Sadly, I have to rate "Little Bookshop or Murder", book 1 in the Beach Reads Mystery series by Maggie Blackburn, just 3 stars. We're introduced to Summer Merriweather, a Shakespeare professor back in her home town after her mother's passing wherein she's reunited with family and the heir to her mother's estate and bookstore. But her mother was much loved and very healthy, so her sudden death raises many questions and points to foul play. Summer is determined to find answers.

This book has everything I could want in a cozy mystery, and a lot of the traits that the mother (Hildy) has resonate with me personally. For example, I'm vegan, love animals, follow the Wheel of the Year in a coven with my older sister, and gravitate to the more ethereal. So many things were clicking for me and made reading this cozy very pleasant and enjoyable. The main problem with this cozy, and why I rated it lower than my average - is that I could clearly see who the murderer was at only 25% through the book.

Normally, I *think* I know who the killer is but have so many red herrings and reasonable doubts to contend with that I don't *really* know the answer. But in this cozy, it was plainly obvious, which made me really sad. I did read the whole book in the hopes that maybe there would be a huge plot twist at the end, but it didn't happen. The murder wasn't buried in the mystery, and there was language used that clearly pointed to them and left little doubt. Again, I'm very sad to rate this lower. A lot of great thoughts are here. The setting is playful, the characters are engaging, and the mystery itself holds such promise. But then I knew the answer so early on.

There is one kind of creepy aspect to this cozy too. The main character is against romance books, but she ends up reading one and really enjoying it. She even has a sexy fantasy dream about the main male character from the romance book. At the end of the cozy she discovers that the male character is based on her actual dad. A little too... Oedipus (?) for me.

One other tiny thing... the main sleuth keeps referring to herself as being too old for certain things, and she refers to college students as "kids". She's only 32. I myself, am only 31 and we are not old - and I still feel like a high schooler most of the time. She has a TON of time to date, find a soulmate, experience life, adventure, etc. I wish she wasn't so mentally aged in the prime of life.

A nice cozy murder mystery, very easy to read, perfect for a holiday! There isn't much to say about it - it was pretty average but entertaining.

It started so well. Summer grew up in a small town with her mum, the owner of a bookshop full of romances, situated right by the beach. We find that Summer’s mum has died unexpectedly and that Summer is back in town for the funeral.

The whodunnit plot begins, but seems a little bit simple and the spider subplot seemed over worked until the very end. The cast of characters are eclectic and should be endearing. Summer seemed vaguely irritated with herself and unsettled being back in her home town.

I am sure that there will be other reviewers who will suggest that I am missing the point, but sadly this one did not ‘make the cut’ for me.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get your own copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Bookshop-Murder-Beach-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0818ZX2NY/ref=sr_1_2?crid=SW1AIBA95MYL&dchild=1&keywords=little+bookshop+of+murder&qid=1596218605&s=digital-text&sprefix=little+bookshop+o%2Caps%2C174&sr=1-2.

This is the first book in the series! HOORAY! A first for me, getting in on the ground floor!
We begin this book as Summer Merriweather walks along the beach reminiscing of her time spent there. She and her mom would walk there, almost EVERY day, but she is back in town for an entirely different reason- her mother’s funeral. Brigid’s Island had a love/hate relationship with the tourists-loved them for their monetary contributions, but not for all the city antics that they brought with them. Summer’s mother owned a bookstore called Beach Reads- are you kidding me??? I LOVE THIS IDEA!!! As a kid, every summer, we would go to Old Orchard Beach in Maine and EVERY SINGLE summer, I would run out of books to read and would have to wait for the rainy day when we went to Freeport, Maine to find an additional book or two. I would beg to go there first. I would use my allowance to buy new and interesting books while in Maine. Deviating from my normal books! I wish OOB had a bookstore on the beach like this one. I would have been dead broke by the time the week was over as I would be sneaking off to the bookstore every chance that I had got. I also would be snuggling in the car with all of these books, as the car was only so big with four people and all their luggage! You can get a ton of reading done on an 8-hour car ride!!! As if going home for a funeral wasn’t bad enough, but to have to go home for a mysterious death of your own mother. HOW AWFUL!! Her mother was only sixty-four years old and so healthy! Summer goes to the bookstore to try and find answers, but what she finds there is not expected. Summer finds an envelope with a note saying to sell the bookstore or die. WHAT?? Who was that meant for? Summer? Her mom? Summer doesn’t even have time to absorb this because the women from the book club quickly enter the bookstore, as they were hoping to continue the club. We are then led on the adventure to find out what happened to her mother and what will happen to the bookstore. I loved this book so much and am excited that this is the FIRST book in the series, meaning that there will be another book in the series- I CANNOT wait!

I thought this was going to be a good book since it takes place on a beach and has a bookstore. Unfortunately, it was just on the meh side of things.

Summer Merriweather returns to St. Brigid, a small beach town, after her mother died unexpectedly leaving behind a bookstore and a town full of people who loved her. Summer is reeling from the loss, as well as some kind of incident from the university where she works involving spiders (which is never fully explained) and may or may not be getting fired. As Summer collects her mother's last moments, it's becoming clearer that someone murdered her and now that someone is after Summer.

The good: I enjoyed the setting. I think Beach Reads sounds like a fantastic bookstore that I would love to get lost in. The little town of St. Brigid seems like a delightful place to visit. And...that's all I got.

The bad: Summer is a whiner. All she does is "bloom with warmth" or complain about everything she can think of, which got very old. She is a Shakespeare professor who does not believe in literature other than the classics and is a self-proclaimed "literary snob." I too have an English degree. I love Shakespeare. However, would I belittle others because they enjoy light fluffy romances or cozies? Heck no, because I love those too. The uptight literature part of Summer ruffled my feathers. Plus Summer's misuse of "to sleep, perchance to dream" deflated her literary bubble for me.

The really bad: I totally figured out whodunit after about 20 pages. No joke. No spoilers but holy cats it was painfully obvious. I saw that this author has written multiple other series under a pseudonym. I hope those whodunits keep you guessing longer.

Definitely a disappointment.

I had a very hard time getting into this book. Usually I fly through cozy mysteries relating to books, but this one was a struggle. I did finish, but I’m not sure I will read any others in this series, should they be released. Fairly early on I had the murderer pegged, and there weren’t any surprises as the book went on. It was an average read.

I had such high hopes for this book from the description, and I was utterly disappointed. Ugh, it was such a big fail for me. From the painfully obvious whodunit aspect (everyone in this acted bizarrely clueless for the entire duration of the novel) to the old-fashioned high-literature/genre fiction dichotomy, I just wasn't engaged. Also, the racial dynamics in the book seemed a bit tone-deaf as well: there were multiple characters with "mocha" skin (the only time skin color was mentioned, other than a 'pale' adjective here or there). White is still very much the default in this little world.

What an amazing start to a very promising series! I loved the main character and fell in love with her life and the town itself. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

This is the first installment in the Beach Reads Mystery series. It has a great mystery and the characters and location are totally adorable.

I'm all for an "unlikeable" character, but how on earth does someone grow up in a bookstore and go on to study literature to be sooooooo ridiculously and ignorantly snobby about books??

Upon reading the blurb for this I thought it sounded like a book I would love to read and I really did enjoy it.
I think I liked it as it was easy to read and even though somewhat predictable it was still fun.

The where varying characters, some quirky some interesting and some just a little boring but they all fit fairly well into the story. And it was great that the main character was a book snob and Shakespearean scholar as this mad for a fun character.

There was a bit of everything in this book, fun, humour, mystery, family and friendship so it has a bit of everything and as I said it was an easy read which is sometimes good for the soul.

An absolutely delightful novel about family, old friends and murder in a cozy beach town. Though the author gave ample clues, leading me to the identity of the murderer early in the book, it didn’t spoil the story for me. The plot is rock solid, the characters endearing and the writing top notch. Easily one of the best books I’ve read recently. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.

I love books about bookstores! And when you add a mystery component to the story, it gets even better. The author does a great job of developing the characters and providing lots of intrigue to keep you guessing who committed the crimes.

I have to admit that the main character, Summer, got on my nerves with her snobby attitude about the books sold in her mother's beachside bookstore. Just because she is a fan of the "classics" does not mean everyone else should only want to read that type of book. So just chill and encourage people to read! Period!

I loved the family relationships and the love and care that the women shared with each other. Such a wonderful community environment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

There were a number of editing and continuity issues with this title, which other reviews note as well, that did detract from the story. That being said, the premise was interesting and I did want to finish it because of that arc. I also have a soft spot for bookstore-based cozies, and the tie in with the main character being a Shakespeare scholar held a lot of promise for me.

This book was a nice, light, summer escape. A cozy mystery set in a small, North Carolina beach town called St. Brigid's Island. This is the beginning of a new series.

Summer, a Shakespearean professor, has returned home for her mother's funeral. She wants to settle her mother's estate and get back to her academic life - even though her future at the university has been jeopardized due to an incident there. Her mother, Hildy, owned a bookstore in the town specializing in romantic reads which Summer despised. She finds some threatening notes to her mother saying she should 'sell the bookstore or die'. Summer becomes suspicious that her mother's death may not be from natural causes. She begins to investigate.

Some quirky characters are introduced - some I liked much more than Summer. The ladies from Hildy's book club circle, Posey, and the fire chief, Levi were my favorites. The book was a fun read, but I figured out the murderer early on - and Summer should have as well.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for advanced read of this book.

Just like Hildy loved Beach Reads, I am a fan of bookstore/library mysteries.
While I wasn't revetted to the edge of my seat, I was interested to see what would happen next.
I guess when you're writing about us older people, you feel the need to take the narrative slow.

As a lover of books, I am drawn to books with bookshop in the title. After I read a more intense book with heavier content, I love to follow up with a quick and cozy read! This book did not disappoint!! I found the main character easy to sympathize with and loved that she had a great family to support her. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!

a great cozy mystery, I really liked the characters and the mystery kept me guessing until the end, I recommend for all mystery lovers

Thank you to Netgalley, Maggie Blackburn, and Crooked Lane Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy cozy mysteries, so was happy to give this one a try! This cute little cozy mystery has some fun characters, is set in the cutest small town (would it be a cozy mystery if it wasn’t?!?), and certainly leaves the reader with some questions about the personal lives of some of the characters!!

I like the uncertainty in the main characters life, and also enjoy the presence of the bird (it’s nice when authors stray from your typical dog and cat pets.) I was able to figure out who-dunnit, but I’ve read so many cozy mysteries that it’s not hard for me. I enjoy that the story involves a bookstore and that the main character and her mom have a very different idea of what should and shouldn’t be read and enjoyed!

If cozy is your thing give it a shot!!

I found this to be a delightful cozy mystery. It’s a solid first installment in, what I hope will be, a long running series. The tone is generally light hearted and the characters are quirky and likable. I love to idea of a quaint little beach town bookstore featuring into the Murder mystery. The mystery is set up well and has a satisfying ending. I will enjoy reading more books in this series to see how the characters develop and what mischief they can get into while sleuthing.