Cute, lighthearted & cozy murder mystery! set in Santa Barbara with an eclectic, found family group of neighbors who discover a body in their neighborhood and set out to find the truth (and exonerate their newest neighbor)

I wasn’t expecting so much intrigue based on the description and cover but I really enjoyed the mystery in this (especially the reveal at the end)! also its multiple POVs from all the neighbors which I think is pretty cool.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you #NetGalley for the eARC of #TheMarigoldCottagesMurderCollective by Jo Nichols!

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective had all the makings of a cozy mystery: a cast of eccentric tenants, a fiercely protective landlady, and a community that feels similar to Only Murders in the Building and The Residence. I wanted to love this more than I did.

There’s a lot of heart here—genuinely. The found family vibes and the way the characters rally around Mrs. B made me smile. I appreciated the mix of personalities and perspectives (shoutout to Ocean!). But for a murder mystery, the mystery itself didn’t always take center stage. The pacing lagged in places, and there were so many side stories that it sometimes felt more like a neighborhood drama (think Desperate Housewives) than a whodunnit.

This was a very cozy, delightful mystery. It had likable characters and humorous moments. I could see real character development if more books are written as a part of a series.

I picked The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols on a whim. I've been in a cozy mystery phase as a palate cleanser to more serious books. It may seem odd that a murder mystery is a palate cleanser, but the way cozy mysteries are written, it's the mysteries and relationships that are focused on, which is a genre I'm really enjoying right now. While not out quite yet, this is definitely a cozy mystery to add to the TBR.

One additional thing this author did really well is bring the reality of what can happen in a murder investigation in such a way that really highlighted social injustices, prejudice, and the way our bias can have a drastic impact on someone's life. It's not super common in a cozy mystery to have such heavy topics be presented in a digestible way. I also loved the idea of community that the author created in this book. Did it get a little silly at points? Yes. Did it also deftly weave real life topics through the story in such a way that it didn't overwhelm while also not treating these life topics in a flippant manner.

I really loved how this group of individuals, all with different backgrounds, came together and supported one another. There was also a level of the community expressing to each other that they accepted them, regardless of their eccentricities or quirks. Each character was also beautifully written with a clear analysis of their personalities and their backstories. Again, the author really balanced the characters' motivations and past experiences and emphasized how everyone could be who they were and be loved in this little cottage community.

Please be advised that I received an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I regret to inform that I had to dnf this book at 10%. I was thinking this was going to be Richard Osman funny geriatric murdcom. It wasn’t that. I wanted more Mrs. B and less discussion of the female characters bodies. I think the weight and size of the 3 younger female characters was mentioned about 8 times in the first 10%.
The story also felt very disjointed with the POV changes every 3 pages.

I liked this one. It was engaging and fun, with a lot of heartfelt found-family storylines that I found very enjoyable. I do feel like it dragged on a bit in the middle, with some of the investigating feeling a bit repetitive, but on the whole I really enjoyed the direction of the story. The characters were a deliciously varied assemblage and their madcap antics and suspicious were fun and funny. It would make a very cool movie or TV show - it felt cinematic in its presentation.

This book was such a delightful cozy murder mystery! The characters at Marigold Cottages were all wonderfully quirky and easy to love, each adding their own charm to the story. Mrs. B, the owner, was especially memorable with her eccentric personality that kept things lively and unpredictable. I loved seeing how the group came together to solve the murder! The ending was quite a shock!

Thank you @NetGalley for letting me review this book!

fun cozy-ish mystery about a ragtag bunch of protagonists all banding together to defend each other. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is a very enjoyable read with wonderfully flawed characters that you care about. It felt like a madcap adventure mystery that takes place in the quirky cottages of Mrs. B in Santa Barbara. I hope there is a sequel!

I love a story with a cast of quirky characters who come together for a good cause. From the first chapter I was drawn into learning about each of the residents of the Marigold Cottages and trying to figure out their backstories and what would happen.

The story unfolds in chapter’s that alternate between the different characters point of view. There were several small mysteries along with the murder mystery and we learn about the characters, their history, and role they play in what is going on at the Magnolia Cottages.

Overall I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and getting to know the residents. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy l cozy mysteries and stories about found family.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books, author Jo Nichols, and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this story. It’s the perfect of Thursday Murder Club meet Breaktfast Club - a group of misfits coming together to solve a murder. I was a little worried at first there were going to be too many characters, but that worry quickly went away. each character was given plenty of backstory and was able to stand alone in their POVs. Thank you for the ARC. I would definitely recommend this to others.

The Marigold Cottages run by elderly Mrs. B. are sitting on a prime piece of real estate that developers can't wait to get their hands on. Mrs. B. however, and her group of quirky tenants are determined to stay exactly where they are. Each tenant has their own backstory and although it got confusing at first keeping the various tenants straight, as readers continue on each character becomes distinct. When a man's body is found in the bushes next to Sophie's cottage and their newest tenant is accused of the murder, the "Marigold Cottages Murder Collective" is born. The tenants are determined to figure out who is the real killer, who was the victim and why the murder took place in their little plot of paradise. The local detective just has one more case to close and he can retire going out on "case closed" verdict. He's not interested in actually doing any detective work and just wants to pin the murder on Anthony, Mrs. B.'s newest tenant who has a criminal past.
Readers will enjoy the growing relationships between the various tenants and Mrs. B. If you think you've got it all figured out before the ending- think again!

I loved everything about this book! the characters were amazing and the story had me hooked! I definitely didn't see the ending coming.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I found this story of murder and investigation twisty fun and very SoCal. The cast of quirky characters starts it all off and keeps it up to the end.
I requested and received an uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Aug 19, 2025
#TheMarigoldCottagesMurderCollective by Jo Nichols #stmartinspress #minotaur_books

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, mostly because murder mysteries that don't involve fantasy characters aren't usually my thing. Which is hilarious given all the true crime I listen to. I really liked the twists and turns, especially when it came to the residents (Ocean, Sophie, and Lily-Anne) coming together to save their landlady from confessing to a crime and spending years in prison. I disliked Vernon so much, which means he was well written, because he's the type of detective/police officer that I hate: too blinded by wanting to leave 'a legacy' to look at the facts of the case. Sherlock Holmes once said you have to match the motive to the facts and not fit the facts to fit the motive, and it's something that really annoys me when police make up their own ideas, even if the facts don't match up. I appreciated that despite knowing Anthony was a felon who had gotten out of prison and been taken in by their landlady, most of the residents saw him as one of their own, just a bunch of weirdos brought together by an old lady. Overall, once I made it halfway I was hooked, and considered skipping to the end to find out who the real killer was. I'm so glad I didn't, because everything being laid out was so perfectly written!

Cozy charm, but a bit too predictable. The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols, releasing August 19, 2025, is a fun, lighthearted read full of quirky characters and a charming setting, though it feels a bit too familiar for fans of cozy mysteries like The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building. While the story has its moments, the plot’s predictability makes it hard to be truly surprised.
The book takes place in sunny Santa Barbara, where Mrs. B, the landlady of the Marigold Cottages, rents to an eccentric group of tenants. Their peaceful lives are turned upside down when a murder occurs, and Mrs. B believes their new neighbor, Anthony, is innocent despite being arrested for the crime. To prove his innocence, the tenants form the "Murder Collective" and dig into the case themselves.
While the characters are endearing and the community dynamic adds a lot of warmth to the story, the mystery itself didn’t hold many surprises. The twists were easy to guess, and the plot didn’t offer anything particularly new or fresh. That said, the light humor and camaraderie among the tenants still made for an enjoyable read.
If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries and love a good, feel-good read, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will likely hit the spot. However, if you're looking for a more complex or unpredictable mystery, this one may not be quite as exciting as you’d hoped.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for this arc, in exchange of an honest review.

I LOVED how unique each of the characters was in this book, and it flowed really well over time. I liked the cozy-found family aspect of this book and I enjoyed the way the plot unfolded. 4.25/5

While there were a number of characters in this book, it seemed to flow better than most individual chapter narrations. I liked the cast and how they were actually developed instead of just tropes. Lots of twists in the last few chapters which kept it interesting

I can't agree more with one of the main characters in this book, when referring to the other characters, she says - I love those weirdos! This was one of the most interesting and loveable cast of characters that I have come across in a very long time. Pushing this right to the 5 star rating for me was the great mystery that was detailed and quite intricate. This was an absolutely delightful read. More books in the series please!