I don't tend to talk a lot about books I've read publicly, unless I love it. Mostly I just talk to my friends about what I've read.

But, I have to tell you about this one because it just released and unless something changes, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is probably going to end up being my favorite read of 2024.

"Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery."

I was fortunate to get an early copy from the publisher this summer and then I waited a bit to read it, because I knew I would be sad once I was done.

I was so right.

This was such a delightful read. While I was in the middle of reading it, I messaged Shannon Stacey, who I had previously recommended The Blonde Identity (Ally's previous book, which you should also read), and who also loved that one. I told her "you're going to love Ally's new release even more than you loved The Blonde Identity".

She didn't believe me.

I was so right.

This book is just...I already said delightful. But it was charming, fun, I had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was reading it and I didn't want it to end. I was worried I wouldn't like the end. I was worried something would happen to not make this one of my favorite reads. I was totally wrong!

Then, I thought maybe this would be the book I couldn't wait to tell everyone about.

I was so right.

Go buy or borrow The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. And then read it immediately. And then come back and tell me...

You were so right (LOL!!)

https://amzn.to/4eCuqSB

Fun story that part mystery and part romance.

Of the top dozen or so most stressful negative events of life, author Maggie Chase has hit them all - and always in December. And she’s still in her 20s. Consequently, she doesn’t like Christmas and especially doesn’t like Christmas parties (she’s also an introvert). So when her publisher invites her to the office to discuss some marketing plans, she briefly considers running away when she discovers she’s been tricked into coming to the office Christmas Party – with her third most hated item on her list, fellow author Ethan Wyatt. Her publisher has an ulterior motive for tricking her – to personally hand her an invitation to another Christmas party being held by ‘Maggie’s biggest fan’. She initially declines, but after overhearing some uncharitable comments made by her fellow authors, she accepts and finds herself headed to a mysterious remote destination aboard a private plane a few days later.

Unfortunately for her, Ethan has also been invited. But when they arrive, Maggie is awestruck to find their host is Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death. Maggie is Eleanor’s biggest fan; she’s read EVERYTHING she’s written, including interviews and book blurbs. She starts to think maybe Christmas this year won’t be too horrible? But then Eleanor disappears overnight, in the middle of a blizzard, leaving a few cryptic clues – clues that only Maggie recognizes; she’s immediately on the case.

I enjoyed this book with its combination of mystery and romance. I do think the romance part was more successful – there were a number of places where the plot wasn’t as tight enough for a mystery I felt. For example, when the villain confronts Ethan at the end, they state they ‘read’ something about Ethan’s past (which Maggie only found out a dozen or so pages earlier). The only way the villain could have found out was through Eleanor, and if she suspected them, then why share? The interstitials, scattered through the book, were a bit odd; in theory, they reflect conversations that took place after the action was over, but in some cases, the comments align with where they are in the book (for example, Maggie’s feelings towards Ethan change, but in the interstitial, she still shows a lot of animosity to him). Plus, I’m not sure I totally understand why Maggie hates Ethan so much, especially given there’s other people she has more reason to hate (like her ex)?

That said, there were a lot of Christie-esque moments and references that were lovely. Agatha Christie herself disappeared for a number of days in 1926; she’s the best-selling fiction writer of all time according to Guinness World Records. There’s a number of clues woven into the story in a very Christie like manner, clues where you don’t realize they are there until after you read the book.

Altogether, a lot of fun! Highly recommended. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

This is the perfect cozy holiday mystery book and add on the wonderful romance 🤌🏻Maggie and Ethan were the perfect enemies to lovers! Their dynamic was top notch and I loved their banter. 100% adding the physical book to my book shelf because this will be a reread for me💗

Thank you Avon Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the gifted ebook.

This was such a fun locked room holiday mystery, and I loved it! All I wanted to do was curl up fireside with a cup of tea while reading this book.

Join Maggie and Ethan on an adventure through an English mansion as they try to solve the mystery and uncover clues. Featuring an eclectic cast of characters, this whodunit is a perfect addition to your holiday TBR.

This book was so much fun! The characters were brilliant and I felt for every single one of them (except for one, you know who you are).

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARc via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this one! I’m a huge fan of Ally’s writing, and I adored The Blonde Identity, so I knew that I was going to enjoy this one.

I went in blind, and I found it highly entertaining. Right off the bat there was fun banter between Maggie and Ethan, and there was some tension between them. I liked the flashback chapters and I thought they were a good way to show how Maggie had ended up in her current position.

I really liked Maggie as a character. I thought her love of mysteries was a fun aspect especially as she’s an author herself, and I liked that she was seeing clues and mysteries no one else noticed. I also thought the author did a great job of showing Maggie’s self-doubt and just how beaten down she’d become from her ex-husband and ex-best friend. I really liked that Ethan encouraged her to trust herself and her instincts, and that he believed her no matter what kind of crazy thing she thought might have been going on.

Ethan was a really good balance to Maggie. He had so many sides to him, and I really liked getting to see his vulnerability as the book progressed. Ethan was a great protector and he and Maggie worked really well together.

I liked the progression of the “I hate him” to the not hating. The tension and possibility of something was there early on for the two characters, and it was built upon with the circumstances of Eleanor’s disappearance and the close quarters they were in while trying to solve the mystery. There was humour and lightness in their flirting and banter, and it was very enjoyable.

The writing style was easy to follow along with and I read this book in about 2 sittings. I didn’t want to put it down, and I was thinking about it while I wasn’t reading it. I think this one is a great cozy holiday mystery and romance with humour and intrigue.

I am so beyond sad to write this review because I did enjoy this book. However, the person that narrated this audiobook has recently come out and told people that disagree with him that are not only stupid, and ugly, but that they should kill themselves. Now sure, most authors don't chose their narrator, however....the authors response to a message about it has left an awful taste in my mouth, When asked if she planned to speak out about zachary webber, Ally Carter responded that she isn't knowledgable enough about the situation to speak on it. As far as I am concerned there is no knowledge anyone needs besides watching the video. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about this war, his words were insanely messed up. We are entering suicide awareness month and this man feels it's ok to tell people multiple times to kill themselves. I am anxiously awaiting a statement from the audio publishers that have worked with this narrator, and hopefully other authors speak up. His words were not ok, and he represents Avon books and Ally Carter.

Ally Carter never disappoints!! I've been reading her books since 2008 and have loved every single book since! She brings life to her characters in such a fun and relatable way that you can't help but love them, this book is no exception. Maggie and Ethan have two completely different perceptions of their knowing each other and getting to see them work together and figure this out was a lot of fun. Like every other book before Ally Carter is a 5/5, and I will always read whatever she writes.

"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."

That description hooked me. Maggie, a mystery writer, and Ethan, a thriller writer, both accept an invitation to a Christmas house party at a remote English estate. They hate each other's guts. And in the morning, when the weather has turned, their hostess is gone.

This isn't really a mystery; it's a romantic comedy with mystery elements. There was enough humor and mystery to keep me invested, and it was enjoyable.


"

Christmas came early this year in the form of this book! I loved everything about it. Romance! Mystery! Rivalries! Christmas! I was a huge fan of Ally Carter’s YA series, and I am living for her adult novel era. I had so much fun reading this holiday rom-com/murder mystery. Maggie and Ethan had great chemistry, and I enjoyed their rivalry, which led to some amazing banter. The locked-room mystery was entertaining, clever, and well-paced. I loved this book and am excited to see what Ally Carter does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie dislikes Christmas. Strike that. She HATES Christmas. Always has. So whenever Maggie gets a letter from her favorite mystery writer, who wants to fly her to England for Christmas she's obviously hesitant but her friend, Deborah, pushes her to go and promises her that she won't regret it! England at Christmastime? Sign me up! That sounds wonderful. What she doesn't know is that Ethan, her rival, also accepted the SAME EXACT invitation and now they'll be together in an English mansion together during Christmastime. Whenever Eleanor, the famous mystery writer goes missing after a big snow storm, it’s up to Maggie & Ethan to find her. I mean they write novels about solving crimes, so how hard could solving this one be?
I’m not a huge fan of Ethan at first, especially because he kept calling Maggie “Marcie” whenever obviously that’s not her name. However I really enjoyed how the author looped in the perfect amount of romance into this mystery novel. It was an easy holiday read & I recommend it to anyone who wants something not super spicy romance wise, but just the right amount of cutesy/cheesy-ness.
Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

"The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year" is a fairly fun, locked-door maybe murder mystery.. While it takes place at Christmas, the holiday plays very little role in the story overall, making it a good fireside read whether near Christmas or not. The cast of characters is amusing if not super unique. The villain is not super surprising but there is extra information added right at the end that feels a bit out of nowhere. The romance aspect is a combo of pining/instalove, and I am not sure I really believed Maggie's feelings for Ethan. The couple's banter is okay, but Ethan comes across as a little clueless for not realizing how pre-holiday event Maggie was interpreting some/most of their interactions. While not a book I would revisit, I do think it is a good way to pass a little time.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

I did enjoy parts of this and it was fun overall, but as I was reading this book, I couldn't figure out if it was attempting to be more of a mystery or a rom-com. I find few authors do this mix well, and this was no exception.

I have liked other books from this author. I thought this sounded interesting. It was a bit too much rom-com and not enough mystery for me. I really did have a hard time connecting with the characters which also made reading this less fun.

I was intrigued by the synopsis but the book is so poorly written that it was a struggle to finish it. I do not recommend this book.

This is a light, cozy locked room mystery novel that’s perfect for the upcoming festive season. It’s not heavy handed on Christmas festivities, so all can enjoy whether you celebrate the holiday or not!

I actually have read her YA mystery spy books back in the day as a pre-teen (Gallagher Girls series), and it was such a wonderful throwback to see those titles, those covers again!! I completely forgot about this series, it was a faint memory from childhood that has been sparked upon looking her up on Goodreads as I was reading this Adult Mystery eARC!

Loved the retro feel of the cover, that’s what appealed to me. Again, like I said it’s a nice lighthearted read! I liked the set up in location and the famous author and the authors angle. I liked the chapters with the Q & A, line of questioning, that was fun and kept the interesting going! I love how the ending sentence tied the story together.

I did find the mystery and the romance didn’t marry quite well together, it was a bit choppy to me. The romance came on quick and was forced into the scenes where the mystery aspect was taking place. I found the FMC put damsel in distress to the extreme in the sense that she was constantly insecure, needing reassurance, on the brink of tears. Her backstory too got to be overwhelmingly tragic when we had already felt for her as a reader (wine cellar part could’ve been omitted, didn’t feel authentic). The MMC kept calling the FMC “sweetheart” and I didn’t care for it. I thought it was unnecessary to have Ethan’s POV in the story, the switch to his POV didn’t add anything to me - I would’ve been fine if it was just the FMC’s POV and the line of questioning chapters.

Overall I would recommend this cozy mystery with a side of rom-com for the winter season and would try out another one of her Adult novels.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager (HCC Killer Crime Club) and Netgalley for an eARC copy!

I’m not sure how to give this feedback. I don’t hate it but I just haven’t connected to it. I started it and then stopped reading and I’m gonna pick it up again but I think for me I’m struggling to read. So this is a DNF for now.
I will rate it a 2 for now because what I did read I enjoyed I made it about 70 pages in. I just struggled to pick it back up.
The cover though is my favorite thing

The perfect cozy Christmas whodunnit! One of my favorite reads of the year!

Two rival mystery authors get invited to the home of the Eleanor Ashley queen of cozy mystery books for Christmas? Count me in! Think Knives Out with the coziness of Christmas and a good splash of romance added in.

The locked room mystery was so intriguing and fun and felt very Agatha Christie-esque. The setting of the snowy mansion really set the scene for some quick paced mystery sleuthing. I loved seeing the mystery in the eyes of mystery authors. I would have never guessed the ending, so bravo!

I loved our main gal Maggie and getting to see her character development throughout the book was a great element that showcased what I feel a lot of women go through. Her relationship with Ethan was so fun to watch unfold from the beginning to the very end. I think Ally Carter writes perfect romance subplots. Not too much and not too little.

Read if you like:
- Knives Out or Only Murders in the Building
- well done whodunnit
- cozy Christmas sweaters
- laugh out loud banter
- secret passageways

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

All the fun and cozy Christmas murder mystery vibes!! I had so much fun reading this book 🙌 Two rival authors sent to a surprise location for Christmas then having to solve a mystery together while attempting to stifle their growing feelings for each other?! Yes please!!! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review 💚

This was a really fun enemies to lovers, he falls first, dual POV, forced proximity, holiday romcom murder mystery that has two rival mystery authors accepting a trip to England where they find themselves stuck trying to figure out who killed one of their favorite authors. I loved that the book is dedicated to all the women who have been gaslighted in their lives as the main female character, Maggie, has recently divorced her toxic ex who constantly belittled her. Not feeling in the holiday spirits at all, her editor convinces her to take this trip where she discovers the man she thinks hates her actually has been secretly pining after her from their very first meeting. Amazing on audio narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, this is a standout holiday read for the 2024 season! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!