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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Honestly, a pretty average read. But, it’s a cozy murder mystery with no on-page sex and almost zero bad language so not a bad Grandma rec.
This was… hard to read. I love a mystery but this one felt like it was written for tweens. We follow the main character, Callie, as she returns to her hometown after getting laid off from her big girl reporter job. First thing to note, Callie has no personality other than being a meddling, just-got-laid-off-reporter who can’t help but stick her nose in no matter how many times she’s told to butt out. She’s also just an idiot. You’ll be rolling your eyes and screaming at this book saying “don’t go to the murderer yourself you freaking idiot!!!!” And yet somehow she figures it all out easily and outsmarts the police? It was just all very unrealistic and predictable. Do yourself a favor and use the time you would’ve spent reading this on literally anything else.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Good story with sweet details; good beach read. Did not see that ending coming.
I finished Smile Beach Murder in an afternoon, and it was so dang cozy—honestly, the perfect fall read. This was a dollar well spent at a thrift store! I loved the low-key but high-stakes murder mystery. All the characters were genuinely heartwarming, and the mystery had a cute charm to it.
The reveal of the treasure hunt was wildly underwhelming, but I think that was the point. As they mentioned at the end, Chip to Silva's final treasure was an advertisement selling the virtues of Cattail Island. People were disappointed, and it made me laugh because I was really hoping for something big! Of course, it was just a picture of the area.
The "whodunnit" twist was pretty interesting, and there were a couple of characters throughout the book who genuinely could have been the murderer. I really enjoyed how Callie worked through the clues in the scavenger hunt to figure it all out.
Overall, this is a cute and cozy read. Not phenomenal, but a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I’ll definitely be reading the next one!
The reveal of the treasure hunt was wildly underwhelming, but I think that was the point. As they mentioned at the end, Chip to Silva's final treasure was an advertisement selling the virtues of Cattail Island. People were disappointed, and it made me laugh because I was really hoping for something big! Of course, it was just a picture of the area.
The "whodunnit" twist was pretty interesting, and there were a couple of characters throughout the book who genuinely could have been the murderer. I really enjoyed how Callie worked through the clues in the scavenger hunt to figure it all out.
Overall, this is a cute and cozy read. Not phenomenal, but a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I’ll definitely be reading the next one!
mysterious
medium-paced
Just could not get into this one, and life is too short to read books I don't like!
adventurous
lighthearted
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