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A review by katemc7
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
I absolutely LOVED this book! I had heard great things so was looking forward to it but was still just SOO happy that this was one of the first books I finished in 2025. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. I liked the snapshots of the past that we got in both characters perspectives. I LOVED the setting and the Knives' Out/Clue vibes. But what I REALLY LOVED was the ROMANCE and our MCs. We have this loathe to lovers thing going when really only one of them loathed the other and it was all because of a miscommunication that happened back in the day. We have our FMC Maggie who is a mystery writer on the other side of a nasty divorce. She is struggling to get comfortable with herself and her new life. And we have her nemesis Ethan who is also a famous author but he is more of a leather jacket guy as Maggie calls him. He writes more Mission Impossible vibe books. They have been in a feud for a bit which when it unfolds why is just the CUTEST thing. Maggie & Ethan have been invited across the pond to the famous mystery writer Eleanor Ashley's house for Christmas. Along with these two are various family members and other people in Eleanor's life. After night one- Eleanor goes missing and everything starts to crumble. I LOVED reading Maggie and Ethan falling for each other. When I tell you that I am all about a boy obsessed I LOVE A BOY OBSESSED. He was just dreamy and the way he really wanted to help build up Maggie's confidence just had me swooning :)
Maggie has found herself at a Christmas party which is the LAST place she wants to be. She is here on her editor's request. When she finds out that she has been invited to a fan's house for the holidays she finds herself saying yes. She has to get out of this nightmare that is her life. What she does not expect is Ethan, her nemesis, to also be not only joining her on this quest but on the same plane. Why does he have to be so handsome? Why can't he EVER get her name right? When they land and she realizes they are going to Eleanor Ashley's house- Maggie feels like she has died and gone to heaven. Eleanor is the greatest mystery writer of ALL time. She is Maggie's favorite. She is beyond ecstatic. But then after night one Eleanor goes missing and things aren't really making sense. Someone gets poisoned. A bad storm has happened leaving them all stranded in this house. She finds herself partnered with Ethan to help solve the mystery that is occurring. But when someone starts taking shots at Maggie herself all bets are off. Throughout all of this, Maggie realizes that she has gotten Ethan all wrong. He starts to let her in- no one knows his backstory but now somehow SHE does. She finds herself smiling and wanting to kind of dress up and care about how he is looking at her. Could it be that he feels the same? Will this thing between them be there when they leave the mansion - pardon IF they leave the mansion? Or will he leave her like everyone else has?
Ethan doesn't understand what he has done to make Maggie hate him as much as she does. He has been running with this joke that he thinks she remembers but clearly she doesn't. He will never forget because it happened the first day he met her. When she changed his life. But then he found out she was married. Now she is divorced and a shell of herself. He is in a mansion with her on Christmas in England and determined to get to the bottom of this misunderstanding between them. Because he has liked her for years. He has watched her for years. So he slowly starts to peel away his past for her. He lets her in unlike anyone else has been let in in a LONG time. All while trying to keep her safe as she is prancing around this mansion acting like a detective in one of her books. But she is smiling and laughing. And he finds himself falling even more. But then she is taken and they still don't know who is behind all of this. One thing he does know is that Maggie is not going to get hurt. He will die making sure she stays safe and maybe JUST maybe not only will they walk away but they will walk away TOGETHER.
Ethan was just everything in this! He was this man who was extroverted that everyone loved but no one knew. Watching Maggie realize she was seeing behind the mask was chef's kiss. Their budding romance just added that much to the mystery of what happened to Eleanor! I could imagine there being more than one of these like maybe a series- I am manifesting yall! I HIGHLY recommend this one if you want a quick holiday, rom-com with a dash of mystery!
Maggie has found herself at a Christmas party which is the LAST place she wants to be. She is here on her editor's request. When she finds out that she has been invited to a fan's house for the holidays she finds herself saying yes. She has to get out of this nightmare that is her life. What she does not expect is Ethan, her nemesis, to also be not only joining her on this quest but on the same plane. Why does he have to be so handsome? Why can't he EVER get her name right? When they land and she realizes they are going to Eleanor Ashley's house- Maggie feels like she has died and gone to heaven. Eleanor is the greatest mystery writer of ALL time. She is Maggie's favorite. She is beyond ecstatic. But then after night one Eleanor goes missing and things aren't really making sense. Someone gets poisoned. A bad storm has happened leaving them all stranded in this house. She finds herself partnered with Ethan to help solve the mystery that is occurring. But when someone starts taking shots at Maggie herself all bets are off. Throughout all of this, Maggie realizes that she has gotten Ethan all wrong. He starts to let her in- no one knows his backstory but now somehow SHE does. She finds herself smiling and wanting to kind of dress up and care about how he is looking at her. Could it be that he feels the same? Will this thing between them be there when they leave the mansion - pardon IF they leave the mansion? Or will he leave her like everyone else has?
Ethan doesn't understand what he has done to make Maggie hate him as much as she does. He has been running with this joke that he thinks she remembers but clearly she doesn't. He will never forget because it happened the first day he met her. When she changed his life. But then he found out she was married. Now she is divorced and a shell of herself. He is in a mansion with her on Christmas in England and determined to get to the bottom of this misunderstanding between them. Because he has liked her for years. He has watched her for years. So he slowly starts to peel away his past for her. He lets her in unlike anyone else has been let in in a LONG time. All while trying to keep her safe as she is prancing around this mansion acting like a detective in one of her books. But she is smiling and laughing. And he finds himself falling even more. But then she is taken and they still don't know who is behind all of this. One thing he does know is that Maggie is not going to get hurt. He will die making sure she stays safe and maybe JUST maybe not only will they walk away but they will walk away TOGETHER.
Ethan was just everything in this! He was this man who was extroverted that everyone loved but no one knew. Watching Maggie realize she was seeing behind the mask was chef's kiss. Their budding romance just added that much to the mystery of what happened to Eleanor! I could imagine there being more than one of these like maybe a series- I am manifesting yall! I HIGHLY recommend this one if you want a quick holiday, rom-com with a dash of mystery!