This book was absolutely adorable! I loved how much Maggie doubted herself and Ethan didn't let her. I love a one-sided rivals to lovers story and the combination of Maggie being convinced he hates her while he's actually her number 1 fan was so cute. I loved the banter. It was funny and it kept the story moving pretty quickly. The way the mystery was told felt like classic Clue - full of monologuing about potential motives and questioning all the house guests. Despite the murder attempt, the story felt very cozy and low-stakes. I enjoyed the romance so much that I didn't mind that the mystery wasn't very high stakes. I would have liked there to be more twists and turns with that aspect of the story though. It felt like a bit of an afterthought and I wish that we had gotten more development for that plotline. Overall though I loved our main couple and was very invested in their story. This is such a cute Christmas rom-com and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a romance with a little mystery thrown in on the side.

3.5 stars. Mistletoe Manor is the perfect setting for a Christmas mystery! I love that the main characters are mystery authors themselves and prove to be the best detectives. Maggie and Ethan have the best enemies to lovers vibe. Their banter is excellent. Overall cute mystery romcom.

The author who introduced me to the world of secret spies and boarding schools when I was a teen, now creates a Christmas book reminiscent of one of my favorite new IPs: Knives Out.

Synopsis:
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt: the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery and Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy. When they both accept a cryptic invite to attend a Christmas house party at the estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be famous and universally loved author, Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself. But suddenly, the bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas. Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust? As the storm worsens and the stakes rise, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other.

My Thoughts:
I love this. Our main characters are so easy to root for. He fell first and is so obviously smitten with her, but she cannot see it for the life of her. It is all the best parts of Knives Out, with a wonderful romance built in. The Christmas in the English Countryside setting perfectly fits the story. There is miscommunication (but not in the annoying third act break up way), he falls first, forced proximity, cozy cottage, workplace rivals, and more. A great amalgamation of many of my favorite tropes. The wrap-up is satisfying. The pacing keeps it moving. There's lots to love and not much not to like. I'm going to recommend this for my book club's December read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Imagine if Agatha Christie wrote a locked room mystery romance and you have The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. I loved it. Ethan remembering the elevator scene was the sweetest thing. Highly recommend this book.

This book is a perfect read for me: romances 💘+ mysteries 🔎 = my 2 fav genres. The banter between our main characters was adorable, which is another thing I absolutely love in a book.

Maggie & Ethan, rival authors for the same publishing company, are sent to the home of their biggest fan, who just so happens to be the best-selling author Eleanor Ashley, writer of 99 great mystery novels. They’re meant to spend Christmas with Eleanor and her family, but soon Eleanor goes missing and Maggie, Ethan and her family are tasked to try and find her. At first, Maggie is sure it’s a test and she’s guaranteed to win. But after some questionable events start occurring, she’s not so sure anymore. The bridge is out and with no cell service, will she be able to work alongside her arch nemesis to find her idol?

I really enjoyed the character building we see in the flashback chapters, and I was able to really feel for Maggie and Ethan simultaneously. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about in this book, and why I dropped a 1/2 star, was the overexaggerated romance and Maggie’s character changing to less strong and independent as the story unfolded. I hate seeing women who need a man to save them. Overall, though, a great read and I could not put it down.

This was cute! I thought both the mystery and romance elements were equally strong and I liked the main characters. I didn't think the side characters/suspects were anything to write home about but for something light and tropey like this it didn't matter all that much.

Lots of fun for readers, especially at the holidays! This is the perfect, cozy caper, full of humor and romance. A famous romance writer and a famous thriller writer (who hate each other, by the way), are both invited to a mysterious conference. When there's a murder, they have no choice but to team up and solve it. I look forward to recommending this to readers.

This book was so much fun. Two enemies forced together to solve a mystery. The result can only be an adventure and a bit of romance. I loved Ethan and Maggie together. They had great chemistry with each other. The plot kept me guessing on what was actually going on. This was a quick read that sucks you in from the start.

This book was the perfect ARC for my Christmas in July reading!

Everything about this was silly, interesting, mysterious, fun, and flirty! The premise was great- what’s better than being your favorite author’s favorite author (hi, Chappell Roan) and solving a murder mystery with a hunky nemesis? Nothing. The answer is nothing.

The banter and wit between Ethan and Maggie was so great. They were fun, sexy, romantic- it’s was the perfect “enemies-ish to lovers” situation. The plot was twisty and fun, I wasn’t expecting it all to come together the way it did at the end! I was actually surprised!

I would have loved a bit more of Ethan and Maggie’s backstories and honestly… maybe more spice (I’ll never have enough!) but I really enjoyed this read! I just flew through it! I would definitely read more mysteries that follow these two! I’d add this to your TBR if you’re looking for something light and charming!

4.5⭐️ An utter delight! I love a good locked room mystery and I love rich people getting knocked down a peg and I love love, so this book really nailed it all. Also, Ms. Carter, may I congratulate you on the sheer number of “who did this to you?” scenes??? Because DAMN. Impressive. Please oh please write an open door romance next time

i had so much fun with this read! this is a closed-door romance book with a murder mystery theme.

the main character, maggie chase, felt relatable, an author whose life got flipped upside down because (view spoiler)of a romantic relationship gone wrong.

a few days before christmas, a holiday that maggie associates with some traumatic memories, she's invited to a work party that she really doesn't want to attend. however, she is given an invitation to spend christmas with "her biggest fan." how can she say no to that?

everything's all bells and jingles until she finds out her workplace rival, ethan freaking wyatt was ALSO invited to spend christmas with this apparent mystery fan, who turns out to be maggie's lifelong author idol, eleanor ashley. however, this christmas is definitely far from normal as eleanor disappears, and it's up to maggie and ethan to solve the case.

however... it turns out that ethan has a secret or two up his sleeve as well, and maggie has no choice but to uncover each one.

i loved the romance building, the back stories between maggie and ethan (can we talk about tucson yet?), and the suspense. as a former gallagher girl reader i was not unsurprised i enjoyed this so much! i'm not a big christmas story fan but this one was very cute and i highly recommend this one to anyone who loves banter, mysteries, and rivals-to-lovers romance!

Maggie Chase despises Christmas as much as Scrooge, but when her publisher practically forces her to accept a mysterious, all-expenses-paid invitation to spend Christmas in England, she thinks maybe this holiday won’t be so bad after all. That is, until she sees her traveling companion... Ethan Wyatt. They are rival authors, and Maggie can't believe she'll be stuck on this trip with him of all people.

Upon arriving in England, they discover they’ll be staying at the home of prolific writer Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death. Maggie is over the moon—Eleanor is her favorite author! However, when their host goes missing two days before Christmas and other dangerous events begin to unfold, the rivals must rely on each other to uncover the truth before they become the next victims.

As they delve into their investigation, Maggie and Ethan realize they might not hate each other as much as they thought. What’s scarier, a murderer or unexpected big feelings? Probably the big feelings.

This book was an absolute joy to read. The banter between Ethan and Maggie had me giggling throughout. The mystery was fast-paced and full of twists, keeping me guessing the whole way through.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you're in a reading slump. These characters will pull you right out of it!

Ally Carter has written yet another impossible to put down book. THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR follows Maggie, and her rival, the all too perfect Ethan as they go to England for Christmas under the mysterious request of the world's greatest crime novelist, who just happens to be Maggie's hero. But when her hero vanishes out of a locked room, Maggie and Ethan feel they may have stumbled into a real mystery novel. Can they crack the case before they get killed?

The writing is brilliant, the pacing is riveting, and the story itself will have you squealing, crying, and feeling all the feels. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, because it's earned every star.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year!
I don’t read a lot of mystery, but every time I do, I want to read more. This novel was lots of fun. It took a long time to put every piece of this book together, so expect to be confused in the beginning. Although it was a bit chaotic, I enjoyed my time reading this. If you’re looking for a mystery and romance all in one, this is definitely the book for you!

As a big fan of anything Christmas themed, I needed this mystery, rivals to lovers rom-com in my life. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was so hard to put down and left me in such a good mood. I loved this one so much that it's really hard to put down in words what I loved in a review. So I'm going to try something a little different for this one. I want to talk about the top 5 things I loved about this book!

1. The Setting
A mansion that could house tons of people, in the middle of nowhere, during a snowstorm? Yes, please! It really added to the atmosphere in the story and had me even more invested in this story. It's also Christmas time and the library with the fireplace and such sounded so cozy. I could see myself curling up by the fire reading the day away.

2. Bookish Characters
If a book has characters who love or write books, I'm always sold. Maggie and Ethan are both authors and we learn about what got them writing and that was really special. I also loved Maggie's love for Eleanor's books. As a lover of books I could really relate. Also, the fact that they talked about Eleanor's books and used it to figure things out made my bookish heart very happy.

3. The Banter/Romance
Ally Carter knows how to write characters with chemistry! The way Ethan was with Maggie at the beginning had me laughing out loud. Even Maggie who didn't want anything to do with Ethan at first, couldn't always resist his charms. I also really appreciated that this romance was a bit of a slow burn. I'm not someone who enjoys instalove and their connection was really special. There were a few really special moments and how Ethan remembered them meeting was a swoonworthy moment.

4. The Mystery
Eleanor going missing wasn't something anyone was expecting, but Maggie really thought it was a game. I loved her trying to figure out where she went. Even more so when people started coming after her. I really didn't know who to think of as a suspect and the author kept me on my feet. Every time I thought I had something figured out, she threw something into the story that had me thinking again.

5. The Reveal
Of course, I'm not giving you any clues on how it all plays out, but I love a good reveal when reading a mystery book. Ethan and Maggie set it up perfectly and I couldn't imagine a different ending. The epilogue was the cherry on top I didn't know I needed!

As you can see, I really loved this book! The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is perfect for this holiday season and I see myself doing a reread before the holidays. This was also my first book by Ally Carter, but it definitely won't be my last.

My review will be posted on Goodreads and https://thebookdutchesses.com on August 24th. A month before release day!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Ebook ARC of this story, this is my honest review. Oh my gosh, did I really enjoy this book! I don't know if my review is going to do it justice but I'll try. Maggie and Ethan are both authors at the same publishing house. Both are spending Christmas in England, invited there by a legendary female crime author who's especially admired by Maggie. Maggie is still reeling from a divorce and betrayal by her husband and former best friend. Ethan is a bit of a mystery but Maggie has considered him to be an enemy. But what does Ethan think, and what will he do to try to change Maggie's mind? They encounter a mystery and danger once in England, which of course draws them closer together. There are some tropes in use here (grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, just one bed, etc.) but they're done well and, in some cases, a bit tongue-in-cheek. I enjoyed the dialogue between the two main characters (gave me Jennifer Crusie vibes), and their personalities were written well and they had a good dynamic. There are dual 3rd person POVs, which I like in a romance. This was definitely a caper in all the best ways, with a satisfying resolution. This is honestly the kind of book you wish were longer because you're enjoying it so much. I stayed up way too late reading it and I have zero regrets. This is a new-to-me author but I'll definitely be reading more from her in the future! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

I really really enjoyed this holiday mystery!!
I haven’t read a book quite like this before, but I don’t think it will be my last!

Watching the two mains fall in love all while trying to solve the mystery of Eleanor was so unique!!

I love a good forced proximity holiday romance and it hit all the marks! Ally carter is such a fun writer and i'm looking forward to more of her books

A cute romcom mystery that takes place over the Christmas season; it was a nice escape from the current summer heat. I really enjoyed this light yet still twisty mystery. The romance was well balanced and it provided some humorous and sweet moments. I enjoyed the sleuthing; I felt like the pacing was good and the clue revealing was well spaced out.

There was not a single thing I didn’t absolutely love about this book! It’s mystery, it’s a little thrilling, and it’s romance. It’s fun and entertaining and showcases perfectly some romance tropes that I adore. The banter between Maggie and Ethan is so very good and Eleanor Ashley is a delight. Perfect for Rachel Hawkins readers and those that like romance and cozy mystery in great balance with one another.

I can’t and won’t stop gushing about this book. 6/5 stars from me! No notes! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.