I’m sorry, this is going be harsh. DNF after 2 chapters, The writing is absolutely awful. Meandering and directionless, rudimentary and with that irksome “show me, don’t tell me” quality. No desire to go on.

No public review as I don't have a positive review.

Unforunately this book just wasn't for me. I found the writing to be heavy, repetitive and slow. It was really difficult for me to connect to the characters or the plot. The book as a whole felt messy and difficult to enjoy.

This was an interesting premise and it took me a while to figure out what was going on and who the characters were since every chapter is a different character who lives in the complex. The mystery was interesting and it did come together pretty nicely and kept me guessing. I liked that it was based in Santa Barbara since I recognized some landmarks while i was reading.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Mrs. B the landlady for the Marigold Cottages collects quirky tenants and enjoys knowing everything about them. When someone is murdered around the cottages and one of her misfits is accused of murder, Mrs. B and the rest of her crew try to discover who the killer is. Entertaining and funny mystery with unique characters.

Holy cow, this book is so good. I love the way the story was told: short chapters from different characters’ POV, but with only Sophie’s told in the first person. Each characters voice was so unique, it was easy to follow. The how and why of the murder almost didn’t matter - the strongest part of the story was witnessing this community of found family coming together. Bravo! Thanks to Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the #advancReviewCopy of The Marigold Cottages Collective

Genre: #mystery #cozymystery

Release Date: Aug 2025

Summary: The Marigold Cottages are home to a group of people who don’t really have much in common expect:
a) their landlady and
b) they are committed to protecting her and their neighbourhood after a dead body is discovered on the property.

Each neighbour has their own past, secret and unique personality and as they come together to solve the murder mystery, we learn a little more about each one’s life and motivations.

My Thoughts: I loved this one. This is delivered through the perspective of all the characters, mainly in third person with the exception of one character, whose perspective is in first person. It’s fair to say, Sophie, with all her anxiety and dark past is the main driver here. I was engaged from beginning until the end with no dull moments experienced!
I enjoyed the subtle humour, the community feeling and the lightness of the mystery making it a fun read. The short, to the point chapters helped to maintain a quick pace throughout.

Truly a wonderful read for this summer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've seen these cute clusters of vintage cottage apartments around Los Angeles. You can imagine the interesting people drawn to living in small houses near their neighbors. Mrs. B, the resident owner of the Marigold Cottages, has curated her tenants over the years to form a community. They all have their quirks, secrets, and hopes, and (mostly) band together to solve a murder wrongly pinned on the newest resident. The tenants' distinct personalities remind me of "Only Murders in the Building"—as mentioned in the book blurb.

The one jarring note was several mentions of Altadena, a community recently devastated by the Eaton Fire. It will take decades to rebuild. The authors finished writing long before the fire, so this was an unavoidable glitch.

Is this a standalone? Or might it be a series? I'll be watching this author-duo. (But not in a creepy stalkerish way.)

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective
by Jo Nichols
Pub Date: August 19, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.
This book was so fun!!! Full of lovable misfits and crazy antics. I love how you got everyones perspective and what they are thinking and experiencing, even the detective. It was a little odd at first how all of the perspectives are in third person with the exception of Sophie who is written in first person. But after I got used to it, I really liked how hers was different and in her perspective you also get elements of a play because she is a playwright working on a play based on the events that are happening.

I got lost in the story and was heavily invested in the lives and secrets of the residents of Marigold cottages as the mystery started to finally make sense. Or so I thought. Such a fun cozy mystery for fans of meddling grandmothers, accidental detectives and second chances,

Are you a mystery reader? Check out The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols. It was an entertaining read. Pick it up later this summer.

Seeing that an author has titled each chapter with a different point-of-view character’s name—as if the writing isn’t strong enough to differentiate them—usually turns me off a book. I read this one in spite of that, and, in this case, it worked. There are three strong female characters, in particular, that I got more and more attached to as the story went on, among a larger quirky, but interesting and believable cast. Great location. If I hadn’t lived in Santa Barbara for years, it would have been hard to make sense of the geography, but it doesn’t matter. I enjoyed the way the mystery and characters developed, and would be interested in reading more about them again, but found the ending hard a little hard to believe.

Also a little confused about the author: the name on the cover is Jo Nichols, but inside the authors are listed as Lee Naftali and Joe Naftali.

This is a great cozy read. I love how the characters were set up, each telling the story in their own voice. The chapters are short, so you can read it along the way but not lose your spot if you like to end in chapters. The story keeps twisting and turning and you learn something about each character that builds to the final story ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who likes a good cozy mystery.

When a dead body shows up in a small Santa Barbara community, the residents of the Marigold Cottages band together to clear their neighbor's name.

This is a cute, cozy murder mystery suited for those of us who can't get enough of the Thursday Murder Club. If you like a murder mystery that's not dark, this is for you.

The end felt a bit abrupt/unfinished and I found myself wanting more of a sense of closure and resolution, but overall, I enjoyed the development of the characters' friendships and think this is a fun option to read on the beach or on a rainy day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When a quirky group of cottage dwellers discover a body in the hedge surrounding their small neighborhood, they coalesce to protect a new resident from a murder charge to become a community. Each chapter of this book is written from the viewpoint of one of the residents of the Marigold Cottages and the police detective charged with finding the killer. I found this book a challenge to get into because with all of the varied residents and their differing viewpoints it felt disjointed and difficult to follow. It took me the first third of the book before I really felt that I knew who the characters were and could "hear their voices" as I read. I never truly identified with any of them, even now I cannot tell you who the main protagonist of the book is. This is a gathering of a group of weird people who truly only become functional as a group. Each person adds a strength the others need with owner Golda orchestrating them all. One of the characters, Sophie, is an aspiring play write. When the investigation begins, she is the self-assigned secretary of the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, as the residents have christened themselves writes her entries (chapters) as notes. As the book progresses her chapters become more a quasi-scene in the play she is working on, based on the current events and people surrounding her life at home. It becomes more difficult to know what are really her notes versus what she is writing for her play.
On a positive note, once I actually got into the story, I had to keep reading, The plot is curiously complex filled with twists and red herrings. Every time I thought I knew who the killer was, I realized I was wrong. After resident Lily-Anne is attacked and a second body is found at the cottages, she realizes who her attacker is and orchestrates the gathering of evidence the group presents to the detective. Later, as Sophie presents her "play" to the collective, the reader is left wondering if the real murderer was actually locked up or not!
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and honestly review this book.

3.5 stars

A fun, cozy murder mystery told in short, sharp chapters changing in viewpoint from an ensemble cast of characters. I really liked how the tenants become a found family as they all try to investigate the real culprit.

However, at times I felt that the pace dragged a bit, and some chapters just felt like they weren’t really pushing the action forward enough. Sophie’s chapters in first point of view compared to the rest being in third point of view made no sense and her romance sub-plot since they didn’t really have any chemistry. Also, it takes until over halfway before Mrs B decides to turn herself in to protect Anthony, so it felt slow waiting for that action to happen given the synopsis gave it away. Vernon’s point of view was also just one too many and didn’t serve the story.

That said, this was a charming escapist mystery featuring a group of misfits cum unlikely friends. I loved take charge Lily-Ann and artistic Ocean. The ending told in the style of a play script was also a brilliant twist. This would make a fabulous TV series.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I approached The Marigold Cottages Murder with high hopes, especially after its opening paragraph grabbed me with the kind of punch that would’ve made me snatch it off a bookstore shelf. Unfortunately, the promise of that first page didn’t hold up, and this debut left me disappointed and unlikely to revisit this author’s work.

Set in the picturesque Marigold Cottages in Santa Barbara, the story centers on a quirky group of tenants curated by their idealistic landlady, Mrs. B. The cast includes Sophie, a playwright with a shadowy past; Hamilton, an oversharing agoraphobe; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids; Lily-Ann, a perfectionist; and Nicholas, a secretive finance bro. The idyllic community is disrupted when Anthony, a quiet but intimidating ex-con, moves in. When a body turns up in the neighborhood, Anthony is arrested, only for Mrs. B to confess to the crime herself, prompting the tenants to form “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” to clear her name.

I love a classic mystery with a tight plot, compelling characters, and thought-provoking themes, but this novel fell short on all fronts. The premise had potential, but the execution leaned too heavily into silliness, undermining any sense of stakes or suspense. The characters felt like caricatures—lacking depth or believability—and their dialogue often came across as forced. The plot, while initially intriguing, unraveled into a contrived mess, weighed down by what felt like a heavy-handed sprinkling of contemporary social commentary. This “woke ideology,” as some might call it, felt shoehorned in, detracting from the story rather than enhancing it.

I’m a firm believer that timeless storytelling avoids overt references to specific cultural moments. A 2020 Facebook poll by another author revealed that 95% of readers prefer books to be an escape, not a reminder of real-world issues like the Covid pandemic. I share that sentiment, and the ideological undertones here made the book feel dated and preachy rather than entertaining. While the Santa Barbara setting was vividly described, it wasn’t enough to salvage the experience.

The Marigold Cottages Murder might appeal to readers who enjoy light, quirky mysteries with a modern social lens, but for those seeking a classic whodunit with substance, it misses the mark. I wanted to love it, but this one just wasn’t for me.

A charming, quick-witted mystery with heart.
The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is a delightful cozy mystery that blends humor, heart, and just the right dash of suspense. The residents of Marigold Cottages are quirky, endearing, and surprisingly resourceful when a murder shakes up their serene little community. As secrets unravel and friendships deepen, the mystery unfolds with warmth and wit.

Jo Nichols has a knack for balancing character-driven charm with a satisfyingly twisty plot. The alternating points of view and unexpected clues kept me engaged from start to finish. It’s not just about whodunnit—it’s about the joy of solving it together.

Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building, this one left me hoping for a return visit to Marigold Cottages.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Whodunit Meets Heart in This Cozy California Caper

Jo Nichols’ The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is a warm, witty, and endearingly eccentric mystery that blends the intrigue of a classic whodunit with the emotional depth of a found-family dramedy. It’s an easy four-star read that will charm fans of Only Murders in the Building, The Thursday Murder Club, and anyone who’s ever longed to live in a cozy bungalow community where your neighbors help you bury both your secrets and your suspects.

At the heart of the novel is Mrs. B, the kind of landlady everyone wishes they had—nosy, nurturing, and unafraid to storm into a police station and confess to a murder she (probably) didn’t commit. Her motley crew of tenants includes an anxious playwright, a socially awkward finance bro, a queer sculptor mom, an agoraphobic gamer, and a perfectionist hiding behind her planner. Their peaceful Santa Barbara enclave is turned upside down when a new tenant—an ex-con with a mysterious past—is arrested for murder. That’s when the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is born.

The novel’s greatest strengths lie in its ensemble cast. The shifting POVs offer a rich sense of interiority, with Nichols balancing humor, trauma, and redemption in equal measure. While Sophie’s first-person narration stands out as an odd stylistic choice compared to the third-person framing of the others, it mostly works—especially as her arc mirrors the story’s broader themes of confronting past wounds and rewriting your narrative.

The mystery itself is solid—not overly twisty but grounded in character motivations and emotional logic. There are a few predictable beats, but the pleasure here is less in solving the murder and more in watching the characters evolve, connect, and occasionally collide.

A few pacing issues crop up in the early chapters, and the tonal shifts between zany neighborhood antics and more serious emotional revelations might not be to everyone’s taste. But once the ensemble finds its rhythm, the pages fly.

Bottom Line: A delightful and big-hearted cozy mystery that’s as much about community as it is about crime. With its sun-soaked setting, lovable oddballs, and sharp observational humor, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is an ideal summer escape—best enjoyed with your feet in the sand and your heart a little open.

Recommended for:
Fans of Only Murders in the Building, cozy mysteries with depth, character-driven stories, and tales of unlikely friendships.

Not recommended for:
Readers who prefer tightly plotted thrillers or minimal character backstory. This one leans hard into the charm and chaos of community.

What a great cozy mystery! Mrs. B owns a collection of cottages and rents them out to people who mean something to her. Mrs. B is rather eclectic herself, and surrounds herself with people who are unique, as well. The mystery begins with a body being found near one of the cottages early one morning. The police seem more concerned with closing the case than actually solving the crime, so the race is on for the residents of the Marigold Cottages to clear the name of the newest tenant. But maybe he did it?

I loved all the quirky characters in this book, and I whizzed through it in a couple of days. I did guess the killer fairly early, but there were still some surprises in store that I did not expect and solving it early did not affect my enjoyment of the story. Highly recommended if you dig loveable weirdos and whodunits.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Jo Nichols for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.