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andiwin's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
nikkibeingsocial's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
frankie7toes's review
Read the first chapter and just didn't care enough about any of it to continue.
olap's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
Okay cozy mystery. A lot of over-telling and overexplaining Britishness without particularly endearing hooks, but it's an okay time.
lynnegrace's review
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
esdeecarlson's review
1.0
**This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
1.5 stars
I really did not enjoy this book. Cozy mysteries are hit and miss for me, but I really thought this one (murder! Old ladies! Cambridge! Bookshop! Cats!) would be a hit for me; alas, it was one of the biggest misses I’ve read.
Firstly, I felt condescended to the entire book, as if, despite being an adult mystery, it was actually written for young American teens who have a romantic view of England but have never actually read any books set outside of the U.S. before. The first-person narrator ‘helpfully’ informed her readers about such obscure bits of Anglophile trivia as “‘mate’ is slang for ‘friend’” and “they really like tea here.”
The heroine herself was also deadly dull. I spent much of the book wishing that she, and her contrived “American cousin who comes in to save the bookshop with such Quirky, Modern Ideas as ‘using social media to drive engagement’” persona, were cut out entirely. Because part of the real tragedy of this book is that the actual murder plot is really interesting! An old woman who is blackmailing a truly fascinating cast of characters is murdered at a busy event. If Daisy—the young woman who runs the nearby café, and is directly related to a mysterious death from fifty years prior that seems suddenly relevant in this new case—had been the sleuth to tackle the mystery, I would have been much more invested. Instead we got Molly Kimball, who is just… bland.
I just did not have a good time with this story, and I wish that the mystery had been packaged differently—with more adult writing and a more engaging sleuth.
1.5 stars
I really did not enjoy this book. Cozy mysteries are hit and miss for me, but I really thought this one (murder! Old ladies! Cambridge! Bookshop! Cats!) would be a hit for me; alas, it was one of the biggest misses I’ve read.
Firstly, I felt condescended to the entire book, as if, despite being an adult mystery, it was actually written for young American teens who have a romantic view of England but have never actually read any books set outside of the U.S. before. The first-person narrator ‘helpfully’ informed her readers about such obscure bits of Anglophile trivia as “‘mate’ is slang for ‘friend’” and “they really like tea here.”
The heroine herself was also deadly dull. I spent much of the book wishing that she, and her contrived “American cousin who comes in to save the bookshop with such Quirky, Modern Ideas as ‘using social media to drive engagement’” persona, were cut out entirely. Because part of the real tragedy of this book is that the actual murder plot is really interesting! An old woman who is blackmailing a truly fascinating cast of characters is murdered at a busy event. If Daisy—the young woman who runs the nearby café, and is directly related to a mysterious death from fifty years prior that seems suddenly relevant in this new case—had been the sleuth to tackle the mystery, I would have been much more invested. Instead we got Molly Kimball, who is just… bland.
I just did not have a good time with this story, and I wish that the mystery had been packaged differently—with more adult writing and a more engaging sleuth.
jorkal22's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lareinadehades's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Did not have a good time. I felt like I was being talked down and overexplained British customs/slang. And if I'm honest, the whole quirky American thing felt overdone.
ja3m3's review
3.0
I loved the setting of this book. A centuries-old bookshop on Magpie Lane in Cambridge, England. I really felt like I was there. The references to classic literature and the poets of Cambridge was a nice touch too.
The supporting characters were fun - some quirky, some kind, some furry. My problem was with the MC Molly. Wow - she can go anywhere and say anything to solve a crime. It was really unbelievable. I'm not really sure what she does. She supposedly works in the bookshop, but she really drinks a lot of coffee, eats pastries and disappears for hours searching for clues that miraculously fall in her lap.
And... I don't get the title. I know Chapter and Curse is a take off of "chapter and verse", but there was no curse in the story. I kept waiting for it.
I probably will read the second book to see where the storyline goes, but not for awhile.
The supporting characters were fun - some quirky, some kind, some furry. My problem was with the MC Molly. Wow - she can go anywhere and say anything to solve a crime. It was really unbelievable. I'm not really sure what she does. She supposedly works in the bookshop, but she really drinks a lot of coffee, eats pastries and disappears for hours searching for clues that miraculously fall in her lap.
And... I don't get the title. I know Chapter and Curse is a take off of "chapter and verse", but there was no curse in the story. I kept waiting for it.
I probably will read the second book to see where the storyline goes, but not for awhile.