This book was adorable and kept my attention the entire time! I wasn't sure who the murderer was, but I want to live in Shady Hollow!

Shady Hollow is an excellent fantasy cozy mystery! I loved the inventiveness of the people and town of Shady Hollow. Juneau Black is a pseudonym and the authors have created a quaint and sweet place this human would love to visit. I loved the small details they included like “pawkerchief” instead of “handkerchief” because the animals don’t have hands. Very enjoyable debut of a new series and I look forward to more books in the series.

Thanks to the authors and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Super cute cozy mystery. The fact that the characters are all woodland creatures was refreshing and something unique.

This was simply delightful! The authors added to the fun by implementing terms such as pawkerchief and creating likable animal characters - along with some true villains. I loved both Lenore and Vera! The book looks at all the shenanigans, betrayals, friendships; and mysterious newcomers that you would find in any neighborhood -- only these are all animals. I look forward to reading more Shady Hollow adventures!

Shady Hollow is a quaint and charming world of anthropomorphic animals who coexist peacefully until one grouchy resident turns up murdered. The setting felt like a cross between the Wind in the Willows meets Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls so of course I loved it. Our main heroine is a plucky lady fox named Vera Vixen who refuses to rest until she solves the mystery. My only criticism is that the mystery did not feel high stakes enough, and the ending fell short of being exciting. If you're looking for a cozy fall mystery though, definitely give this a go.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC!

Shady Hollow is the first book in the Shady Hollow cozy mystery series by Juneau Black. Released 25th Jan 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Black Lizard Vintage Crime imprint, it's 240 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a whimsical and offbeat cozy with the unusual twist that all the characters are highly anthropomorphic animals who talk, have jobs, and occasionally commit crimes. The story is set in a village (Shady Hollow) and the book is replete with those oddball/eccentric small-town cozy characters. Main protagonist Vera Vixen is the local beat reporter who is investigating events after the death of a locally unloved curmudgeon (who's an actual, literal toad) .

All the standard cozy tropes are front and center: plucky reporter who can't let a mystery go uninvestigated, handsome lawman potential love interest (he's a bear), and lots and lots of village secrets. There are several disparate plot threads which are skillfully woven together into a mostly satisfying denouement and resolution.

Despite being full of talking animals with "schtick-y" alliterative names, it's definitely not a children's or juvenile book and wouldn't be appropriate for small kids. It's also not animals as characters (à la Rita Mae Brown, Lillian Jackson Braun, & co.), but more like Mandy Morton's trippy Hettie Bagshot mysteries. The characters - are - animals. They speak and go about their business like humans in animal form. They do seem to refrain from eating one another for the most part and rabbits and mice coexist mostly peacefully with foxes, mink, and bears.

The mystery was straightforward. The dialogue was a bit choppy, but not egregiously so, especially considering that this is a collaborative writing effort. There is a weird atmospheric vibe throughout, but that could just be the surreal effect of the characters being talking animals which is never addressed in any way. I had some issues engaging with the main protagonist. She strikes me as an appalling combination of gullible and obnoxious, but she is undoubtedly plucky. It's not stated explicitly, but there is also a retro vibe to the whole story. It's a short and fast read and includes a standalone plot and story.

Odd mystery. Well constructed, but off-kilter in some way which is difficult to define. It has definite shadings of noir, but is, at the heart of it, a village cozy.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

While I loved the cover art and an author I really love recommended this book on instagram, I found that it just was not for me. A little slow to get going, and the unique premise just didn't give it that spark that kept me reading, alas!

This book was really cozy!
I love cozy mysteries and it reminds me of fall time!
Otto has been murdered but who killed him? Sure he was unpleasant but who wanted him dead? Please read this book it is out now!!!!

This is an endearing read where animals are fictionalized and are the main characters are in the forest community. A grumpy toad is found murdered and the community comes together to investigate and solve the murder. This was an easy ,quick, enjoyable read.I have always been fond of talking animals in books. This is written very well. You almost forget ..are the characters human or animals? I was excited to hear there are 2 more books in the series. I would like to thank NetGalley, In old Doubleday Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book

I first read the third book. So I went back to the beginning because I enjoyed the characters so much. Vera Vixon is a fox and an excellent investigative journalist. She has a nose for finding the truth. When Otto the toad is found dead in the pond. Vera starts to investigate and help Orville a bear and deputy police officer. The police chief Mead loves to fish and not help in the police department.

I was thoroughly entertained by the mystery and really enjoyed the characters. I can't wait to read the next and hope to see you more Shady Hollow mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fascinating and intriguing. It was the great start to a new series and I look forward to the next book.

Shady Hollow is a definite 4 1/2 stars read. Unputdownable and completely engaging from cover to cover. Once you pick it up be ready to tuck in for the night, it's just that much fun! Happy Reading!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing
for this Arc. The review and opinions are solely my own.

ugh. i wanted to enjoy this book. but it fell flat for me. it just didn't have anything that i felt was interesting. that's just my opinion so take it with a huge grain of salt.

Shady Hollow is the first book in the Shady Hollow series. The villagers of Shady Hollow are woodland creatures living harmoniously in an idyllic setting. Well, until there is a murder in their little hollow, and even though the victim is a grumpy old toad, the villagers are shaken by these events. One of the key characters in this story is a fox named Vera Vixen, and she is a reporter for the town newspaper. She is determined to find the creature responsible for killing the toad, even if it puts her in harm's way.

I loved this book! It's a cozy mystery with woodland creatures. Does it get any better? I finished this book in two days because I could not pull myself away from the story and the villagers of Shady Hollow. It kept me in suspense until the end! I'll be reading the rest of the series and recommend it!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

In this book animals are all of the characters but they all have normal people traits. Living in shady Hollow is much like living in any small village. So, when a toad is found floating in the pond and has a knife in his back, there is the normal conflict between the reporter, a fox, and the deputy, a bear, over the need to get information to do their jobs. As the fox gets too close to the truth, she also becomes a target and must try to survive.

This was a fun book to read and provided a semi-lighthearted look at the solving of a murder mystery.

Shady Hollow is facing something they have never faced before…murder. When animals are turning up murdered, the police have to solve a case they have never had to deal with before, MURDER. Will the police figure it out, or do they need a crafty fox to help them? Only one way to find out!

Yeah, yeah, I hear you…it’s animals, so it must be for kids. NOPE! I promise you, if you give this book a shot, you’ll find out for yourself it’s not a child’s book, it’s not too cutesy to be a mystery, and it IS awesome! If only we, as people, could live together as well as these animals do. This is one of my favorite non people series!

DNF @ 50%

This book just wasn't for me. While I originally thought the idea of all animal characters solving a mystery would be fun and quirky, it missed the mark for me. I'm sure Shady Hollow will find lots of readers who enjoy the setting/ characters/ vibe of the book, but I wasn't one of them.

This book is really fun! The characters are all animals but the tone is not hokey. All different animals (moose, panda bears, frogs, birds, etc.) live together in a ‘town’ in the forest, complete with coffee shop and a local newspaper. The fact that the characters are animals makes the mystery more interesting, as everyone has different ways to aid in solving the case (for example, the birds can fly overhead to find things, etc.) I really enjoyed this book , so much so that I will be looking for the others in this series.

I haven't read too many books like this before. It was very cute and I enjoyed the different creatures living together in almost harmony.

I really enjoyed the book and felt like reading it was like putting cozy pajamas on my brain. It was a very quick read but very enjoyable. Though I do wish it had a bit more depth, I do look forward to reading the next one.

This was an incredibly cute story! I am now sucked into the world of animal murder mysteries.
In the village of Shady Hollow, animals are showing up dead and the two police officers, who have never investigated a murder before, come up with no leads. Vera Vixen, a fox and the lead reporter at the local newspaper, uses her sleuthing skills to find clues that may or may not lead to the murderer.
This was a super quick read - I think it took me about 4 hours - but I loved every minute of it. Although the story is cutesy, it's definitely not for children as there's references to murder (duh) and affairs. The characters all have their flaws, but I fell in love with all of them, especially Vera. As a former journalist, her character made my heart happy. The story also had plenty of decent red herrings that threw me off. I did end up guessing the ending, but it took me a while to figure it out!
It's nothing mind-blowing, but a great read if you're looking for a cute, quick read!
Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!