If you love Clue then this book is for you. A ally Carter writes the most lovable characters. And I devoured this on an international flight.

Ally Carter never misses! This was even better than The Blonde Identity. The mix of mystery along with pining and love was fantastic!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review. While I grew up reading Ally Carter's YA novels, this one...fell a bit flat to me. If you liked "The Blonde Identity", then this one'll be a bit off (I think I just prefer reading Carter's spies, honestly). But don't let that fool you: this is still a fun read!

All the stars! All the hearts!
This might be my favorite book of the year. I would give it ten stars if I could.
It felt like Knives Out/Agatha Christie but with a closed door romance. And not just a flimsy romance, but a really-good-squeal-and-giggle romance with depth and wonderful characters.
I 200% recommend this to everyone that likes mystery and romance.

Ally Carter is a top tier author and this marvel of a book proves it - the tension, the banter, the mystery all 10/10.
This book is if Knives Out was a 90s rom-com with enemies to lovers. Ethan Wyatt is a walking green flag, swoon worthy hero.
Utterly obsessed. I was laughing and swooning the whole way through. Definitely a top read of the year.

Such a fun, clever mystery rom-com! I'm an absolute sucker for author main characters, and the disappearance of Agatha Christie has always intrigued me - so I was always going to grab this book as soon as I read the summary. But it absolutely lived up to my hopes, all the way to the epilogue. Delightful!

SO GOOD! The banter between the main characters was top notch! The more you learn about Ethan, the more you want Maggie to end up with him! I was *almost* more invested in their budding relationship than in solving the mystery!! Loaded with fun dialogue, twists and turns, and a happy ending—it would be a crime to leave this book unread!

The Most Wonderful Crime Of The Year by @theallycarter

I enjoyed the HELL out of this book friends! It was incredibly fun, super romantic, and full of mystery. Also, gotta love the Christmas vibes! Trust me, you’ll want to read this one for a spin on a Christmas romance this holiday season! I really could not figure out the ending! 🎄🗡️🔎🕵️‍♀️

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the arc!
Pub date: 9/24/24

4.5 stars!

Wow! A bit ridiculous, a whole lotta fun, and a little bit swoony! I adored this book. The mystery aspect itself was fun and a bit predictable, but everything else that tied into it, made it such an enjoyable read. I loved Maggie and Ethan and their backstories, and how they tied back Eleanor and the whole reason they were there to begin with. Adding all those extra aspects, like a rom-com aspect, really helped to take the sort of predictable mystery to the next level.

I don't read a lot of mysteries, so that may have helped with my overall enjoyment of this novel, but I really, really, really, enjoyed it!
Thank you Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe this was written by the same author of The Blonde Identity (which I LOVED).

From start to finish, this was just… bad. I didn’t like any of the characters, the dialogue had me constantly cringing, I’m still confused about the mystery resolution, and more than anything, this felt like it was just trying too hard.

I truly can’t believe I was able to finish this. The only reason I did was because I got the ARC but, even then, it took a lot of pushing myself to get through.

2 stars.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC :)

Awesome!! I loved it!!! It was hallmark movie meets sarcastic older sister, I loved it!! Such a unique twist on a rom com and cozie mystery. The characters were relateable, it stayed (mostly) clean and kept me captivated and in suspense throughout. I really enjoyed the ride!!!

I LOVED this book. I don't know if I can even put into words how much I loved it. The story was entertaining, the mystery kept me on my toes, the banter made me laugh, and the romance made me swoon. It is the perfect combination of romcom and mystery set in an English mansion. I read the whole thing in almost one sitting. I lost sleep because I couldn't stop reading it. You need this book.


Tropes and things
*Rom Com
*Locked room mystery
*He falls first
*Holiday-Christmas vibes
*Rivals to lovers
*Forced Proximity

Review posted on Barnes and Noble and Goodreads.

I read this in one sitting. The mystery, romance, all of it was simply perfect! I’m excited to read more from this author!

Truly knocked it out of the park oh my gosh, this is amazing! It’s the perfect mystery but also the perfect romcom?? Definitely will be adding this author to my list of auto buys based off this book. I wish there was a little more spice however that doesn’t ruin a book for me!

This was so much fun!! I would highly recommend to anyone. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Ally Carter's latest book is a gem.

It's only my second of hers to read (The Blonde Identity was my first), and I think I loved this one more.

"The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year" is a cozy mystery, rom com and locked room mystery all wrapped into a holiday bow.

Two rival mystery authors end up at the home of a legendary mystery author for the holiday and then she disappears. The game is afoot and the reader is along for the ride.

The thing about Carter's books are the characters she creates and the emotional arcs we see with them. The book isn't a cut and dry genre. We go on a journey with the main character, Maggie.

We solve crimes and learn more about her and ourselves along the way. Highly recommend.

3/3.25 ⭐️

this was a fun time - a “murder” mystery surrounding a mystery writer. I felt it was pretty predictable and due to that it lacked luster for me because there wasn’t anything else. I personally didn’t really find the characters likable. It felt like a damsel in distress, boy come save me repetition a bit too much for me. The characters didn’t really go through any growth and then the big ending wasn’t surprising to me.

Was it a fun time? a life size clue game? yes.
I don’t think it was memorable in a sense though, i will most likely forget it by next week.

I loved this book and I don't normally enjoy whodunits, but this book was fabulous. Short chapters for the win. Point of View and timeline shifts are done really well too. This book was totally engaging, loved the two main characters. Smart, savvy, super fun. FYI - Closed-door romance if that's your thing and not gory. Love this cover! I don't think it needs to be Christmas time to enjoy this book. Big thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year features two competing authors solving the locked door disappearance of a prolific crime writer on the verge of retirement from her family estate during a Christmas gathering that she had invited them to. It reads a lot like a movie, which did throw the pacing off I felt since it seemed to jump from one scene to the next. It will be especially fun for fans of Agatha Christie or Knives Out looking for a holiday read.

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for my copy to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. The characters are well developed and the setting is perfect! In typical Ally Carter style, humor is woven into the story with perfect timing. The mystery keeps readers guessing and the budding romance serves make readers feel invested in the characters. This book is one I truly did not want to put down.. I will recommend this book to many mystery readers and will impatiently look forward to the author's next book.