*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

((Don't judge this book by its cover!!))

In the eleven months since her mother's untimely death, Dakota Green has been struggling. Underneath the weight of her mother's residual medical debt, the threat of foreclosure on her familial home, the end of her dream to graduate vet school, and the unbearable loss of her beloved mother, Dakota has been drowning. So when she discovers that one of her mom's last wishes was for her to compete in the local (and nationally renowned) beauty pageant, Dakota is suddenly faced with a choice. Does she go through with the plan and swallow her pride, or does she give up on the chance to lose the substantial prize money that could pull herself (and her aunt) out of debt?

Well, there really isn't a choice, is there?

Thrown into the world of rhinestones and makeup, Dakota has a great support system and surprises herself by making fast friends with her fellow competitors. However, things turn sideways when a crown (and a man) go missing, thrusting Dakota's aunt into the spotlight and not in the good way. Suddenly juggling learning dance choreography and trying to solve several mysteries, this cowgirl may have gotten in way over her head.

Unexpectedly fresh and heartfelt, A BEAUTY QUEEN'S GUIDE TO MURDER AND MAYHEM, placed first for me! Bird did a wonderful job of balancing the rough-and-tumble personality of her heroine with the glitz and glamor of the pageant world. Dakota, while resistant to pageantry in the classic "I'm not like other girls" way, I was pleasantly surprised by her character growth and open to change. The mystery was fun and multilayered-- and it fell together in a satisfying ending.

I loved this new mystery from Kristen Bird, which is on the lighter side (more comedic) than her previous books. I devoured it in two days. The story follows a stable hand turned reluctant beauty pageant contestant on a mission to save her family home and solve a murder along the way. The setting of the Blue Ridge Mountains really comes through. If you love a contemporary murder mystery that is more Only Murders in the Building than Broadchurch, with a smidge of romance, I think you'll love this! Looking forward to the next book in this series.

This mystery shifts you to a place where heels under 4 inches are a sin and anything bedazzled with less than 50% sequin coverage will have you running home to your mama. What was supposed to be one woman's mission to survive ballgowns and tiaras turned quickly into a murder scene.

We follow Dakota as she navigates life after the death of her mother and she is thrown into pageantry to save her home and eliminate the mountain of medical debt.

What I loved:

The importance of companionship. The female relationships in this book (and all of Kristen's books) are strong and beautifully done. The friendships she forms with the other women of the pageant, they are not enemies, but supporters of each other working towards a common goal. Female friendship can be toxic, but this shows the true beauty of what happens when you lead with love and support for each other. This was also shown with the larger than life love you see for both her mom and her aunt.

The main whodunnit plot also had me trying to play detective along Dakota. I love a juicy story full of secrets and lies and this completely hit the mark. With the truths that I know now, I already want to do a reread and look for the breadcrumbs.

A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem
Kristen Bird
Storm Publishing
02/11/2025

A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem is the first book of a contemporary mystery series by one of my favorite authors, Kristen Bird. She has crafted a charming and unforgettable ensemble of characters steeped in southern charm, traditions and secrets.

Dakota Green came home from Veterinary school to take care of mother, while she fought a losing health battle. Dakota did not deal well with the loss of her mother who was also her best friend and cheerleader. She found herself in a shell of sorrow and had to be coaxed out gently. Thankfully her Aunt Dee Dee was there every step of the way. Each month a letter was delivered to Dakota with a challenge that she had to work through. The last one was letting her know that she would be competing in a beauty pageant in Aubergine, VA. If she wins, she will have enough money to cover the cost of her mother’s medical bills, save their family home and finish her degree.

Dakota is a tomboy from day one. She didn’t fit in with a lot of the girls she was around and never got into the beauty queen, sequins and sash scene. This was a big ask, but Aunt Dee Dee had been part of the pageant for decades and knew all of the ins and outs. Dakota gives in and has her hair done and gets the mud removed from under her nails and heads into what she thinks is going to be a cat fight for the ages.

Day one of the pageant begins with a stolen crown and Aunt Dee Dee in the clink. Thankfully there is a very handsome sheriff on hand to help and Dakota who happens to be a budding detective. Questions have been surrounding the pageant since a winner went missing in 2001. Readers will be laughing one moment and gripping the edge of their seats the next. Dakota Green stands out as a refreshingly down-to-earth and empowered protagonist—an unexpected beauty queen-turned-detective who quickly wins readers’ hearts. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book in the series An Heiress’s Guide to Death and Diamonds

This book sucked me in quickly! I especially loved all the detail in the "beauty pageant" world and all its rituals, combined with the history of the town of Aubergine and how much a part of it the annual pageant represents.

The character development was excellent. Dakota was just enough of a snark to make her relatable, but the stakes for her are clear and vitally important - if she doesn't get some money soon (of which it seems the pageant is the only way of getting enough of it, fast enough), she will lose her family home, which is full of memories of her childhood and most importantly the years her mother was alive (not to mention, she'll be homeless). Those stakes are present throughout the entire book and help to remind Dakota that, even though she may think beauty pageants are silly, she needs to participate and try to do well.

The plot is the perfect blend of backstory for Dakota and her family members and friends, the perfect amount of murder/thrills, and the perfect amount of mystery that readers will have fun trying to unravel. Though I was able to figure out some of the clues/twists, I wasn't able to figure out them all, leaving the ending an exciting read.

I look forward to future books featuring Dakota and her handsome new love interest (I won't spoil it on who that is - but it's pretty obvious once you start the book!)

I also look forward to reading some of Kristen Bird's previous thrillers, since this was my first book of hers.

I loved this book, simple as that! As a southern gal, and growing up in a pageant town, I could totally relate to the characters. Hard to put this one down, I will highly recommend to all my friends!!

Kristen Bird does a fantastic job in writing this book, it had that element that I was looking for in the genre. I was invested in what was happening and thought Dakota was a strong character and enjoyed the feel of this. It uses the beauty queen element perfectly and was glad I got to read this.

I was unsure what I thought about Kristen Bird writing in this style, but I absolutely loved it. Although outside my typical genre, this book had me laughing and wondering what would happen next. She really is a brilliant writer.

What a fun twist on a cozy mystery! 'A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem' follows Dakota Green, a veterinary student grieving her mom's death and reluctant beauty pageant contestant (think "Miss Congeniality"). I loved the unlikely friendships and hints romance that Dakota found during this suspenseful adventure.

If you enjoy reading hilarious amateur detective mysteries, then I recommend this book to you! Kristen Bird's writing is fast-paced and entertaining.

Special thanks to the Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book (part of a series featuring stable hand turned beauty queen/amateur detective) is yet another favorite of mine. The story set in the small town of Aubergine, Virginia has all the charm that you would expect from a small town, along with a heavy helping of family secrets. 

After the death of her mother, Dakota Green receives the 11th letter from her mother, which tells her compete the the annual beauty pageant which is shrouded in the mystery after the disappearance of Miss 2001. When the pageant owner vanishes, all suspicions land on Dakota, Aunt Dee who has been managing the pageant since she won back in the 90's.

If you love a good mystery with a side of romance and family secrets, you're going to want to pre-order your copy as soon as they're available on Amazon. The official release date is February 11th, 2025.

Dakota's plunge into the high-stakes world of beauty pageants, where a previous contestant has gone missing and a fresh theft has taken place, promised to be a thrilling ride as we untangled a web of secrets. The setting itself - the pageant, the sets, the premise - was interesting and full of potential, with moments of humour and charm that lightened the narrative in places.
The novel has some good scenes that stand out for their wit or for being quite clever, and readers looking for a lighter mystery may find this an enjoyable read. For me, the tension didn't quite build enough, and I was left looking for a little more mystery and suspense. Although there was one twist that did catch me off guard, many of the reveals felt too obvious ahead of time, taking away that suspense. Key clues were presented in a way that made outcomes feel a little too predictable.
While it didn't quite hit the mark for me, I can see how the blend of humour and glamour could be appealing for others, and I hope they find joy in reading it.

#ABeautyQueensGuidetoMurderandMayhem #NetGalley is a really good book that I had the pleasure to read and review.
Dakota needs money, and competing in a beauty pageant is one way to make money, unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.
I liked all the characters and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was fun but not that attention-grabbing for me.

This is another example of a book with such an amazingly fun concept that just wasn't executed to perfection the way I wish it was. I think the issue here was the writing style and how that revealed information/allowed the story to play out. I find that the writing style that is used for a mystery/thriller book really does impact how I feel about it A LOT. That can really make or break a book for me, you need to be releasing information the right way for the suspense and satisfaction to hit properly.

I couldn't get myself to be invested in these character (or what was happening to them), they just weren't interesting enough or dramatic enough for me.

And this was rather slow-paced for what it was. This would be such a perfect book to make fast-paced and suspenseful.

This book is also not on Goodreads (at the time that I was reading it/writing this review), so I will continue to check back for it, but this is the review I would've posted there.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

So this was a slow burn for me. I wasn’t fully invested in it until about halfway through, but then I was fully in. I loved the idea of this beauty queen pageant with a murder mystery thrown in. It was nice to see Dakota regain her footing in life. The reveals were fun and unexpected for me. The only thing that was missing for me was more closure or development between Dakota and the sheriff.