Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book was such a lovely, cozy murder mystery with emotional depth, witty banter, perfect "rivals to lovers" with such a great backstory that slowly unfolds! Gahhhh!! This hit all the marks for an enjoyable story. I adored Maggie and Ethan and all the different facets of their relationship. The unraveling of their history and perspectives from both characters was so good. The moment the light went on that Maggie's initial judgment was so wrong about Ethan after hearing his side of the same story changed everything. There was so much more to both our main characters!

The cast of suspects, the suspenseful moments, the detective work and final reveal...who knew murder could be so much fun! The addition of the "interrogation" was such a nice touch to the book. I hope we see more of Maggie and Ethan! This would be a great movie/TV series.

5 stars

THIS WAS SUCH A CUTE COZY READ!!!!! If you are looking for a cozy mystery for this holiday season then look no further!
This is about two authors who are invited to fly overseas to join a mystery stranger for Christmas. When they arrive they are bombarded with the mystery of a lifetime. You join them as they try and figure out what happened and if they have a murderer amongst them. Did I mention the authors are rivals and that the tension between them is hot 😌.
If you enjoyed the movie Knives out or grew up obsessed with the game Clue then run to add to your holiday tbr asap.

I adored Ally Carter growing up so seeing this and reading it felt like a blast from the past and I absolutely LIVED for this.

This was kind of all over the place for me. I liked it, then it annoyed me, then I liked it again. I skimmed through parts because it started to get repetitive and a little too corny for me. I always struggle with third person POV too so that didn't help.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book! This was a cute who done it mystery! 2 rival mystery authors are asked to go on a Christmas trip to their biggest fan. That fan ends up being mystery book author royalty Elenor! Shortly after arriving Elenor goes missing now it’s up to Maggie & Ethan to figure out what happened! This book gives vibes from clue the movie. I enjoyed this book. There are a lot of characters to learn but she did a great job writing this!

I discovered Ally Carter about a decade ago, with her Gallagher Girls series, and I was so excited to stumble upon The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year! Maggie and Ethan are rivals (it's a bit of a one-sided rivalry) and are invited to celebrate Christmas in England when their hostess goes missing from a locked room. The situation grows series, with Maggie and Ethan fearing for their lives... and their hearts. Ally's contribution to the Christmas romance genre is a smart mystery, and I can't wait to read what she writes next.

*slow clap*

WHAT A FUN BOOK. Not to sound too elementary in a review but this book was fun and cute and it’s just what I needed.

A mystery, a love story, quick chapters, fun characters, heartwarming dialogue. This book had it all.

Ethan and Maggie, both authors who don’t like each other (spoiler alert one of them doesn’t like the other the other is in love) are both invited by a famous mystery author’s home for Christmas. It’s not long before a mystery begins. Can they work together to solve it?

A delightful cozy Christmas read.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

I am LOVING Ally Carter's forays out of YA. This book was delightful- a great mystery, interesting characters, and a swoony romance. Highly recommend!

Ally Carter never misses! The Most Wonder Crime of the Year is her latest masterpiece and it was so good. This book was fast-paced and action packed with swoony romance. The atmosphere was perfectly cozy in the English manor in a snowstorm. The cast of characters was pitch perfect and everyone added something to the story.

Carter mastefully sprinkled pieces of information that all came together perfectly in the end. She is also the queen of perfect excuses for not being able to call for help- and honestly what's a better excuse than a snowstorm knocking out the power? The big reveal, then twist was so good and I didn't see it coming. Honestly, everyone was sus, which meant everyone had motive for murder.

I don't really care what they are doing, I want more of Maggie and Ethan!

I loved this entertaining popcorn romantic mystery. This reminded me of an Only Murders meets Knives Out meets your favorite romcom. This also seemed inspired by favorite Agatha Christie locked room mysteries. Interestingly I thought this may have been inspired by Agatha Christie’s disappearance itself although this novel is set during our contemporary times. A satisfying mystery that was somewhat cozy and a cute romance.

This book was funny and I loved every minute! Great writing! I enjoyed the story and plot, It kept me completely involved in the story and I couldn’t put it down!

When I read my first Carter book, I thought it was fun but nothing of note. The second time around, I enjoyed myself more than the first time and I definitely will be recommending this one.

Super cute book. Really enjoyed it, and i would recommend this book to others. Great book for those who don't like Christmas.

Thank you #NetGalley for an arc of #TheMostWonderfulCrimeoftheYear in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I’m not one usually one for locked-room mysteries, but I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likable and I thought their original meet-cute was funny and loved how it tied into some of the elements in the story that led up to hearing how they met. The dynamic between them was written so well that I could’ve easily seen their characters in a rom com outside of this story.

The mystery itself while I predicted who would be the main suspect, still didn’t take away from enjoying the journey to the unveiling. All plot points were tied up well and I was left satisfied with the ending.

Worth a read. Loved that I could bucket this into my holiday reading. 😆

5 stars +++ = Best of the best

This is set to be my favorite book of 2024. This was incredible from start to finish - characters, plot, the mystery, the romance, the banter, the setting. Exactly my favorite sort of story. Perfection.

While I definitely enjoyed Ally Carter's first foray into adult romance with The Blonde Identity, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is even better!

Ally's signature quick-witted writing style shines through in this Christmas mystery in which authors (and rivals) Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt must solve the disappearance of the infamous 81-year-old mystery author, Eleanor Ashley, who disappeared from a locked room in her manor just days before Christmas. After shots are fired and another guest is mysteriously poisoned during the search for Eleanor, Maggie and Ethan must put aside their hatred of each other (that may or may not be one-sided) to solve the most wonderful crime of the year - What happened to Eleanor and who was trying to kill her?

The reviews that say this gives Knives Out meets holiday romance, they aren't kidding! The mystery itself was very well written and I already want to reread it and see what clues I missed because I definitely didn't solve it the first time. This was the perfect blend of mystery and romance; I didn't find myself wishing for more of one or the other. On another note, there are some heavy topics in this book (abandonment, self-doubt, panic attacks, past abuse), none of which are too explicit (this is a fun romance, after all) but Ally handled them in a way that was really comforting to read.

Overall, I LOVED this book and I am so excited to see what Ally Carter writes next!

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

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was such a charming and enjoyable read. It felt like I was reading a Hallmark Christmas movie, with an added dose of humor. If you are looking for a mystery/romance to make you feel good this holiday season, I highly recommend it.

Although I don’t think the cover fits the book at all, I really enjoyed it! A fun mystery with a bit of romance and comedy thrown in.

There are a lot of books that claim to be for those who enjoyed Knives Out, but this one actually reminded me quite a bit of that movie. Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt are both bestselling authors, but they don't like each other at all. Now they have both been invited to spend Christmas with a mysterious "fan" in England, who turns out to be the queen of all mystery writers, Eleanor Ashley. They are joined by Eleanor's various family members and other staff, but on the night after their arrival--Eleanor disappears from a locked room. They become snowed in, the bridge is out, and it seems that someone wants to commit murder. What happened to Eleanor and can Maggie and Ethan put aside their differences to stay alive?

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, and although the ultimate reveal of the main villain was lackluster and rushed, the entire experience of the book was so delightful it didn't really matter. There are little clues and mysteries to solve, and watching Ethan and Maggie work through their pasts gave the book more depth and meaning. Their banter is exactly what one looks for in a rom-com!

Ignore the silly cover and title, this book is well worth reading.

A locked room mystery where a famous author goes missing while in her massive English estate just days before Christmas - sign me up! This book definitely gives Clue vibes, with holiday rom-com and it couldn't have been more perfect!
Maggie and her arch nemesis, Ethan, are writers who have never seen eye to eye and literally hate each other. One day, they both receive a mysterious invitation to spend the holidays at an English estate. They have no idea the other person is going, nor do they know the details of this stay. When they reach the manor, they  learn it is the home of famous writer Eleanor Ashley. Things quickly go awry when Eleanor goes missing. Maggie and Ethan are the only strangers there, with the rest of the visitors being family and close friends of Eleanor. With everyone else seeming to have possible motive to want Eleanor gone (unalive), Maggie and Ethan take it upon themselves to find out what's really going on.

I absolutely loved this read! It's enjoyable from start to finish. I loved all of the characters, especially our main characters, Maggie and Ethan. I appreciate how the author added flashbacks from both POVs and gave us an idea of how and why their relationship is the way it is. I loved watching Ethan slowly crack and become transparent with Maggie, and I loved watching Maggie lower her guard in return.
The author was also very generous with the amount of banter she incorporated into this book. Every other line had me laughing (a true rom com!)
The premise, of course, is wonderful! I enjoyed the Clue meets Knives Out vibes it gave, and I didn't feel like anything was lacking as far as character or plot build-up. 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Ally Carter for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.