✨ Review ✨ The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Thanks to Avon and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This was one of the most fun books I've read this year. It mixes a locked room mystery with a fun and flirty romance when two rival authors are snowed into a famous author's mansion the night before she disappears. They have to work together to find the missing author and keep each other alive along the way.

There are certain books where the banter, especially in a good enemies-to-lovers, really carries the book, and this is one of them. Everything about the two main characters was just fun to read.

The book also slayed with the minor details though -- a cast of characters that sometimes were just too over-the-top, obsessions with Christmas sweaters, plants & poisons, secret passages, and more.

For a multi-genre Christmas book that's light and fun (amidst assorted crimes), this is a great pick for your holiday season!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: m/f contemporary rom com + locked room mystery
Setting: mostly British countryside mansion
Pub Date: Sept 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ enemies/rivals-to-lovers trope
⭕️ a book that puts the com in rom com
⭕️ locked room snowed in mansion adventure

THE HIT OF THE SEASON!!! I have been an Ally Carter fan since I was a literal child and I was SO excited for this holiday mystery romance. Ethan is truly a man written by a woman and a sleeper contender for book boyfriend of the year. Both the mystery and the romance kept me on my toes and I've been raving about it since I started it. I NEED a copy for my shelves but I fear I'll have to wait until next year to get my hands on one. Definitely want to reread before Christmas!

“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.”

The cover alone attracted me to this charming festive romance that is mixed with a Knives Out type mystery, and I was quite excited to dive in.

Knowing this wouldn't be a straight up mystery, but rather a romance with mystery elements helped frame my expectations of the story. It is very romance-forward, but Aly Carter creates a mystery that is strong enough to feel like it isn’t second string. Her setup is great too: two mystery writers, known to be enemies in the writing world, received invitations to spend Christmas at crime writer Eleanor Ashley's mansion with a pending snowstorm that cuts off communication with the rest of the world, an eccentric family, attempted murder, and the mysterious disappearance of Eleanor. I love an 'enemies to friends to lovers' trope; Carter builds the tension between Maggie and Ethan well, and I genuinely believed in their friendship first and foremost, especially as the two learn to open up to each other and lean on one another. Ethan is perfectly swoonworthy, especially as he just wants Maggie to see her value, while Maggie is perfectly relatable in her doubts (and later on, her convictions). Ethan and Maggie's witty banter is great; I especially loved the deadpan humour in Maggie's thoughts on Ethan! The timeline moves quickly (they fall in love in two days), but Carter makes a salient point about how lives can change in a matter of seconds, why not in two days? The denouement has the makings of a classic “all the suspects gathered in the library” scene with a lot of playful banter between Maggie and Ethan that brought about a satisfying conclusion.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a story of self doubt, paying attention, trust and care. It would make a really entertaining movie and made me want another book featuring Maggie and Ethan solving more mysteries. Thank you to Harper Collins Canada & NetGalley for the ARC!

This was super cute! I read it in less than a day. Perfect blend of Christmas vibes and mystery! The only thing I wasn’t a fan of is the miscommunication trope between the two main characters - but it definitely wasn’t a huge deal since the story still flowed well.

This is an absolute delight. Everyone should read this because if the holidays don’t make you at least a little bit itchy for murder then you’re a liar.

I couldn’t stop laughing yet also kind of swooning over this. I was skeptical the murder mystery hijinks and romance would work but it was perfectly balanced. Ethan is such a cocky yet secret sweet cinnamon roll, and I loved seeing Maggie’s confidence grow. She was whip smart and her banter with Ethan made the pages fly by. Their sarcastic humor, always tinged with violence and murder, is honestly my love language.

Maggie was a strong main character with the perfect blend of vulnerability and depth, but also a compelling personality with her dry humor and murdery impulses. I loved how this was toned down on the whining and drama once she starts to fall for Ethan, and instead she just rolls with it. So refreshing not to wallow in the melodrama and instead just focus on hot make outs in secret passageways and poisoned suspects.

The gaslighting and panic themes were done respectfully and honestly, which was surprising given the length of this book. Overall I was really impressed with how well so many aspects came together brilliantly for an overall fun time. This has all the right holiday vibes, a swoony romance, great backstory and characters, and a fun knives out-esque murder mystery to keep the plot and pacing moving. I will definitely be looking for more books by the author.

Consider me well into the holiday spirit now 🔪

Holiday enemies to lovers book. All the ingredients of a great holiday mystery: snowed in, bridge is out, missing host, and people who don't know each other stuck in a small space with one another. Fun read.

When Maggie Chase’s editor told her that she’d been invited to spend Christmas with her biggest fan, she wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was a all-expense paid trip to England for the holidays, so that’s pretty hard to turn down. The only downside to the trip? Ethan Wyatt was going too.

Maggie had met Ethan earlier in her career. He was handsome and charming (not that she’d admit that), and his thriller books are actually well written (not that she’d admit that either). But he just seemed to materialize out of nowhere and take over the publishing world, while she’d had to work and work and work to get anywhere. He had gotten her name wrong for years, calling her Marcie. And now she had to spend Christmas with him.

But after the private plane that took them overseas and the Rolls-Royce that transported them to a 20,000 acre estate in north England, Maggie felt like it all could only mean one thing. They were at the home of international bestselling and beloved crime writer Eleanor Ashley. Ashley had written 99 crime novels, and they were the reason Maggie had started writing in the first place.

Maggie is stunned to realize that she is actually the home of Eleanor Ashley, to celebrate Christmas with the greatest living crime writer and her family and friends. At first, it seems like a miracle. Then, when someone tries to poison Ashley, it seems like a nightmare. And when Ashley goes missing, it turns into a mystery.

As Maggie and Ethan work together to try to find the famous author, they realize that the poison hadn’t been the first attempt on her life. And they need to find her fast, or she may never get a chance to finish her latest book.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a delightful story of classic crime, complete with a poison garden and secret passageways and family infighting. The banter is fast and witty, and the realizations build slowly, as all the puzzle pieces eventually come together in an unexpected picture. It’s big holiday fun, with a clever crime and some flirty romance, and it’s great fun for anyone wanting a cheeky cheerful mystery with mistletoe.

I listened to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year on audio, narrated to perfection by Saskia Maarleveld and Zachary Webber. They both embodied the characters or Maggie and Ethan and brought the story to life with all its snark, flirting, red herrings, and warm feelings. I loved listening to this book. I thought it was so much fun, like a smart mystery mixed with a romance mixed with a farce. Gift it to your smartest crime novel fans this holiday season.

Egalleys for The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year were provided by Avon through NetGalley, but I bought the audio book myself through Chirp.

I adored this fun holiday mystery AND love story! I love, love, loved Ethan’s character and getting to be in his head and hearing how he felt about Maggie. I loved the setting: the snowy manor in the UK and getting invited to your very favorite author’s Christmas celebration. I loved that Eleanor was as ingenious as her books and I loved the way the mystery was solved. My new favorite holiday read!

This was a fantastic romantic mystery. Honestly one of my favorites. I really enjoyed my time reading this.

What I liked:
1. Maggie’s growth as a character. I love that she found herself while also finding love.
2. The mystery. I’ll bet lots of people predicted the ending but I didn’t. It definitely got me
3. The setting. It was so cozy and the perfect backdrop for the mystery.

What I didn’t like:
1. Even though it was a shorter book, there were parts of it that felt dragged out.

This was so close to a 5 star for me, I really enjoyed it.

The Most Fun Read of My December. Cute, but also a bit dark. Witty banter, check. Grumpy vs Sunshine, however fake, check. Locked room mystery with a mansion full of authors during Christmas. Clue meets Younger.

I have read this author before and enjoyed her books. This one was TOP NOTCH!

I enjoy a holiday read that has a little mystery. This one combined that with romance and oh was it fun!

Maggie and Ethan are definitely enemies, at least in Maggie's eyes. They end up invited to the home of well known author Eleanor Ashley. But they have no idea why. Then Eleanor goes missing and things really take a turn.

The banter between Maggie and Ethan was so much fun. And there was such a delightful cast of characters.

Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

You know, I can’t claim it’s my favorite book of the year but I also have no notes. It’s a fantastic book as is and I read through it enjoying every moment until the very end, so therefore a rare 5 star rating from me!

Okay, a few buzzwords and phrases to actually give this review merit…

Highly entertaining with some thrills and mystery along the way. Great set-up and excellent follow-through. Escalating tensions mixed with emotional depth and adorable interactions. I loved Maggie and Ethan and how they grow over such a short book, everything we learn just makes me love them more. The author packs a lot in to such a concise locked-in mystery. It felt like a great counterpart to the super-sappy romances of the holiday season. Crime solving for the holiday reading win!

This book was super fun. I love books about writers, but having the mystery writers solving a mystery element is always something I enjoy. The characters are fun and this was such a quick read. Definitely see where the Knives Out comparisons are drawn and I like that style a lot.

This book was a wonderful ride from start to finish! The murder mystery elements with a romance that had me giggling and kicking my feet?! I mean I couldn't ask for more!

A total fun Christmas romp! Very reminiscent of when Agatha Christie went missing, fellow mystery authors Maggie and Ethan end up playing real detectives when they are invited to stay at a famous mystery author’s English estate over the Christmas holiday. Romance blossoms between the two of them as they get to know each other between poisonings, shootings, and finding clues between books. It was the perfect cozy holiday mystery, and gave Clue vibes as well.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was so fun and a perfect combination f mystery and romance. I fell I love with mystery stories through reading Agatha Christie so I appreciated all the references to honor her. My favorite romance trope is enemies to lovers so this was just the perfect book for me.

When rival mystery authors Maggie and Ethan are forced to spend the holidays together at the home of a fan, they're both shocked to discover that the fan is none other than the most prolific mystery writer of all time, Eleanor Ashley, and her home is really a secluded mansion in the Scottish countryside. When a snowstorm hits and their illustrious host vanishes, Maggie is sure this is a test: Eleanor is finally ready to retire and either Maggie or Ethan will continue her legacy. But when another guests is almost killed, the pair realize that things are more serious than they thought, and they may be the only two they can trust.

Rivals to lovers to crime-fighting companions has gotta be one of the best microtropes of all time, no? Since I was a kid, I've loved Ally Carter's books, and her turn to adult romance-mystery-caper novels has please me so much. Its great for the author to grow with us, her millennial fandom. This book was even better than The Blonde Identity, with both great romantic and mystery elements, a holiday spin, and many, many nods to Agatha Christie. It's not the most, shall we say, original plot, with a few points reminiscent of The Mousetrap, but it's got enough original charm and romance to make it a fresh spin on some old tropes. I love this book so much and can't wait to see what else Carter has in store.

Thanks to Avon for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

Words can’t describe how much I loved this one! A great cozy winter romance, a fun snowed-in murder mystery, and so much complicated history between Maggie and Ethan. It winks enough at other mysteries while doing its own definitive thing, and I loved the way Ethan’s POV slowly emerges throughout the narrative. A terrific read, particularly for this time of year.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've been a fan of Ally Carter since the Gallagher Girls series, and I think this book might be my favorite yet!

This book is a delightful blend of Cozy Mystery and Romance, and I think readers who similarly enjoy both genres will also like the blend. There's a solid mystery plot with classic mystery tropes, such as an Agatha-Chrisitie-like country house party set during a snowstorm. There's also a solid enemies-to-lovers romance plot. I really appreciated how well this book balanced both genres.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of Cozy Mystery Romances looking for a fun Christmas read!

4.5⭐️— Humor, mystery, romance… this book’s got it all. Seriously just so fun & such a unique holiday read. Absolutely loved it! Thank you NetGalley & Avon Books for this ARC!