Reviews

Yappy Hour by Diana Orgain

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drokka's review

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I read a comment from someone calling this book silly, and thought “it’s a cozy mystery named Yappy Hour, not To Kill a Mockingbird, chill the f out.” That was before I read this book. Yes, there is a romantic triangle and an interesting mystery but the characters act like morons. Let’s start with the main character and the fact that she throws up multiple times and doesn’t brush her teeth, which gross because she thinks of kissing characters after and I actually gagged because of it. At one point she splashed water on her face, is a hot mess, and then the night proceeds without any mention of fixing it. The author made a point of saying she had half flat hair, half frizzy, her mascara was running, the lipstick was smeared, she was wet, and had just thrown up. If you are going to paint a picture, then at least say “took a minute to clean up” or something. She also actively obstructs an investigation to “protect her sister” which is something all sleuths do, but they don’t take a paper out of a detective’s pocket so they won’t see it. Next, her sister is a total flake! If my sibling did that, I’d need a little more than crocodile tears to be cool with them abandoning me to fix a big old mess. The uncle is supposed to own all this property yet he has no accountant or business manager? You expect me to believe that a man who cannot find his own mail would have been able to pay his bills when the MC was living in New York? Last, one of the guys in the love triangle is so into her that he refused to call the cop and gets her shot. At no point does he apologize or feel bad about it. I just wanted at least one “my bad” or something, because I legitimately think he is a sociopath. Your masculinity is so fragile that you’d rather a girl you want to date get shot than call the cops? REALLY?! 🤨
I had some issues with the book, but it was the poor resolution of things at the end with the sister, the lawsuit, the uncle, and the sociopath that led me to give such a bad review. I don’t recommend this book. I got it for free at the library but I still think it is a waste of time. I just wish the author would have given some consequences to the characters who act poorly, but no. It was a disappointment because I just wanted to like it so bad.

peggyemi's review

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4.0

This is the first in a new cozy mystery series and the first book that I have read by this author. The cover and the title are what first caught my interest so I decided to take a chance. I was not disappointed. Ms. Orgain has crafted a solid first installment with this series that is well written. The book is filled with plenty of wonderful and humorous characters of both the human and canine variety. What I found to be a nice twist on this type of themed cozy is that Maggie, our main character, is not really a dog person. The story is well written and has a nice pace, which did not feel rushed. The characters are well developed for a first in a series and there is enough going on in this book to keep the reader engaged. I found this to be an enjoyable story and will be on the lookout for future installments in this series.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The title is set to be released on November 3, 2015.

nicolegardner's review

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

4.5

almayerich's review

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4.0

Very quick, easy, and entertaining read!

momentum262's review

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3.0

A fun cozy mystery plot. Not a book I may have picked up originally, but the audiobook cover was so intriguing that I had to give it a shot. The audiobook was well narrated and this first book sets up a series well for establishing characters and potential relationships.