Jess and her best friend Kit join together to open a B & B in their hometown. On opening weekend, Jess’s famous ex boyfriend comes to preform. When things go wrong and someone ends up dead, Jess and Kit team up figure out the killer and hopefully keep their B & B customers happy.

This book was just ok for me. I liked the setup and the characters. However, I did have a hard time connecting with the characters. I feel like a lot of the dialogue was cringey and a bit weird. The mystery ties up nicely and there were some decent twists throughout. The little bit of romance was cute as well.

I feel like this one had such a slow pace. I feel like I read all day and was barely making progress. There was a lot of repetition and it took the characters forever to actually do anything.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of Peril in Pink!

Summary:
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. After a desperate plea from Lars, and knowing the reputation of her B&B is at stake, Jess agrees to help clear Lars’ name, but the more she digs, the less sure she is that he’s innocent. Especially when he’s found at the scene of another murder. With the guests under lockdown, the B&B in the press for all the wrong reasons, and a killer on the loose, Jess is in over her head. With the help of her best friend and business partner Kat, Jess is determined to uncover the truth before Lars is put behind bars and The Pearl is permanently cancelled.

Review:
This was a perfectly fine cozy mystery. There wasn't anything that really wowed me but I didn't hate it either. The characters were decently developed and the plot moved at a comfortable pace. Some of the secondary characters' flaws were their entire personality and the high school nemesis deserves to go to prison for being so obnoxious but technically that is not a criminal offense.

Peril in Pink is the PERFECT cozy mystery. It has great characters and is so cute and funny. It gave me Stephanie Plum vibes from the Janet Evanovich series which is high praise for me.

When you want to solve a murder (or two) and keep it light, this book is for you.

Schitts creek meets only murders in the building... this is not. The story dragged and was overwritten. The characters are not likeable and tbh it read like a teenage mystery gang than grown adults being involved in a serious murder. I also do not like how they tried to make them sound so young by the way they have conversations, that just gives me the ick in real life and in books. Honestly this book gave a whole lot of nothing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jess is the owner of The Pearl B&B and it's meant to be the grand opening weekend. Everything seems to be going well, from food and drinks all the way down to entertainment. Even if it is Lars, Jess's ex-boyfriend, managed by his creepy uncle Bob. Things take turn for the worse when Bob is found dead on the premises and Lars is the prime suspect. Jess wants to believe her ex is innocent and embarks on a mission to clear his name, although this becomes more and more unlikely as she keeps digging, especially once he's found at another murder scene. Will Jess be able to figure out the truth and save her motel from permanent closure?

This book was described as Schitts Creek meets Only Murders in the Building. While I have only seen the former, I definitely got the vibe from the way the characters interacted to the setting of the motel. Jess is a likeable protagonist who carries the story forward and the supporting cast are decent enough as well. I think it's more the fact that I'm not a major cosy mystery reader (I prefer outright thrillers) so while it was a fun read, I didn't find it particularly memorable. If light mystery is your thing though, do pick this one up.

2 stars

This sounded great, a cozy murder mystery? Yes, please! But although the plot was interesting, the execution was lacking.
Overall I didn't enjoyed this and part it was because I didn't like Jess from the get go, she sounded bratty and judgmental and most of the side characters were uninteresting so when the resolution came up I was just happy it was over.
It's a shame because i truly wanted to like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jess finds herself becoming an amateur sleuth in this comedic mystery. It’s the opening weekend of her B&B and on the morning after the first night there is a dead body-a man no one particularly liked. With basically everyone a suspect, Jess must interview everyone as she doesn’t believe the most likely answer- her first love.

I found this story to be funny and suspenseful. Definitely a must read. Thank you for the arc for my honest review.

"Peril in Pink" by Sydney Leigh left me with a DNF verdict at the 20% mark. While categorized as a cozy murder mystery, regrettably, the novel did not resonate with me. My inability to immerse myself in the narrative was primarily due to a persistent dislike for the protagonist, which proved to be a significant distraction. The novel, though well-crafted within its genre, fell short of capturing my interest due to this personal disconnect with the central character.

NOTE: I listened to the audiobook version from NetGalley, but the ISBN was not recognized by Goodreads, so I'm putting my review on the print version instead.

It's opening weekend at Jess and Kat's B&B, The Pearl, and they need everything to go right. Jess's ex-boyfriend, Lars - a reality music competition champion - is scheduled to play to kick off the weekend and get the ladies some great press, but things go haywire quickly when Lars's stepdad/manager, Bob, is murdered. Lars is, of course, the prime suspect. Jess channels her inner Murderino and starts investiging.

I'm not much of a cozy mystery reader, so this was a fun change from my usual reads! I thought the B&B setting was great and the entire town sounded super cute. I especially loved all of the MFM/Murderino callouts! I did find the oft-repeated cool vibes/rose all day/it's wine o'clock sentiments rather grating (though, to be fair to the book: I find them deeply irritating no matter the context) and multiple people speaking in hashtags was... not my favorite. Those gripes aside, the mystery was solid, and this was overall an entertaining listen. I would happily read/listen to the next book in the planned series.

This was my first cozy mystery read/listen ever, and I really enjoyed it.

Jess pours her heart and soul into opening a bed and breakfast. On opening weekend, there is not one but two murders. To top it off, her family, ex-boyfriend, and high school nemesis are all there making the situation more difficult. To save the hotel, Jess decides she needs to solve these murders and fast.

I don't have much to compare this to because I have never read another cozy mystery before. I loved the amateur detective aspect to the whole story. It felt very much like one of those murder mystery plays that the audience is supposed to figure out the ending to. I have never been good at those, and similarly, this ending was not one that I figured out. I loved how Jess put all the pieces together and was able to solve the crime before the actual detective. Many of the characters were intentionally unlikable, but I was really routing for Jess.

Overall, I will probably stick to the grittier thrillers and mysteries, but this was quite an enjoyable book, and I was glad that I read it.

A nice start to a new cozy series! Jess and her BFF Kat have turned her grandmother's place into a B&B and invited Lars, her ex, to come and sing on opening weekend. Well, he comes but he brings his horrible manager who, as cozy fans can guess, ends up dead, with Lars as the prime suspect. Jess and Kat find themselves investigating using the skills they've picked up as true crime fans. There might not be many surprises on the mystery front but the characters are good (and no doubt will be fleshed out more in the next book). Know that there are many references to influencers and topical popular culture. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

Jess is all set to open her new B&B but things don't go as expected when a murder occurs on the property on the opening weekend.

This cozy mystery was quite a fun read. I had access to both the audiobook and the ebook so I followed along as I listened which I always enjoy doing. I did find the book a bit tame, which I understand cozy mysteries are meant to be. Since I usually read more twisted, darker thrillers, this one was a nice palate cleanser for me.

Jess, her best friend Kat, and her brother Nate open up a B&B in their hometown. Jess's ex, Lars, is now a singer and supposed to be the big opening act on opening night. Lars ditches the show.(which comes as no surprise to Kat) and that's when everything starts going downhill for the B&B. The next morning a dead body is discovered, a short time later another dead body is discovered. The B&B goes into lockdown by police while Jess & Kat go into detective mode to figure out who the real killer is.

This was an OK read. I found some of the dialog to be cheesy and parts of the storyline to be cheesy as well. But when you get past the cheesy aspects it's a decent read.

Thank you to the author and Crooked Lane Books for a copy.

🔎Cozy Mystery
🔎Whodunnit
🔎Pop Culture
🔎Amateur Sleuthing
🔎Small Town

A quick and bingeable cozy mystery read that is set in a B&B.
I loved Jess and Kat, best friends and newly business partners who opened the B&B. Opening weekend is here and Jess has her ex, Lars and winner of singing competition show, come back to town to perform songs for guests. What could go wrong? Well, once a dead body shows up the B&B is on lockdown to find out what happened. And Lars is the number one suspect. Jess and Kat put on their detective hat to help solve the murders and clear Lars.

A fun debut and beginning to a series. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

I really try to be fair when I write reviews as I know a lot of work, heart, and soul goes into a written work but sometimes the book isn’t right for me. There’s nothing wrong with this book and that’s the best I can say about it; it just wasn’t very memorable. The characters were flat and seemed almost like tweens rather than adults; no one should ever speak in hashtags. There are way too many pop culture references. Maybe the target audience was much younger than me but this just felt like all the boxes needed to be checked for what makes a cozy mystery and it missed the mark. I did love the setting of the Hudson Valley so I may read the next one if the library gets it.

3.5 STARS - Peril in Pink is the debut novel for Canadian author Sydney Leigh. It's the first book in a new cozy mystery series that is set in The Pearl, a Bed and Breakfast that Jess and Kat, two BFFs, have just opened in the small-town where they grew up.

They've invited influencers to get the buzz started and have Jess' ex-boyfriend, now a singing sensation after he won a TV talent show, play for the guests. What could go wrong? Well, a couple of murders could put a damper on things.

What I loved: As a small-town gal, I love a small-town setting and the B&B location enables lots of possible storylines and B&B guests for future books. Leigh provides bits of humour, some good, not-too-grisly-muuuurders, a handful of potential culprits and a cast of quirky residents while Jess plays amateur sleuth.

Wee Beefs: The story is a little heavy on hashtag slang and, at times, I found the large cast of characters, particularly the tertiary characters who pop into the story briefly, hard to keep track of.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, quick read and an impressive debut. And despite the body count, The Pearl sounds like a cool spot for a girls weekend. Where do I make my reservation?

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable cozy mystery that hit the spot for me with the characters and the plot and the B and b setting
I will red the next in the series for sure as have no criticisms of this likeable book

The comps of Schitt’s Creek & Only Murders had me running to read Sydney Leigh’s debut novel, Peril in Pink! Full of hilarious banter, pop culture references and amateur sleuthing this was a super fun read and I’m excited to see what shenanigans book 2 will bring!

📚 Series Debut
🔍 Cozy Mystery
🎸 Rockstar
🏩 B&B
🫶 Family

Method Read: 📖

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

This is a fun cozy mystery for the younger generation. It’s full of pop culture references (lots of nods to one of my favourite podcasts–”My Favorite Murder!”). The book even uses a lot of the “millennial” slang. This isn’t just in the dialogue, but in the inner thoughts of the narrator. While this feels like a strength, it also felt very odd to read. I’m used to cozy mysteries being written by older folks, and they typically have a conversational, yet still somewhat old-fashioned way of speaking–even when they’re writing from the POV of a younger character. Any time the heroine of this book said “cringe” or “shook”, I was… shook (haha). As is expected with cozy mysteries, this book has a lighter tone with some humour. I appreciated that the main character is delightfully snarky.

Like with many other cozy mysteries I’ve read, there are a lot of characters introduced, and with them came their names and roles that I had to learn. It was a tad confusing at times, and felt a little info dumpy. There’s a lot of talking in this book, and the pace doesn’t ever quite pick up. That said, the plot took some interesting turns, and I was pleasantly surprised by the twist at the end, even if the big reveal felt a little anti-climactic. This is definitely a book for those who enjoy slower paced reads, ones with lots of characters to fall in love with and fun banter to keep you engaged.

All in all, this is a comfy read, similar to putting on a thick pair of socks and curling up by the roaring fireplace with a glass of rosé.

What a quick and fun cozy mystery! I thought this was done well and very likeable characters. The B&B setting was great and made me jealous that I didn't open one with my bestie. Jess and Kate had great banter and their characters fit together nicely. There was some unexplained girl drama that would have been nice to know the background story.

If you're not familiar with cozy mystery, this does have an easy guess on figuring out the murderer and it's not very thrilly. BUT that's what I love about cozy mysteries. A blend of humor and murder lol

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC