3.5*

I enjoyed this book! I've not read from the POV from someone much older than I am and I found it really refreshing and also reassuring oddly enough. Ive realised it's okay to not have my life totally in order and things happen sometimes. Everyone moves at their own pace and that's okay! No one's behind or running late and it's okay to pace yourself. This was an enjoyable book, a little slow to start but once it got going it was lovely! The beginning did go on a little though and that's one of my only complaints. I did have to sort of drag myself through it.

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop is an enjoyable cozy mystery set in the charming village of Little Pride, where Alice Carroll is trying to start fresh after a difficult breakup. The small-town setting and quirky characters make for an inviting atmosphere, and Alice’s attempt to adapt to her new minimalist lifestyle adds a relatable personal touch. The discovery of a dead body buried in a neighbor’s compost heap adds an intriguing twist that keeps the mystery fresh and engaging.

While the premise is solid, the pacing can be a bit uneven at times, with the build-up to the reveal feeling slower than expected. The mystery itself, though interesting, doesn’t quite carry the tension that some might hope for in a cozy whodunit. Alice's interactions with the townsfolk provide some lighthearted moments, but it sometimes detracts from the suspense of the investigation.

Overall, this is a charming and engaging read for fans of cozy mysteries, though it could benefit from a tighter narrative and more suspenseful twists. Perfect for those looking for a gentle mystery with a touch of humor and small-town charm.

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop was a fun cozy mystery. The setting is charming in a small English village. We are introduced to Alice who has bought a cute cottage home and curiosity shop. There are some sweet supporting characters, most of which aren't extensively developed, but it's a series so that may happen as we go along.
The mystery is a fun one, giving numerous red herrings so you keep guessing..
Ultimately this was a fun cozy mystery and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.
A big thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

50 year old Alice Carroll is staring over. Her partner of 25 years has decided he no longer wants to be with her and is planning to travel the world. Alice decides to move to a small village in the Cotswold's and sets up an appointment to see a cottage that used to be a curiosity shop. She falls in love and immediately buys it. Then she is made redundant from the museum she worked at, so has to find a new job. She moves into her new home, and is getting ready to sell off or dispose of all the stock left behind when she gets a visit from the owner of the local paper. He informs her that the cottage is zoned for a store and she can't use it as solely residential. Not only that, but the lovely paddock next door with the donkeys that she loved is being developed as homes for rich city dwellers that want a quiet country home. When one of the workers at the site is found half buried in a compost heap in the allotments, Alice realizes that living in Little Pride might not be the quiet, minimalist life she envisioned.

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop is the first book in what I hope will become a new cozy mystery series. I enjoyed meeting Alice and her BFF, Danny. Both worked at the museum together and their expertise comes into play with the mystery and motive in this one. I also liked meeting some of the locals and hope to meet more in future books. They are a quirky bunch and several of them made me laugh. The mystery seemed straight forward and I was sure I had it figured out, but I was wrong. There were twists that I didn't see coming. I thought the story was well written and plotted and although a lot of the book was taken up meeting the characters and learning about the setting, the mystery was a good one. I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Alice, Danny, her friends and her neighbour, Robert. Maybe some romance in the offing.

In this new cozy mystery series by Debbie Young, readers join Alice Carroll at Curiosity Cottage, a beautiful trinket shop in Little Pride in the Cotswolds, as she is ready to live a new minimalist life as an independent woman post-break-up. Ready to sell the remaining stock and set up her own business, Alice had no idea that the villagers would be so attached to Curiosity Cottage and would put up a fight against her plans. When a dead body appears in a neighboring compost heap, Alice realizes that Little Pride and its inhabitants have a lot going on under the surface, and she is now at the heart of a murder mystery. A brilliant addition to the cozy village mystery genre, the location of Little Pride is charming in its small-town mentality (which presents some interesting obstacles for Alice) and beautiful Cotswolds setting. The characters really bring the setting and the mystery to life, so readers will love working with Alice to unscramble the village and its inhabitants to catch a killer in this fun new mystery novel. Following Alice in her first venture in store ownership and as a detective, cozy mystery readers will love this first book in a new series.

This was a delightful book to read and full of the joys of village life, from the gossips to the self appointed heroes to the nosy neighbours and the great friendships.

I really liked the character of Alice who finds herself in quite the pickle from the moment the book starts. From her relationship to her home to her car and her job. I like the way that Alice was relatable and funny, not someone who would be a pristine model of a person. Danny was also a shining light for me, I love the banter they share and how they have each others backs always.

It was an easy read for me, with seamless writing and enough twists and turns to keep me interested. There was quite the abrupt ending when some things got solved but not really investigated and other things are left unsolved. I wonder if this is the start of a brand new series that will hold bits and pieces over into next books?

Apart from that, the only thing I would change about this book was the title. There was no murder at all. Dastardly plots and villains aplenty but no-one kicked the bucket. Mischief and Mayhem in the Old Curiosity Shop?

I'd like to read more from this author and will keep my eyes out for more in this series!

Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Debbie Young for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

**spoiler alert** Giving it 4 stars because it took too long to build up to the main event and it wasn’t even an actual death, so the titles kinda misleading.

Otherwise, the book is very interesting and well developed.

When Alice arrives in a little Cotswold village called Little Pride, she thinks it’s the perfect place to start her new life hoping to convert an old bookshop into a living premises. She soon thwarted by the local people as they wish the bookshop to continue as it is, however, that soon has a spanner in the works when the body is discovered within the shop.
This was a relatively quick and easy read, though I did not think it was as good as previous books by the author. Whilst this book was a new series, hopefully subsequent books now that we have been introduced to the character will be much more fulfilling.

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop is a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series. Full of all the drama and secrets of small-town life, combined with Alice's strength, curiousity, and determination to make a fresh start in this new phase of her life, give this mystery so many layers for readers to explore. I loved it!

An enjoyable cosy crime mystery set in a quaint Cotswold village. The characters were well written especially Alice, the former museum assistant turned antiques shop owner. Though the ending was a bit abrupt I realised there would be more of Alices adventures to come.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this cosy mystery. It was unusual for the investigation to start mid-way, but I didn't mind because it made sense to take the time to set up the lead character's backstory: a mature and relatable woman. The smalltown and cottage ambiance really makes for a whimsical decor. The plot was fresh and interesting, although not overly compelling. All in all, I'm looking forward to the next installment!

Enjoyed this one very much, another great British cozy suspense from author Debbie Young. Never disappoints, highly recommend!

3.5 stars - I always like a cosy mystery at this time of year, I enjoyed the small town vibes and the select group of characters as I found I was suspicious of them all. It was easy to recall who was who, and the writing style flowed. It was also refreshing to have a protagonist who was in their 50s, with the cast familiar ages. I did find the killer to be an obvious choice and despite the murder, the plot didn’t have a strong sense of urgency. I was a little disappointed that it took until halfway for the murder to take place and the ending was a little rushed. A huge thank you to Boldwood Books for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A cute cozy mystery centered around a small antique/curiosity shop. This book took a while to get going and then when it did the mystery wasn’t really all that exiting. I had an idea of the murderer from the first bit of the book and my thoughts turned out to be correct. There were a couple attempts at misdirection but they didn’t really work for me and I kept coming back to the same solution. This would be a good book for someone looking for something quick and light but I found it a bit lacking.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

My attention came and went from this book, I would call it more cozy than mystery. The mystery itself didn't really come into play until over halfway through the book. However the writing was well done and the characters were interesting. I was just expecting more of a mystery than I received and don't feel as if I was the target demographic as such. If you are looking for a cozy novel with elements of intrigue this would be great for you! 3.5 Stars

Debbie Young’s Death at the Old Curiosity Shop opens her latest cozy mystery series in the perfect setting: the enchanting village of Little Pride in the Cotswolds. When Alice Carroll, newly single, moves to Little Pride to start fresh, she takes over Curiosity Shop, filled with eclectic antiques and odd trinkets. But her quiet life is short-lived—locals are reluctant to let go of the shop’s past, and a body soon surfaces in a neighbor’s compost pile, complicating her plans for a fresh start.

Young’s narrative is rich with a palpable love for English village life, deftly portraying Little Pride as both charming and a bit unpredictable. Each chapter brings readers deeper into this fictional Cotswold village, where local fairs, quirky personalities, and tightly woven friendships draw Alice further into a mystery simmering beneath the town’s genteel facade. This isn’t a place where secrets stay hidden for long; everyone knows one another, and the gossip flows as freely as the tea.

Beyond the murder mystery, Young does a wonderful job exploring the warmth of community and the importance of connections in times of change. Her characters are full of humor and eccentricities, adding layers of charm and complexity to the story. Little Pride’s villagers feel like neighbors you’d know—each has their own quirks and loyalties that add depth to the town’s lively social tapestry.

It's refreshing to have a story told around people who are not in their 20s and 30s. Instead, we have Alice looking for a job in the latter part of her work life, her neighbour taking care of his granddaughter and overall avoiding the typical clichés.

For anyone who loves the Cotswolds and the idea of an English village with secrets, Death at the Old Curiosity Shop is a delight, filled with atmosphere and wit. This cozy mystery will leave readers eager to revisit Little Pride and its wonderfully peculiar residents.

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, check out Debbie Young's latest novel, Death at the Old Curiosity Shop. Set in the charming Cotswold village of Little Pride, this book introduces us to Alice Carroll, who is looking to start fresh after a breakup. She moves into Curiosity Cottage, a quaint former bric-a-brac shop, only to find herself entangled in a local mystery when a body is discovered in her neighbor's compost heap.

I liked meeting Alice and her bestfriend Danny. They both worked at the museum until Alice was made redundant. Alice, is a warm and relatable character. Her curiosity and determination make her a natural sleuth, and she quickly becomes involved in the village’s mysteries.

The author nicely blends humor, intrigue, and a touch of romance, making this book a delightful escape. The picturesque setting and quirky and endearing villagers add to the charm, while the plot keeps you guessing until the very end. The ending felt kind of abrupt and loose to me, otherwise it was fun to read and I can't wait for more of this world.

This looks to be a great start to a promising series. Cozy mystery lovers check this!

This book is a wonderful start to a brand new cozy mystery series! We follow Alice as she navigates her adult life fresh from a breakup after 25 years. Due to various circumstances surrounding her, she finds herself in a new place meeting many new people and tries to form new friendships and bonds therein. There is also the potential for a new romance too as is pretty common in this genre, but we don't see it fully develop here. There's the promise of more to come!

The pace is pretty easygoing, so if you're looking for something that won't cause anxiety or goes too quick, this is definitely the place. It certainly lives up to the genre's initial promise of something cozy you can settle into. It also has a lesson or two to teach, as Alice's plans don't always come to fruition. Many can stand to learn this lesson too, as sometimes life doesn't go the way we expect but that it can lead us down paths far better for us mentally and physically. She also learns she's capable of far more than she'd ever thought before, having been thrust into this new life and mostly on her own.

"Death at the Old Curiosity Shop" gets 4 stars out of 5! It was very entertaining, a fun and peaceful start to a new series I'm excited to continue when the sequel releases next year.

Thanks for NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

I jumped at the chance to read this book, which is the latest in Debbie Young‘s new Cotswald mystery series

50-year-old Alice splits with her longtime partner who decides he wants to travel the world and this leaves her homeless. So she buys an old shop in a small Cotswold village, hoping to turn it into a cosy home. Unfortunately during this time she loses her job and then finds out that the shop was sold to a cheaply due to a clause in which says it has to remain a shop.

The story bimbles on rather like a pleasant but leisurely Sunday walk it’s not until some way into the story before we get our murder victim.

I suspect, however, this is one of those awkward first books and that the stories after this will be much more enjoyable

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review

If contemporary cosy crimes are what you read
This is certainly one that you need!
The first in a series that is new,
A fun read I highly recommend to you.

Moving to live in the village of Little Pride
Alice Carroll believes she’s found the perfect place to reside.
A change of role, a new home, too,
A life full of change she is going through.

Assumptions made prove to be so wrong
From who lives where and to whom they belong.
With village characters to get to know
To a murder mystery to solve as along you go.

Friendships new and old are there to see,
Perhaps they’ll help solve the mystery?
A small community with surprises, too,
Make me look forward to more in this series to view!

For my copy of this book I say thank you
As I share with you this my honest review.