Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I hope this is the start of a series. I love the characters and how they work together for their community. A fun book store, a great roommate for our protagonist, and a pretty well written murder mystery. I love it from start to finish!

This debut of a new series set on a book shop right next to the beach shows some real potential. Scarlett originally opened the book shop with her ex who since walked out on her. After discovering a body on the beach, she becomes the prime suspect and is forced to clear her name. While the characters are interesting and the solution of the book interesting, the mechanics are a little creaky in places. Trying to throw suspicion on some characters felt a little forced, but all in all an enjoyable read. And I will be looking forward to book two.

This was a good beginning to a new cozy mystery series, with interesting characters and plot!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

This was a fantastic cozy mystery. I liked the plot and the characters were a lot of fun. Very much recommend this book.

Scarlett Gardner Has a dream of opening a bookstore at the beach and she thinks her dreams are coming true when she and her boyfriend open Palm Trees and Page Turners. The boyfriend quickly leaves her high and try but Scarlett is determined to keep her dream alive. Not so easy when she finds a dead body near her shop at the beach and she becomes the prime suspect because this stranger left a large sum of money to her in her will. Who is she and how did this happen?

Great start for a new series, interested to see what the future hols for Scarlett.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
This was a disappointing read for me. I found it to be over the top cheesy and unrealistic. The whole story even though it is normal length felt just rushed in a lot of spots. The dialogue and characters were way beyond Hallmark style cheesy. The characters all felt like middle school/high school kids instead of all grown adults. The way they talked and thought etc. This was just a miss for me.

"Murder by the Seashore" by Samara Yew is a gripping mystery that weaves a tale of suspense and intrigue against the backdrop of Southern California. Scarlett Gardner's dream of running a bookshop takes a dark turn when she stumbles upon the lifeless body of a customer, thrusting her into a nightmare where she becomes the prime suspect.

Yew skillfully sets the stage in Southern California, a place where dreams are supposed to come true. Scarlett's struggle to keep her bookshop afloat after her boyfriend and business partner abandons her for a better opportunity adds a layer of realism to the narrative. The discovery of a dead body beneath the pier near her bookstore catapults Scarlett into a web of mystery and danger she never anticipated.

The plot thickens when Scarlett learns she stands to inherit a small fortune from the deceased, Lorelai Knight. As the police investigate, Scarlett finds herself not only mourning the loss of a customer but also facing the possibility of being wrongly accused. The intricate details of the case, including Scarlett's motive due to the inheritance and the presence of a suspicious poison bottle near the bookshop, create a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The introduction of Lorelai Knight's lawyer adds another layer of complexity to the story, raising questions about hidden agendas and ulterior motives. Scarlett's journey to clear her name becomes a thrilling adventure, and the suspense is heightened by the growing evidence against her. The author expertly combines elements of mystery, inheritance drama, and a touch of romance as Scarlett races against time to stay one step ahead of the true killer.

"Murder by the Seashore" is a well-crafted mystery with a protagonist who must use her creativity to unravel the truth. Samara Yew's writing style is engaging, and the story unfolds at a brisk pace. The book successfully combines a picturesque Southern California setting with a compelling murder mystery, making it a must-read for fans of the genre. I give it four stars for its intriguing plot, well-developed characters, and the clever intertwining of various elements that keep readers guessing until the very end.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Murder by the Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew. When I read the synopsis of this book, it sounded like it was right up my alley. I received a copy of this cozy mystery for free in exchange for my honest review.

The beginning of the story started off a bit slow, but it quickly picked up pace. I found myself falling in love with most of the characters . . . and the storyline, of course. The few characters I didn't care for were Connor, Detective Maxwell, Autumn, and Martin. However, Martin did redeem himself a bit later in the book. You'll have to read the book to find out how!

There were plenty of twists and red herrings. My first suspect was Evelyn Maxwell, who happened to be married to Police Detective Maxwell and work for Scarlett. She acted very strange in my opinion. Other people I suspected were Connor, Autumn, and Lucia. I was glad to see that the person I finally decided upon as the culprit was in fact the murderer. However, I never did figure out the connection between Lorelei and Scarlett.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery quite a bit because it's well written and held my attention. I can't wait to find out what happens next in this series. Four out of five stars is what I gave Murder by the Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew.

This was a great start to a new series. I loved the setting of a bookshop and the beach. I read on the beach frequently and love it. This mystery was good with a few twists and tiurns and I really liked the characters. I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

**3.75 Stars**

Thanks to NetGalley and to Crooked Lane Books for the eARC copy of this book. My opinions are my own. This book dropped on October 17, 2023.

“Murder by the Seashore” is the first in the “A California Bookshop Mystery” series.

Scarlett owns the Palm Trees & Page Turners bookshop in Oceanside, California. It’s right on the beach so readers can get their beach reads right when they need it. One day, she finds a dead body underneath a pier near her bookshop. Turns out, the victim was a customer and Scarlett was the last person to see them alive. So of course, she becomes the prime suspect and has to solve the mystery to clear her name.

Chock-full of mysterious inheritances, icky ex-boyfriends, rubbernecking tourists, and a possibly scheming assistant, Scarlett has a lot to contend with. Luckily she has Lucia, her lawyer roommate and friend, to get her out scrapes and help her sort through it all.

This has all the standard cozy mystery tropes. Cozy mysteries are going to cozy mystery. There’s some awkward writing here and there. Of course there’s an ex. Of course she owns an incredibly niche business. All the stuff that you love (or hate) abut cozy mysteries is here.

…But I actually really enjoyed the ride. It’s not a perfect book, but I had a lot of fun reading it. The why and how was interesting. It was perfect for the summer and I will probably read the second if we get a second.

Scarlett is white, but there is Latinx, Black, and Japanese rep in some of the side characters. And there is adoptee representation as well.

There was one thing I really didn’t like about this book, but it’s a spoiler, so…

Review originally published on my blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty: https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/11/weekly-mews-sunny-start-to-november.html

How could I resist a cozy mystery set in a bookstore by the ocean? Scarlet Garner's plan was to open the Oceanside bookstore with her boyfriend, but he pulled out of the business--and her life--at the last minute. She did not give up her dream, however, and is now the proud owner of her own bookstore, Palm Trees and and Page Turners. She's made a life for herself in Oceanside, sharing a townhouse with her attorney roommate.

One sunny morning she comes across a dead body under the pier--and suddenly finds herself the prime suspect. The body belongs to a one time customer who she met the night before. It comes as quite the surprise when Scarlet is told by a visiting attorney that she's the heir to the dead woman's fortune. How could that be? Who is this woman? And who would want to kill her? Scarlet, with the help of her roommate, decides she needs to get to the bottom of these questions and clear her name.

Having spent two years of my childhood in Oceanside and visited since, I was curious if I would recognize the city in Samara Yew's novel. While Yew's Oceanside doesn't quite match the reality, I still really like the version the author has created--it is fiction after all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery, and its wonderful cast of characters. Scarlet isn't sure who she can trust, even among her friends. And to make it worse, her ex is back in town. There are plenty of suspects and twists, and while I guessed almost immediately who the likely culprit was, that did not stop me from enjoying seeing Scarlett discover the truth for herself. This was such an entertaining read.

My thoughts on…

THE STORY: The story is everything I love about book-themed cozy mysteries.

We have a bookstore, an accidental amateur sleuth, a body on the beach, and a cast of characters that we aren’t sure if we can trust…just yet. It is the first in a new series, and the first is when the cozy writer introduces readers to their amateur sleuth and supporting cast, but the tricky part in a first in the series is who is there as supporting cast, who is our shapeshifting character that we think we can trust, and what is the overall setting for the series.

This book checked every single one of those boxes, and the writer does not make readers work for it. We learn what we need as we need it, and many readers will put the puzzle pieces together faster than Scarlett, which makes sense for the more seasoned cozy reader. Afterall, Scarlett is new to the game, and many of us have been reading cozies for a long time.

THE CHARACTERS: I loved our amateur sleuth, Scarlett.

Scarlett is a new business owner, opening Palm Trees and Page Turners to share her love of reading. She initially opened the store with her boyfriend, but he soon left her to run it herself while he went off to a different business venture. She is developed quickly, so I am curious to see what the writer has in store for her character in the future.

Lucia is Scarlett’s roommate, and she just happens to be a lawyer. This is convenient for Scarlett when she is arrested for murder. But Lucia is so much more. She is definitely ride-or-die for Scarlett, and I hope we get a lot more of her in the next book.

Evelynn works at the bookstore and is Scarlett’s only employee. She loves books, and she loves working at the bookstore. She is our most convenient character because she is married to the cop in our story, Detective Maxwell. Typically the investigating officer becomes the love interest of our amateur sleuth; however, I like that this has been flipped with the characters.

There are no characters wasted.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I enjoyed this book-themed cozy mystery, and it was a fast read for me. There is a cast of characters that I can get behind, a murder that needs to be solved, and a final confrontation that kept me turning the page until the end.

WHO WILL WANT TO READ THIS: This book will appeal to cozy mystery readers, most especially those who enjoy a book-themed cozy. This book will appeal to fans of Jenn McKinlay, Ellery Adams, and Lorna Barrett.

The book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review

I felt like this was just an okay read for me. The story seemed like it could have gone through a few more edits to make the pacing seem more realistic. I also thought a lot of the story was too cringey for my taste. I love a good cozy seashore murder mystery, but sometimes I find the characters to be a bit unbelievable in their actions. I'm also just never a fan of the mc being the prime suspect. All of these things are particular to my tastes. If you need a quick summer read, this may be the new book for you.

A good start to the series. The characters and plot were stable, but not amazing. Although I’m not totally wowed, I am interested to see where the series goes because there could definitely be some good stuff built up from here.

I should have liked a book set in a bookstore, even if the location was Southern California. Scarlett has just broken up with her boyfriend, who had been her partner in opening a bookstore located right by a popular beach and tourist hotspot. Scarlett finds a dead body on the beach, and then discovers that she has inherited a large sum of money from a relative she never knew. Both situations throw her life into chaos. I really couldn't get into this new series. I didn't find Scarlett that interesting, and I found her relationships and interactions to be rather juvenile and superficial. The mystery and the murder were neither suspenseful nor difficult to solve. I'll give any future books in this series a hard pass.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Scarlett is already reeling with the betrayal and abandonment of her partner and boyfriend. She is trying to run the bookstore the two opened together with great plans for the future. The last thing she needs is to find a body under the pier on a morning walk. Things become even worse when it turns out she has a very deep connection to the woman who was a total stranger to her. And when it is learned that Scarlett is the woman’s sole heir of a substantial fortune, she becomes the prime suspect.

The cop in charge happens to be married to Scarlett’s staff person. Scarlett becomes uncertain of whom to trust as Evelyn, the now returned boyfriend Connor and assorted other characters all seem to be wrapped up in the mystery. What role they played in the murder, and then a subsequent murder muddles her mind when all she wants to do is find the murderer. It is a good thing she has an excellent partner in her roommate Lucia. And before it is all over, she teams up with an unexpected helper.

It all works out in the end and more than one mystery is solved. And. Scarlett learns she can stand on her own two feet. Four purrs and two paws up.

After a still fresh break up, Scarlett Gardner intends to make a go of the bookshop she and her ex opened. I love the name of the store-Palm Trees and Page Turners, along with the perfect setting on the beach. When a tourist winds up dead under the pier near the bookstore, the fact that the deceased was recently in the bookstore puts suspicion on Scarlett right away. There were many red herrings and an odd coworker who is married to the new local detective.

I didn't hate this one but I also didn't love it. It was just an okay cozy mystery. But I'm pretty sure that I would pick up more in this series.

This was enjoyable, but I don't know that I would read more from the series. There wasn't much about the story that differentiated it from other mysteries that I've read; I think it blends in well with the genre, but it won't be one that I remember.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A good start for a new cozy series: entertaining, fast paced and solid. I liked the well plotted characters and the mystery kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next story
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine