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?

🎁R E V I E W 🎁

In this book you will find:
🤩 Fun!
🔪 Locked room murder mystery
📚 Two writers fall in love
✨Rivals to lovers

This book was basically a good time. Very much Clue vibes. There is murder, but make it light. 😂 The story doesn’t take itself too seriously.

I rated this 4 stars, but when I read it I was in a busy season and struggled to sit down to read at all for an extended length of time, so I truly think that played a role. I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it because of that. Also, the MMC reminded me of Glen Powell energy. I don’t know if you find that to be a pro or con. 💀

❄️This was a great addition to my Christmas book lineup this year. I will say that it felt more like a winter book, so I think you could enjoy this all winter long. ❄️


I will say, if you’re looking for a darker thriller, I would pass on this. This is mainly for the vibes.

🚪: closed door.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book to review. 🫶🏼

Story
I’ve been an Ally Carter stan since I was a preteen so you know I’m going to be here for anything she puts out. I didn’t love her previous adult mystery/romance and was really hoping this one would be better for me. I’m thrilled to report that it was!

Maggie and Ethan are rival mystery book authors (according to Maggie at least). They’re both heading out on a mysterious Christmas trip, no clue that they were invited by the Agatha Christie of their time (Eleanor Ashley). They, along with members of Eleanor’s family, were brought to her huge mansion/castle in the English countryside for some reason. When Eleanor goes missing a few days before Christmas, Maggie and Ethan use their crime, poison, and general mystery trope knowledge to try to figure out what happened and where she is.

I really enjoyed the romance between these two and the setting was incredible. Only one bed, enemies-to-lovers, he-fell-first… all the good tropes! The fact that there was also a mystery in the backdrop made this book even better. Carter did a great job balancing both genres IMO but I do wish there was a liiiittle more of the mystery. I think the Knives Out plus holiday rom-com comparison was perfect for this book, which also means additional puzzles, riddles, and time with other characters would have been welcome.

Wintery Setting & Holiday Feels
The book is set at a snowy castle on 20,000 acres in England with no phone signal, plus there’s a snow storm that takes out their power… what more could you ask for in a holiday mystery? The book takes place right before Christmas and ends on Christmas Day so it’s RIGHT in the thick of things, but it’s not necessarily a Christmassy book. They don’t do anything festive really.

Overall
I’d love to give this book five stars because the banter and romance were good and the mystery was really fun, but there are a lot of random holes – if you think about this too much (or analyze it like we did at my mystery/thriller book club this month…), you’ll ruin the experience.

I truly enjoyed this book! Just the right amount of holiday without being Hallmark, a mystery that I truly couldn't figure out before the end, and just enough romance/sexual tension without actually being smut. This book was well rounded and thought out and truly had me hooked from chapter one! Also the audiobook if you decide to check it out was lovely, although I do wish there was a little more narration from the male perspective in the sense that the male character could have said his own lines more often, however it had me hooked and listening/reading during all hours of the day to get the book finished!

I freaking adored this book. The banter between the two MCs, Maggie and Ethan, was freaking ✨ah-mazing✨. The will they/wont they throughout the whole book was the perfect amount of romance for me. The locked room mystery was the perfect amount of whodunnit. And I just loved everything about this one. I think it’s gonna be an annual holiday read

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

I will be honest, I really wanted to like this book more. It wasn’t bad… but I feel like I was left wanting a lot more than I got. The plot felt like it didn’t have a lot of thought put into it and to me the romance felt a bit out of place. I found myself wishing it was one or the other… either a mystery or a romance. I felt like trying to do both just made each aspect fall flat. I didn’t mind the ending and felt like that brought my rating up a bit because the middle of the book really dragged for me.

It was alright, not sure if I would recommend.

I've been a fan of Ally Carter's sense her Gallagher Girl Serie days. That I discovered shortly after I high school And when I saw that she had written a Christmas rom com mystery combo that was describe as Knives out with Christmas I knew I had to check it out. Especially since she write the screenplay for my favorite Christmas movie A Castle for Christmas, and I also loved her novel for adults The Blonde Identify. And I loved this, and quite frankly it would make an awesome movie, a Christmas movie that I would willingly watch. Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt are both writers who write for the same publishing house. They are work place rivals. They jump at the chance to visit a favorite writer's English estate over Christmas when they find themselves in locked room mystery straight out of Christie.

This one was the perfect blend of mystery and rom com. I loved the banter between Maggie and Wyatt, and I loved finding out that there was to Ethan than meets the eye. Character's that are more than meets the eye are what Ally started with the Gallagher Girl Series and while her target audience has changed her knack for writing a great story with action, banter and heroes and heroines that butt heads has not.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is one of the books I was looking forward to reading the most, and I really felt like it lived up to the hype...for the most part.

I loved the mystery aspect to this book. Is Eleanor dead? Is it really just a game she's playing? It definitely fit the Knives Out comparison.

The one thing that felt just a little bit icky to me was Ethan's infatuation with Maggie. I get that he's been pining after her for years, and she's the one who thought they were rivals all this time. But he felt just a little too infatuated/desperate.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this book. And while it is set during Christmas time, you can read this one any time of the year. Christmas doesn't steal the show in this one. The mystery does.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the arc in exchange for an honest review!