DNF@ 56%, then I jumped forward to the end.

I think anyone who is a true crime fan has had their My Favorite Murder phase, but to have podcast mentioned, the word 'Murderino' used multiple times and to have the main character dictate her personality based off if she was a Georgia or a Karen in a book that comes out in 2024 was wild.

The main character was also extremely immature. A majority of the characters are people that she went to high school with and she still has an intense feud with one of the 'mean girls' from school that they both play into. She's also very hung-up on her ex-boyfriend who had regularly flaked on her and is now back in the picture as a semi-famous musician. I don't think it was ever covered how old these people are, but she owns a Bed and Breakfast so I'm going to go out on a limb and say she's old enough to move past high school.

I don't mind a cozy mystery and the fact that this was described as Schitt's Creek meets Only Murders in the Building sounded wonderful. But besides the main characters being a bit ditzy, it taking a part in a B&B and there being a murder, this didn't really meet that description well.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC to me.

Only Murders in the Building meets Schitt's creek is the PERFECT way to explain this book. Jess Bryne after facing career burnout decides to embark on the task of creating a swoon worthy B&B with her childhood best friend Kat. When her ex-boyfriend turned famous singer decides to perform at her grand opening she just knows this " girls getaway" B&B will be a star. Lars Armstrong insists Bob his creepy stepdad/ manager will be staying with him. This grand opening weekend however takes a complete 360 as less than 24 hours after they opened Bob is found dead in the back pond of their B&B. Jess's desire to salvage her grand opening; inspired her to solve the mystery of her murdered her guest. As she embarks on her new found detective abilities, she discovers buried town secrets that proves just how much is at stake if this murder is not solved. I absolutely loved the cozy mystery feel this book gave me; such a fun easy read. Thanks NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

It’s the grand opening of The Pearl B&B in Hudson Valley, and owner Jess Byrne has prepared the ultimate, Insta-worthy welcome, complete with her ex-boyfriend—reality singing sensation Lars Armstrong—performing live. As guests check in and mimosas are poured, Lars arrives with his stepdad-turned-manager Bob in tow. But things go south when Bob is found dead, and Lars is the prime suspect but Lars didn't kill him. It took some time but the culprit was finally found.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me an e-ARC for this book but sadly it wasn't for me.

While the premise was intriguing, the plot felt more of a wild goose chase with a very anticlimactic ending. The story dragged on with majority of scenes overexplained that had nothing to do with the main plot or mystery. A lot of characters were introduced who had little relevance to the plot and were added just to elongate the suspect list. Another major ick for me was Jess hating her sister-in-law, Sarah for no particular reason. There were several instances where Jess made some off-putting remarks about other characters that made me dislike her more. Also most relationships, whether friendships or romantic relationships, felt forced. The b0ok tried really hard to show the detective working the case as a prospective love interest for the main character but I didn't really feel the connect. The only way he ever showed interest was by lifting his brows or by the slight tilt of his lips.

I have never given any book 1 star before but I can't bring myself to rate it any higher. I had almost given up on the book at 50% and merely skimmed past it to get done with it. I have read some pretty great cozy mysteries over the past few months and I had high expectations from this one as well but was met with disappointed.

I think this is a great debut novel by Sydney Leigh. It’s opening weekend for the Pearl B&B but a murder throws owners Jess and Kat for a loop. They are working hard to figure out who did it while taking a trip down memory lane and digging up interesting secrets from the past. This cozy mystery is Only Murders In The Building paired with lots of pop culture references, and I do mean LOTS. It was a fun, easy read that’s perfect for a vacation or a rainy day at home. The pacing was a bit slow for my liking, I just wanted more information as soon as possible so I could figure out who the killer was. I found myself skimming the fluffy bits and jumping to the facts. I love myself a good cozy mystery and this one satisfied my craving.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love Peril in Pink so much because I’d love to check into a b&b like 🦩 The Pearl 🦩(as long as I don’t have to interact with their staff or be a victim of murder) 😂

The chapters are short which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, they just feel clunky and not a lot happens chapter to chapter 🤷🏼‍♀️

The constant pop-culture references and banter become cringe quickly and I found myself rolling my eyes several times a chapter which is unlike me 😵‍💫

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books + NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩵

Woowee my anxiety would have been through the ROOF if this had happened to me on my opening weekend. A double murder, unsolved, on the opening weekend of a B&B? Yikes! Especially when the first murder is a high profile person.
Jess seems to have everything set for opening weekend. The renovations came out spectacular, she has a great staff, and her ex, who is a singing sensation, has agreed to perform for the opening weekend (and for free). This all quickly goes downhill when Lars’ (the ex) stepfather/manager is found dead. And not just dead—murdered. On the hunt for the killer, Jess has to figure out how to keep the guests at ease and not run for the hills and ruin her business before it has even really started. Things get even worse when a second murder happens soon after. Jess puts on her detective hat and joins forces with the hot detective to figure out what’s going on at her B&B.
This was a fun and quick read; perfect if you’re looking for a cozy mystery. I actually did not guess the murderer and was surprised by the twist at the end. Also her pup was such a treat!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc! All thoughts are my own.

PERIL IN PINK by Sydney Leigh is a quirky cozy mystery, perfect for reading while laying by a pool with a glass or two of chilled Rosé! The protagonist, Jess, and her BFF and business partner, Kat, are in their twenties and capture that age group’s mindset, actions, and social media hashtag characteristics perfectly. It was fun to sit back and enjoy their antics as they open up The Pearl B&B with lots of mimosas and ‘Rosé all day’ to keep their guests entertained and partying. The only sour note to the opening celebration is the murder of Jess’s celebrity ex-boyfriend Lars’ stepdad/manager. Honestly, karma had some dishing out to do on the victim, but when Lars is accused of the murder and the B&B’s business suffers, Jess decides she’s got to get involved in solving the crime. There were suspects aplenty, some twists and turns to throw the reader, and drama served up with Rosé all day!

I'm a fan of small-town cozy mysteries, which excited me to try this debut author. Sadly, Peril in Pink didn't work for me. This book had the basic setup down. Sketchy characters, a good small-town setting, a nosy heroine, but then it took a very wrong turn. What bugged me the most was the awkward bantering between Jess and everyone else. It always seemed to be the wrong time for bantering to occur, which made it even more obvious, that the characters were one note. I give this book 2/5 stars and won't be reading more of this author.

Thank you to netgalley and crooked lane books for the ARC of this book ! Peril in Pink was such a fun cozy murder mystery that I enjoyed way more than I was expecting to. It fully gives me Only Murders in the Building vibes, with a mystery full of twists and turns to keep you guessing while also sprinkling in humour at just the right moments. Although the writing style didn’t gel with me in some places, I overall really loved this book and can’t wait to read more from Sydney Leigh

I managed to finish this book, and I think that's an achievement!

Peril in Pink is a cozy mystery set during the opening of the Pearl Breakfast-and-Bed. The owner, Jess, has everything ready to welcome her first guests; even a reality singing star, who is also her ex-boyfriend, is here to perform. With him comes his stepdad-manager, who ends up dead later. Jess needs to help the police and solve the mystery of this death to save the reputation of her business.
Although I haven't read many cozy mysteries, I picked up this book because the premise sounded interesting. I have to mention some of the aspects that hindered my enjoyment:
- For a book where barely anything happens, it is for sure over-written. Nonsensical conversations, unfunny jokes, hashtags everywhere, and cringy pop-culture references, are just some of the stuff that clog up the narration and plot. For example, from the moment our characters decide to watch the footage from the security cameras, it takes them MULTIPLE chapters to do it!
- All the characters feel as real as cardboard cutouts do.
- The reveal was meh.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, I’d like to say that for a debut novel this was good, a tad more cozy than mysterious, but with a name like ‘Peril in Pink’ I think no one should be surprised, honestly that was why I gave it a chance actually, I’m usually not a big thriller girl so I wanted something that mixed another element and this had a good portion of humor to cut it.
It was a quick read, very easy to follow the story and characters, I think I’d liked a little bit more depth to the characters and their backstories, but overall very enkoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was an ok cozy mystery. It was an easy read but it isn’t what I usually expect from a cozy mystery.

Unfortunately, I ended up not finishing this book.
I made it to the murder, and it threw me for a loop. It wasn't who I expected to be murdered at all. Normally, that would be a good thing. However, when I go into a cozy mystery there is a certain level of predictability that I expect. This just didn't meet any of my expectations.
Also, I do not thing that Sydney Leigh's writing style if for me.

This was a good, enjoyable and cozy read. I liked it, it was just not one of my favourites. I found that there was a lot of extra information that in end wasn’t really needed which made it a bit confusing to me.
I did really love the plot and the writing of the book. It was very interesting and very entertaining even though I wasn’t fully as hooked as I would’ve liked.
I also did not expect that ending and thought it was a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book, especially because everything happened/wrapped up right near the end and it was almost slow paced until the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a more slow paced, cozy murder mystery in a small town!

I’ll be honest - I’m surprised how many times I LOL’d when reading this. If you’re looking for a read that requires low effort and a little bit of mystery - then this is ideal.
The one thing I didn’t enjoy is that it felt like it was trying a little too hard to be relatable.

I enjoyed this book a lot as it was my first cozy mystery. This book keeps you on your toes until the very end.

This book mainly takes place surrounding the opening of an Inn in Hudson Valley. When Jess returns to her hometown to open The Pearl B&B with her friend Kat she doesn't expect anything short of perfection. They pull out all the stops to make the opening perfect. Their hired entertainment is none other than Jess's ex, Lars. He shows up with his stepdad and manager and his assistant, Nicky. PLOT TWIST: the stepdad turns up DEAD and none other than Lars as the main suspect. Jess KNOWS that Lars didn't do it and with the reputation of her Inn on the line, she decides to set up her own investigation. The more she unravels, the more she wonders if Lars really is innocent,

Such a cute small town who done it mystery. The banter kept me cracking up the entire time.

This was much more fun to read than I expected! It isnt my usual genre of book but I thought I'd give it a go, the story moved at a good pace, wasnt too 'cheesy' and I really enjoyed it. I will certainly start to read more styles of books after this and will be looking for more by Sydney Leith. Thank you Netgalley x

"Peril in Pink" was the perfect combination of wit and suspense to keep me turning every page until the very end. It was a masterful quick read, and although I did see part of the ending coming, the ultimate reveal still shocked me with intricate details that I completely missed. Not only was the mystery compelling, Sydney Leigh does a perfect job of crafting each and every character with intense thought and purpose, as well as the setting and background plot. Every piece of this novel felt cared for and like Leigh put her heart and soul into it, and that made the entire book an absolute joy to read. I am so excited to get all of my friends to read this as soon as it comes out in March so we can talk all about the ending (and the adorable romance!!). Highly, highly recommend!

This was a fun murder mystery to read! Definitely gives you "Only Murders in the Building" vibes.

Jess just opened up a new B&B in her hometown with her best friend. It is opening weekend and her ex-boyfriend, Lars (who just won a reality tv competition) is performing. The B&B is booked with some interesting characters, which one ends up dead.

Jess loves her murder podcasts and takes it upon herself to solve the mystery and try to clear Lars as a suspect. But another murder happens and it isn't looking promising for her ex.

The detective on the case is also very handsome but has some bad blood with Lars. Can Jess solve the crime while also getting her B&B better press?

Again, this book was just fun mystery in a small town with some nosey characters. I thought it was a fabulous debut by Syndey Leigh!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.