I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book, while full of good ideas, did not deliver. The characters seemed a little immature and confused. The murder investigation and climax felt both drawn out and then rushed with minimal details. I still am not quite sure I know who or why Danielle was murdered. I liked the flirting between Ava and Tom but felt their whole relationship started slowly and then zoomed to serious in a few pages. I will say that for a book 3 I did not feel lost or like I missed important info in books 1-2. Overall this one belly landed for me.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson is a book for fans of romantic cozy mysteries. Yep, you read that correctly. It's a romance, but it's also a cozy mystery with Captain Ava Capp and Medical Examiner Dr. Tom Baker coming together again over a cold case. While this particular type of story wasn't 100% my style (too much and not quite enough), I can say I was rooting for Ava and Tom.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I read a review before I started this one that compared the main character Ava to Stephanie Plum if Stephanie was a pilot and I thought this was a pretty good description. Ava is a pilot who ends up having a layover in the town she grew up in. And this weekend happens to be the 10 year anniversary of when her best friend was murdered. By Ava attending the memorial she sets off a string of events that leads people to believe she was the original target 10 years ago and the killer is now trying again to kill Ava. While at the police station after an incident at the memorial service, Ava meets medical examiner Dr. Tom who decides to help her find out who is after her and be her bodyguard. Tom and his niece and grandpa were great additions to this story. Tom especially was such a great character and his chapters were my favorite. Overall this was a fun and quirky mystery that had me guessing till the end. Thank you St.Martin's Press and Netgalley for my gifted review copy.

From the book description I was expecting something different and more of a mystery-thriller-romance.
this story is different but, to me, it seemed silly and was difficult for me to get into...in fact I couldn't get into it in the beginning so I read the end and opted not to read the entire book. When I read the author's note in the beginning of the book - I realized that had I read that note before requesting the book - I would not have requested it. So, thank you for the opportunity to read/review but it was not for me. I am sure some will love it. I hope it will do well.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

I received an eARC of Truth, Lies, and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
2 stars. I appreciated where the author was trying to go with this story, but it was too much in my opinion. This book just wasn't for me.

This is the second book I've read from MaryJanice Davidson. Her kind of storytelling is just not for me.
I appreciate all the effort that goes into including so many tropes into one story, but it comes off as a giant checklist created from a brainstorming session at improv school. It's exhausting to keep up with all the random items being thrown out there in a single page.

I typically enjoy a good play on words, a wink at the tropes, the breaking of the fourth wall.
In this instance, it fall flat. There was nothing to keep me engaged with the characters or the story.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. While I did enjoy reading about the main character, Ava, being a pilot, that was where my interest in the novel stopped. It tried to be part romance, part mystery but was a bit unsuccessful in both. I wasn’t really invested in either of the main characters and felt a bit confused by the mystery aspect. Everything seemed a bit too convenient and wrapped up easily with a bow in the end. While this is a romance novel, I felt it to be a bit too cheesy but I know this is a bit normal for the genre.

Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of this one and don’t think I’ll be reading other works by this author.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the gifted e-book in exchange for an honest review!

A fun and entertaining read, I always like MaryJanice Davidson's stories and this one was no exception.
It's well written, the characters are fleshed out and the plot kept my attention.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book had it all. Romance, wittiness and just a touch of mystery to keep you on every page. I couldn't put this book down and stayed up late reading it which I do not regret. I loved the story and the characters. The surprise ending was icing on the cake.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is a fast-paced romcom with a touch of mystery. The characters are quirky, unique, and lovable. The chemistry between Ava and Tom kept me turning the pages in this slow-burn romance. This is a great story full of one-liners that had me laughing out loud.

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

Once again, I laughed my butt off while I was reading this book. The internal commentary and the way that Davidson writes is hilarious and I love it.

Ava Capp's best friend was murdered nearly 10 years prior to the book's opening. Ava is a Minnesota native but, she does everything she can to avoid stepping foot in the state because of her past. The murder is still an unsolved case and when Ava finally does end up back in Minnesota, she finds herself thrust into the middle of an investigation related to it.

I really loved this book. I've only read one other book from Davidson but I knew I was in for all kinds of crazy hilariousness. I wasn't disappointed. Even though this is billed as a romantic suspense/thriller, it had a ton of comedic moments in it as well. The author took Ava and Tom on a wild ride. It was fun watching them work on an investigation together, even though it wasn't necessarily in a formal capacity.

There's a connection between the two, which is evident the first night they meet. And that connection continues throughout the book, making for some good banter and sexy moments. Even though they're very much opposites in many ways, they compliment together well and just click.

This story as much about Ava's personal growth as it is about the investigation. I liked seeing her change over the course of things, in subtle ways that made sense.

Also, if you don't normally read author notes, make sure you do with this one. Davidson has so many tropes in this book and even though I could distinguish many of them, it wasn't like a slap-you-in-the-face kinda thing, so everything fit well into the storyline.

This was easy to read and such an enjoyable one for me. I didn't want to put it down after I picked it up.

Four stars to this novel!

This was a DNF for me. I never was able to get into it or enjoy it. I tried multiple times and just couldn't do it. The premise was good.

This is the first book that I have read from this author, but I could tell from the Author's Notes and the beginning, that she has a strong sense of humor, that flows into her works and often into her footnotes. Lots of witty banter, quirky characters and a very strange plot. The constant stream of consciousness of the main character (and the author) is quite a different style of writing.

Flight Captain Ava Capp's best friend,Danielle, was brutally murdered when they were both just 17. Orphaned two years later, when her parents died in a car accident, Ava has grown to hate Minnesota and has been unable to make any close personal connections with anyone besides her crew. But on a flight to St Paul, she is ambushed by Danielle's twin brother, to come to a 10 year memorial service. Eveything goes down hill from there, except for meeting Tom Baker, the ME, who first thinks she might have been Danielle's murder, to be convinced that Ava had been the real target, is now in danger and doesn't want to let her out of his sight- not just to keep her safe.

The one con I have is the author using Snopes.com for accuracy, as it is one of the worse biasly, slanted "fat checkers" in the industry. Don't like the fact or how it is expressed and it is declared False.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Quirky, funny 3.5 star read. I enjoyed the characters, the witty banter and the overall story. While some of it was over the top or just didn’t make sense it did keep me reading and turning pages. I’ve read this author years ago so I was nice to pick up one of her books and still laugh and be entertained (even if I rolled my eyes at some if the shenanigans).

Captain Ava Capp, pilot extraordinaire, is known for her witty comebacks, an enjoyable no strings attached love life and oh, saving the lives of all on a plane which she was not even piloting when the actual pilot became incapacitated. She enjoys her life and enjoys her job.

But Captain Ava was not always that confident. Ten years ago her best friend Danielle was savagely murdered just after Ava had left her to continue on with her day. Rocked by guilt, the murder took its toll on her and she ended up in a rehab and never looked back.

Now on the tenth anniversary of Danielle's death a memorial is being held in their hometown in Minnesota, a memorial which she does not jump at the chance to go. But David, Danielle's twin brother pleads with her and she agrees. After finding the memorial service trashed on day two, yes there was a day two, nobody can quite understand why anybody would want to wreck a memorial?

And believe it or not, this is when the story gets even funnier! Ava meets medical examiner Dr. Tom Baker, who turns out to be her match in more ways than one. He as been following the murder of Danielle for quite a while and has come to Minneapolis to solve the case. Even Ava is on his list of suspects and some other unmentionable rosters. And Dr. Baker comes with his crazy, a young niece who is a snarky genius and her grandfather. He also comes with some other baggage the reader should find out about by reading the story!

As they begin their investigation Ava begins to have some health issues and Dr. Baker feels these are not just health issues, but someone causing Ave to become ill. And then when she is suddenly sidelined from flying, it becomes all too obvious someone is trying to kill or sabotage her. But why? Do they think she knows something about Danielle's death, or perhaps maybe it is something more sinister. Maybe she was the intended target that day years ago and not Danielle. If so, what could she have possibly done to cause someone to hate her so much?

The closer Ava and Tom get to each other and to the truth about what really happened back then, the more comedy ensues! The witty dialogue reads like a Gilmore Girl's episode and funny scenes throughout the story make for quite the enjoyable romp, (pun intended). And remember this is a mystery!

Truth, Lies, And Second Dates is a fantastically funny mystery with wit, humor and charm. Quirky characters and a satisfying ending round off this lighthearted puzzler . I hope we have not seen the last of Ava and Tom!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sGriffin #MaryJaniceDavidson #Truth,Lies,AndSecondDates for the advanced copy.

This has mystery, romance and comedy and had me wanting to stay up late reading!!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for fair and honest review.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson just was not what I thought it would be. I was thinking it would be a cute, fun story (the title, the cover art), but in reality, it left me a bit confused. It is the story of Captain Ava Capp, a pilot for a commercial airline, that made it through the murder of her best friend and now tries her best to avoid Minnesota. The ten-year anniversary of the murder is coming up and Ava begins working with Tom, a medical examiner, to try to figure out what really happened. The author has a note at the beginning that explains she was going to use as many tropes as possible in the story and that is what became incredibly confusing for me. If that is your thing, this book may appeal to you more.

(actual rating 1.5/5)

As much as I tried to enjoy this book, I really didn't, and ended up feeling more confused than anything.

'Truth, Lies, and Second Dates' attempts to tell the story of Ava Capp, an airplane captain who's been running away from her past for the past decade. After returning to her hometown for the memorial of her best friend who was murdered a decade ago, Ava gets tangled with an instance of vandalism, blamed for said murder, and meets the handsome M.E. Tom Baker. Together, they have to figure out who's behind it all, even as something more grows between them.

While I am aware that this book is supposed to be the way it is, with its usage of the subversion of common tropes, I felt that it didn't do its job as planned. Much of the text was quite confusing and circumlocutive, and hard to understand. This was particularly true in the first half of the book, but things somewhat improve in the second half.

The romance itself was breezy and good. Things progress fairly well and at no point does the relationship dynamic building between the characters seem particularly insta-love-like or forced, thankfully.

That being said, this book was annoying to read. The writing style was distinct in that even though I was reading from a certain character's perspective (third person), I frequently got confused as to who I was reading about. The characters were also quite irritating and insufferable at times. There was a fair amount of unnecessary drama, and I got the feeling that story was getting stuck at times, with no real way of propelling it forward.

Additionally, I was left very unsatisfied with how things were wrapped up. It all seemed very convenient and rushed, just for the sake of ending the book and getting it done with. There were also some plotlines that weren't addressed as well as I thought that they should have.

All in all, I think that while this book had an interesting concept behind it all, things could have been executed much better, and that there was definitely a lot of potential with this one. I would recommend this book to people who have enjoyed MaryJanice Davidson's other books and her particular writing style.