This was a fun cozy mystery! We have a group if expecting mothers who get involved trying to solve the murder of a shopkeeper that happened during one of their lamaze classes! The banter totally gave me Finlay vibes, I giggled quite a few times. I really enjoyed the process of the women solving the mystery. This was a good one!

This was such a unique book. I honestly think this was the perfect blend between humor and mystery. The main character Alice was so relatable. I loved that she didn’t have it all together, but at the same time was trying to solve a murder. I also loved the fact that all the “detectives” were pregnant, I thought that added a great touch to the story and made it a lot more entertaining. I also though the hippy stuff was really entertaining because at times it was just hard to take serious and I couldn’t help but laugh. Shoutout to the dog Helen; she was by far the most entertaining character in this book and really added a lot. The actual mystery aspect was pretty good; I found it refreshing that a lot of the characters were suspicious rather than having the murderer be some super sweet unsuspecting character like they usually are in mysteries. Overall I thought this was a great book and I would rate it 4.25 stars. Thank you to netgalley for this book.

“While we may have reached the Investigate-a-murder-together-stage, we were definitely not ready for sleepovers and brushing each other‘s hair.”

After Alice becomes pregnant, her and her partner Joe decide to leave the hustle and bustle of London behind. Together they move to Penton, a quirky village outside of the city that promises a quieter and safer environment in which to raise their first child.

But what these expectant parents were not expecting was for a murder to occur in the same building as their prenatal class. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect- well minus the woman who was bringing life into the world as another life was exiting it. Now Alice, along with other fellow first time moms, find themselves involved in a labor intensive investigation, much to the chagrin of their significant others. Can these very different women, all in the infancy of their relationship, come together to deliver the truth?

The Expectant Detectives is the first book in a new cozy murder mystery series, by debut author, @k.ailes. It’s also downright hysterical, the on point humor giving birth to a new subgenre. While I did accurately predict some of the twists and turns, this didn’t make the story any less the bundle of joy that it turned out to be.

If you enjoy fun mysteries with small town charm and sharp wit, consider welcoming this new addition into the fold!

This book just felt so much longer than it needed to be and it had too much going on. I was interested at first but I started to lose that interest as it went on. I finally gave up at 70% and just skimmed the ending. I like the writing enough and think this could’ve been a fun mystery if it wasn’t so long.

Who doesn’t love a lighthearted murder mystery? The plot and writing style felt a bit silly at times, but it was all in good fun. I liked the banter between the characters and the concept was pretty fun. It lost my attention a little bit in the middle, but then the plot picked back up. A fun ride!

Wow this book was so good! It’s a testament to how crazy life has been because I could have sat down and read it all at once, that’s how invested I was in this story. It made me laugh and it made me cry I love how there are so many elements to this story; pregnancy, a new town, a commune, a lovably wild dog, and new group of unexpected friends, and lots and lotssss of secrets.

As a mother of 2 I personally loved all the realities of being pregnant, the panic of birth and parenthood, but also recognizing that pregnant is not a disability and she can still snoop or do whatever she feels up to. I feel like Alice is not a typical cozy sleuth in that she’s not running a business or super on top of everything. She is wonderfully messy and naive, but smart and brave and a joy to follow. I really felt seen in this character.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Expectant Detectives is a cozy mystery about a woman who is 8 months pregnant that moves to a small town. During one of her pre birth classes a man is murdered on the main floor of the building. Her and her friends from the class decide to investigate to see if they can solve it before their babies come.

This was a perfect blend of funny and mystery. Imagining these heavily pregnant women running around trying to solve a murder had several laugh out loud moments. There is also a dog who gets into no good wherever she goes prompting many texts to end in "don't bring Helen".

Recommended for cozy mystery fans that have several laugh out loud moments. I did not guess the ending until it happened!

I love, love, love cozy mysteries and this book description sounded so fun. And I was not wrong! The Expectant Detectives is very funny, with a great mystery to boot. I appreciated Alice and Poppy's friendship the most. I also enjoyed how real Alice was. It wouldn't be a cozy mystery without quirky characters. Huge thanks to the publisher for the Netgalley approval.

BOOK REVIEW: The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
Series: Expectant Detectives Mysteries | Book 1
2024 Publication Date: January 9

⭐️⭐️⭐️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2024

♡ T.I.M.E. TIP: Recommend reading this series in order... Start with Book 1... And enjoy!... ✨😎✨

Pages: 373
Genre: Thriller Books
Sub-Genre: Cozy Mystery
Time Period: Contemporary
Location: Cotswolds | England
Publisher: St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

BOOK QUOTE:
"Welcome to the world, small one... It's a shitshow. But it might just get better now you're here..." — The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you to @minotaur_books for an eARC! All thoughts are my own.

Alice and Joe move to a quiet town in the English countryside late in Alice’s pregnancy. They want to raise their child outside of London where they’ll have more space and hopefully some community.

At their first prenatal class, one of the class members goes into early labor and the shopkeeper is found dead. Because it’s a cozy mystery, throw in a local commune, a decade old missing person, some out of control dogs, and some very pregnant amateur investigators.

I absolutely love cozy mysteries, and this was a really fun debut. I laughed every time a character told Alice “don’t bring Helen!” (her sweet but out of control dog). I loved how Helen’s antics played into the story and helped ultimately find a crucial clue.

I don’t have any kids, but I have talked to enough of my friends who are moms to know pregnancy is not all rainbows and sunshine. I really appreciated how authentic Alice felt as a character as she struggled with not feeling ready to be a mom and worry over things like why she wasn’t “nesting” and instead wanted to solve a murder.

If you enjoy cozies, give this one a try! I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and revisiting the small town and all its eccentric inhabitants.

This was a really fun read. I chuckled throughout and it kept me surprisingly contemplative to be so lighthearted. It did drag slightly at times but overall was very solid. I definitely recommend for fans of Finlay Donovan and Agatha Christie.

TW: pregnancy, paternity journey, poisoning, c*lts, and more

Alice is eight months pregnant and she and boyfriend, Joe, have decided that London isn’t the best place to raise a child so they have moved to the small town of Penton, a place Alice describes as ‘hippy posh’. The first night there, they have signed up for a prenatal ‘crash course’, partly to meet new people but mostly because both Alice and Joe have been kind of avoiding preparing for the whole birthing experience.

The course has been going fine, well, except for all the graphic descriptions of childbirth, but there are other couples, most of whom seem friendly and just as aghast at the birthing details as Alice and Joe. But suddenly things go way off script. First, one of the other expectant mothers goes into labour and Alice finds herself pulled into help and second, the man who owns the store downstairs is found murdered.

When the wife of Poppy, one of the other expectant mothers, becomes the main suspect, she suggests she and Alice do their own investigation. They enlist the aid of some of the other women and soon find themselves immersed not only in this recent murder but two suspicious occurrences. from many years ago of a nearby commune..

The Expectant Detectives is Kat Ailes’ debut cozy mystery novel and what a fun and funny debut it is. The characters are all mostly likeable especially Alice who seems to have few filters. She is insecure and undiplomatic, not the best characteristics for an amateur detective, but she is also hilarious. But I think my favourite (and even funnier) characters are her and Poppy’s dogs, the irrepressible Helen, the always randy Ronnie and the majestic, and ever embarrassed at the antics of the other two, Sultan.I don’t know if this is the start of a new series but but I sure hope so because I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud at another mystery as did with this book.

Oh, and the mystery is pretty good too.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*

Alice and Joe are expecting a baby and decided to move from London to the Cotswolds to raise the baby in a smaller village. And it turns out that they have moved to a sleepy village with a "hippie, dippy" commune. They start prenatal classes and meet some other expectant families. At the second meeting, one of the other mothers ends up giving birth and a body is discovered at the nature store on the first floor of their meeting location.

This book was hysterical!! Helen is a riot! All of the main characters are fantastically different and totally believable and easy to root for in their "detectoring"! The pace was spot on and I can't wait for the next in the series. Very well done!!

A funny cozy mystery taking place in the English countryside. Alice and her partner are expecting their first child, and while attending their first parenting class someone is murdered. I liked the personalities of all the expectant mothers and the ending was a bit of a surprise for me. It was a little bit of a slower read for me as the foundation of the story was being laid out, but about halfway through the hijinks picked up and so did the plot’s intensity. 3.5 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was thoroughly delighted by this charming, silly, modern whodunit. Its a lighthearted murder mystery (what a phrase!) with wonderful warmth, an intrepid gang of pregnant amateur sleuths, and great side characters.

Having recently attended a sound bath myself, I positively chortled at the depiction of the gong baths and other hippie-adjacent activities. I loved Alice and her friends, and I loved how they got tot he bottom of this mystery.

I was so surprised by this creative take on a cozy mystery... well done!

Thanks so much for the advance copy... this is one I will recommend to others, and I'm super excited for the second book!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

I received an email suggesting I would like this because I enjoy the Finlay Donovan series. They were absolutely correct! This was such a fun mystery. Alice is pregnant and close to her due date. She and her partner, Joe, move from London to the countryside. But instead of the bucolic scene where they expected to raise their child, they stumble across a murder. And Alice joins with other pregnant women to try to figure out whodunnit.

I so appreciated the hilarious, snarky tone of Alice's first person point of view. I would absolutely want to be her friend. The book made me laugh out loud, roll my eyes, and feel all the feels. Add in her ridiculous dog, Helen, and the equally absurd antics of her new small town, and reading this was such a delight.

I will be looking forward to more from Kat Ailes after such an excellent debut.

I thought this book was hilarious. I enjoyed the mystery as well. The only issues I had and this is my own fault is that since I’m not British there were quite a bit of phrases and references that were unfamiliar to me. I wasn’t sure if me not knowing some of the references made me miss parts of the plot. I did like the cult in the countryside and each of the expectant characters. I will be reading other books in the series for sure

This book is truly quite unique! It’s so entertaining! The humor is great! Alice is a hot mess and yes, she’s very aware of that! There’s so much to like about this book - expectant women investigating a murder, quirky, hippie side characters, humor, a commune, a scene stealing dog (Helen is fantastic!), and, of course, murder! There is British spelling, slang and terminology that may be off-putting to some people, but in my opinion it’s not a big deal - the story is set in England after all and shouldn’t be Americanized. A very enjoyable debut!

Alice and Joe move out of London shortly before the birth of their baby. They are attending a local prenatal class in their new village when the shop owner downstairs is murdered while one of the women in the class happens to be giving birth upstairs. Alice teams up with some of the other pregnant women (and a just-gave-birth-in-prenatal-class new mom) to dig deeper into the mystery. I enjoyed this. There was a lot going on, but I liked the writing and the characters. Helen, the wayward dog, was my favorite. 4 stars.

Alice and Joe move to the small village of Penton from London to await the birth of their son. They want to leave the hustle and bustle of London for something more serene to raise a child in. Joe decides on Penton and they arrive just in time for a birth in their birthing class and a murder. So much for quiet. Alice and her fellow expecting mothers decide to try and find out who the killer was. It takes them to a commune outside of town where the past has a lot of secrets, to their own husbands and the secrets they keep. Lots of very witty dialogue, especially love it because there are so many fun British terms and their dialect is so much more creative.

This is pure, fun escapism. I look forward to more of their adventures.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy for review.