Peril in Pink is much fluffier than your typical mystery. And it's much more upbeat than what I normally read, so it was a nice change of pace for me in that sense. I liked the characters and the book kept my attention all the way through. That said, I had found it hard to get past the following issues:

- Much of the language used was, to put it nicely, cringe. "Hashtag" this and "cool vibes" that. I looked back at the synopsis halfway through to see if I'd missed something. Was this book set in 2011? Sydney Leigh did a great job with many things but in terms of the language, it felt totally out of touch.

- I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was easy on the ears. She did a great job. That said, her voice was a bit too mature for the constant 2011 instagram language, which made the whole thing seem even more farfetched.

- This book takes place in the Hudson Valley. I've spent a lot of time there. The idea that this B&B might exist in the Hudson Valley is preposterous. It would be like putting Miami Beach in Montana. I found this hard to get past. It should have been set in the Hamptons or a place along those lines. Also, what is this B&B's budget? They gave everyone free drinks and handed out bottles of rosé like glasses of tap water.

- I wish there'd been a change of scenery at some point. It's hard to keep the story moving in just one setting. The author made it happen nonetheless but the story would have benefitted from a new setting, IMO.

All in all I'd recommend this book because it was quick, easy and fun. The issues I had almost made it more entertaining. Would make a perfect beach read.

3.4 rounded down to 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc.

Going into this book, I did not expect it to be a whodunnit novel. However, it was done well. I loved the main character. Her wittiness and humor was done right. The narrator was also phenomenal. The way she switched her voice to fit each character’s personality was done to perfection. I recommend this book if you loved whodunnit mystery murders, humorous and witty characters, and fast paced reads.

Jess and Kat are the owners of the most instagrammable B&B in their home town. The opening weekend was set to be one for the books, but not how they expected. This is full of funny quips and small-town drama. For me, this was un-put-downable.

Peril in Pink was a great listen. I really enjoyed the narrator. She really brought the characters to life. It was well paced and the main characters were well developed.

Peril in Pink is the first book in debut author Sydney Leigh’s Hudson Valley B&B cozy mystery series. It’s opening weekend at The Pearl, Jess Byrne’s new bed and breakfast. Jess’s vision is to provide her guests with an Instagram-worthy getaway, complete with a live musical performance by Lars Armstrong, a reality singing star who also happens to be Jess’s old boyfriend. When Lars’s stepdad-slash-manager Bob turns up dead, Lars is the number one suspect – a situation that intensifies when Lars is found standing over a second dead body. If one murder is bad for business, then two is even worse. Will Jess’s B&B be DOA before it even has a chance to get off the ground?

This is a quick. fun read, perfect for readers who are new to cozy mysteries and those who love:
• Amateur sleuthing
• Small town atmosphere
• Short chapters
• Pop culture references
• Old high school rivalries and romances

Audiobook thoughts: Traci Odom does a nice job narrating the audiobook, but her voice didn’t match what I thought Jess should sound like. She has a lovely, mature voice, but a narrator with a more Gen Z/late millennial sound might have been a better fit for Jess’s vibe.

Many thanks to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions and Dreamscape Media for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC 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.

The narration was excellent.

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.

It was also fantastic on audio. The narration was perfect and kept me glued to the story.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up!

Peril in Pink by Sydney Leigh

Thank you so much Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for my advanced copies and the chance to review it honestly.

It’s the grand opening for Jess’ B&B and she’s ready for an Instagram-worth welcome. Her ex, Lars is a reality singing sensation and is all set to perform. He arrives to the B&B with his stepdad turned manager. But things take a turn when his stepdad is found dead.

I had so much fun reading and listening to this book. I love when I can read a book and switch to the audiobook when I need to do things around the house or run errands. If you like cozy mysteries, this is a fast one for you. Everyone is a suspect, it’s twisty, and it’s cozy. The pop culture references and banter were a nice touch and made this story enjoyable! I ended up finishing it as an audiobook and I really liked the narrator. This is the first installment in the Hudson Valley Mysteries and I’m looking forward to book two. Peril in Pink is out Merch 19, 2024!

Happy reading

While I enjoyed the book, I wouldn’t say it’s got anything in particular to differentiate it from other murder mysteries I’ve read. I didn’t like the characters, and the humor was not my vibe.

I did find the end results of the investigation to be satisfying and felt the book’s ending was good. I’d recommend the book to anyone who wants to get into murder mysteries with a basic introduction into the genre.

The audiobook narrator did a good job making the characters feel real. She especially presented snark from certain characters well.

Ahhhh I really liked this one!

I absolutely loved that it started with two best friends opening an inn. Their attention to detail and wanting to make it a destination made it so easy to picture everything.

The end I didn’t see coming, and everything in between was funny, mysterious and enjoyable!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me the opportunity to give feedback on this title.

This book had a lot of potential, with the cool B&B design, and the small town setting - I very much wanted the cute vibes of virgin river etc.
I liked the premise, and the introduction of Jess and Kat as best friends who had renovated the place together made me excited for where this was going to go. It just fell a little flat for me. I wanted to invest more in Jess and Kat, but we only got to know them superficially, I wanted to know why Lars was so aloof and why Jess kept falling for it again, (and again) and we never really did, and although I am glad I finished the book, I felt a little disappointed at the end as a result.

The mystery element was well paced I thought, and ultimately kept me listening until I finished but I did work out the 'twist' way before Jess did. As this was an audio, I would also say I was not a fan of the narrator, she was a little jarring at times and her voice was much older than I imagined Jess to be so felt a bit of a disconnect with the narration too.

Overall, it was a nice read and a lovely B&B but not one I would visit again.

I enjoy this very much. I thought the setting was cute and there was some good banter between characters. There were a few moments that were kind of slow, but over all I thought it was a well put together story. Thank you to NetGalley for giving access early to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book which I think is going to be a series. I would definitely read another one! It reminded me a little bit of "Murder She Wrote" because it wasn't full of romance and sex. I love a good murder without all the backstory and happy endings with couples all the time. I also liked that this one was set in the Hudson Valley and not Florida or at some country house but at a B&B that friends bought together and were really trying to make a go of it. All the characters were likeable or dislikable based on their role in the story and I didn't have the end figured out in 2 minutes. I read this in a day - it really was hard to stop listening. Note: I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were excellent.

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 alc for my honest review.

Key Details:
• Local Celebrity
• Cute B&B Owner
• Hot Detective
• Amateur Sleuthing
• Murder Mystery
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read If:
- You like the Finlay Donovan series
- You’re looking for a cozy mystery
- You like Rom-Coms but want to switch it up a little

I really enjoyed the fact that we get the “suspects” introduced to us early and that the murder (first one) happens quickly. I liked all the characters that are part of the Pearl B & B especially, Jess the main character and Kat, her best friend and business partner. My favorite character is actually Jess’s mom, a retired principal who pops in throughout the read.

I will admit I fell for some of the red herrings. I liked the details that were included as Jess explains how she solved the mystery. I’m also excited to see what happens with Jess and a cutie detective in future books.

Jess Byrne and her best friend, Kat Miller, are gearing up for the opening weekend of their bed and breakfast, The Pearl. After leaving a career she was burned out at, Jess is excited to resurrect her grandmother’s old “boarding house”. Known for its pretty pink color, Jess is more than ready for opening weekend. She even has arranged for her ex-boyfriend Lars (now a famous singer), to play a private performance. But when Lars’ creepy/annoying stepfather Bob shows up at the B&B, the guests get a little more than they bargained for - a murder!

A bed-and-breakfast that is known for being pink - where do I sign up? LOL! If the cute cover for this book didn’t sell me on it first, the story itself definitely would have. I loved the storyline where everybody was suspect, the amateur sleuthing skills of Jess and Kat and the small town vibes. Lately, I am really enjoying cozy mysteries and I am so glad I checked this one out! “Peril in Pink” was the perfect mix of mystery and witty banter that fans of Finlay Donovan woul love!

“Peril in Pink” releases March 19, 2024. Thank you to Thriller Lover Promotions, Sydney Leigh and Crooked Lane Books for the ALC! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I'm no hip gen z girlie, but this was so painfully millennial at times.

Like, the mc is a typical quirky millennial who throws out unnecessary pop culture references at every step and uses phrases like 'adulting' and 'keep calm and carry on' way too much. She's also, of course, a true crime fanatic who meddles in a real-life crime investigation, and the police officer doesn't mind at all. At one point, it almost seems like he's helping her with her investigation than the other way around.

Usually, when I'm reading YA thrillers/mysteries, I can buy teenagers getting involved with investigations because they're nosy and don't know better. However, here, since the mc is an adult, I just felt like it was done in a really unconvincing way.

However, my actual main gripe with this book was with its audiobook format, which understandably might not be the best choice for this book. For starters, there are way too many characters to keep track of. Then, I also had an issue with the narrator: too loud at times, almost whispering seconds later, and giving varying emotions to characters with no cues as to why they delivered the line like that. For example, mc's best friend would say something playful or teasing, and the narrator would deliver it in an angry tone for no reason.

All in all, this was a fine murder mystery. Can't say I was on the edge of my seat or really delighted or mind-blown by the big reveal. When it comes to the comparisons to Schitt's Creek and Only Murders in the Building, I don't totally agree, but there is some potential for it with a whole cast of quirky characters. Maybe in the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️Voluntary ARC ⭐️
I would rather give this book 3.5 stars! I picked this up as a voluntary arc to listen to the audiobook. I was engaged at first and really interested in the murder and what happened. I found some of the middle to be a bit boring and struggled to engage some. Then towards the end I picked up because I was trying to piece together who the murders were. I figured out the first one but didn’t pick up on the second one until right as the characters were piecing it together. Overall I enjoyed the audiobook but just didn’t find myself as engaged as I had hoped!

3.5 stars!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Sydney Leigh for giving me the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
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Peril in Pink was a cute light hearted murder mystery. I was super interested in this one and listened to it in any free time that I had! The book definitely keeps you engaged and interested in what the mystery is.
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The book was good but nothing really stood out if that makes sense, the plot twists didn't really leave me on the edge of my seat in the way i wish it did and at certain times it felt like the characters weren't taking the murder seriously, like I know they're at a B&B to relax but if there was a murder i would be a bit more on edge and more eager to leave lol.
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I think this is a good book for people who are more into cozy murder mysteries or people who are new to the whole mystery murder genre especially when if the reader is younger.

Overall i enjoyed this book.
The pacing was good
It was a nice quick read that had a good ending.
I love a good cost mystery. It's not too much of an edge-on-your-seat thriller, but it sure is entertaining and it has some minor twists and turns that I appreciated. There's many characters involved, but you'll get to know them quickly enough to understand the story.
Looking forward to reading more by this author.