Maggie Chase, a cozy-mystery writer, and Ethan Wyatt, a popular thriller author, are both invited to the home of a mystery fan who they find out is none other than Eleanor Ashley, "The Duchess of Death," for a Christmas party. The night of the party, Eleanor disappears without a trace. Maggie & Ethan need to become allies (or more) to figure out what happened.

The banter in this book, as you'd expect from two writers, I suppose was witty, playful and so good. This is my first (I think) romance-including-mystery and I thought the author really made it work with the eerie at

Thank you to @Avonbooks @HarperVoyagerUS and @NetGalley for the advanced e-copy!
#TheMostWonderfulCrimeoftheYear #NetGalley #AllyCarter #holidayreads #bookstagram #advancedreads

What a wonderful Christmas time mystery with a little romance added in! If you're a fan of "Clue" and/or "Knives Out," you'd probably really enjoy this book. It's a "whodunit" centered around an eighty-one-year-old crime author's disappearance after she invites what seems to be a random group of friends, family, and other authors to her English country side estate around Christmas time.

The main MC's are Maggie (FMC) and Ethan (MMC) who have a love/hate relationship. Maggie is recovering from some crappy personal situations and gets the thrill of a lifetime when invited to the Estate of one of her favorite authors. Imagine her shock to see that Ethan was invited as well. What follows is a possible murder case during a blizzard where everyone is trapped together, but it seems only Maggie and Ethan are concerned about their missing host. Can Maggie and Ethan put their issues aside to follow the clues and possibly solve the case? Why does the house have so many tunnels? When is a decoration not just a decoration? And how DID Ethan receive that scar on his back?

I was sucked in from page one and couldn't put this book down until I finished. I believe this was my first time reading this author but I'll be back for more! If you're looking for something a little different to read this holiday season, be sure to give this book a look!

I really enjoyed this murder mystery romantic comedy (that’s a line I never thought I’d write) 😅. This is very inspired by Knives Out but it had the romcom element to it. This book has enemies/rivals to lovers which was done SUPER well, Christmas setting, whitty banter, comedic relief, excellent character development, and a great plot. I do wish we got some spice instead of a fade to black scene, but this book is certainly a mystery book first and romcom second.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the pre-published digital copy of this book

oh Ethan LOVES HER loves her.
Eleanor Ashley is so freakin cool. I want to be her when I grow up.
please give me more Ethan and Maggie.
I know the not knowing how Eleanor escaped from her office is part of the book’s lesson, but I really need to know.

Give me ALLLLL the holiday books, I’m ready!! This book was the yummiest little holiday romance but with Knives Out vibes and I ate it UP! I can’t wait to recommend this one to my followers and customers!

What an amazing and refreshing read! Loved the grumpy sunshine dynamic of Maggie and Ethan. I would love to see a sequel.

4.5 stars

Well I loved every bit of that. A mix of murder mystery, whodunnit, romance and a Christmas story with an eccentric cast of characters. Loved both our leads so much as individuals and as the clue finding, mystery solving duo that I never knew I needed in my life . Maggie, was just wonderful. She was dealt a really terrible hand, and recovering from the kind of betrayal that makes it hard to trust yourself. I loved how she found her way back to who she was in this and that she was smart, brave, resourceful and relatable. Ethan was a swoon worthy male lead, gorgeous, smart and dealing with ghosts of his own. He was supportive, caring and encouraging to Maggie without question and gave her room to rebuild her trust in herself. The two of them were layered, had amazing chemistry and just played off each other so well. A cracking read 5 🌟

I was so excited when Ally Carter entered the adult fiction scene with Blonde Identity! I loved her books growing up and it was so fun to read a story she had tailored to an older audience. This book is perfect for fans of Knives Out. I loved Maggie and Ethan's adventure trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious house party. My favorite part was the chapters that dove into their shared history. I am a sucker for a flashback! This was a fun and easy read. It was nice to read a holiday mystery romance! Loved its uniqueness compared to other holiday romances.

One mystery writer named Maggie, and one thriller writer named Ethan are invited to Eleanor, the Queen of Mystery books house for Christmas. The only problem is, Eleanor disappears and Maggie and Ethan need to find out what happened to her before one of them gets killed…

I liked this closed door mystery. I never read from this author before but I would again. I really liked the chemistry between Ethan and Maggie, Ethan was a funny character. This book felt like the movie Clue with a little romance and I liked that. It was interesting how half way through Maggie became the target and someone was trying to kill her, I wasn’t expecting that. There were some clues about Eleanor’s disappearance, but I kind of wished there were more. I wanted to solve the mystery along with Ethan and Maggie, but I felt a bit disconnected to the mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book gives lots of Knives Out vibes. It is master with a touch of romance that will have you on the edge of your seat. Maggie is the queen of cozy mysteries and Ethan is the king of thrillers. They are invited to a Christmas house party by the queen of mystery books. All they get from this Christmas party is a snowstorm, locked-room mystery, and Eleanor’s unexplained disappearance. This was the perfect display of forced proximity allowing the characters to discover that they are in fact not enemies. This book is full of intrigue, romance, and the right amount of Christmas magic.

4 stars!

I really enjoyed this! I have not read Ally Carter's other book, so it was very fun to be introduced to her writing and characters. I thought this was a very fun locked room mystery, and the added Christmas element was even better to read even though it's only September. The atmosphere of the cozy UK countryside was so fun to read about, and made me want to be there as well!

Maggie and Ethan were great characters both individually and together, and I did really feel their chemistry. I always love reading books about authors. My only cons were that I did think it was a little cheesy, and all of the background characters felt a little irrelevant (besides being potential suspects).

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have always been a fan of Ally Carter and this novel is a quintessential “Ally Carter” novel. I’m not the biggest fan of holiday themed novels (it always brings “hallmark” to mind, honestly), but this novel made a liar of me. The way Carter writes is witty and clever. The twists throughout the novel kept me on my toes for the entirety of the story; it’s not very often that I have no inclination as to how the novel will end. I didn’t think the knowledge of poisonous plants would be one of my favorite traits of a written character, but again Ally Carter proved me wrong! This story will stand out wonderfully against all the holiday books.

Firstly, I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Ally Carter was one of my favorite YA authors growing up and I’m so enjoying reading her new books as she shifts into the adult genre.

This book really appeals to readers who like romance books and mystery books. It follows a divorced author Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt who is also an author. Maggie is processing her previous relationship and isn’t the biggest fan of Ethan who she overheard say something about her.

They both get invited to a famous author’s house for Christmas and get to know each other better while also solving the mystery of what happened to the author.

I thought this was a great mystery with a romance subplot. Definitely recommend for fans of both genres.

4 ⭐️
Closed Door Romance

I love love loved this cozy mystery rom-com! The characters were wonderful and the mystery was fun and kept me on my toes until the end.

Maggie, sweet Maggie. Learning her backstory throughout the book made me so sad for her but also so happy for her growth throughout. And Ethan!!!!! How could someone not love him!!!! When we learn the reason he called her the wrong name (mostly in the beginning of the book), my heart broke but I also had tears in my eyes. They are so wonderful together and deserve each other so much!!!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this mash-up! It was both a locked door (secluded mansion), Agatha Christie type mystery and a romance at the same time and it was a perfect melding of the two! The only bad part for you my friends, is that this doesn’t publish till September! But please go pre-order!

And Ally Carter herself bills this as Knives Out plus kissing and I have to say I concur your honor!

I absolutely loved this one. It had the perfect mix of mystery and romance. Ethan and Maggie were so cute together. It was nice to see how much they cared about each other. I already want to reread this book!



Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Stuck in an English mansion during a blizzard, 2 mystery writers must solve the puzzle of their missing host before anyone (else) gets hurt. 'The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year' is a sizzling romance, with a heavy dose of mystery, and Christmas festivity. The spice was actually a bit too much for my taste, but the emotional depth between Maggie and Ethan was amazing!

If you enjoy reading romance novels where the main characters overcome their traumatic pasts and are forced to face life-or-death situations as their relationship blossoms, then I recommend this book to you!

Special thanks to the Publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Net Galley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is one of the BEST books of 2024! The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year tells the story of two mystery writers, Maggie and Ethan, who are summoned by their favorite fan to spend Christmas in an English castle. Soon after their arrival, their host disappears and Maggie and Ethan spend the rest of the story using their knowledge to unravel this mystery.
Throughout the story, Maggie learns to trust herself and Ethan learns to be open about his history.

I'm pretty sure I've loved everything that I've read by Ally Carter and this book is no different. This book is very Knives Out coded but lets add holiday cheer and an enemies-ish to lovers romance. I ATE IT UP and binged the heck out of it. The dual POV truly made this book - I loved being able to see inside Ethan's head in the latter half of the book. I was surprised by the who-dun-it aspect (which truly should be no surprise because I am the WORST sleuth). I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on this story!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! This was delightful. Enemies/ rival authors to lovers? Count me in. Ally Carter had me by the throat with Heist Society a decade ago and she still has me by the throat with this. Her writing just makes me happy.