Alice was a fun heroine. She’s 38 weeks and moves to the English countryside with her fiancé. They go to prenatal classes and one of the women unexpectedly goes into labor during the first class, and the shop owner mysteriously dies at the same time. The expecting women decide to investigate.

If you like dogs who cause shenanigans, I think you will enjoy this read.

I have never been pregnant, but that didn’t stop The Expectant Detectives from being hysterically funny to me, while being an enjoyable mystery too. There were definitely moments where it was inadvisable to be eating or drinking while reading. In the story normal London couple Alice and Joe move to small town, hippie Penton a few weeks before Alice is due to give birth. A prenatal meeting goes way off the rails when the shop owner downstairs dies while one of the women gives birth. With a plethora of suspects in the building and multiple suspects in the community, the women decide they have nothing better to do with maternity leave than investigate what looks like a murder. Of course each of the women has someone important to them that’s acting suspicious, is a suspect or in Ailsa’s case, is legitimately chasing down suspects. Alice is a hoot, and her dippy dog Helen periodically steals the show. The book is a bit on the long side, but doesn’t really feel like it with enjoyable characters and a good storyline. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alice moves to the quiet village of Penton with her boyfriend Joe. The move from London along with pending birth of their first child has changes coming to their life rapidly. But when during a prenatal class, a dead body is discovered, everyone at the class becomes a suspect. Alice and a few of her fellow class members are determined to solve the mystery. But what does the local commune which promotes being one with the earth, death of a woman years earlier and a woman who just left the commune under suspicious circumstances have to do with the present-day murder? Between preparing for the birth of her child, taking her fun-loving but slightly wild dog, Helen on walks and trying to figure out what is going with her boyfriend Joe, Alice is using all her available wits to solve this mystery and get her life in order.

It took me a few chapters to get into this book as the character of Alice was a bit annoying to me. However, I’m glad I stuck with it. I enjoyed this book, the mystery is a fun puzzle to solve and takes a bit to see the pieces fall together. Misdirection is alive and working well in this mystery. The other pregnant moms are unique characters and the friendship of these women I could easily see forming. The ladies do get into quite a bit of dilemmas, which adds to the fun. Overall, I enjoyed this book, having never read Kat Ailes, I will seek out her next book. If you enjoy a good mystery and fun antics then you will enjoy this read.

Ok I loved this book it was super cozy and happy with a little mystery sprinkled on top. Also I loved Helen the dog, what a fun character. I will say I usually prefer a bit more hardcore thriller but this was so sweet and I loved it

I was preapproved to receive this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review given how much I enjoyed Finaly Donovan is Killing It. If you enjoyed Finlay, I can definitely see you enjoying this novel- it's funny and quirky and light, which is tricky to do during a murder investigation. I did feel like the book dragged on a bit too much in some places, but I didn't want to put it down AND I didn't guess the twist/whodunit. An enjoyable read forsure.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. So thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!

This was such a funny read!
You have no idea how many times I laughed out loud whilst reading this mystery novel. This was hilarious to me. It was done so well. These moms were epic and all girlbosses.

An easy cosy mystery. The actual reveal and resolution take up about 3% of the story; the rest is setting the backdrop and my concern that Alice is both thirty years old and about to be a mother and seems VERY naive about many things in the world (I am not a mother and I still knew some of these things). And how does a copywriter have to Google so many words? Anyway, she's pleasant enough as a main POV and brings everyone along for the ride.

This was a lighthearted cozy mystery read that was entertaining and had a bit of a chick-lit element woven through as well. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was definitely fun.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I was lucky enough to win an eARC of THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVES by Kat Ailes through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy autumn!

I love a fun mystery with humor intertwined so you don’t have to take it so serious but still thoroughly enjoy your reading experience. This scratched that itch for me. Thanks for letting me read.

I was initially put off by the cover (the woman and dog), but I’ve seen a different cover online that I like much better (blue with a mobile). However, I was given an ARC for review, so I figured I would read it anyway! I’m so glad I did. I absolutely adored this book! The narrator is so hilarious and relatable. I am a fan of cozy mysteries anyway, but it was refreshing to get one with a younger protagonist. I *always* peg the murderer very early on, and this one eluded me without feeling like any of the twist ending was unfair to the reader. There is a great cast of characters, including a dog who has never made a good choice in her life. Oh, Helen.

Have you ever wondered if you and your group chat could solve a murder? Or considered what a great use of maternity leave it would be to do so? Alice is forced to make friends with the women in her birthing class when she and her partner move from London to a sleepy village in the Cotswolds. When a meddlesome naturopath shopkeeper turns up dead nearly at their feet, the women join forces to solve the crime.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I found this too 'cosy' for my tastes. The narrator and main protagonist Alice was relentlessly ditzy - renting a (too small) house she and her partner had never seen in a village they had never visited and moving while she was 8 months pregnant; deciding the way to avoid expensive London rental prices was to move to the Cotswolds (?!), putting an omelette in her pocket to eat later, and so on and so on. Also, is the author British, because unless it's very recent, I don't think Goodwill is a thing in the UK?

I was finding this so infuriating that I skimmed the second half. The mystery was OK, and I think that if the humour appeals to you, this is probably a good read, but it wasn't for me.

when life is hard, sometimes you just need a feel good book. this is one for you if you are in need of a fiction hug (i swear they exist :) thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Alice and her partner Joe move to the country to have their first baby. They are supposed to be setting up house and relaxing before their baby is born, but Alice finds herself wrapped up in trying to solve a murder.

What a hilarious, fun cozy mystery this is. I enjoyed every minute of it and it gave me some much needed laughter.

Alice and Joe moved to the Cotswold countryside to live a simpler life since their first child was on the way. They weren’t expecting to witness a birth in their antenatal class, nor were they prepared to be in close proximity to a murder in that same class. What follows is a clumsy, comical investigation into the murder by some pregnant women who need to fill their lackluster maternity leave days with some fun. It’s an absolute riot.

Great book for lovers of the cozy mystery genre. I rate this 4 stars and highly recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

This was a fun cozy mystery about a woman moving to the country, finding friends and solving murders. It was really funny and I loved the characters!