I love a good cozy murder mystery book and this one was just that. Love the small-town vibes and the B and B vibes. The characters were relatable, funny, and blended well together. Liked how the mystery unfolded. Also enjoyed how the book ended. Would recommend this book as a good read by the pool/beach book.

Everything is coming up rosé for innkeeper Jess Byrne until a murder on opening weekend gives her B&B’s killer vibe a whole new meaning.


This was pretty boring, honestly. I don't feel like it added anything to the genre.

DNF @ 40%

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

My main issue with this book is the fmc :
She doesn’t like her sister in law because she is sporty and can be considered accomplished. There’s literally no one in the bead and breakfast that’s fazed by the fact that there’s been a murder, ESPECIALLY the fmc, who has totally unrealistic reactions to the whole situation.

I honestly think that it could be an enjoyable read, I just personally couldn’t go on reading because of the fmc.

3.75*

Jess and Kat opened a B&B in what used to be their aunt's house. It is opening weekend, and they hired Jess's ex, who is now a famous singer, to perform on the first evening. However, he cancels, and the next morning, his stepdad, who is also his manager, is found dead. Now, they need to figure out what has happened.

When I read the synopsis for this book, I was already obsessed, and this book definitely did live up to that hype. I am so honoured that I got to read this as an ARC, and I will strive to have as many people read this as possible. I loved how the setting was a small B&B. Now, yes, I know that most murder mysteries are set in similar locations, but that is what makes it good. A murder happening in the middle of New York would not be realistic. Next to that, I was obsessed with the characters. Not a second, I believe it was Lars, but then I also don't think it was the author's intention to make us believe that he was the killer. I was a little disappointed, though, about the ending. I would have wished that either Jess or another character in the book figured everything out through difficult clues instead of just telling. But I was really invested and had a lot of fun reading this book.

Peril in Pink by Sydney Leigh is a debut cozy mystery. The cover is cute and pink and giving “Barbie solves a murder mystery” vibes. I loved the premise for this book, and could see the author choosing to make this a series, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries picking it up for a made-for-TV movie.

It’s opening weekend for The Pearl B&B, a perfectly pink Insta-worthy Palm Springs themed boutique bed and breakfast in NY. Owners, Jess and Kat hope to cater to bachelorette parties, girls looking to getaway, or couples on a romantic holiday. Jess bought and renovated her grandmother’s old home to create The Pearl, so there’s a lot at stake for the weekend to go well. The duo is aided by her brother Nick, in-house bartender and owner of the Cool Vibes Cafe next door, and his wife, yogi-master Sarah. Jess even hired her ex-boyfriend and reality singing sensation, Lars Armstrong to perform on opening night. But when Lars’ step-father turned manager turns up dead and Lars is deemed the prime suspect, Jess realizes that the reputation of the B&B is in jeopardy. Things are made worse when Lars is found in the vicinity of a second body. Jess is determined to uncover the truth before Lars is put behind bars and the Pearl is permanently cancelled. After all, “it’s not exactly a selling point to have two murders take place on opening weekend.”

I enjoyed it and would rate this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out 5 stars. There were a few strange turns of phrase that didn’t make sense to me without more context, and a few plot points that didn’t flush out as fully as I thought they might. But overall a fun read and a great setting for future books.

I recommend enjoying this with a glass of chilled rosé, at the pool or by the beach for added ambiance. 🌴🦩🥂💕 Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“‘Jess, there’s a murderer running around. I don’t think that now’s the time to play amateur sleuth.’
I frowned at him. ‘If not now, when?’”

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Not going to lie, the cover was what attracted me to this book to begin with. But I can say with absolute certainly that it was worth the eye catching cover!

For this particular book, my mom and I actually read this together. And we had a blast. We were totally engrossed in the story and could hardly put the digital copy down! Any mystery reader will want to give this book a go.

Oh, it is going to be a fantastic grand opening! Jess Byrne and Kat Miller, best friends and business partners, are opening The Pearl B&B in Fletcher Lake. Nate Byrne and his wife Sarah have already opened The Cool Vibes Café, already a hot spot. Guests to the B&B will be delighted they can enjoy Nate's mixology skills or local IPA beer from the café bar steps from the B&B's pool. The highlight of the grand opening weekend will be the live performance by Lars Armstrong, returning to his hometown after a recent win in the reality competition "Sing This!" Jess and Lars are still single, so perhaps a high school romance will be rekindled. After all, what could go wrong?

The opening setting has set up a delightful venue for cozy adventures. The twists begin with an inheritance by siblings, continuing their grandmother's entrepreneurial spirit but changing the business offering from boarding house to separate business opportunities of a B&B and café/bar and twice as exciting provided adjacent to one another. Wait until everyone realizes the property also offers a pool, deck, firepit, gazebo, and access to the locals-only beach entrance across the street. I still wish readers could book their reservations too!

After all the careful planning, no one expected crime scene tape to be anywhere on the property and guests to be interviewed during an investigation, as this scenario doesn't fit the motto of "Cool Vibes Only." While Lars is trying to gain his ex's attention, Detective James Holloway may be leading the investigation and casting competing romantic sparks. I tried to match my sleuthing skills, but as the investigation progressed, the list of suspects grew in number rather than narrowing the field, adding to the intrigue with so many individuals having motives. Ultimately, I was close but not close enough, as I had missed an earlier clue.

With the B&B focusing on the demographic of late twenties and early thirties, their advertising may be propelled with hashtags and reviews by satisfied guests on Instagram, simultaneously capturing the attention of new cozy readers as many B&Bs have given opportunities for characters at a different stage of life. Kudos for this delightful new spin!

I'm already enticed to pre-order additions to this series!

Thank you to Sydney Leigh, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

#PerilInPink #NetGalley

With a reference to Only Murders, I was excited to pick this up. It's a cute take on a whodunit. It's going to start a little slow as you meet the characters, and then dive into the fun. I found some of the target demographic talk a little tiresome, but overall enjoyed the ride. It included at least one plot twist that I didn't expect but completely made sense, which is always a win in my book, especially in a good whodunit.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
Peril in Pink was witty, funny and just really fun to read. It’s a cozy murder mystery that is an easy read.

I loved the concept of this book - Schitt's Creek meets Only Murders? Sign me up.

This book took a bit long to get going in the beginning, although I think most of this was to establish suspects for the murder. There are a few minor pet peeves (character finishing a steaming cup of coffee in two bits of dialogue) that were more personal preference than anything. I found a few of the characters flat and unlikable at times, mostly Jess and her mother. I also think the relationship with Lars could have been more fleshed out for it to make more sense. Jess gave him a lot of trust without much backstory to back it up, especially since everyone else said he was so horrible.

There were also several named characters, and it was hard to keep track at times. I will say, there was a plot twist at 65% that I didn't see coming, which is always nice in a mystery. That pulls it to a 2.75/5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy.

This was a fun and light murder mystery that combines humour, intrigue, and a touch of celebrity glamour.
The mystery did keep me guessing and I honestly can't say I had any one suspect in mind. Just when I thought I knew who the suspect was, the author led me to suspect someone else. The twists and turns were so exciting, the jokes were funny, the pacing was great, and it had so many loveable characters (some of them felt flat and indistinct also).
The writing flows nicely and it’s a quick read. Nice, neat ending, which is good because I don’t like cliff hangers.
Read if you enjoy : cozy mysteries with a touch of humor, small town feel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

‘I’d been warned to expect the unexpected when running a bed-and-breakfast. I’d thought I’d been prepared for that.’

My interest was immediately peaked with this story. The opening of a trendy new B&B (decked out in all shades of pink - which means I loved it straight away!); the homecoming of a ‘bad boy’ famous singer who clearly has history with the B&B owner and a few secrets of his own; and mention of superstitions & ghost stories - an eclectic mix for sure, but one that just begged readers to search for answers.

It was the perfect beginning for a murder mystery; we were introduced to characters in a meticulous manner, that lightly suggested we retain aspects of their personality for later. It was clear that the main character Jess fancied herself an amateur sleuth, and the repeated references to true crime podcasts reinforced this notion. The quirky dialogue & smooth writing flow made for an interesting juxtaposition against the darker ‘whodunnit?’ part of the story.

The constant popular culture references makes this book a good choice for young adults, and the easy flow of the writing was a pleasure to read. The story was continuously engaging & I absolutely flew through it!

This is a cosy murder-mystery with a fun cast of characters and a broody detective (always a plus 😉)
The B&B background of this story and the true crime references make this a fun and quirky read that you will fly through.
The main character doesn’t particularly stand out to me, but that doesn’t take away from the intrigue. The humour feels a bit more on the millennial side, you’ll definitely relate if you’re within that age range.
This book is cosy, girly and a great read for true crime-fans!

What a brilliant start to what I hope will be a long-running mystery series.

As a fellow Jess, who can be somewhat of a mess, our lead character is living out her dream of running an Instagram-worthy inn in New York's Hudson Valley.

Add in her ex-boyfriend, an adorable husky named Duke, and a cast of characters with their own personalities, and you have a winner of a book.

This book hooked me from the very first chapter, especially as a fellow millennial who could relate to the main character.

The book's description as a cross between Only Murders in the Building and Schitt's Creek is spot on, and I only wish that I could visit The Pearl in real life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest opinion.

3 ⭐️

This book gives you that feeling of packing your bags and booking in to The Pearl for the weekend, just so that we can Rosè all day! #onlycoolvibes!

This was a fun and light murder mystery. It gave me a Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars kind of vibe.

The author did a great job in describing the B & B and surrounding scenery . Pulls you in from the very first page.

This book will be a great beach holiday read!

My first ARC read, and I absolutely lovedd it! 'Peril in Pink' was a thrilling, fast-paced, and cozy mystery with a touch of humor. After all, who doesn't love a book with a strong female lead opening her own damn B&B with her best friend as her co-partner? But tragedy strikes in the form of a dead body at Pearl the very next day. But worry not folks! our girl perfectly disentangles the mystery😍

I adored Jess's character. Her quick thinking, resourcefulness, and sharp wit made her a total badass. Her cool friendship with Kat and heartwarming relationship with her brother Nate were lovely.

Lars was quite a self-absorbed and complicated character. The side characters were interesting to read about too. James uh sorry "Detective Holloway" was very diligent and likable. Jess and James were delightfully awkward and cute together. I just wanted to read more of their interactions:<

Cozy mystery books are so much fun because were allowed to suspend belief and just enjoy the journey without it getting too serious. That's this book completely! I really enjoyed Peril in Pink and I think this cover is amazing!

Sad to say “Peril in Pink” was not for me. I really wanted to like this since the description and cover seemed very interesting. Unfortunately, I found main character, Jess, to be quite judgmental and focusing on the wrong things (that may have been done on purpose but it wasn’t something I was fond of). I was definitely not a fan of the dialogue and the amount of times a hashtag was used in casual conversation. Also not a fan of the amount of pop culture references though that may be a personal preference. I’ve seen others refer to pop culture well but this just felt like it was trying to be relatable.

I really did have high hopes for this as it sounded very interesting and like a cozy murder mystery. It may not have been for me, but I’m sure someone else will love it.

Peril in Pink is a lighthearted cozy mystery with an intriguing premise.
It's 80% dialogue, which while moving the story along, does not allow the reader to feel invested in the story or characters and leaves little room for any character development. That combined with them acting in ways that didn't make sense and twists/turns that felt forced resulted in a book that was ultimately fine, but unsatisfying.

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGallery and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I really enjoyed the overall plot of this book and I think it could make for a cozy fall murder mystery Netflix series. I loved the concept of a close knit family run B and B, but I wish that was expanded on more, along with the character development. I found myself wanting to know more about each character in the book. I was hoping to see more parts with Jess and James’ so I was a bit disappointed when it really only happened at the very end.

I truly had no idea who it could’ve been till the very end, which is always a good thing when it comes to mystery/thriller novels. I hate when I can easily guess who it is or piece together what happened, and this book kept me guessing till the end!

I really enjoy how the author Sydney Leigh writes and I’m excited to read more from her!