I cannot for the life of me psych myself up to pick this book back up again. The main character’s personality is insipid. She’s pregnant and ditzy. I guess it’s supposed to be charming but when you’re about to bring a baby into the world, are coordinating a move to a new house in a small town and still don’t have a doctor… The small town thing was too much. Her views on how everyone living here must be “liberal” or “hippy” was absurd. When I flipped pages ahead and repeatedly saw the word “commune". I was done for. She’s a young woman in a thirty-something body but has the personality of a geriatric. It’s like someone took the Thursday Murder Club but instead of octogenarians it’s a gang of pregnant women. This book is certainty not for me.

Thank you Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A fun read. Mystery and humor wrapped around new friends and a new town. Five women about to give birth all meet at a birthing class. They become involved in trying to solve a murder, what else to do while waiting for their babies to be born? The ladies are very different and even the dogs play a big role in this story. For a light-hearted read with a twisty mystery do read this story. See what character you like the most and enjoy a good story with plenty of action and laughs. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press, Minotaur Book for this eARC.

Oh hey book slump…not excited to see you here! That said, I think this book review was a product of my slumpish ways, so keep that in mind. The main thing was that this book took me over a week to read. I just found myself not really wanting to grab it and read. Again, I don’t know if that was the book or my slump. So I don’t want to say don’t read it or read it.

3.5 stars. This was a fun, British cozy to read with pointed bits of humor and punchiness throughout as three soon-to-be mothers, who meet in an antenatal class, work on solving a murder. Although I found this to be a better-than-average cozy, it was a bit too long — perhaps by as much as 25% — and could have been improved by tightening the storyline, especially in the first half of the book.

All in all, I found this a pleasant and entertaining read, with very likable characters (even Helen the dog!), and I look forward to reading the next in this series.

I'm not quite sure what drew me to this book. Probably a combo of the dog and the unexpected idea of the amateur detectives being expectant mothers. In any case, despite a slow start, once it kicked in it was a fun, interesting read. Think families, unfamiliar territory, and trying to fit in and make new friends....all while near your delivery day. Set in a Cotswold village, transplanted Londoners Alice and Joe have a lot to learn about life in the country. A learning curve made all the steeper when they find themselves embroiled in a murder investigation. Only married a year,They're about to learn a great deal about each other.

The book is populated by some quirky, unique characters. Think New Age and Hippies, with herbals and crystals and....oh, you get my drift. It took me a bit to sort out who was who, must admit, perhaps because I was initially distracted by the name droppings of so many obviously British brand names and services. Toss in that Alice, our narrator, is what I'd kindly refer to as scattered and hormonal and things were a bit confused in my mind for a bit. I did like the characters, however, once I began to differentiate them. True, I found my eyes growing tired as I rolled them at Alice's scattered thoughts and thought patterns, but she was quite likable. Joe seemed remote initially but took on a bigger role as the story picked up steam. It'll take you through not just picturesque Penton, the Cotswold village they decide to move to sight-unseen, but into commune life in the area. And, oh, then there's Helen. She's gorgeous but, well, to be polite, not the smartest dog around. Yes, Helen is Alice and Joe's frequently mayhem prone dog. It seemed like almost every time Alice got a text to meet someone somewhere, "Don't bring Helen" was added. That is rather telling. You'll keep wondering how she'll do when the baby arrives.

So, whodunit? I'm not going to detail the plot because it'd give away too much. Let's just say, finding a dead body at the local antenatal class was not on any of the women's to-do lists. And that is just the beginning. Could it have been one of them? Being very pregnant can't rule out being a murderer, can it? Why was the victim killed? What connection does he have to anything? The woman, strangers until they are brought together by their common pregnancies, are nicely characterized and offer up both humor and information. Why do they wind up visiting a commune? A birthing hut? Oh, my, that visit may be intense. But, there's a murderer out there. Who did it? Who has a....oh, enough teasers. It's a fun read and you'll enjoy it extra much if you happen to be pregnant (or remember those days) and/or British, but once you get past the, to me, overuse of British name brands and such, it's an easy, even humorous read at times. These women not only become friends, they're not bad sleuths, even if their bellies slow them down. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for introducing me to them. I can't wait to see who gets up to what next.

I put this book off when I first saw it on NetGalley thinking that having the characters be pregnant would be too niche of a storyline. I regret that decision because this book was actually done well, even with most of the main characters being either pregnant or a new mom.

While the book started off a little bit slow, it picked up towards the middle and I flew through the end. The mix of character's personalities in the new friend group was entertaining at times. Hen, rich and prissy; Alice, slightly ditsy with a very amusing dog; Ailsa, chill yet slightly dark; and Poppy, instigator of most of the investigation.

This is a mostly light hearted read that gets better as you go. I enjoyed this book!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to get a copy of this book and it was just as good and delightful as the back cover blurb made it out to be. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

A couple expecting their first child moves out of London and into the country. At the first prenatal class held above an apothecary they find that the owner of the apothecary has been murdered. The expecting mothers ban together to solve the murder.

This is a light-hearted, witty, and fun read. I really enjoyed all the characters, especially the group of pregnant ladies who undertake some amateur detective work when the owner of an herbal remedies shop above which their antenatal class is taking place is murdered during their first session. The motley crew of first-time mothers is ill-assorted; none of them would be friends if not for the obvious thing they have in common. However, by the end of the story they have formed solid friendships and prove that they are there for each other. The setting, an idyllic village in the Cotswolds where a hippie commune has been resident for some 30 years, is perfect for the story. The mystery has some twists and startling revelations that provide suspense, but the strength of the story is in the characters, all of whom are hiding something, and the humor, which can be biting at times but is mainly gentle and clever, and had me laughing out loud more than once. It appears as though this is the first of a series, and I will definitely look forward to the further adventures of Alice, Poppy, Hen, and Ailsa!

I made it 50% of the way through this one and decided to stop reading. I liked the humor - A few times I literally laughed out loud and the unique premise of pregnant women investigating crime, however it was a little too much of a slow burn for me. I'm more of a "full-blast" thriller reader, so the pace of this cozy one wasn't for me, however I think/see others are totally in on this. Thanks to NetGalley for the early preview of this one.

If you love a cozy, funny murder mystery with self appointed detectives then this is for you. A fun, quick read with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. I did find this a little slow but it was still entertaining enough to keep me reading. If you prefer a mystery/thriller centered around darker themes then only go into this one when your in the mood for something a bit lighter.

If you liked 'Finlay Donovan is Killing It' I think you will enjoy this.

This was a fun chick lit-pregnant protagonist meets British small town mystery.

It was an interesting mystery. The way the mystery weaves made me think I knew what was coming. I was wrong and pleasantly surprised. The twists felt earned.

The humour was funny and relatable. The setting made me want to run out to the pub. I’d recommend it to anyone in the mood to get cozy and laugh.

Thank you, Minotaur Books, for this ARC.

I expected a cheesy, cozy mystery.. which isn’t my favorite but I’m learning to make room for.. what what i got was actually not cheesy. Usually the humor misses the mark and makes me roll my eyes but this one got it right. It was lighthearted, yes, but not cheesy.

This is one of those stories where I’ll miss the characters now that it’s over.

This book as a riot! I laughed out loud and enjoyed every minute reading #theexpectantdetectives featuring a group of pregnant women in a small English countryside village who are trying to channel their inner Sherlock while dealing with secrets, pregnancy brain, swelling ankles and cravings. This read so realistically that I was transported back to my own pregnancies (without the crime!). Thank you to @katailes, #netgalley and #minotaurbooks for this arc to read and review, all opinions are my own.

The book is told from Alice's point of view. Alice is from the city and she and her husband have moved to the small village of Penton, where they don't know anyone and need to make friends and build their lives. Alice is not prepared for the birth of a child.

A group of expectant women, all near their delivery dates, meet and begin investigating a murder that occurred during their ante-natal class. Alice somehow seems to get assigned many of the tasks of the investigation. It is fun to follow her fumbling through these tasks.

This is a fun British mystery that provides some humor. I enjoyed Alice, as well as the other characters - especially Ailsa. The dog, Helen, was a hoot as well as Alice's attempts at handling her. The mystery surrounding the commune kept my attention and I found it interesting.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on January 9, 2024.

The premise of this author's debut novel sounded cute; expecting women teaming up to solve a crime with mishap and comedy along the way.
Was it funny? Yes, the cheesy kind of funny. It was tolerable until I realized the author overused similes and poop gags .
Was there tension? Yes, the crime itself created the action and tension needed to propel the story. There were several other secrets unveiled along the way which created more "detectoring" for the untrained detectives.
Did I like the book? I can comfortably answer "kind of". I truly like the unique idea of pregnant ladies bonding beyond the prenatal class with their quirky dogs in tow. I also liked the extra layers unearthed during the primary investigation which gave the heroines more questions to answer. However, I realized at a point that all of the characters had secrets that needed explaining in order for the ladies to solve the initial crime. It helped prolong the plot but also created a kind of muddied story. My main criticism is the unneeded political references through the first 75% - 80 % of the book. The political zingers just didn't seem necessary for the overall scheme of the book. Kind of felt forced.
Giving it 3 stars because I loved Helen the dog :)

What a delightfully engaging whodunit with a lovely cast of characters, engaging dialogue, and antics that had me laughing out loud. When a body was found, murdered, someone among the moms-to-be could potentially be a murderer. When Alice, her dog, Helen, and the other moms-to-be start looking into things, it becomes apparent that someone is willing to kill to keep their identity a secret. I love the writing style of the author which I found very crisp with a comfortable tone and easy to follow along. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. There were plenty of suspects, and it was fun to watch things unravel as clue after clue shortened the suspect list until there was only one person standing - the murderer and at that we learned the motive.

Interesting premise, but the plot is weak, the characters flat, and their motivations for detecting thin.

A little slow to begin. The characters are relatable. I liked how they bonded even though on the outside it seemed like they had nothing in common. Overall a good read.

Alice and Joe move to the sleepy, postcard pretty town of Penton to wait for the birth of their first baby, hoping that village life will provide the perfect place to raise a child. Alice signs up for a prenatal class held above the Nature’s Way health and hemp shop. Their second class is interrupted by actual childbirth, as Hen and her partner Antoni have, very loudly and messily, a daughter. When the ambulance finally arrives, the paramedics discover the dead body of the shop’s owner. Alice and the other expectant mothers, all now bonded in friendship, are now unlikely suspects. This makes them decide to solve the case and prove their innocence. What comes next will involve a commune, a missing girl, a poisoned dog and another mysterious death.

The Expectant Detectives is a quick, fun read. This cozy mystery has it all: a charming country location, likable, quirky characters, a fast moving plot and Helen the dog, a character by herself. I hope this becomes a series with the not so expectant detectives. They make a great team! 5 stars.

Thank you tot NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Kat Tiles for this ARC.