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

A great start to a new cozy series…PERIL IN PINK book 1 in the Hudson Valley B&B Mysteries. We meet Jess Byrne owner of The Pearl B&B celebrating her grand opening with an ex boyfriend turned famous reality singer Lars set to perform. Things quickly take a turn for the worse when Lars’s manager/stepdad, Bob turns up dead. Jess then puts on her amateur sleuth pants to investigate to save the B&Bs reputation.

Like all first cozies in a series it is setting you up for future novels… so you are getting a strong sense of place with the charm of a small town and great descriptions of the B&B… Multiple characters are introduced, that I’m sure we will get to meet again… A good mystery that leads you to believe any one and everyone is a suspect… oh and I can’t forget about the blossoming romance I’m sure we will get more of in book 2!

Felt like a classic cozy with a modern take!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books 📖 Dreamscape Media 🎧

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.Andthebookshelf/

Jess Byrne has moved from California back to her hometown in New York to open a B&B with her best friend Kat. The opening is set and totally instagram worthy. She has even convinced her ex-boyfriend and rising music star Lars Armstrong to perform. Unfortunately, he is accompanied by his stepfather/manager Bob who is an object of hatred in the town.

When Bob is found murdered, it looks like The Pearl's grand opening is going to be a failure. In order to save her business and save her ex from being arrested for the murder, Jess will have to become a sleuth. She has a large number of suspects since many of the guests at the opening had reasons to want Bob dead.

Things get even worse when a second murder occurs and Lars is found standing over the body,

This was an entertaining start to a new cozy mystery series. Jess is an engaging character and is surrounded by a cast of interesting people from her retired high school principal mother to her Deadhead Aunt and her bartender brother and new wife yoga guru. There is even a potential love interest in the police detective assigned to the case.

Fans of cozies will enjoy this one.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this ARC!

What a fun, cozy little hotel mystery! This literally was like if Only Murders in the Building was a book. It was as hilarious as it was suspenseful and overall just a really fun read. I hope that this does turn into a series because it was so fun to read. There's even a little touch of celebrity glamour! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for something light but level and entertaining.

You definitely should be a huge fan of Schitt’s Creek to enjoy this mystery. It wasn't bad but I did find the characters personalities to be a little grating. However, in the spirit of immature adults that you hate, it totally nailed it. The mystery setup was good and even the sleuthing was fun so as long as you're okay with that, then you'll love this book.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for a chance to read this story! This is a fun mystery read with modern characters that have engaging personalities. The setting and the idea is what I love about this book 💕

While this story certainly starts off well and is a quick read, I feel like the plot of the story gets a little lost behind what the books own personality is trying to be.

The concept is interesting, and the idea is there, but the steps to get to the end could’ve been more engaging. The urgency to find the killer and the shock behind it happening is hidden by the fact that everyone staying at the B&B is annoyed.

As this is the authors debut novel, I am excited to see what else she writes and how she improves over time! There is a lot of potential here 🙌✨

Another Brilliant Cozy Mystery Story I Enjoy!

The first in the Hudson Valley B&B Mysteries, Sydney Leigh managed to combine the dark pitch black of a murder case with pinkish fluffy interaction between the characters.

This book is a quick and easy read for me. I had to mention that I was laughing and suddenly at some point, they kept me on the edge of my seat. It was such a fun experience--really like seeing each character act in a movie while reading this book!

I did feel down as the plot twist didn't work out for me, but I still would recommend this book to all of the cozy romance fans out there!

DNFed at 45%. I love a cozy mystery, but I felt like it kept dragging and there were too many characters being introduced. A bed and breakfast was a great setting, especially when mixed with a small town atmosphere full of small businesses. Just couldn't get into it, regrettably.

*Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This is a cute start to a fun new cozy mystery. Jess and Kat are opening a small boutique B&B, The Pearl, in the Hudson Valley. For their opening weekend, they are having Jess’s ex, Lars, winner of an American Idol type show, come and sing. The opening weekend is thrown into turmoil when two murders take place, Lars’es manager/step-father and his assistant. Jess needs to help solve the murders to save the reputation of her new venture. Overall, I enjoyed the setup of this series, including the introduction of who, I assume, will be recurring characters (her Mom, her hippie aunt Marnie, bartender brother Nate and potential love interest Sheriff James). I gave it four stars because I felt that the mystery took a back seat to the introduction of all the characters. Despite that, I look forward to future books in this series. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

3.75 stars

but this story was endearing. i read it when my house admist a rainstorm, so this is my cozy mystery time, and i loved it!

hope i got a brand new story like this again, because this is what i want for a long time. i could read it on the way to the office, because the mysteries keep me in.

anw, sorry for my typo. but i really loved this book—fr.