This novel was fun and funny. Carter is a master wordsmith, and she really pulls readers into stories quickly and keeps them there. While this was a Christmas book, it did not bash me over the head with it, which I appreciated. If anything I wish the side characters were more rounded out, but honestly, the book was great as it was.

Everybody else loved this one, but it was a bit of a bumpy ride for me. It took awhile before the romance grew on me, just because it was a little confusing – there were layers, secrets, miscommunication, and multiple timelines to keep track of. I did really like the “he falls first” vibes and the way the hero won me over, so the second half felt a lot stronger than the first. I never did muster up much enthusiasm for the mystery element, which is a substantial part of the story, but it certainly did make for a fast-paced, entertaining read. I’m a fan of Knives Out, and this definitely pulls some elements from that. The banter and playfulness was a lot of fun, and it’s got a fresh, unique vibe. Personally, the story sits somewhere between three and fours stars for me, but there’s an audience that’s going to eat it up.

The story follows Maggie, a romance writer who recently got divorced. She’s just starting to realize how much her ex-husband gaslit and belittled her, so she’s feeling pretty raw around Christmastime. So when her favorite author, an 81-year-old legend, invites Maggie to her home, it’s a dream come true. Unfortunately, she also invited Ethan, a man who has been the bane of Maggie’s existence for the last five years. His books have skyrocketed in popularity since he entered the scene, and the two have been hating each other ever since. So when Maggie’s favorite author disappears and she sees a side of Ethan that she never knew existed, it’s a shock to the system. The constantly carefree and charming man is showing a serious, competent side that makes Maggie feel safe in a chaotic situation – drawer her closer in ways she didn’t expect.

This has gotten such rave reviews that I was excited to dive in, but I’ll be honest and say that the first 30% or so did not win me over at all. Third person POV is tougher for me to get into, and with the uncertainty surrounding Ethan and Maggie’s relationship and all the suspense, I simply wasn’t feeling connected to the story at all. Maggie truly believes that Ethan hates her, and we’re not given his side of the story until later on. I do often enjoy puzzling out a hero’s feelings, but there was just so much other stuff going on. I didn’t particularly like either character for a while. Once they start connecting and that takes precedence over the mystery, I started to like the story a lot more. We’re with these characters as they figure things out and navigate their messy feelings, which means their relationship goes through a lot of changes in a short period of time. I appreciated that we did get Ethan’s POV at some point, though I definitely wouldn’t have minded a few more details about his side of things. It’s really not that kind of story though – this is meant to be fun, suspenseful and a little flirty; a true romance/mystery combo. I’m rounding up my rating because the second half was stronger, and I liked some of the pieces very much.

omg this book was SO good!!!! I don't remember the last time I had as much fun with a book as I did reading this one, the author managed to perfectly balance the amount of mystery and romance throughout the story and the result was just *chefs kiss* 🤌🏻

What a fun ride! Incredible cast of characters! Laugh out loud funny! I've been a fan of Carter for years, but this is her best, in my opinion! I will definitely be picking this up for my library and will be adding it to my annual Christmas reading list!

I loved this smart locked-room mystery and charming rivals-to-lovers romance. It's billed as Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist, which is spot on. Wildly entertaining and so much fun!

The setting is classic--an isolated, snowed-in English manor hosting a Christmas house party. Atmospheric, the house comes to life with descriptions that made me feel like I was right there with MCs Maggie and Ethan, exploring all the hidden spaces, evading danger, and searching for clues. The two are crime writers and rivals, stuck together with a mystery to solve if they can trust each other. But Carter takes this classic locked room mystery and gives it a fresh twist with a flirty romance subplot that I was just as invested in as the mystery.

Both Maggie and Ethan's characters are well-developed and have compelling backstories. Maggie has had significant losses around Christmas, making the holidays difficult for her. Ethan is charming and playful. I liked them both individually, but together, they are magic. Their chemistry is undeniable, their banter witty, and many scenes between them endearing. I rooted for them to find their way to each other and find the culprit.

Well-written and fast-paced, this has a clever mystery, engaging characters, action, humor, a peek at the publishing industry, and swoony romance. I was kept guessing and laughing all along the way. This was my first book by Carter, and I'm an instant fan. The ending was satisfying, but I hope that Maggie and Ethan will have additional cases to solve because I'd love to spend more time with this couple. Be sure to add this to your holiday tbr!

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the gifted ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC!

Cute, playful, an overall delight. Ally Carter delivered the witty banter per usual and I loved the setting of Christmas in an English countryside manner! There were a couple of plot points I found to be a little confusing or not fleshed out super well, but I very much enjoyed it!

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is the sleigh of the year with this epic Christmas romantic suspense meets locked room mystery. Sincerely, this was snow much fun to read & will truly spruce up your reading list. I loved the combination of the intriguing mystery, captivating suspense & the heartwarming romance. This is giving me Knives Out Glass Onion but set at Christmas time with an eccentric famous author & romance story woven in.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year Is great for fans of…
🎄 Christmas Romance
🎄 Locked Room Mystery
🎄 Isolated Mansion
🎄 Enemies to Lovers

As a lover & connoisseur of both the romance & mystery genres as well as Christmas in general, this was an absolute dream to read. The writing is fast paced & highly entertaining. This would make such a fun movie. I’ve loved everything I’ve read from this author but this is easily my new favorite.

This had me kicking my feet with glee, tipping my hat in respect at the cleverness & finally, wrapped with a to all a good fright. This is easily going on my best of list for the year with this delightful & magnetically fun read.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Avon for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Ally Carter has never, and could never do me wrong! The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was brilliant! The little twists and turns mixed with flashbacks of Maggie's past had me constantly on my toes! I love a plot where I can't guess what's going to happen next, and this was it for me! I really enjoyed that this was mostly a murder mystery plot with a Christmas setting, rather than a Christmas book with a minor mystery plot. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie, Knives Out or having fun, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book!

I loved this so much! OMG! This was entertaining from the beginning.

The writing is extremely well done and the book is so atmospheric. You can truly picture yourself there.

WELL DONE!

Yes!! This was the perfect book for me! The mix of rom-com and Agatha Christie was amazing! I loved the locked in a house in the middle of nowhere in a snow storm with a murderer trope. The clues were clever and I loved every minute of it. Highly recommend!

Entertaining is just one of the many adjectives you could use to describe this book. A closed door mystery with a couple of unusual twists. Maggie doesn't "do" Christmas. She's had too many bad/sad holidays to look forward to lights, trees and presents. As a mystery writer, she'll just stay home and write for the holidays. When she receives an invitation from a fan to join them in the UK, all expenses paid, Maggie lets herself be talked into accepting. BUT.....when she arrives finds that her fan is Eleanor Ashley, a mystery writer icon and Maggie's favorite author. Just when it looks like she'll have a great Christmas, along comes Ethan Wyatt, a thriller writer who Maggie finds boorish.
When Eleanor disappears with no trace, it's up to Maggie and Ethan to solve the mystery and save the day. While the mystery is the main focus of THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR, there's plenty of room in this entertaining plot line for romance to creep in. Ally Carter has just added another fan to her club.

4.25-4.5 rounded up

This was in one word, fun. I had a blast reading this! It’s just as described, Knives Out meets a locked door mystery.

I must confess that I am not a big holiday book/romance reader or watcher. This book is a thriller/romance set during the Christmas season and it works so well. It’s also kind of meta, as Eleanor Ashley is a best-selling mystery author who has disappeared from a locked room, leaving a nearly finished novel about (you guessed it) an author who takes her death and disappears from a locked room!

Maggie is a character that really doesn’t know her own strength. She’s been reliant on herself for a long time and struggles to allow people in, and also kind of suffers from thinking that people are better off without her. Not in a depressing way, but more so in a way where she has been used by the most important people in her life and can’t see how amazing she is.

Ethan? He is a quintessential man written by a woman but I am OBSESSED. I loved the inclusion of his POV, but I also liked that it didn’t come into play until ~50%. So you’re reading and assuming you’re only getting Maggie’s side of the story, only to be shot into Ethan’s perspective where he’s been secretly in love with Maggie for years.

I also must say I couldn’t figure out who the bad guy was, and I was genuinely trying to predict the twist!

Was it kind of surface level and light? Absolutely. But it was just what I was in the mood for. And Ethan and Maggie are both authors, so there are so many little reader/book lover quips that had be laughing out loud.

Also? I just love Ally Carter’s writing and storytelling. You can tell she loves what she does, and it translates really well onto the page. I’ve been a fan of hers since I was a teen, so I am genuinely thrilled that she is writing Adult now!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon books for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A holiday themed romance / who-dun-it/is trying to murder you all wrapped up? A perfect way to start the holiday reading season.

I wasn't sure what to expect when two competing mystery authors Maggie and Ethan both surprisingly are invited to the isolated home of renown author Eleanor Ashley.

Then when someone disappears, a real life mystery begins. Disconnected from the rest of the world due to snow storms... Maggie and Ethan have to figure out who they can(not) trust, and solve a mystery as their lives depend on it.

I really enjoyed this mental escape! Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

Maggie dislikes Christmas as the haunts of her youth ruined the holiday. An author, Maggie is offered a trip of a lifetime, only her nemesis must come too. Wyatt is literally the bane of her existence, and her name is not "Marcie."

Together, the arrive at an english mansion days before Christmas, and find themselves investigating the disappearance of its owner, Maggies favorite author.

The book reads like a game of clue as Maggie and Wyatt solve the mystery of near-death experiences happening throughout the mansion and its guests. Then along way these enemies become lovers. This book is a perfect holiday read.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon

Did I expect to read a cozy Christmas mystery romance in September? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy it? You bet I did 🤭 I’m an absolute sucker for rivals to lovers & this had just the right amount of tension & romance (although the romance was more of a subplot) while still keeping me on my toes & playing detective along with the characters to solve the mystery 🕵️‍♀️

Maggie is a cozy mystery writer who has suffered great loss around Christmas time & has a really hard time when the holiday comes around. Close to Christmas time, she’s invited to a party in England hosted by a fan & when she arrives, she realizes the fan is none other than Eleanor Ashely, a mystery writer and Maggie’s Idol. One person she didn’t expect to find at the party? Ethan Wyatt, a fellow writer & Maggie’s rival. But when Eleanor mysteriously disappears & a guest is poisoned, Maggie & Ethan must team up & work together to figure out what is happening at Eleanor’s mansion.

Thank you NetGalley & Avon books for the ARC!✨

"'Sometimes I lie in bed at night, thinking of ways to kill you and make it look like an accident.' 'So what you're saying is, you think about me in bed.'"

From the author of I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You comes a heartwarming, funny, and engaging adult romantic mystery novel. This festive tale feels like an Agatha Christie novel with a lighthearted tone. Maggie is a successful author who is dreading spending yet another Christmas alone. But that changes when her favorite author, Eleanor Ashley, invites her to spend Christmas at her mansion in the English countryside. The only problem? Her rival, the ever-charming and slick Ethan Wyatt, along with a quirky cast of Eleanor’s relatives, are also invited. But when Eleanor disappears from her locked office and someone is poisoned, Maggie and Ethan realize they are snowed in with a potential killer - and they may be the only two people they can trust.

Characters:
Our leads, Maggie and Ethan, were both well-rounded and fully developed. It was easy to see why they fall in love, and how they are similar. I LOVE when we can see the pieces of two characters fit together like this. Maggie and Ethan each had interesting backstories that were woven nicely throughout the primary plot. I was cheering for both of them!

Plot:
As you’d expect from a mystery novel, the plot was fast-paced and I easily flew through this book. The ending surprised me - I thought I had figured out the killer, but I was wrong! And the switch to Ethan’s POV in the middle of the book was an absolute game-changer. His first chapter and his perspective of Maggie is what made this a 5 star read for me. Plus, we got not one, but TWO “Who did this to you?” moments. LOVE.

Writing Style:
Carter had me laughing out loud from page one. The novel was really well balanced: funny yet suspenseful, lighthearted yet serious too. The writing was easy to digest without being repetitive or too elementary. I would recommend this book to anyone!

4.5 stars

Two RIVAL writers get invited to meet a mystery author! This just so happens to be our FMC Maggie’s favorite author! Then when they get there they get stuck in the manor a few days before Christmas!

This was so fun, it was filled with tension, clues with lots or twists and was very fast pace! I would say the romance is more or an added bonus. This is somehow also packed in with some topics that pack a punch. I loved seeing Ethan and Maggie’s pasts but somehow staying perfectly in the present and how well they worked together to solve this mystery!

There were a lot of quotes that I loved in this book and I will share a few


"You know, if mankind has one universal superpower, it's gaslighting women into thinking they're the problem."

“It's about a young woman who was so terrified she decided to just be dead change her appearance and her name and disappear--because, sometimes, being dead is the only way to stay alive."


Overall this book has sprinkles of Christmas but it’s not huge and would be the perfect fit for someone who wanted a holiday read without all the fluff!

I loved this one!! Thank you to Avon & Harper for my complimentary ARC. This book is the perfect mash-up of a locked-room mystery and an rivals to lovers romance.

Rival mystery writers, Maggie and Ethan, are invited by their idol to a reclusive estate for the Christmas holidays. Carter away by a private jet, the two are blown away by gorgeous castle-like estate in the English country-side. However, soon after their arrival, their idol is found missing, another guest is nearly murdered, and a snowstorm blows in isolating them from authorities. The remaining guests are now all suspects, and Maggie and Ethan could be the next victims. They team up to follow a series of clues to solve the mystery and hopefully rescue their idol.

Mysterious tunnels, cryptic clues, tense suspense, and insane amounts of witty banter and physical attraction make this page-turned an absolute delight. Sprinkled in between chapters are post-Christmas police interviews and flashbacks from the last 5 years of encounters between Maggie and Ethan. As they work together, and learn more about each other’s pasts/careers, it is revealed they might have misinterpreted one another.

Y’all. Ethan has been ‘down bad’ for Maggie for YEARS. Watching him patiently wait for her to realize his feelings, AND see herself the way he sees her was so swoony. I absolutely love the ‘he falls first’ trope, but this gem of a book also has forced proximity, only one bed, and a hero with big protective energy (and his incessant begging her to ‘make out’). Both Maggie and Ethan have past trauma to work through which added depth and vulnerability to the plot. The mystery was propulsive and the danger was genuine! But overall, it was the humor, banter, and setting that will set this mystery rom-com apart from other holiday reads this year! I highly recommend this one.

I simply could not read this story quick enough! The mystery kept me guessing and the budding romance fit perfectly. This cinematic, fast paced novel is the perfect holiday read!

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was a delightful mix of holiday romance and locked room mystery.
Maggie and Ethan are both writers who happen to hate each other. They receive separate invitations to the home of Eleanor Ashley, who is Maggie's idol, to spend Christmas there. The two meet on the private jet which will be bringing them to their destination and it is evident that they have a history together and it is not all good.
While at Eleanor's mansion with Eleanor's family and a couple of other unrelated characters, a blizzard occurs and on the first night Eleanor disappears seemingly out of a locked room.
Ethan and Maggie than spend the next couple of days trying to solve the mystery of her disappearance finding out that there is more to her idol than meets the eyes. The mansion lends itself to the creepiness with power outages, greenhouses with poisonous plants and secret tunnels galore.
All the while the sexual tension between Maggie and Ethan increases and you wish they would just hurry up and fall in love the way you know they will. Maggie has had heartbreak in her past and through this adventure she learns to trust again and better yet to believe in herself.
I loved both of these characters and was cheering for them to get together. I hope that this is not the last we have seen of Maggie and Ethan.
This book was well written and kept me guessing the whole time!

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada, NetGalley and Killer Crime Club for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.