What a perfect way to end the holiday themed reading season--the title is great, and I have been excited to see Ally Carter entering the adult sphere. Authors Maggie and Ethan are invited to an all expenses paid Christmas in England by their biggest fan. Before things get too Misery-like, the fan is none other than famed author Eleanor Ashley. At her remote English estate, appropriately called Mistletoe Manor, she disappears, leaving Maggie, Ethan and a variety of family members the characters of a locked room mystery during a winter storm.

Queen of the "romystery" Ally Carter has written yet another 5-star read in The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. Full of laugh-out-loud humor, a fantastic cast of characters, a rivals-to-lovers romance for the ages, and a suspenseful, skillfully crafted locked-room mystery, it's my favorite read of this holiday season.

This was a fun and mysterious read! Carter did a marvelous job in building a mystery while also mixing in flashbacks to build the backstory of the characters and their shared history.

This book was so much fun! Truly a book version of the movie Knives Out! If you loved that or were entertained by it then you should definitely give this book a read. You get laughs, mystery, authors, crazy family and more. I loved Maggie and Ethan’s enemies to lovers arc and their back and forth and finishing bc each other’s sentences was funny. Little old Eleanor was a delight and I wish we had even more of her.

I would definitely read more of this author after this book!

A charmingly old-fashioned locked box mystery romance set at a sprawling English estate at Christmas time. Maggie and Ethan are rival American mystery authors summoned to a stranger’s home for the holidays. But their host turns out to be the most famous mystery writer of all. And then she disappears in the night.

A very fun homage to Agatha Christie and cozy mysteries in general, with a fizzy enemies to lovers romance mixed in.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun spin on the enemies to lovers trope. Throwing in Christmas and I was Here. For. It. I got major Clue vibes reading this one and I loved that. I just had to know who was involved. Literally no one could be trusted. Both characters had a lot of layers and flaws. I loved learning more about their characters as the story went on. The banter, and tension was amazing. The characters were real and believable, and I loved watching their love story unfold while also solving this mystery. The was such a fun Christmas surprise.

Maggie Chase is the princess of cozy mysteries. Her idol, Eleanor Ashley, has invited her to her home for Christmas. She’s certain she’s retiring and is going to choose her successor to write her next books. What she wasn’t counting on was sharing the trip with her rival, Ethan Wyatt. He can never get her name right. He is always competing with her for awards.

Eleanor goes missing…from a locked room…without a trace. But Maggie starts to think she’s hiding hints for her. Is this a test? Or is Eleanor really in trouble.

I enjoyed this one. But, I’m not a huge fan of mysteries and realize I never really care “whodunnit”. I preferred the romance aspect of it.

It’s been so nice to dive into Ally Carter’s work years after reading her Gallagher Girls series. Her adult novels have become the perfect titles to pick up whenever I need something that blends comforting and cozy vibes with fast-paced action (a very strange but necessary combo in my book).

While The Blonde Identity took on the spy genre, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year takes on Agatha Christie-esque cozy mysteries, following two rival authors who are caught in a real life mystery when their idol disappears before Christmas.

This book is cozy mystery to the max! It’s perfect for Christie super fans as well as those who loved Knives Out. It’s well-paced and the clues are perfectly placed, making for a satisfying ending. Even though it’s set during Christmas, Christmas isn’t a huge part of the plot which means this is a great book to read at any point this winter.

Even with all of the mystery, romance is also a key part of the story. I did find that part of the story to be a bit underdeveloped and muddled, but the vibes were still very cute so I didn’t mind that too much.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a great addition to any holiday or winter TBR. I can’t wait to see what Ally Carter comes up with next. It’s available now — thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was just the PERFECT cozy read! A holiday mystery/romance combo?! Sign ya girl up!

Maggie Chase is a very successful mystery writer who has had a tough life and is trying to rebuild after her husband left her. So when her editor gives her a cryptic invite that involves a private jet, a mysterious fan and Christmas, she can’t say no… even if it turns out her nemesis, thriller writer Wyatt is there too. Turns out the invite is from one of the most prolific and successful authors, Eleanor Ashley, and she goes missing the night they arrive. So Ethan and Maggie are forced to join forces and try to solve this mystery…

I loved the Blonde Identity by @theallycarter and was so thrilled to get an ARC of this one from my friends at @netgalley and @avonbooks. This was the best book to curl up with. So many of my favorite things - fun side characters, 🔥 chemistry, a whodunit mystery with plenty of twists and turns.

Was this horrible? No.... Did it deliver the holiday vibes? Questionable. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and it did leave me wanting more. Particularly in the romance department... I definitely wasn't on board for a lot of that development, but it was a quick read and I did appreciate that.

Such a good romance and mystery read! No blood, no smut, but definite suspense! Plenty of characters and red herrings to make a mystery and lots of pining for a good romance. This was a fun holiday read.

It's like if Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle fell in love with Jodie Foster as Alex Rover from Nim's Island and they were invited to a mysterious old estate for Christmas and I ate 👏 it 👏 up 👏

I've been an Ally Carter fan for a long time, and while I liked "The Blonde Identity", I didn't love it like I was hoping to. This one, though? This one I LOVED.

Yes, it's silly and ridiculous. The characters can be childish and the dialogue can be cringy. Sure, I called whodunnit from the moment they stepped on page. But no, I did not care. It was fun, and that's really all I wanted it to be.

There are matching holiday jumpers. Maggie's a massive nerd for mysteries and I felt so seen by that element of her character. Ethan is down BAD and I love that about him.

So yeah. 5 stars. Definitely one I'll think about re-reading in future Christmas seasons.

Content-wise, there's some profanity and innuendo, one make-out scene and one fade-to-black scene. Not my preference, but you do you.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

This was one of my absolute favorite reads of the year! I loved the mix of romance and mystery. I want more of Maggie and Ethan running around solving mysteries in between kisses. I can't wait to see what else Carter writes!

The most wonderful crime of the year by Ally Carter was one of my favorite reads of the Christmas season
The main characters were believable, funny, and great together. I enjoyed their romance, their backstory, their misunderstanding to love.
I will definitely be reading more by Carter.

Fantastic, the hilarious banter kept me engaged & the plot was plotting. Will definitely be re reading & recommend to everyone

Knives out cozy murder mystery in England but make it bookish and weave in a funny author enemies to lovers plot!

A really solid 4 ⭐️ read I devoured w/in 48 hours! Incredibly entertaining on audio and I enjoyed the dual narrators 🎧

Thank you to Avon, Ally, and NetGalley for the advance e-galley!

So fun! Now this is a Christmas romantic suspense done right! The enemies to lovers journey is completely believable (so often that trope does not have enough conflict). He falls first which is just perfect. The mystery is actually somewhat tricky and keeps the reader guessing. And there are some really sweet and tender moments between the leads, as well as some realizations that the heroine discovers about herself that make her stronger . A really good read.

A perfect who’s unit Christmas story. A little bit like clue and a little Agatha Christie. A touch of romance . I loved the two authors/ enemies spending Christmas trapped in a blizzard in England and a missing mystery writer.

What to expect:

✨locked room mystery
✨he falls first
✨authors solving a crime
✨Mistletoe Manor
✨fade-to-black
✨nonlinear timeline
✨awkward curtsies
✨short chapters

I love Ally’s writing style and this book was immediately added to my Comfort Reads list! Maggie’s level of awkwardness when she met her favorite author was hilarious and so relatable. The way Ethan teased Maggie gave me strong Ryan Renyolds vibes and I’m a sucker for the “he falls first” trope. I enjoyed the mystery and banter, and this is my ultimate favorite holiday read this season.

I love a locked room mystery, but add in a romcom and I’m weak! Maggie and Ethan are both complicated people and their backstories are revealed in bits which helped as they grow in their relationship.
The setting of the English countryside at Christmas with a blizzard and no way out was perfection. It was very “Knives Out” with a bit of Murder on the Orient Express. Who knew that combo would be so good?