This is a fun murder mystery with a likable protagonist.

Katie True can't seem to live up to her family's expectations--from dropping out of college to spending her time reading taro cards to working a dead-end job at an equally dying mall in her middle-of-nowhere hometown, her life is full of things for her family to criticize. But when she meets Marley, she's convinced she's found a friend who doesn't judge her and truly supports her.

Too bad someone's shot Marley in the head and sent a photo of her dead body to her ex-boyfriend Nico.

After spying the photo on Nico's phone and finding Marley's necklace--but not her body--outside the mall, Katie impulsively jumps headfirst into the investigation of Marley's disappearance. Katie's always aware of what she *should* do but also very good at rationalizing the sometimes self-destructive choices she actually makes. As she gets in over her head, she gets tech support from her autistic brother Owen and also gets emotionally involved with the only cop who's willing to take Marley's disappearance seriously--Jamie, a former big city detective with secrets of his own. The plot takes some great twists and turns as Katie unravels Marley's mysteries before coming to a thoroughly satisfying ending.

Katie has a history of disappointing her family and not living up to her potential. As she works yet another dead end retail job, she meets a mysterious and captivating friend who encourages her to practice her passion- tarot card reading. One day she offers a reading to a disheveled customer and discovers that her new friend is dead, and she fears this man might be her killer.

With a plot like that, this could have easily been a dark and disturbing thriller. But instead it was a cozy, character driven mystery with a strong female lead who grows to realize her full potential. The author also did a great job representing a neurodivergent character, we love to see it! There is just a hint of a romance and I wish there would have been more development of it.

This is an intriguing mystery- the story of Katie True, a down on her luck young woman trying to find her way in the world. She is stuck in a dead end job and her one new friend has just disappeared. She learns she has been murdered and decides to try to find out what happened. Along the way we meet a whole group of quirky characters - Katie's family, the people who work in the mall where the 2 friends met and of course law enforcement in the form of Jamie a police detective new to the area. I enjoyed the characters but found it annoying how often Katie's personal ineptitudes were reiterated.
The story started off with a bang, then slowed to a crawl and pace picked about 2/3 into the book. The plot of the story is interesting with lots of twists. I was definitely caught up in the WHODUNIT and could not wait to finish the story.
I do wish there had been more information/discussion of Katie's tarot reading/study. I thought it would be a more prominent facet of the book.
Overall this is a strong debut novel and entry into the genre of mystery for the author. I would classify it more as a cozy mystery due to the unrealistic portrayal of how law enforcement works. but it certainly does have much more punch and interest than many in that genre .
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for a review.

In this cozy mystery, Katie works in a Russian trinket shop at a dying mall. She befriends Marley, who works in a nearby store. This was a fun and fast read. And a beautiful cover! Recommended!

I loved this! The story had me hooked right from the start and I was more and more desperate to know what was going to happen with each turn of the page. Kate was an excellent MC and I feel she really made the story. I will 100% recommend this!!

We follow Katie True as she navigates through her dead-end job at her local mall and the possible murder of her new friend Marley.

This book was pleasantly surprising. With Chern’s magical prose and the witty dialogue throughout, I would have to say this was one of my easier and more fun reads. There was never a dull moment, and the characters were enthralling from the first page.

So many seamless twists and turns made this a super fun read. The addition of the mystical world of tarot cards and psychics added a different element to the typical murder mystery genre.

Overall, enjoyable and well-written.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's my least favorite thing in the world to DNF books that have been provided to me on Netgalley, but I think that this will have to be one. I stopped ready at about 25%- The first chapter started off really intriguing and strong, but I just felt like it immediately fizzled out and I lost interest. It's difficult for me to figure out why. I was really looking forward to this one- I have recently learned more about tarot and I thought this would be a fun fiction book with a great premise at just the right time. I think I was disappointed when I realized that the tarot in the novel was less of a integral plot/narrative device, but more a character device (during certain moments of the book, the mc remembers a tarot card that reminds her of the situation or the person she's talking to)- and that just felt a little flat and exposition-y to me. I think that I've just got a handful of other things to read, and found myself avoiding picking this one back up, which is usually a clue for me. I don't think that this is overall terrible - the writing itself was great and I think this will find the right audience and others will really enjoy.

Cute & cozy mystery read. Perfect for me at the perfect time! I wouldn’t call this a “thriller” or expect any magic, but the tarot card/psychic aspect made the story unique and fun. The way it was incorporated didn’t feel forced either. I enjoyed how the different meanings of the tarot cards were translated into the story, especially how Marley interpreted them. The language didn’t bother me at all; it felt natural for the characters who spoke them and I genuinely liked the characters. My favorite is the MC’s brother, Owen, who would buy boba tea everyday if he had $200,000. Same. ‘Cuz we’re friends.

I’m going to go out on a limb, but I’m thinking the relationship with our love interest went the way it did ‘in case’ there’s going to be a sequel. After all, the actual timeline in the book is only about a week, I think? Anyway, Jamie and Katie’s connection was adorable. The tension is there and we all know something’s bound to happen. Overall, I loved the whole thing, and yes; I’d read a sequel if there’s going to be one.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for sending a such a perfect match at the right time. It was def. in my cards. ;)

Such a refreshing and surprising read this turned out to be. Very reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's style. Lots of funny moments that had me laughing out loud (I may have even rolled on the floor laughing!!!) and lots of action/suspense. I absolutely loved Katie - she is outrageous and funny and awkward. I also loved her brother, Owen - he's definitely on the spectrum and is so very charming in his mannerisms and frankness. And then there's Jamie, the detective who kind of gets caught in Katie's path. The way they interacted with each other just leaves you wanting more. I really hope this turns into a series and we can follow along in Katie's (and hopefully Jamie's) journey.

A murder mystery with a witty and hilarious psychic - count me in. Initially the book started a little slow but all the back story on the main character truly was necessary for the character development and plot to have such a large impact as the story progressed. I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue woven throughout this book. There were some great laugh out loud moments too. 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Release: March 28

Oh my goodness this was a fun QUICK read. I giggled a few times, and shockingly as someone who doesn't read romance, I was even rooting for the subtle hints to emotion and wanted more!

I think it was super clever, didn't drag on, and was entertaining! Loved it!

(Instagram to be posted 11/09)

Well written and easy to read. It was a nice change of pace compared to my normal fantasy book choices. This one has a touch of magic and is set in a realistic world. Great murder mystery

🔎BOOK REVIEW🔍

Play the Fool by Lina Chern

4/5

This story follows Katie, the “loser” of her wealthy, suburban family, who instead of following the family’s upper class footsteps, works at a novelty/trinket shop in the mall. She’s always had an intense passion for reading tarot cards, after being taught by her black sheep aunt. She is drawn to tarot because she loves to read people and figure out their stories - and she is really good at doing just that.

When a troubled, bleeding man stumbles into the shop, she talks him into a reading - partly as a way to distract from her fear of him and partly because she’s curious what the story is. She finds herself in too deep when she discovers he may have something to do with a murder - the murder of her only friend.

Determined to get to the bottom of it, she puts herself in a number of questionable situations, making friends with an officer along the way. She wanted the truth, but quickly realizes maybe the truth is way more than she bargained for.

I enjoyed the twists and turns - and especially loved all the tarot references of the book. But I overall found Katie an immature, bratty main character and it was honestly hard to root for her. I recommend it for anyone who likes a good mystery, especially if you have any interest in tarot.

Publish date: March 28, 2023

Thank you @bantampub, @netgalley and the author for early access to this book!

This was fun, the premise was fun, but I got a bit lost after the second half. The strength of this book just fell off, and it was hard to finish because of this.

I absolutely loved this book. There’s just something about a well-meaning but clearly out of her league protagonist trying to solve crime but really just engaging in crazy antics that gets me going. Play the Fool reminded me of the Finlay Donovan series in all the best ways — the witty internal monologue, the cop love interest who treats the MC like an intelligent human being, the general tomfoolery and hijinks — all of which adds up to a fun, low-stakes mystery. I hope this becomes a series because I am dying to see what Katie gets herself into next!

At first I really latched onto the writing style and the tone of the story. I like Katie’s down to earth vibes. And though I feel for her and the things she’s been through, I didn’t really connect with this character on a deeper level. I don’t think it has anything to do with the writing or the plotting, I think it’s just on a personal level.

It's a fun and quirky story. The first chapter is intriguing, shocking, and immediately hooked me into the plot, but things kind of fizzled out from there. I didn’t find the flashbacks as interesting. I liked the idea of the tarot cards playing a role in a murder mystery story, but I didn’t find the execution of this compelling enough, it felt more like it was thrown in on the side, rather than actually imperative to the plot or characters themselves. It went in unexpected directions, with some of the plot points not feeling quite believable to me.

From the concept of the story, I really thought this would be one I’d enjoy. But it just wasn’t for me. I think it’s a decent book and I’d be interested in checking out more from this author. I really did like the style and writing, but I just failed to connect with this particular storyline and characters. It’s not bad; I’m just not blown away. Even though my experience with this story isn’t glowing, I think there’s still an audience for this one.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Katie True, working a dead end job at an eccentric mall store, uses her tarot abilities to track down the killer of her friend and coworker.

I enjoyed Katie's character development and determination throughout the story.

A fun read.

The cover and synopsis of this book are wonderful. I really wish I had enjoyed the book as much. I picked it up initially as a spooky October read since NetGalley advertised it to me that way but it really didn't give me what I was looking for. I'm not saying it's bad but I think I was looking for something a bit more exciting and this just fell a bit flat for me.

This book was good! I enjoyed learning about Katie and Marley both. I thought the mystery aspect was done well, and it was intriguing. I've never read a book centered about tarot cards, so it was a fresh topic for me. It wasn't my favorite book, but I did have a good time reading it.

This was my first Netgalley book that was suggested to me directly by the publisher. It sounded decent, but I honestly didn’t have high expectations going into it.

IT WAS SO GOOD! I loved Katie’s character and how her friendship with Marley allowed her to see how unique and special she was. I enjoy reading about strong and uplifting female friendship! Even better when there’s a murder mystery involved!

There’s also a tinge of romance in the story, but it’s definitely not the star of the show.

Overall the book had an interesting and amusing cast of characters, a murder mystery woven throughout and is a winner in my book! Pun not intended 😂

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #playthefool