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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook as part of Libro.fm's ALC program. He's to Die For is billed as a cross between Brooklyn 99 and The Charm Offensive, and I'm not sure that Brooklyn 99 is a great comp. Based on that comp, I expected it to be laugh out loud funny, but the most I got was a few chuckles. The mystery was decent, I didn't figure it out before the reveal which is always a plus, and the romance between the main characters was pretty good. However, in an attempt to mix a mystery with a rom-com, I don't think it quite pulled off what it was trying for. For about the first 50% of the book, the romance felt very separate from the mystery element despite the two main characters being very involved in the mystery. As the mystery progressed this became less of an issue, but it was an issue in the early part of the book. The typical romance novel third act breakup comes in this book, though it is earlier, in the middle of Act 2, which felt quite early. I've seen at least one other review somewhere describe the spice in this book as closed door. It isn't, it's more fade to black, but the spicy scenes are not very explicit. This is fine for me, but those wanting a lot of on page spice may want to look elsewhere.
One of my biggest issues with this book is that the main character, Detective Rav Trivedi, is written as a British Indian man, but I wouldn't have known it if it wasn't explicitly mentioned in the book. It almost reads as if Rav was written as a white guy at first, and then the either the author decided to make a change, or someone suggested to her that perhaps one of her main characters should be a different ethnicity, so she made minimal changes to make it work. But if you took out the 2 or 3 minor references to his ethnicity, and changed the cover, no one would know he wasn't a white guy. Before writing this, I tried to determine if Erin Dunn identified as British Indian, as I did not want to criticise this if it was based on her lived experience, but so far as I can tell she is not.
The narration of the audiobook is good. Sid Sagar has a decent American accent, something that can make or break an audiobook set in the U.S. when narrated by someone with a British accent. He does have some issue with leaving behind British pronunciations when voicing a character in an American accent. Words like privacy and schedule stand out as having been pronounced in the British way, even when American characters were speaking. The editor of producer of the audiobook should have caught that and corrected it, as it happened several times, but it is otherwise a good narration, with good differentiation of character and his voice was engaging, which kept me listening.
Overall this was a fun read that is medium-paced. The story was engaging enough that I stayed interested throughout and I liked the characters. For a debut author, Erin Dunn has written a good first book, and I would certainly be willing to give future books a try.
One of my biggest issues with this book is that the main character, Detective Rav Trivedi, is written as a British Indian man, but I wouldn't have known it if it wasn't explicitly mentioned in the book. It almost reads as if Rav was written as a white guy at first, and then the either the author decided to make a change, or someone suggested to her that perhaps one of her main characters should be a different ethnicity, so she made minimal changes to make it work. But if you took out the 2 or 3 minor references to his ethnicity, and changed the cover, no one would know he wasn't a white guy. Before writing this, I tried to determine if Erin Dunn identified as British Indian, as I did not want to criticise this if it was based on her lived experience, but so far as I can tell she is not.
The narration of the audiobook is good. Sid Sagar has a decent American accent, something that can make or break an audiobook set in the U.S. when narrated by someone with a British accent. He does have some issue with leaving behind British pronunciations when voicing a character in an American accent. Words like privacy and schedule stand out as having been pronounced in the British way, even when American characters were speaking. The editor of producer of the audiobook should have caught that and corrected it, as it happened several times, but it is otherwise a good narration, with good differentiation of character and his voice was engaging, which kept me listening.
Overall this was a fun read that is medium-paced. The story was engaging enough that I stayed interested throughout and I liked the characters. For a debut author, Erin Dunn has written a good first book, and I would certainly be willing to give future books a try.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I fell in love with Rav almost immediately. He's the type of main character that it's impossible not to root for as a reader, and I was rooting for him throughout the whole book. As soon as Jack was introduced, I couldn't wait to read the rest of the book and watch their relationship develop.
There were definitely moments where I wished this was a dual-POV novel so that I could see what Jack was thinking, and what his perspective was, but I think that due to the murder mystery aspect of the novel Rav's POV was really necessary. In a way it made me relate to Rav even more, because I didn't have any more information about how Jack was feeling than Rav did.
Overall, I loved this book. It was basically impossible to put down once I started, and it kept me invested start to finish.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
There were definitely moments where I wished this was a dual-POV novel so that I could see what Jack was thinking, and what his perspective was, but I think that due to the murder mystery aspect of the novel Rav's POV was really necessary. In a way it made me relate to Rav even more, because I didn't have any more information about how Jack was feeling than Rav did.
Overall, I loved this book. It was basically impossible to put down once I started, and it kept me invested start to finish.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I blew through this one! Thanks to libro.fm for the audiobook copy.
The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and I was hooked from the beginning.
I look forward to seeing what else the author has done.
The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and I was hooked from the beginning.
I look forward to seeing what else the author has done.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5 stars
This was a fun little murder mystery with a celebrity romance thrown in! Dare I say it, I may have enjoyed the police procedural drama of this <i> slightly </i> more than the actual romance. The banter and back-and-forth between Rav (our detective) and his partner and their suspect was very reminiscent of early-2000s NCIS (my comfort show, okay?) and I was feeling nostalgic. I also did not guess the killer, but they were plausible once they were revealed, which is always a plus.
The romance was cute and I liked Rav and Jack together, but since this was only told from Rav’s perspective, it felt more like a book about <i> him </i> rather than about their love story.
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
This was a fun little murder mystery with a celebrity romance thrown in! Dare I say it, I may have enjoyed the police procedural drama of this <i> slightly </i> more than the actual romance. The banter and back-and-forth between Rav (our detective) and his partner and their suspect was very reminiscent of early-2000s NCIS (my comfort show, okay?) and I was feeling nostalgic. I also did not guess the killer, but they were plausible once they were revealed, which is always a plus.
The romance was cute and I liked Rav and Jack together, but since this was only told from Rav’s perspective, it felt more like a book about <i> him </i> rather than about their love story.
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I got this book as an ARC and I really enjoyed it! The plot development was really good as Rav continued to unravel the mystery. I wish the main relationship had stronger communication from both characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief
Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio, for this audioARC and eARC in exchange for my honest review!
He's to Die For had such a fun premise, and while I immersive read this one, I just wasn’t very hooked. Crime thriller meets rom-com is a unique combo, but I realized this genre blend might not be for me. That said, it could absolutely be a hit for someone else who loves a little murder with their meet-cute. One thing I did love? Sid Sagar's audiobook narration—fantastic performance that brought the story to life!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Minotaur/Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read!
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Basics: This is a contemporary romantic mystery with single, 3rd person POV. Relatively low spice, but does contain some.
Characters: (5/5) Absolutely loved Rav, right from the start. His character was voicey and full of personality. He is flawed, makes mistakes, but full of heart and good intentions. It was so much fun following him along on his (mis)adventures.
Mystery/tension/intrigue: (4/5) The mystery was engaging and constantly propelled forward. I didn’t find the resolutions too obvious, but also had enough clues laid along the way for the reader to feel the solutions come together along with the character. There were only a few points where information felt added in/revealed too late for the reader to have caught on, but overall didn’t detract from the mystery. This was a solid whodunnit, relying on the intrigue of the mystery rather than thriller/suspense vibes.
Romance/chemistry: (5/5) Strong chemistry between Rav and Jack, with clear growth throughout the story as their relationship progressed.
Narration/audio quality: (5/5) This was my first time listening to narration by Sid Sagar. I absolutely will be listening to more from this narrator. His narration was infused with energy and truly brought Rav’s character to life. While the book was excellent overall and would be enjoyable in any format, readers of print/ebook versions will definitely be missing out on something special in this audio version!
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Basics: This is a contemporary romantic mystery with single, 3rd person POV. Relatively low spice, but does contain some.
Characters: (5/5) Absolutely loved Rav, right from the start. His character was voicey and full of personality. He is flawed, makes mistakes, but full of heart and good intentions. It was so much fun following him along on his (mis)adventures.
Mystery/tension/intrigue: (4/5) The mystery was engaging and constantly propelled forward. I didn’t find the resolutions too obvious, but also had enough clues laid along the way for the reader to feel the solutions come together along with the character. There were only a few points where information felt added in/revealed too late for the reader to have caught on, but overall didn’t detract from the mystery. This was a solid whodunnit, relying on the intrigue of the mystery rather than thriller/suspense vibes.
Romance/chemistry: (5/5) Strong chemistry between Rav and Jack, with clear growth throughout the story as their relationship progressed.
Narration/audio quality: (5/5) This was my first time listening to narration by Sid Sagar. I absolutely will be listening to more from this narrator. His narration was infused with energy and truly brought Rav’s character to life. While the book was excellent overall and would be enjoyable in any format, readers of print/ebook versions will definitely be missing out on something special in this audio version!
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was such an unexpectedly amazing novel! I listened to the audiobook for this one and while it was one narrator, he did the accents so well that it was easy to tell who was speaking. He was so relaxing to listen to that I finished the audiobook in a single day because I didn’t want it to stop! Both MMC were so unique but so complex and fun to get to know at the same time. I loved the mystery to this novel and genuinely did not figure it out! It was such a good plot motivator without making the book scary (which is why I avoid thrillers!). A NYC cop with a rockstar is such and unexpected pairing, but feels natural somehow in this novel. I adored the mental health representation and the theme of becoming yourself (without outside/parental influences). I enjoyed the diversity of the cast and all the supporting characters. It really made the mystery throughout this so much more interesting. In reading this, I kept thinking it would make such an excellent movie! This is such a worthwhile read and even though I know the answer to the mystery, I want to go back to catch all the clues along the way now! Absolutely a favorite from this year! 5⭐️, 2🌶
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Murder