Thank you Jess Lourey and Thomas & Mercer to allow me to read this ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I'm rating this book 3.25⭐ (3 for the sake of this review.)
Was an enjoyable, quick, and engaging read.
April Fools is the 12th book in a series of "Murder by Month" books. I haven't read any of the other books in the series and feel like I'm missing some of the background information on some of the characters, but it was easy to follow the main storyline otherwise. I will probably go back and read the rest of the series now.
Mrs. Burns is probably my favorite in this book, such a funny old lady and definitely brings the comedy in this very serious topic book.
A couple of things that affected my review:
- I am not a fan of reading certain abbreviations ("This AM" should have been "this morning".)
- This book is advertised as a mystery AND romance but there really wasn't too much romance besides a couple scenes with Mira and her boyfriend, but nothing too crazy. I personally wouldn't consider this a romance at all.

I’ve read the first few books in this series and have absolutely enjoyed them. They’re cute, they’re fun, they’re engaging, and each one includes a clever, who done it to solve along the way. If you’re looking for something fun and cozy this is it.

I laughed my sox off once again with this addition to the Murder By Month series! Mira is thirtysomething librarian and her sidekick, Mrs. Berns, is a zany nonagenarian. Together they have managed to find and solve a number of murders in their small northern Minnesota town while keeping me in stitches and away from the news media. Lots of backstory, enjoyable characters, and a well done investigation with plenty of sneaky twists.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected e-proof from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.
#AprilFools by @jesslourey #MurderByMonthRomcomMysteriesBk12 #ThomasandMercer
#Cozy Mystery #laughyoursoxoff #CrimeThriller #romcomescape #NetGalley #MinnesotaNice #HumorousSuspense #RomcomMystery @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial #smalltown @barnesandnoble #nonagenarian ***** #Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org #library #unputdownable @bookshop_org_uk #CozyCrime #MiraJamesMystery #HumorousSuspense #LaughAMinute

Mira James has been connected one way or another to a murder every month in, and even outside of, her adopted hometown of Battle Lake. The locals talk about it, the police chief is more than suspicious, but now the streak may tank the town's rating as a vacation destination. That A+ rating is hanging by a thread, but Mira has a mystery to solve, one that begins and ends with unsettling discoveries about her father, who killed a woman and himself while driving drunk. Through a series of twists and turns, Mira uncovers an ugly plot that endangers the lives of several young women and – of course – leads to another dead body. She also faces some hard truths about herself and her on-again, off-again relationship with heart-throb Johnny Leeson.
Jess Lourey wraps up the Murder by Month series with this hilarious, heart-warming and satisfying 12th installment. Will there be more Mira James adventures? She seems to leave the door open in a personal note at the end of the book. I hope so. Like the 11 books before it, April Fools is a light, funny, and romantic adventure. We need more of those.

The best one yet!

Mira and Mrs. Berns tackle their most serious case yet in a way that left me in stitches. Mrs. Berns is a zany, but loyal, sidekick and Mayor Kenny Rogers almost makes me like politicians. I hate to see such a highly entertaining series coming to an end.

This review is for the 2025 revised edition of the book. I received a free copy but my review is honest and voluntary.

So I was confused by the two different copyright dates, but I guess this book is a revised edition with editorial revisions.

I was also happy to see that I am not the only person who didn’t realize this was the last book in the series “Murder by Month Mystery”.

All that being said, I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I read it in two days. I had a hard time putting it down, but you know, adulting got in the way.

I love the town, the quirky characters and found myself laughing at how the FMC, Mira came up with her recipes for the paper and then had to figure out how to make it more “Minnesotan”. I also found it amusing that the paper assigned her a story on “bigfoot” and she just rolled her eyes. At least she was getting paid.

I was a little confused by her relationship with her boyfriend but she even admitted that when things were going great, she self-sabotages herself or does a runner.

As for the mystery, I’m not going to lie. It dealt with some uncomfortable realities but I was glad the author didn’t shy away from them.

I do think that this is a series I would like to start from the beginning. Somehow I don’t think knowing how the series ended will take anything away from the other books.

Also, I hope I’m half as cool as Mrs. Berns when I grow up. That woman knows how to dole out some wisdom!

#AprilFools #JessLourey #NetGalley #SmallTown #QuirkyCharacters #LaughOutLoud #Mystery #AdultFiction

Another enjoyable quick read featuring Mira James and other residents of Battle Lake, MN. This was my second read part of the Murder by Month Mystery series. Although I did not read every book in the series, it was nice to see how the character development and progression of relationships amongst the main and supporting characters played out. I was left with a small feeling of wanting more from the ending but overall it was a satisfying read.

Aspiring P.I. Mira James doesn't seem to have a problem upon dead bodies, she would actual love a break from it. Things aren't looking good when she comes across a note that has to do with a librarian who vanished as well as her father who died 13 years ago. When a young girl disappears that just adds to the mystery of what she is already dealing with. She knows she must delve deep into her investigation to figure out who is behind all these happenings. Will she come to a definitive conclusion before someone else ends dead?

April Fools by Jess Lourey was a fun and humorous cozy mystery.
A riveting mystery with an intriguing plot, packed with witty storytelling and characters you’ll instantly fall in love with.
Another great mystery and I love how the characters are developing over the series.

The long awaited final Murder by Month cozy romcom mystery has finally arrived! In the grand finale, Mira discovers an ominous note in a returned library book that mentions the original Battle Lake librarian who disappeared a year ago, as well as her father. Then girls start disappearing as well as some other odd things and Mira, Mrs. Berns and Kennie Rogers jump into action.

I've looked forward to these books every month and especially the final chapter, these hilariously quirky and heartfelt characters have really grown on me and I'm sure going to miss them if this is the last book in the series. But the way this book ends leads me to believe they have more to tell us. I also heard some rumours there might be a lucky 13th book and I would definitely enjoy that!

This was my first murder by month and my first Jess Lourey book, and I found this story fun and cozy.

A small town, loveable characters and a string of mysterious events it's hard to hate a book like this. I found it hard to get into, and it took me quite a while to figure out what the main conflict of this book was, but once I got about 50% of the way through it I devoured the rest. My favourite part of this story was the characters; they were funny, and while I didn't have a lot of the context to their relationships from the previous books, I was still able to understand and enjoy their interactions.

This book was the last installment of the "Murder by Month" series, and while I would definitely suggest reading the previous books first, this book also performed well as a stand-alone!

Over all a good cozy read.

I would recommend checking the trigger warnings for this book as well as there are some pretty dark/heavy themes in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Thomas & Mercer for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

April Fools by Jess Lourey is part of a series called the Murder by Month Romcom Mystery. Normally I like to follow a series in order, but knew that each book acts as a standalone. It was impressive to read this story, the 12th installment, and not feel lost with the characters.

Unfortunately, this book was not tailored for me. NetGalley only lists it as part of the “Murder by Month Mystery”, but Goodreads categorizes it as part of the “Murder by Month Romcom Mystery”. Had I known this was a romcom, I would have chosen a different arc. However, for readers who enjoy romcoms, then this book or Jess Lourey’s series hits the spot.

Personally, I did not enjoy the character names because they felt too plain, like Bob or Karen. Also, the phrases used such as “sashayed”, “Christ on a cracker”, or descriptions of a man’s parts while wearing only a towel did not enhance my enjoyment. I’m not sure if I should have read the previous books to better understand who is the right match for Mira, but her current boyfriend throws major red flags for me - I would have preferred a different man for her. I still can’t wrap my head around the title either since I didn’t see any comparison to the actual story.

I believe this author has the potential to write an engaging mystery or thriller book if she ever decides to diverge from romcom. After reading the author’s note, I don’t think she plans to move away from romcoms - and honestly, I hope she continues writing them because she clearly love doing so. And as a reader that fills my heart.

The final addition to the Murder by Month Mystery series, April Fools brings the fun, romantic, cozy mystery Jess Lourey's readers have come to love.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for a copy of April Fools in exchange for my honest review.

Book #12 in the Murder by the Month Romcom series. Jess Lourey is a skilled author who always gives her fan club entertaining reading as well as the mystery plots she's famous for. Mira Grant, librarian by career choice, PI by accident, has kept the town of Battle Lake, Minnesota talking about her abilities to solve crimes. The characters are exactly who you'd find in hometown Minnesota. The crimes too. As Mira and her supporting team investigate, they keep the surpises coming. I've read the first 11 in the series and they are all excellent.

This is my favorite of the series so far, mainly because it tied up some loose ends that I didn’t even realized I needed tied up! This installment in the series has the same lovable characters but it has a little more heft than the usual cozies with the way the crimes are portrayed – not gory or overly descriptive but no one is getting murdered for stealing an award-winning recipe – and I find that I like the amateur sleuth investigating in more substantial crimes. Are there a few TSTL moments? Maybe, but Mira fights her way out of them well rather than waiting for someone to come save her. I highly recommend this series but start at the beginning to get the backstory and all of Mrs. Berns and Kennie Rogers’ hijinks.

⭐️ 5/5
First person POV, single narrative
FMC: Mira James
Linear timeline
Mystery with humor
Setting: Battle Lake, Minnesota

I can’t believe I only just discovered this series and I’m a Minnesotan! I sped through March of Crimes and now this one and will have to go back and read the previous 10 in the series. I really hope Jess Lourey continues to give us Mira and Mrs Berens stories, writing about their shenanigans and investigations! I also see some potential with Jess giving us some steamier, romance with Johnny too! I loved the mystery, suspense, thrill, humor, and complexity, as well as character growth and relationship building.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for providing me an electronic ARC via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

this book is a sharp and twisty mystery with humour (my favourite pairing), heart, and a dash of danger. i really enjoyed reading the small-town secrets, and i was happily rooting for out fmc.

"April Fools" is the last one in the Murder by Month mystery series.

The whole series were rereleased with amazing new covers, April Fools being the twelfth book. While the end is open, so nothing is written in stone.. I will miss Mira and Mrs. Berns.

Whilst in all the previous months Mira finds a dead body and tries to uncover what happened and the ultimate whodunit.. This month is a but different. This month is more about finding missing girls and uncovering a very big sex trafficking ring.

Mira is struggling with her relationship with Johnny and there seems to be a lot of tension there. This really is a Mira novel we've come to love. With a lot of banter and humor.. But also cosy and loveable.
After dropping a returned book and picking it back up, Mira finds a note on the ground.. Must've slipped from the book. On the note are 4 male names, including one she knows very well.. Her dad! Wh.. What?! At the end of the note is a single word written.. HELP!

Her mind is in overdrive, who was the last one that lent the book? Who wrote that note? The story begins.. Mira and Mrs. Berns start investigating. What they uncover is nothing but chilling and the one responsible.. Pfew.. It's no small feet. Let's just keep it at that.

It's a solid 4 stars for me. I don't want to say goodbye to Mira and Mrs Berns yet as I've come to love a cosy and humorous murder mystery that hasn't been written childishly. Seems like I have to find something as similar as this.

I have not read any of the other murder by month books, so this was new to me. I was still able to enjoy this fun story line with likable characters.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

I went in already feeling so sad this is the last in the series. This town has quickly become like family. Mira once again finds herself in the thick of things, as she stumbles upon a sex trafficking ring in her small town. Emotions run wild in this one, as Mira learns new things about her dead father, as she continues to miss and feel guilty about Jed, and putting herself in situations to help some teenage girls. This series has hooked me so much that I'm so not ready to have a new one to read next month. I highly recommend the entire series. It was the best series I've read in years.