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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
the main character constantly judging others puts a damper on what otherwise would be a great cozy mystery. It also over-explains at points
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
I have read a few other cozy mysteries and this one didn't hold up.
The story was cute and quirky the way others have been, but the writing wasn't great. There were too many comments about Hannah's body/hair and her inability to find a boyfriend. I also swear time moves more slowly in these books as she was able to accomplish TOO much in one day. Her brother-in-law, who was up for detective - literally did nothing the whole book and comes sweeping in at the end and gets all the credit for it!
While I didn't love this book, I did enjoy the bakery and small town setting and liked that there were recipes intertwined between some of the chapters.
While I like the cozy mystery genre, I may not read another Hannah Swensen novel.
The story was cute and quirky the way others have been, but the writing wasn't great. There were too many comments about Hannah's body/hair and her inability to find a boyfriend. I also swear time moves more slowly in these books as she was able to accomplish TOO much in one day. Her brother-in-law, who was up for detective - literally did nothing the whole book and comes sweeping in at the end and gets all the credit for it!
While I didn't love this book, I did enjoy the bakery and small town setting and liked that there were recipes intertwined between some of the chapters.
While I like the cozy mystery genre, I may not read another Hannah Swensen novel.
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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:
Complicated
I acknowledge that reading a book from 2000 in 2024 was bound to have some issues. However, it was bizarre to read about an accomplished single woman who owns her own business being thoughtful and kind to some women and positively hateful in her thoughts about other women, including her own sister. At first I was hoping it was a way to show some character development and growth but halfway through it was clear Hannah is just not a kind person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Misogyny
Internalized misogyny, fat phobia
I enjoyed the writing style of the author: initially. Great way to "set the scene" and introduce characters. But - I felt irritated and insulted as a reader. It's a murder mystery - and I want to engage in the content as an active, intellectual participant. Which means that I dislike being author-splained, the very revelations to which I myself have arrived. Or even when clues / smaller milestones are made super obvious, after having done a good job to lead the reader there, is very annoying. I felt like the book was wrapped up hastily with the actual resolution of the murder and continuation of the character plots thereafter. Almost like it was bundled up. Makes me sad, because I was hoping to have a fun series to get hooked to (this is #1 of 29). And, I still don't understand fully why the title is what it is, it's not very pivotal to the actual murder or story at all, IMHO.
The recipes though, sound legit and I am excited to document and try them all :)
The recipes though, sound legit and I am excited to document and try them all :)
This is a cozy murder mystery book. I am brand new to the genre and have never read a book before that is entirely meant to be about a civilian solving a murder. I was hesitant on how I would enjoy the book because I normally enjoy dystopian fiction with more “fantasy” or “futuristic end of the world” to the plot than just figuring out how someone has been killed. I did enjoy this book but some parts of the book felt like it could never really happen to a civilian like Hannah so that was the only part I didn’t love. It felt like a hallmark movie escape for my brain while also getting to explore if I could figure out what would happen next before I read it. I do think I will consider reading the rest of the Hannah Swensen series. I feel like the romance is just now staring to pick up during the last few chapters! I can’t let that go now!
mysterious
medium-paced
Wow. It is unfathomable to me how an entire town of people could be as incredibly dimwitted as they are portrayed in this book. It could be due in part because i listened to this on audio book, and the reader made every female sound like a worthless ingenue, but really...on behalf of their fictional selves, I take offense.
On the plus side, a whole series I don't have to read!
On the plus side, a whole series I don't have to read!
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
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