Skip to main content

Member Reviews

If you love a cozy murder mystery, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is for you! Ally Carter is such a compelling writer, this book is filled with humor and romance and it was fast-paced. Loved reading it right before the holidays.

Was this review helpful?

If you loved The Blonde Identity this is right up your alley (no pun intended). There's plenty of twist and turns and cheesiness for a fun read.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a fun, cozy, and murderous read! It had the classic humour and wit of Ally Carter, with a cozy mystery twist. I loved the main characters and how we learned their backstories. The only thing I didn't like was the resolution of the mystery - it felt overcomplicated and confusing.

However, I would buy this for my shelves!

Was this review helpful?

Ally Carter strikes again with another captivating suspense romance. A longtime fan of her Gallagher Girls series, I’m thrilled to see her transition to adult fiction. Her description of this book as “Knives Out with kissing” had me hooked from the start.

When a renowned mystery author vanishes from his British manor during Christmas, Maggie Chase and her “rival” Ethan Wyatt must unravel the truth while dodging danger. This fast-paced, suspenseful read is a perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Carter’s writing continues to impress, and I appreciate the clean romance.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

I down-loaded this one quite a bit after pub date, based on all the great reviews that I was seeing & I am so glad I did - I LOVED IT! It's a holiday set rom-com/mystery mash-up with both "locked room" and "enemies to lovers" tropes. Ethan and Maggie gave me all the feels & I do agree this one also has a very definite "Knives's Out" vibe as well!! WELL DONE! My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my advanced reader's copy widget - very, very sincere pleasure to read & review it!

Was this review helpful?

Synopsis: The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Review: I did very much enjoy this book as a lighthearted transition read from fall to winter, however, I did find the overall plot of the book to have been done many times before. The first 1/3 of the book had me hooked. I was interested in learning more about the characters and their backstories but once we hit the 2/3 mark I found it hard to want to pick up. I felt the ending to be predictable and it wasn't much different than other books claiming ode to 'Knives Out' by Agatha Christie. The characters were cute and the spicy scenes were middle of the road.

Rating: 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this story to review. Publication date was September 24, 2024.

Was this review helpful?

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is a warm, witty rom-com interwoven with a delicious “locked room” whodunit!
Two successful mystery writers, Maggie and Ethan, square off at a remote English estate, at the invitation of Eleanor Ashley, the acknowledged queen of modern crime novels. Maggie and Ethan verbally spar, but it is obvious there is a spark of attraction between them just waiting to fully ignite!
Their characters drive this story—Maggie is self-protective and sweetly cynical about her life’s highs and lows. Ethan is charming, disarming, handsome, and “hot!” Their witty repartee is engaging and fun to read, as is the breezy, sassy prose throughout.
As in most locked room mysteries, there is a colorful supporting cast of broadly drawn characters gathering for Christmas at the manor, all with questionable personal motives regarding their relationships with wealthy aunt/cousin/friend Eleanor.
There is plenty of action and atmosphere—a terrible snowstorm, impassable roads, and poisonous plants in the old greenhouse. The twists are somewhat predictable but still satisfying to figure out.
I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy a cozy, humorous suspense story, mixed with delightful whimsy and romance!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the DRC. This is my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

An enemies-to-lovers rom-com perfect for anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit! This book far surpassed my expectations — it’s well written, has some great laugh-out-loud banter and good chemistry, all set against a snowy English estate.

While the mystery storyline got a bit lost at times, I still found it engaging and it kept me entertained. I would definitely recommend this to fans of holiday romance and/or cozy mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

After reading and loving Ally Carter's THE BLONDE IDENTITY, I was really looking forward to THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR. This book had explosive chemistry, an exciting mystery plot, and a dash of Christmas vibes. For fans of Knives Out, you should definitely pick up this book!

4.5/5 stars

Was this review helpful?

3.75 Stars


This was a super cute cozy mystery with a side plot of romance! I loved both of our main characters and enjoyed watching them solve the mystery together. I thought this book was face paced and it kept me intrigued almost the entire time. This is a super cute holiday read and I really enjoyed it!

Was this review helpful?

first of all, thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! after reading the blonde identity a few months ago, i was excited to get started on this one once november hit.

this was so fun - i finished it in just one afternoon! just like with the blonde identity, the characters were lovable and the banter charming. holiday books are tough because they only work well for a few months of the year, but i enjoyed this one immensely. the book i read right before this slogged on and i ended up skimming by the end, so it was refreshing to have something i flew right through. a great little romance/mystery for anyone who doesn't need steamy scenes and likes some twists/action in the mix.

Was this review helpful?

Okay this was so fun!!!! Holiday Rom com, enemies to lovers, he falls first, AND a cozy mystery that’s knives out coded?! Say less! I really enjoyed this fun story - don’t even care that there were too many characters that I got confused for each other, the main characters were all I needed to keep me hooked and squealing. No spice but that’s just fine. Highly recommend (and even though it’s a holiday themed book, it’s very lightly holiday, so this is good to read year round no problem!)

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun "christmas" rom-com/mystery read!

This is a perfect start to get into the Christmas spirit.

Maggie and Ethan are rival writers, one writes cozy mysteries and the other writes more suspenseful thrillers. They both are invited to the famous Eleanor Ashley's house for Christmas. Think of Eleanor Ashley as Agatha Christie, but alive and well at 81 years old. Eleanor has written 99 mystery novels, outselling the Bible.

During Maggie and Ethan's trip to the Estate, Eleanor vanishes. Maggie is determined to find out what happened to her favorite author. Is she playing a game? Did something serious happen? Is her family involved? In this house, with no access to leave, can they solve the mystery of the queen of mystery herself? How will Ethan and Maggie work together?

This was a lighthearted mystery with all the rom-com vibes. Knives out meets a Christmas love story.

Read this if you like:
-enemies to lovers
-meet cutes (even though they may not realize it)
-one bed
-trapped in one house with strangers
-cozy mysteries
-low-level spice

Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

Was this review helpful?

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
By: Ally Carter
4.5⭐️/5

🖇️ Forced Proximity
🏆 Rivals-to-Lovers
🌶️ Mild spice, closed door
🔐 Locked room mystery

I was so excited to be approved for this ARC! Thanks Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley!

Mix together Only Murders in the Building and Knives Out with a healthy dose of Hallmark Christmas movie, sprinkle with some Agatha Christie, and out pops The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year! Mystery Writers Maggie and Ethan have been rivals for years. And until they both are invited to (surprise!) legendary writer Eleanor Ashley’s estate for Christmas, Maggie thought it would always be that way. But when Eleanor vanishes from a locked room just before Christmas, they find themselves trapped in a castle of suspects. Together, they have to save Eleanor, figure out whodunnit, and maybe, just maybe, work out their differences before it's too late.

I loved every minute of reading this story, just like I've loved all Ally Carter’s stories! It delivered on everything I wanted from it and then some. Watching Ethan and Maggie work through past trauma together while also watching them be brilliant at solving mysteries is wonderful and emotional in the best ways. She took all the fun mystery tropes and turned the notch up by about 25% on each of them. Just ridiculous enough to make it a little funny but also not over-the-top, just the perfect amount of ridiculousness.

Verdict: Have recommended it to just about everyone who wants a good Christmas read. It's not a Roman Empire book for me, and I don't necessarily think everyone should read it, but it's the best at what it set out to do.

Was this review helpful?

Ally Carter does it again with another FUN and intriguing suspense romance. I’ve been a huge fan of hers ever since Gallagher Girls came out and I’m loving the pivot to fiction for adults. When she described this book as “Knives Out with kissing” over and over, I knew I had to read it. When Maggie Chase’s favorite mystery author disappears from her British country manor at Christmas, it is up to Maggie and her “rival” Ethan Wyatt to discover the truth-all while evading death themselves. I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down; Ally Carter gets better and better with every book. (I also appreciate that her books thus far are closed door.) Truly I could not think of a better way to start off Christmas book season!

Was this review helpful?

Thank for NetGalley for the ARC of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
by Ally Carter

Enemies to Lovers
Cozy Christmas Mystery
It was a fast pace cozy murder mystery that had so many twist and turns much like mystery writer, Eleanor Ashley's books that Maggie aspires to be like, she and Ethan are both writers and invited to attend Christmas at the home of Eleanor, along with her family, then she goes missing. I could not put this book down! I finished it in 2 days and am left wanting soo much more!!

Was this review helpful?

Somehow successful both as an enthralling possible murder mystery with multiple suspects, someone vanishing from a locked room, and all manner of hidden motives and unusual seclusion, plus a surprisingly sweet romantic comedy with occasional flashbacks to add depth to the characters that have known each other for some time but hadn't really had the chance to talk much before they're thrown into the middle of a festive attempted murder spree.

Was this review helpful?

Sadly a miss for me!

I almost didn't request this because the cover and title were so "twee," but I ADORED The Blonde Identity so I decided to give this one a shot. But TMWCY had a very different feel to it. It really was very twee and a lot cozier than I anticipated from an Ally Carter. I was hoping for the trademark witty banter from Ally's first adult book, but instead the dialogue and banter read cringey... the story was also very on the nose with the tropes--so many repetitions of "who did this to you" and alpha-male "I must protect her at all costs even though we're only just now actually starting to get together," and proclamations of love almost instantly, and it was just too much.

Still, very grateful to Netgalley and Avon for this one--I was a huge Blonde Identity fan so I did think I would love this one!

Was this review helpful?

This was a pretty fun mystery. I definitely enjoyed the mystery element more than the romance element. Some of it was fairly predictable, but it still made for an enjoyable read that was on the lighter side.

I'd recommend for anyone looking for a cozy mystery/romance for the holiday season.

Was this review helpful?

It's the first time that I read Ally Carter and loved it! The whole cozy Christmas mistery got me hooked from the beginning. And the banter betweet Maggie and Ethan... *chef's kiss*

Was this review helpful?