Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of Peril in Pink.

When this was described to me as Gilmore Girls meets Only Murders in the Building I was in… the setting and romantic subplot were highlights for me! The main character Jess Byrne is giving Loralai Gilmore in the best way possible (but add some reluctant sleuthing to the small-town innkeeper dramas!) There’s even some romantic tension with a handsome detective to keep things interesting! 💕

It does take a little bit to settle into the pacing of this one, as the set-up for the book is on the slower side. My main challenge with this novel is that aside from the murder mystery aspect of the novel, there wasn’t too much similarity to Only Murders In The Building - so if you’re a big fan of that show, be aware that the comparison may be a touch misleading (I think I would have enjoyed it more, had the comps not hyped me up quite so much!)

Overall, a solid read.

This was a cute murder mystery! I wish I could get more into books like this one. I would read another book by this author but maybe only a couple books a year in this genre. I’m going to keep trying though!

"Schitt’s Creek meets Only Murders in the Building in this sparkling debut mystery" sounded super enticing to me and like something right up my alley, but this fell a little flat for me. I found it to be way too juvenile for me to enjoy; I totally get the author wanting to make the book and characters relatable, but I often read books because I want to escape the real world and general pop-culture terms.

Good enough, but this isn't one I'd go out of my way to recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC to me.

This was such a fun murder mystery.
A murder happening at the opening night of a B&B, an ex-boyfriend who is also a singer and lots of wine... What's not to like?
It was a cozy, easy to follow and fun book. The only remark that I have is that the motives of the guests could have been better. I guessed the murderer pretty soon. To me, it was pretty obvious who did it. I love it a bit more if I'm misled and if I have multiple suspects. The ending was a bit too rushed to my liking.
Overall I would recommend it to someone looking for a quick murder myste ry.

It's opening weekend for the Pearl, a bed & breakfast, ran by two best friends, Jess & Kat. They were not prepared for a murder to happen the night of the opening. Jess takes the initiative to help find the killer & ease people's fears. I thought the story was okay. It kept me invested until the end to see who the killer was. Overall, it was a bit boring. The characters didn't seem all that phased by having a possible murderer amongst them.

Peril in Pink by Sydney Leigh is the perfect cozy mystery.
Wonderfully plotted, fantastic character development and interactions that draw you in and keep you turning pages.
The story is well-written and I found it to be pretty entertaining.
I thought the characters were well-developed and believable.
This mystery is well-written, interesting, and will certainly appeal to mystery readers.
I really enjoyed reading Sydney Leigh’s debut mystery.
And will be looking forward to her next one.

Thank You NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐

What was pegged as a "Schitt's Creek meets Only Murders in the Building" cozy mystery fell flat for me.

Jess returns home after getting burnt out in her career to open a B&B with her best friend... only for two guests to be murdered opening weekend.
The premise was fun, the mystery was light enough, but I couldn't get past all of the hashtags (I get it, marketing for the new B&B!), the MFM references and other pop culture references, and the lack of character developments (and there are a lot of characters for a book that spans maybe two days?)

I gave it a go, had to finish it to see how it would actually wrap up, but can't say that I'd recommend you to take the time to do the same. Sorry but thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Loved the pink cover and the enticing description, but the execution was a total miss for me. Too bad.

When opening a B&B, Jess didn’t expect to end up at a crime scene like one of her murder podcasts.

There were lots of random pop culture references (lululemon, Jacob Elordi, My Favorite Murder, etc.) that I thought were overdone. Lots of hashtags too.

Lots of dumb details and a high school mean girl rivalry. I don’t think anyone actually acts like that!

47% and we are justtttt starting the investigation. I’m kind of bored and just want to skim to get to the end. I’m not a big cozy mystery person, but I’m too curious to not know who did it so I will finish it.

A younger detective is struggling with video playback (????) for several pages and I’m annoyed. It feels like an afterthought to tell the audience what is happening and why Jess and her business partner, Kat, get to see the video footage.

Lots of unlikeable characters here. Jess is being immature and several men are just… gross.

Her brother talks to her like a dog??? “Settle.” This man actually said that to his sister. His poor wife.

Speaking of his wife, Sarah, it is kind of thrown together for the relationship between her and Jess to be randomly bad/weird at the beginning and then magically better after a murder. (???)

What was with the multiple pages with reference after reference to celebrities?! I just found it repetitive and boring since they were so close together. Please tell me if anyone else noticed this.

20-somethings don’t speak in hashtags 🫠

The title… what?! It was mentioned once and in SUCH a stupid way… I just can’t.

Noooo there are more references to pop culture, whyyyyyy

Ew, George is nasty offering Jess to “join” him and Paula in a creepy-ass way. They’ll say that but no cursing?! SHE DESCRIBED HIS CHEST AS FURRY 🤮

Yeah, this one wasn’t for me. The vibes were good at the beginning but it quickly became cringey and boring. I wanted more of the B&B in general for the vibes but it was no plot no vibes just… a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! I read a lot of cozies and traditional mysteries and while they say the character is in their late 20s/early 30s, it always felt they were much older. Not true with this main character! Sydney Leigh nailed the young millennial vibe with this fun and frothy murder mystery! I can't praise it enough. I loved the two best friends who opened this Hudson Valley B&B in their hometown only to be met with murder on their opening weekend. Leigh brings lots of cultural references in like the podcast, My Favorite Murder and Reddit. I did struggle with the resolution which felt rushed and the motive lacking. However, the journey to get there was so fun that I didn't mind. I can't wait to read the next in this series. Highly recommend for those looking for a bright, fun cozy to escape to!

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC!

4.5 stars Was this really a debut?!?! Peril in Pink kept me hooked. The characters were easy to love and the plot was fun to follow. I was able to easily play this book out in my head like a movie. I pictured everything and loved how everything tied up in the end. No questions were left unanswered. The fact that this was Leigh's debut has me excited for her future work.

I personally did not enjoy the book as much as I would have liked. It did not excite me enough to care about the killer reveal. I had already guessed the killer may be that's why. The motive felt forced. Also, I felt some things were repetative. For e.g. Whenever someone wanted to share a piece of information they were cut off. It happened way too many times. I understand the purpose was to create anticipation but it felt frustrating.

The character building is good and there is small town vibe to the story, but as an "Only Murders in the Building" fan, I found this book underwhelming.

DNF@ 56%, then I jumped forward to the end.

I think anyone who is a true crime fan has had their My Favorite Murder phase, but to have podcast mentioned, the word 'Murderino' used multiple times and to have the main character dictate her personality based off if she was a Georgia or a Karen in a book that comes out in 2024 was wild.

The main character was also extremely immature. A majority of the characters are people that she went to high school with and she still has an intense feud with one of the 'mean girls' from school that they both play into. She's also very hung-up on her ex-boyfriend who had regularly flaked on her and is now back in the picture as a semi-famous musician. I don't think it was ever covered how old these people are, but she owns a Bed and Breakfast so I'm going to go out on a limb and say she's old enough to move past high school.

I don't mind a cozy mystery and the fact that this was described as Schitt's Creek meets Only Murders in the Building sounded wonderful. But besides the main characters being a bit ditzy, it taking a part in a B&B and there being a murder, this didn't really meet that description well.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC to me.

Only Murders in the Building meets Schitt's creek is the PERFECT way to explain this book. Jess Bryne after facing career burnout decides to embark on the task of creating a swoon worthy B&B with her childhood best friend Kat. When her ex-boyfriend turned famous singer decides to perform at her grand opening she just knows this " girls getaway" B&B will be a star. Lars Armstrong insists Bob his creepy stepdad/ manager will be staying with him. This grand opening weekend however takes a complete 360 as less than 24 hours after they opened Bob is found dead in the back pond of their B&B. Jess's desire to salvage her grand opening; inspired her to solve the mystery of her murdered her guest. As she embarks on her new found detective abilities, she discovers buried town secrets that proves just how much is at stake if this murder is not solved. I absolutely loved the cozy mystery feel this book gave me; such a fun easy read. Thanks NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

It’s the grand opening of The Pearl B&B in Hudson Valley, and owner Jess Byrne has prepared the ultimate, Insta-worthy welcome, complete with her ex-boyfriend—reality singing sensation Lars Armstrong—performing live. As guests check in and mimosas are poured, Lars arrives with his stepdad-turned-manager Bob in tow. But things go south when Bob is found dead, and Lars is the prime suspect but Lars didn't kill him. It took some time but the culprit was finally found.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me an e-ARC for this book but sadly it wasn't for me.

While the premise was intriguing, the plot felt more of a wild goose chase with a very anticlimactic ending. The story dragged on with majority of scenes overexplained that had nothing to do with the main plot or mystery. A lot of characters were introduced who had little relevance to the plot and were added just to elongate the suspect list. Another major ick for me was Jess hating her sister-in-law, Sarah for no particular reason. There were several instances where Jess made some off-putting remarks about other characters that made me dislike her more. Also most relationships, whether friendships or romantic relationships, felt forced. The b0ok tried really hard to show the detective working the case as a prospective love interest for the main character but I didn't really feel the connect. The only way he ever showed interest was by lifting his brows or by the slight tilt of his lips.

I have never given any book 1 star before but I can't bring myself to rate it any higher. I had almost given up on the book at 50% and merely skimmed past it to get done with it. I have read some pretty great cozy mysteries over the past few months and I had high expectations from this one as well but was met with disappointed.

I think this is a great debut novel by Sydney Leigh. It’s opening weekend for the Pearl B&B but a murder throws owners Jess and Kat for a loop. They are working hard to figure out who did it while taking a trip down memory lane and digging up interesting secrets from the past. This cozy mystery is Only Murders In The Building paired with lots of pop culture references, and I do mean LOTS. It was a fun, easy read that’s perfect for a vacation or a rainy day at home. The pacing was a bit slow for my liking, I just wanted more information as soon as possible so I could figure out who the killer was. I found myself skimming the fluffy bits and jumping to the facts. I love myself a good cozy mystery and this one satisfied my craving.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love Peril in Pink so much because I’d love to check into a b&b like 🦩 The Pearl 🦩(as long as I don’t have to interact with their staff or be a victim of murder) 😂

The chapters are short which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, they just feel clunky and not a lot happens chapter to chapter 🤷🏼‍♀️

The constant pop-culture references and banter become cringe quickly and I found myself rolling my eyes several times a chapter which is unlike me 😵‍💫

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books + NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩵

Woowee my anxiety would have been through the ROOF if this had happened to me on my opening weekend. A double murder, unsolved, on the opening weekend of a B&B? Yikes! Especially when the first murder is a high profile person.
Jess seems to have everything set for opening weekend. The renovations came out spectacular, she has a great staff, and her ex, who is a singing sensation, has agreed to perform for the opening weekend (and for free). This all quickly goes downhill when Lars’ (the ex) stepfather/manager is found dead. And not just dead—murdered. On the hunt for the killer, Jess has to figure out how to keep the guests at ease and not run for the hills and ruin her business before it has even really started. Things get even worse when a second murder happens soon after. Jess puts on her detective hat and joins forces with the hot detective to figure out what’s going on at her B&B.
This was a fun and quick read; perfect if you’re looking for a cozy mystery. I actually did not guess the murderer and was surprised by the twist at the end. Also her pup was such a treat!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc! All thoughts are my own.

PERIL IN PINK by Sydney Leigh is a quirky cozy mystery, perfect for reading while laying by a pool with a glass or two of chilled Rosé! The protagonist, Jess, and her BFF and business partner, Kat, are in their twenties and capture that age group’s mindset, actions, and social media hashtag characteristics perfectly. It was fun to sit back and enjoy their antics as they open up The Pearl B&B with lots of mimosas and ‘Rosé all day’ to keep their guests entertained and partying. The only sour note to the opening celebration is the murder of Jess’s celebrity ex-boyfriend Lars’ stepdad/manager. Honestly, karma had some dishing out to do on the victim, but when Lars is accused of the murder and the B&B’s business suffers, Jess decides she’s got to get involved in solving the crime. There were suspects aplenty, some twists and turns to throw the reader, and drama served up with Rosé all day!