I have previously loved all of the Hannah Swenson books. This one hit a bit differently...there seemed to be a lack of story, the dialogue was very choppy and awkward. It was disappointing that the murderer was rather obvious and was no real search like in typical Hannah Swenson books. Overall, it was very flat and lacking any of the typical charm that I love in Hannah Swenson. I will still look forward to the next book, but hope it is better than this.

Rating: 3,5 stars ⭐️

This is the 29th book in the Hannah Swensen series and if you like murder mysteries in a small town, you will like these books.

I liked the recipes in the book. It's a fun addition.

I haven’t read many books from this series so far but this made me want to give the other books a chance.

It starts with detective Mike that wants to retire so Hannah does everything in her power to show him that he will be missed by the other residents by throwing him a party. And then another murder happened in the small town Lake Eden. Hannah and her friends wants to solve the murder and at one point her mother is suspected of the murder. She wants to do everything to clear her name.

Thank you to Joanne Fluke, Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing me with this arc. All opinions are my own.

Reading the books in this series is probably my worst guilty secret as a fan of the cozy mystery genre. Each one is worse than the one before, but yet I keep coming back for more. The characters are as white bread as possible to point of requiring a suspension of disbelief that anyone could be so corny and uptight. The novel is filled with nonstop eating of sweets and drinking of alcoholic beverages….recipes provided of course. I just keep thinking that I would die if I ate that much sugar, drank that much coffee, and bathed my liver in that much booze. The mystery in this novel, as with the others in the series, is pitifully easy to solve. The point here is indulging in an array of sweets, hot beverages, and alcohol along with flirtations that never progress to so much as a peck on the cheek. But gosh darn it, Joanne Fluke does create a cozy setting that is a nice escape from the stressors of the real world so I am sure I will be ready for the next installment as long as she keeps cranking these suckers out.

I was disappointed with this book. I have enjoyed all the books in this series, but this one let me down. There is a lot of unnecessary explanations, i.e. saying that someone is going to do something, and then explaining each step that doesn't need to be described. Delores seems to be a different person from the other books. It didn't seem realistic that everyone would be so surprised that she knew how to check for a pulse after her daughter was involved in so many murders, she is married to a doctor and she seems to watch a lot of CSI programs. I found the young girls' trip through town in the car to be a weak motive to be suspected for murder even in a small town. The solution was a let-down. It was as if the author was running out of printer ink and had to finish the story before it ran out. There's no lead up to Tony being angry enough to kill. The cliffhanger ending has me looking forward to the next book, but it also felt like the author didn't have an idea on how to end the book.

I will still be waiting excitedly for the next book in the series, but I think this book needs an extensive rewrite.

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke is a great cozy mystery that is the 29th book in the long-standing and much-beloved Hannah Swensen series. I must say it was so glad to be back with the Lake Eden gang!

I always feel as if I am visiting family when I read another Hannah book. I have read every single book, novella, inspired cookbook…anything to do with this series….I have been there from the beginning.

This time Mike is on the sidelines while he is figuring out hat he wants to do with his career and Norman and Hannah help investigate a local murder victim who definitely has his fair share of potential culprits. It seemed to start out slow, but once it picked up, boy it sure did. The ending was definitely a good one as well.

Looking forward to the next one to see how this pans out (no pun intended lol).

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/25/23.

As a long time reader of the series, I was dismayed to find myself considering DNFing this book. For the most part, you do not need to read the series in order, but I actually found myself thinking, as I read, that you could read chapters in any order too. There is SO much repetition that it just got insulting and irritating. To enjoy a cozy mystery, you have to ignore some things, but Hannah and many others being a part of the 'police' interviews at her place of business was outright unbelievable. This is also one of the few in the series that ends in a cliffhanger, and the chapter that led to it came from nowhere. Overall, this book in the series was not for me.

I have chosen to listen to all the previous books in this series through Audible and this time I chose to read the book on my Kindle. I think that alone made so much of a difference for me. My main draw to this series was that I could listen to it while multitasking and I never felt like I was lost or missed something due to the repetitive writing style of Joanne Fluke. However, when I sat down to read this book, I was forced to slow down and only focus on the writing. In the future, I will be sticking to my preferred method of indulging in this series by listening to it. I wish I could say that all my desires for this book were served to me on a silver platter, but that would be far from the truth. The first 75% of the book almost felt as if Joanne Fluke was getting bored with her own characters. The last part of the book finally helped me to remember what drew me to this series in the first place. And by the end I knew that I would come back for more. At this point, when you pick up a book in this series you already sort of know what you are signing up for.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to have Hannah back with a new adventure in Pink Lemonade Cake Murder. Another mysterious murder has struck the small town of Lake Eden. As always I enjoyed catching up with the residents, and reading all of the delicious recipes that are included. Joanne Fluke leaves a cliffhanger at the end of this book, which is already making me want more!

another great mystery book from Joanne Fluke, it had what I enjoyed from previous books by the author. The concept worked well and I was invested in trying to figure out what was going on. It had what I was looking for in this series and the characters in this book. I'm excited to read more from Joanne Fluke.

"Delores shook her head. “No, Dear. I’ll just duck under the bleachers and look for it. I saw it fall between the boards right here. It probably landed directly below where we’re sitting. I just hope it didn’t break into a million pieces when it hit the ground!”

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Have been waiting a long time to read this one.
Mike is getting ready to retire and others in town fear he will leave the area so Hannah and her friends along with Stella throw a party for him and then Stella takes him for a vacation to the lake, first time he's ever had one. Hannah and Norman bring them pots of food.
The gang keep Mike out of the murder that occurs telling him they got it handled.
Love how the whole crew is in on his vacation, keeping him in town and we find out other secrets along the way.
Hannah and Norman are helping with the investigation by questioning others and what they might've overheard or seen.
Could be any number of people... love how they determine who's the killer. Hannah drops clues as she talks to Stella and that's a good thing.
Love haring of the summer solstice sale that every shop in town is having, the baseball facts and rules and snack bar at the games.
Catching up with all the residents and their specialists is so fun, nobody is left out, cats and ladybugs, so cool!
Can't wait for more. Will be trying a few new recipes to me...
I received this review book from The Kensington via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#PinkLemonadeCakeMurder #NetGalley

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for a review.
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I continue to be a longtime series reader. Similar to my Carmel Pecan Roll Murder review, this book left me feeling a bit meh. The setup is what Hannah Swensen reader's come to expect: some character driven plot, lots of delicious dessert recipes, a few quirky savory recipes, another murder in the small town of Lake Eden. Mike's midlife crisis heads the narrative. Fearing he will retire as a detective, Hannah & Crew devise to keep him out of the loop when the inevitable next murder of the unsavory character, No-No, occurs under the baseball field blechers. Hannah and the others question suspect, talk baseball and yet still have time for improptu dinner parties to solve the case. The story wraps up as readers would expect. However, Fluke adds a juicy cliffhanger to the end to keep us coming back next time.

PS - Hannah and Norman, please just admit it feels, elope and live happily ever after very soon.

Hannah Swensen is back in #PinkLemonadeCakeMurder #NetGalley.
Hannah, owner of The Cookie Jar, continues to be involved in murder investigations while creating some delicious baked treats.
Those of us who are familiar with the series all know Hannah is in love with 2 of Lake Eden's bachelors, but can't make herself choose between them.
In Pink Lemonade Cake Murder, Mike finds himself in a career crisis, Hannah still struggles with the betrayal of her dead husband, Ross, and soon finds herself investigating another murder.
The events in this book are making me wonder what changes ate ahead for this fictional family, and with the dramatic cliffhanger at the end, it's sure to be interesting!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Hannah Swenson is back in the latest mystery series by Joanne Fluke. Love all her books and Hannah's world.

This cozy mystery, written by a talented and gifted author, is a quick read. The characters are quirky, and the story is intriguing. Solving the murder is easily accomplished, and the ending is not surprising. This is a novel written by a favorite author. The protagonist is at the center of the murder. She tries to solve it. Her friends support her despite the fact that she seems to get into trouble. Enjoy. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.

This is a long running cozy favorite series with readers. The author has created endearing characters that are warm and inviting to know. The small town Minnesota is a time gone by with the kindness and compassion for neighbors being foremost in the series. This book is full of 1950s morality and fun old fashioned sayings of our parents time. The receipes are many and for those that eat a lot of sugar and fat . For the rest of us that do not live on sugar its fun to read about receipes from a part of the country that exist on sugar, fat and lots of coffee. The receipes are interesting and fun to read. This is qucik fun read I finished in 1 hour as many receipes are included in this next in series.
This has a interesting sleuth with a exciting conclusion. For those readers looking for Hannah and Norman to become a couple this book makes it clear they will never be together only as friends. The ending is quite shocking for Norman and will be a interesting intro to the next in series that may bring Hannah and Norman even closer. It is a quick fun read addition to the series and I look forward as always to the next in series with Hannah and friends.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.