Busybodies Collection

I may not love each story in the short story collections that Amazon puts out, but I do love the concept and often find new authors because of them.

Staged by Elle Cosimano

What I love about Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series is the relationship between Vera and Finlay and the ridiculousness that ensues when they are together. Staged lacked the loveability you find in Finlay, and I never cared about what was happening.

The Reunion Dinner by Jesse Q. Sutano
I had so much fun with this one. I know readers complained that there were too many characters, but I loved it. The ending shocked me a bit. I was pleasantly surprised.

Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum
This was fine. I typically do not care for stories that involve badly behaving rich people. So this is more of a me issue.

The Nosy Neighbor by Nita Prose
I love Nita Prose and her quirky characters. I enjoyed how the main characters played off each other. The ending was fantastic.

One Lucky Subscriber by Kellye Garrett
Unfortunately, this was my least favorite of the collection. The beginning was compelling, but by the end, I was bored. The ending was a letdown.

A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson
This story was my favorite from the collection. While I know the mystery is lacking, I found the characters interesting and sweet, and the blossoming romance was cute. It made me swoon a little.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

The “Busybodies Collection” is a series of short stories written by Elle Cosimano, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Emma Rosenblum, Nita Prose, Kellye Garrett, and Alicia Thompson. These six hilarious Amazon Original short stories about amateur sleuths are coming to Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible on October 15, 2024.

There’s just nothing better than a cozy mystery—unless there are six of them! Of the six featured authors in this collection, I have read and loved four of them, so I was excited to get to sample the writings of two new-to-me authors. Ranging in length from 24 to 45 pages, these stories are still able to pack a punch. Each author delivered a clever mystery with enjoyable plots and surprising twists. I loved that each story was completely different from the next, but they still felt like a cohesive collection. These cozy mysteries were so fun and the perfect fall reads. Highly recommend all of them!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this series of short stories! I am a huge fan of a few of the authors. But I was excited to discover new ones to follow and check out their other books!

I can’t really break down each synopsis of each short story. But let me tell you, they may be short but they pack a punch. I was thoroughly entertained through each story. I was shocked by how many twists there were in each short read. A few of them even had me laughing out loud. These were so fun and I couldn’t put the read down. I can’t wait to re-read this when they are published.

5 stars out of 5! Thank you Netgalley for the review!!

Need a good Halloween scare or just a taste of the neighborhood busy bodies ?
You’ve found your match ! The busybodies collection will intrigue and terrify you all at once .
What pulled me into each short story was the relatability of the characters. Making the stories feel more real .

Amazon Original Stories eARC
I love these short story collections, and I have read quite a few of these authors before, so I was excited to get to these.
Staged - I liked this one. It was a take on a cozy sort of mystery vibe with staging houses and how the crime was solved. It felt like a Cosimano story, and I knew what to expect from her. Lots of fun,
The Reunion Dinner - This might be my favorite one. I was so surprised by characters in this one. It was so fun to see the mystery unfold.
A Crime of Fashion - My least favorite. Can we please stop using OCD to mean liking organization. There's so much more to it than that.
The Nosy Neighbor - Also pleasantly surprised by this one. While I thought it was going one way, it went a complete different, and just impressed.
One Lucky Subscriber - I liked this original story. It felt like something that could happen, and I liked how the mystery played out in this one. The most fun premise of them.
A Classic Case - This one was so sweet. It surprised me in totally different ways than the rest of the stories. I think it was a great addition for someone who wants a lighter mystery.

The Busybodies Collection is a mixed bag for me. Nita Prose’s story was a standout—clever, engaging, and full of her signature style. I’d give it a solid 4.5 stars. Jesse Q. Sutanto’s story was another highlight, with sharp wit and fun characters that kept me entertained (4 stars). I also enjoyed A Classic Case with its well-crafted mystery, but the ending felt rushed and left me wanting more. Elle Cosimano’s short story, though usually a favorite, felt underdeveloped this time around. The rest of the collection didn’t leave much of an impression, making the overall experience a bit uneven.

Just had the pleasure of reading an unpublished version of the short story collection #busybodies . Thanks to #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview for the advance copy. Thank you to the amazingly talented #nitaprose @nitaprose for including me in this journey.

Busybodies brings a collection of "snoops" and novice gumshoes who, in their mind, are doing good where something seems out of place. Some actual bodies pile up while other bodies are missing with no real explanation. Each story brings a fresh look into the obsession of voyeurism some individuals face. Sometimes its best to not look under the hydrangea bush nor underestimate a matriarch, if you aren't ready for the consequences.

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for the ARC via NetGalley!

This was a fun, breezy collection of mysteries!! From murder to movies, I had a lot of fun finding clues and guessing culprits. This was a great book to kick off spook-tober with. If you’re into cozy mysteries with female leads, you should run over to read this on release day!!

I don't love short story collections, but this features some of my favorite authors, and I appreciate having a chance to review them! I enjoyed all of them and now have some new authors to follow. Each one features a cozy mystery of sorts, nothing too disturbing.

I'll go through each story separately:

Staged by Elle Cosimano: 2 friends are getting a house ready for sale when someone is found dead in the house. There are plenty of suspects, and Lyda and her friend need to solve the case to get the house sold. Some good sleuthing and a surprising murderer! 4 stars.

The Reunion Dinner by Jesse Q. Sutanto: A Chinese New Year celebration goes awry when a guest is poisoned. Everyone has a reason to hate this person, and more comes out as the story unfolds. I had a hunch about the murderer here. One of the darker stories here. 3.5 stars.

Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum: An important piece of jewelry goes missing at a photo shoot. It's found, but is it as simple as it looks? The lowly assistant needs to find the culprit before she loses her job. Shallow people, nice surprise at the end. But unrealistic. 3.5 stars.

The Nosy Neighbor by Nita Prose: 2 old friends face off as one is living her life to the fullest, and the other is following with her eyes, until she sees something she's not supposed to. Strong twist at the end, also quite dark. 4 stars.

One Lucky Subscriber by Kellye Garrett: Innovative story set in the American Dream Mall as contestants vie for the chance to win $50,000 in a TikTok video challenge. Something seems to go horribly wrong, but in the end. it's all just a show. Or is it? This manages to make you think, but I found it a bit hard to follow. 3.5 stars.

A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson: My favorite of the bunch! Audrey is a but socially off. She meets old Mr. Hoffman every week as they take out old movies from the classic store, but one week he doesn't show up, and she goes to find him. Strong detailing, realistic characters, cute romance/mystery. 4.5 stars.

Altogether, easy, quick, enjoyable reads.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon, and the authors for an advanced copy for review.
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Busybodies Collection (ARC)
Release Date: October 15th 2024

Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A huge thank you to Amazon Original Publishing, Netgalley, and the authors for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Breakdown of each story:

Staged by Elle Cosimano- 5/5
A million problems arise when trying to flip a crumbling old Victorian. But Lyda, a newbie seller, and Dani, a home stager, are fixated on one: the dead landscaper in the bedroom. A fun short mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end!

The Reunion Dinner by Jesse Q. Sutanto - 3/5
A family dinner, a surprise engagement, and hidden family secrets result in an eruption of chaos. A very fast-paced mystery with a myriad of characters and an unexpected ending.

Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum - 5/5
A celebrity photo shoot results in a missing piece of extravagant jewelry. The characters are all unique, the setting is intriguing, and the mystery component is compelling with the final reveal being amazingly written!

The Nosy Neighbor by Nita Prose - 3.5/5
Marge has been spying on her neighbors. Doris and Bob are an odd couple, but as Marge watches them, she starts to wonder if there’s more to the story. Marge quickly learns that digging into her suspicions neighbor’s life means putting her own life in danger.

One Lucky Subscriber by Kellye Grant - 3/5
A social media competition in a shopping mall that everyone wants to win. Will someone go too far for the prize money? As we meet the characters, it quickly becomes evident that everyone has something to hide.

A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson - 5/5
A wonderful cozy mystery with hints of romance. At the video store, the clerk is always hot and grumpy, and retiree Mr. Hoffman rents the same thing every week. When Audrey’s fellow film buff fails to appear, she goes to his house over the protests of her flannelly video store crush, who knows more than he lets on. One of my favorites in this collection!

Elle Cosimano was able to show off some of what she does best: mysteries with humor and loaded conversations. I loved the word play and scene setting in Staged, and One Lucky Subscriber was a clever surprise. This is a great way for readers who love Finlay Donovan to get exposed to the style of writers like Kellye Garrett and Jesse Q. Sutanto.

A fun collection of short, quick read stories. The stories are all very different from one another.
A great collection to have for when you’ve only got a short amount of time to escape into a story/book.
Thank You to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity enjoy this ARC.

Busybodies is a collection of six engaging mysteries that embrace the fun of amateur sleuthing. With stories from authors Elle Cosimano, Jesse Sutanto, Emma Rosenblum, Nita Prose, Kellye Garrett, and Alicia Thompson, each short story explores the fine line between nosy neighbors and full blown detectives. Whether it's a curious gossipy friend or a meddling relative, the protagonists in these stories find themselves unraveling mysteries, often with hilarious and unexpected consequences. The cozy mysteries are full of suspense, humor, and quirky characters!

1-Staged by Elle Cosimano 3🌟
Love everything I’ve read by this author & enjoyed this cute short story. A fun mix of humor and mystery.
2-The Reunion by Jesse Q. Sutanto 4🌟. Another great read by a great author! Enjoyed this funny short story and conniving characters.
3-Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum 4🌟. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery short story. Looking forward to reading more by this author!
4-The Nosy Neighbor by Nita Prose 4🌟. Nita Prose never fails to entertain! A well-written, humorous cozy mystery short story.
5-One Lucky Subscriber by Kelley Garrett 2🌟. This short story fell flat for me. Difficult to be engaged due to the strange beginning, silly plot and bizarre ending.
6-A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson 4🌟. This was a short story and I would love to see it as a novel. The characters were wonderful!! A mystery with a touch of romance.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest opinions.
Staged ⭐⭐⭐: I really enjoyed this short story. Lyda and her friend, the amateur sleuths 😄, thanks to their fast thinking and ability to see beyond the obvious, solved Sawyer's murder case. I guess I'm an amateur sleuth as well as I cracked the case before them ha😄😄.

The Reunion Dinner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Everything Jesse writes I will read; even as a short story, this was amazing. The humor! The twist! And that ending!!!

Crime of Fashion ⭐⭐: I didn't really like this as much as I loved the others.

The Nosy Neighbors ⭐⭐⭐⭐: I didn't see that twist at the end coming, and I thought Marge was the bad person all along 😈

One Lucky Subscriber ⭐⭐⭐: This was an okay read for me.

A Classic Case ⭐⭐⭐: I was expecting a more murder-ish vibe.

I do enjoy collections of stories that showcase different author styles even when they have a common theme and I do have a soft spot for busybodies who lend a quirky and fun splash of color to mysteries. So I was excited to read these 6 short pieces that make up the Busybodies Collection especially since I've read previous works by a couple of the authors. As with any collection of stories, some are stronger than others. I enjoyed Sutanto's The Reunion Dinner, Prose's The Nosy Neighbor and Thompson's A Classic Case the most. These were all very quick reads - all had quirky characters and over-the-top scenarios, but that makes for fun and lighthearted amusement. Overall a 3.5/5 with a few being more 4/5. Good palette cleanser when you need something light in between heavier and darker reads. Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the e-arc.

Staged - 2/5
A young woman tries to successfully stage a house & make a sale, and things can't possibly go wrong. Right?
This moves at a quick pace, but the setup of the mystery is much better than the murder investigation. It wraps up a little too quickly, and feels like it comes out of nowhere. There's not much character development either.

The Reunion Dinner - 1/5
A family dinner, a surprise engagement, some hidden family secrets. What will bubble up to the top & erupt in chaos?
There are too many characters introduced here too quickly, and it's hard to keep track of every family member. Our main 'busybody' detective is very unlikeable. At first she's the typical worried mother, but after some reveals at the end, she becomes nothing more than an evil caricature. No one to really root for in here.

Crime of Fashion - 5/5
A glamorous photo shoot, a missing piece of some VERY expensive jewelry. Who is the culprit, and what could be their motive?
For such a short story, there is a lot packed in here. Everyone feels unique, from our nervous heroine to the scheming boss (who has more layers to her than you'd expect). All the suspects feel plausible, but not too obvious, so the reader is kept in suspense about motives and who's truly guilty. A solid mystery, with a satisfying reveal at the end.

The Nosy Neighbor - 2/5
An obnoxious neighbor, a suspicious bunch of flowers planted in the backyard. Could there possible be a buried body hidden in there?
This felt like it was going to be a fun & cozy murder mystery, Golden Girls-style. Our main 'busybody' had some hilarious observations about her fellow retiree, and the humor kept me reading to find out how it'd end. Except when the reveals came toward the end, it kind of ruined the story's for me. It had balanced the humor and the darker tones well, but the end had a big tonal shift I didn't like.

One Lucky Subscriber - 1/5
A youtube competition, a secluded mall, everyone wants to win. Will someone go too far for the prize money?
This started with some promise, and there was a real sense of tension in the beginning, as all the contestants wanted to win the money (and get some online fame at the same time, of course). The two female contestants seemed to get a little more development, but the story didn't really go anywhere. There was barely any 'mystery' in this mystery story, and the end felt kind of anticlimactic.

A Classic Case - 2/5
A cozy video rental store, a missing customer. Could this be murder, or something else?
This read as your typical 'meet cute' kind of story (a lovelorn girl with a passion for classic movies, a seemingly aloof store owner, etc), with the mystery part being kind of pushed to the background. This was charming and moved along at a good pace, but the mystery solving aspect was pretty weak.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this advance readers copy of this collection of short stories from some of my most favourite authors. These are great to sit down and read for a quick read and cup of tea or coffee before work or waiting in the car for an appointment. I always loved short stories and was so excited to be able to get a copy of these to read. Big fan of cozy mysteries? This is your jam!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

1. Staged: ⭐⭐⭐
If you’re after a light, entertaining read that vibes with the Improbable Meet Cute series (cozy mystery is the theme), you should definitely check this out!

Pros: It’s a fun, easy read and I think I would have loved it back in my teen days.
Cons: Honestly, I just wanted more about that hot landscaper! Why him? 😫🤭

2. The Reunion Dinner: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Aaaah! I gobbled up this book! I love the setting, and I'm impressed that Jesse crafted such a fun story in under 50 pages!

There are a few backstories connecting the fiancée to potential suspects, and just when I thought I had it figured out, I was totally wrong! 🤭

I really love her storytelling style and can’t wait to check out her other books!

3. Crime of Fashion: ⭐⭐.75
I’d rate it 2.75 ⭐. It started off as an easy read, but things got a bit confusing toward the end. I know it’s a short story, but it felt rushed, and the plot twist seemed forced.

4. The Nosy Neighbor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is definitely one of the best tales in the Busybodies collection. I really enjoyed it! It was exciting and it was well written—nothing felt rushed. I’ll be checking out more from this author for sure! 👌🏻

5. One Lucky Subscriber: ⭐⭐⭐.75
This one was probably the most intriguing story in the Busybodies collection! I got so into it that I felt like I was right there in the scene. I thought it would be another murder case like the others, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. If you want a quick read with a unique plot, you should check this out. I’ll be on the lookout for more of Kellye’s books!

6. A Classic Case: ⭐⭐
Of all the Busybodies stories, this one’s definitely my least favorite. It started off promising, but it didn’t really follow through. I was hoping for more, and the ending just didn’t fit.

A really entertaining collection of mystery short stories from some of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed the ones from Elle Cosimano, Kellye Garrett and Jesse Q. Sutanto in particular but they were all great.