The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is an absolutely adorable holiday mystery that gave me serious Knives Out vibes—which I was so excited about because I loved that movie! The story was fun and festive, with Maggie and Chase stealing the show for me. Their banter and chemistry were everything I hoped for, adding the perfect mix of tension and charm.

That said, I felt like the second half lost a bit of steam compared to the first. I was hoping for something as sharp and twisty as Knives Out, so I found myself a little let down. But even with that, this was still such a sweet, cozy read! If you’re looking for a light mystery with a sprinkling of romance and all the snowy holiday vibes, this is definitely worth curling up with.

I loved this book! A perfect cozy mystery meets romance. This is exactly the kind of book I want to read during the holiday season. Two literary enemies are invited to the secluded home of a famous British mystery author for Christmas. Their trip takes twists and turns are they attempt to solve their own mystery. All told with a side of romance and banter that kept me engaged. A perfect holiday romance!

Y’all this was SUCH a fun read, you gotta squeeze it in in the next few weeks. The publisher’s synopsis describes it as Knives Out with a holiday twist and that could not be more accurate!!! Two mystery writers (one cozy, one thriller) get a mysterious invite to spend Christmas in England with the most renowned mystery author of all time. Not sure why exactly she invited them, the answer soon becomes clear: to solve the puzzle of who among her ungrateful family members and would-be heirs has been trying to murder her. Naturally, these two writers also fall in love in the process. This is definitely one of my new favorite books.

And if you were wondering, yes, this is the same Ally Carter who gave us the Gallagher Girls, writing grown up books for grown up Gallagher Girls!!

This was one of the most fun holiday romances I have ever read! Ethan and Maggie's rivals-to-lovers (sorta) romance is set against the backdrop of a snowy manor, and a locked-room mystery. There's an eclectic cast of characters! A lot of fun banter! And of course, it's all about Christmas!

My major complaint is that as a mystery lover, I felt that those components began to dissipate in favor of the romance rather quickly. Of course, that is more of a personal gripe, because I do think that this is a well-done story. It simply didn't work for me based off of my expectations.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely adored this book!!!

Such an amazing cozy and romantic mystery with the one sided rivals to lovers story. Enjoyed how the reveals of the actual mystery played out as well as the reveals with Maggie and Ethan's stories as well, like why he kept calling her Marci and what went down in Tucson.

Side note would have enjoyed a bonus chapter of the awful ex duo running into our perfect couple of Maggie and Ethan and seeing Maggie thrive, being petty on behalf of Maggie.

Absolutely love this one!! I'm a big Ally Carter fan (I've read everything she's published), and this one did not disappoint!!🤩

I read this one in anticipation of the holiday season, and it did not dissapoint! The characters were fun, and funny, and I was rooting for the romance. The mystery was a little bit light, but I loved the idea of an older author passing her torch to younger authors. Very, very fun and seasonal.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED AND DEVOURED THIS!

This has to be one of my favorite books of all time. A author brings guests to her house for Christmas when suddenly she disappears. It is up to the guests to see who has been trying to kill the author and if she is still alive.

This story was moderately paced and very well written. I love how the author was constantly dropping clues and pushing the story forward. The chemistry between the two main characters is insanely good. I was really impressed with how you would think you knew what happened but then the author would surprise you or change courses.

this was fine. i enjoyed the mash-up of romance & cozy mystery, and there was some cute banter. but none of the characters really hooked me. i also think i will forget about it completely in a few months.

What a perfect way to end the holiday themed reading season--the title is great, and I have been excited to see Ally Carter entering the adult sphere. Authors Maggie and Ethan are invited to an all expenses paid Christmas in England by their biggest fan. Before things get too Misery-like, the fan is none other than famed author Eleanor Ashley. At her remote English estate, appropriately called Mistletoe Manor, she disappears, leaving Maggie, Ethan and a variety of family members the characters of a locked room mystery during a winter storm.

Queen of the "romystery" Ally Carter has written yet another 5-star read in The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. Full of laugh-out-loud humor, a fantastic cast of characters, a rivals-to-lovers romance for the ages, and a suspenseful, skillfully crafted locked-room mystery, it's my favorite read of this holiday season.

This was a fun and mysterious read! Carter did a marvelous job in building a mystery while also mixing in flashbacks to build the backstory of the characters and their shared history.

This book was so much fun! Truly a book version of the movie Knives Out! If you loved that or were entertained by it then you should definitely give this book a read. You get laughs, mystery, authors, crazy family and more. I loved Maggie and Ethan’s enemies to lovers arc and their back and forth and finishing bc each other’s sentences was funny. Little old Eleanor was a delight and I wish we had even more of her.

I would definitely read more of this author after this book!

A charmingly old-fashioned locked box mystery romance set at a sprawling English estate at Christmas time. Maggie and Ethan are rival American mystery authors summoned to a stranger’s home for the holidays. But their host turns out to be the most famous mystery writer of all. And then she disappears in the night.

A very fun homage to Agatha Christie and cozy mysteries in general, with a fizzy enemies to lovers romance mixed in.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun spin on the enemies to lovers trope. Throwing in Christmas and I was Here. For. It. I got major Clue vibes reading this one and I loved that. I just had to know who was involved. Literally no one could be trusted. Both characters had a lot of layers and flaws. I loved learning more about their characters as the story went on. The banter, and tension was amazing. The characters were real and believable, and I loved watching their love story unfold while also solving this mystery. The was such a fun Christmas surprise.

Maggie Chase is the princess of cozy mysteries. Her idol, Eleanor Ashley, has invited her to her home for Christmas. She’s certain she’s retiring and is going to choose her successor to write her next books. What she wasn’t counting on was sharing the trip with her rival, Ethan Wyatt. He can never get her name right. He is always competing with her for awards.

Eleanor goes missing…from a locked room…without a trace. But Maggie starts to think she’s hiding hints for her. Is this a test? Or is Eleanor really in trouble.

I enjoyed this one. But, I’m not a huge fan of mysteries and realize I never really care “whodunnit”. I preferred the romance aspect of it.

It’s been so nice to dive into Ally Carter’s work years after reading her Gallagher Girls series. Her adult novels have become the perfect titles to pick up whenever I need something that blends comforting and cozy vibes with fast-paced action (a very strange but necessary combo in my book).

While The Blonde Identity took on the spy genre, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year takes on Agatha Christie-esque cozy mysteries, following two rival authors who are caught in a real life mystery when their idol disappears before Christmas.

This book is cozy mystery to the max! It’s perfect for Christie super fans as well as those who loved Knives Out. It’s well-paced and the clues are perfectly placed, making for a satisfying ending. Even though it’s set during Christmas, Christmas isn’t a huge part of the plot which means this is a great book to read at any point this winter.

Even with all of the mystery, romance is also a key part of the story. I did find that part of the story to be a bit underdeveloped and muddled, but the vibes were still very cute so I didn’t mind that too much.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a great addition to any holiday or winter TBR. I can’t wait to see what Ally Carter comes up with next. It’s available now — thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was just the PERFECT cozy read! A holiday mystery/romance combo?! Sign ya girl up!

Maggie Chase is a very successful mystery writer who has had a tough life and is trying to rebuild after her husband left her. So when her editor gives her a cryptic invite that involves a private jet, a mysterious fan and Christmas, she can’t say no… even if it turns out her nemesis, thriller writer Wyatt is there too. Turns out the invite is from one of the most prolific and successful authors, Eleanor Ashley, and she goes missing the night they arrive. So Ethan and Maggie are forced to join forces and try to solve this mystery…

I loved the Blonde Identity by @theallycarter and was so thrilled to get an ARC of this one from my friends at @netgalley and @avonbooks. This was the best book to curl up with. So many of my favorite things - fun side characters, 🔥 chemistry, a whodunit mystery with plenty of twists and turns.

Was this horrible? No.... Did it deliver the holiday vibes? Questionable. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and it did leave me wanting more. Particularly in the romance department... I definitely wasn't on board for a lot of that development, but it was a quick read and I did appreciate that.

Such a good romance and mystery read! No blood, no smut, but definite suspense! Plenty of characters and red herrings to make a mystery and lots of pining for a good romance. This was a fun holiday read.