Reviews

Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River by Emily J. Edwards

caitz's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

cubsfan3410reads's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

3.5

styleandsavings's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 Thank you Emily J. Edwards, Kate Rock Book Tours and Crooked Lane Books for the gifted copy - all thoughts are my own. 

This was an enjoyable closed-circle mystery. I liked the incorporation of science and technology. Viviana is a smart, observant and self-sufficient young woman who left home at sixteen to live in the city. She’s a bold and heroine who readers will root for. I also loved that despite the 1950’s setting, the women in this book were more than wives and heiresses they were introduced as - they each were accomplished in their own right. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

foursythia's review

challenging funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I took my time with this one, it might just be me but as a younger reader and Asian at that, I feel like I'm missing a lot of the nuance and context of the setting: post-war 50s London. It's hard to picture the scenes and interactions, definitely not the book's problem but my own as a reader.

Though, I do feel like somehow for me this felt a bit dragged out longer than it should, or it was rather slow pacing for me. I guess, cozy mysteries thing.

Good one to pick up if you don't find the my problem to be an issue for you. Perhaps, just not the book for me! Might be the book for you.

Got this as eARC from NetGalley, thank you for providing me the book for me to review!

oceanwriter's review

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

This is an instance where I knew I was jumping into the second book of the series without reading the first (which was not yet published at the time I requested this one), so if I'm off the mark that's completely on me. That said, I didn't find myself completely lost while reading book two of the Girl Friday series which was helpful.

Viviana and Tommy are invited by a wealthy science man to a party at his home. While hobnobbing with New York's well-to-do, a body is found. Better yet? The party is snowed in. Having recently been promoted to Tommy's partner, this incident makes Viviana question if she truly has the capacity to be an investigator. The stakes are high and the setting is out of a movie.

What drew me to this series was the time period and setting. The 1950s were an interesting time in America in a city like New York and especially for women. I've read a mix of cozy mysteries set far prior and far later. I saw a lot of potential in Viviana. As for the plot? I struggled to get super into it. I don't think this is because I didn't have a lot of the backstory and build-up of the first book but there is that possibility. The characters were my favorite part of the story. I am curious to backtrack to the first book and get to know them properly. It's a cute premise. I'd check out future books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free ARC to read and review.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Murder

kr_gr's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

 Viviana Valentine Goes Up The River was a sheer delight to read! 

Was I a bit confused at times? Perhaps. However, that was through no fault of the book but rather the fact that I hadn't read the previous instalment. Naturally, I was missing a bit of background for all the different relationships.

Still, I found myself charmed by the dynamic Viviana has with her partner Tommy, their new secretary, her landlady and every single person she meets. She is a force to be reckoned with and the people around her know her worth and respect her.

Viv was a truly fantastic character to view the mystery through. Smart and able to make excellent intuitive leaps, yet still very reasonably out of the loop about the latest science. Despite the fact that she doesn’t share the same education as the people she meets on the case, she doesn’t let it deter her and doesn’t let anyone sneer at her. She is so wonderfully sure of who she is in the world! 

Nevertheless, she nearly meets her match when trying to discover the source of ghostly sounds at a rich man’s house in Poughkeepsie, and when what at first seems like the plot of a fun Scooby-Doo-like romp turns into a murder investigation. And wait, the victim was a federal agent? And there’s a top secret government laboratory in the house that they’re investigating? Well, it’s a good job, Viv and Tommy can just go back to their office in New York to recoup, right? Wait… What’s that about the bridge?! 

Like I said, I had a lot of fun reading and discovering the world of 1950s New York through Viviana Valentine’s eyes. I absolutely have to pick up the first book and find out how everything started properly and I’ll be on the lookout for any further instalments. 

Anyone who enjoyed Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher and AJ Pearce’s Emmeline Lake will for sure love Viviana Valentine. Make no mistake, she’s no carbon copy of either but she makes for just as excellent read. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for my ARC.