I had not read a Jo Nichols book before so I must thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I definitely found this book entertaining and the characters were an awesome mix. I love how this quirky group of tenants and landlady went through a series of events related to a murder to become like a family. This was a well written and truly not obvious story. I truly got involved in the mystery and had a difficult time solving it. These strangers became so involved and so close that they would by the end of the book doing anything they had to protecting each others. I loved the humor throughout and was laughing out loud practically all the way through and calling out comments as if the characters were real and could hear me. I had no idea what to expect from this book and I definitely felt after reading it that I would love a follow up and I would also like to see some other books that this author has written. I really can recommend this cozy mystery as to me if was different from many others of the same genre.

I like cozy mysteries and this one was a fun read. I liked the characters and kept reading to find out what happened. I liked the location and the cottages and all the quirky characters that lived in the cottages.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the Arc.

Rating: 3.25* of five

Mrs. B might care about these people; I didn't. (Didn't care about her, either; kept thinking Mrs. Madrigal had had ECT.)

Ocean was tolerable; Sophie was not; Anthony...what was that about? Like asking a casting director to write you a TV pilot or giving the cinematographer control over the budget, this felt like what happens when there are people deciding things outside their skill set. Much like finance-bro Nicholas, who was hiding secrets I don't remember because I didn't care before or after I knew them.

I give it stars for being seriously lacking in the usual copaganda vibes in cozy mysteries. The police aren't bumbling boobs or mustachio-twirling villains; they're creepy because they are the hulls left after Conformity and Capitalism bash idealism into sludgy slop. They're not solving the real crimes but enforcing Order.

Refreshingly, even bracingly, honest.

PoVs come and go, which will become a trope if this turns into a series. I've already said I didn't like the characters so it wasn't like the tonal shifts took me out of the one character I didn't like's PoV but rather bounced me from insufferable Artiste to dull mom to cipher. I suspect others will feel differently. I see star ratings I simply can't imagine the basis for all over Netgalley and Goodreads.

Like those Osman and Backman and Robinson books, once was enough. Y'all keep lappin' it up; I'll be trawling for something that's not this in the bookstores.

This book is a summer reading delight. I loved it and read it cover to cover. It is humorous, fun and mysterious. The setting of Santa Barbara is atmospheric and beautifully detailed.
We are introduced to Mrs. B the landlady of the cottages. She is a lovely empathetic person and rents to those she feels are in need the most. Their Beach side life is idyllic until she rents to a ex con and a murder occurs. When he is blamed Mrs. B confesses to save him. The community joins in to solve the mystery and save their beloved landlady.
Red herrings abound and as they find underlying secrets a murderer may be revealed.
A fun read that is entertaining and intriguing. Thank you to the publishers, the author and Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

This book is by far the best cozy mystery I have ever read, hands down! It has everything you could ask for: quirky characters full of heart, a charming cozy setting, and a genuinely intriguing mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page. I can’t recommend this one enough!

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

This was really fun! I loved the misfit cast of characters, it really gives found family vibes which is always my favourite. The mystery in this is fun and quirky, and it really fits the cosy mystery genre. I just had a great time reading this. It really felt cosy, like being wrapped in a blanket inside Marigold Cottages.

This was a cute book. Mrs. B is the quintessential meddling landlady and the quirky cast of characters thrown together makes for a fun story. I loved the growth of every character (particularly Lily-Ann and Hamilton) and the surprising ways they were all able to work together.

I wanted to love this one more than I did. The characters were all very quirky, but sometimes I couldn't keep all their backstories straight. It was easy enough to follow although it felt a bit more rushed towards the end than I would've liked. Definitely fits the cozy mystery vibe, and I appreciated the map so that I could keep the scene in my mind as it was tough to imagine from the description. Too many characters going in too many different directions lead to this one feeling a touch disjointed in parts. But this one isn't a memorable one, or one that I would be widely recommending to people. If you like cozy mysteries with a lot of characters and a plot that ebbs and flows, then this will probably be more of a hit for you than it was for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Marigold Cottages is a small conclave of bungalows with a landlord, Mrs B, who truly cares about her renters. It’s a peaceful co-existence for a variety of quirky people who might also be hiding a few secrets. When a murder is committed on their street, some of them assume the perpetrator is Anthony, a parolee and a new resident of Marigold Cottages. As the story unfolds and Mrs B confesses to the crime to exonerate Anthony, the residents put aside their own misgivings and band together to save their beloved landlord.

This book really hooked me. The cast of misfits is a great mix. They’re quirky, sympathetic, and intriguing. Yes, all at the same time. Their interactions and personalities drive the story, the humor is subtle and very well-done, and the writing is quite good. The mystery is the impetus. It brings the residents of Marigold Cottages together and they begin to notice each other for the first time. Meanwhile, there’s an ending I just didn’t see coming.

It took me an extra few days to finish this book and it was simply because I didn’t want it to end. So, I just kept reading slower and slower. But, end it did and now I’m looking forward to Jo Nichols’ next book (no pressure though). Thank you, Ms Nichols for such an enjoyable book. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed all the quirky characters and the found family aspect of this book, but the pacing of the book didn't work for me. I knew from the blurb some of the choices that characters were going to make/actions that were going to occur - yet, at almost 50% of the way through the book they had not occurred. I found myself getting bored at this point and was having a hard time picking the book back up. Once I got through that section, however, the pace picked up and I felt like the true investigating began.

This book revolved around a community of cottages occupied by quirky tenants that come together to solve the murder of James Dedrick, a property developer. It was a slow-burn read until the last few chapters when things started to speed up and the dots began to connect. The ending is a bit of a puzzle because two alternate endings are given and the reader is not sure which one is true. You’ll have to read it to figure out for yourself which ending is the true story!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Meg Price and Jim Meskimen. They did a great job of distinguishing between the characters voices. There was a lot of swearing in the dialogue so be mindful of that if you choose to listen to the audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols is an interesting take on a cozy mystery with the suspects and most of the characters living in a small collection of cottages owned and supervised by the elderly Mrs. B: Golda Bakofsky. Mrs. B was a generous person and a trusting one, renting out her cottages on gut feelings and determining rent on the same. There was Sophie young women who worked in development at a community theatre nearby and had left college because of a stalker; Nicholas, was was quiet, unassuming and worked in the city’s planning department, quite good looking; Anthony, who been in jail and showed it and looked scary, but was not; Lily-Ann, a project coordinator who was separated from her rich husband; and Ocean, a lesbian who had two children and had been dumped by her partner, very into healthy living; and Hamilton, who never left his house but was quite sociable if one visited. Vernon was the detective that arrived to investigate the murder of a man found outside of Sophie’s cottage and immediately took Anthony into custody, patting himself on the back for solving the crime so quickly.

These folks hadn’t started off close, but this murder “investigation” brought them together. Even fostered a few romances. The characters are nothing if not quirky and the murder, after the fact, well-thought-out. It was a very entertaining book with Sophie taking notes to turn into a play later, pretty much laying it all out for the reader. And well-thought-out it was. This is a totally engrossing and entertaining novel, Different in format and plotting. Terrific read.

I was invited to read The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by St Martins Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #JoNichols #TheMarigoldCottagesMurderCollective

Cozy murder mystery set in southern California. A quirky group of residents that become found family. Unexpected twists, a bit of romance, heartwarming. Very enjoyable read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

4.5⭐️

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is a fun mystery. Mrs. B is an elderly lady who rents her cottages out to an eccentric group of tenants. An ex-con, Anthony, moves in, and soon, there's a murder. The residents don't think he did it, so they all go about trying to solve the murder, except more occur.

I loved Mrs.B. She was funny and cared about her residents in her own way. The characters seemed to work well together and feed off of each other. It took a minute to get used to the writing still as it was written in MPOVs and in a play form. I enjoyed reading it. The ending was a surprise!

It was published on August 19, 2025. If you like mysteries, you should read this one.

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Jo Nichols for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley #Stmartinspress #minotaurbooks #jonichols #themarigoldcottagesmurdercollective

3.5 stars.

I really liked this crazy bunch of characters and thought they worked well together. The chapters are told through different characters so you get a glimpse inside their houses and heads.

The only thing I wanted more from was the ending. I felt like there was a lot of build up.

Thank you to St. Martins Publishing group and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Minotaur for allowing me this arc to review.

Mrs B owns the Marigold Cottages. She rents them out to an eclectic group of tennants....including a former convict. When a person is found murdered near one of the cottages, Mrs B engages the help of the tennants to solve the murder and clear the name of the former prisoner who is suspected.

I really liked this book. Quick, and easy read. Mrs B gave me vibes of Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote.

THE MARIGOLD COTTAGES MURDER COLLECTIVE
BY: JO NICHOLS
PUB DATE 8/19/2025
Thoughts:
If you enjoy cozy mysteries then you'll enjoy this. Mrs. Bea's band of misfits living in the Marigold Collective will melt your heart and make you want to shake them at the same time. This crew decides to form a murder solving group when one of their own, Anthony (who recently served time in the pokie) is accused of murder. The gang bands together to solve the crime. That ending though!!!! I didn’t see it coming. So do yourself a favor and read it. THANKS SO MUCH TO @netgalley @stmartinspress @minotaur_books @marigoldmurder for the EARC of this book for my honest opinion.

🎧 Audiobook 10 hrs 29 mins
was 5 stars love the narrators Jim Meskimen, Meg Price did a wonderful job!!!!!

#minotaurbooks #themarigoldcottagesmurdercollective #mcmc #jonichols #bookreviewer

3.5 stars. I can't remember why or how I got a Netgallery copy of The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, but I'm really glad I did. It was a fun cozy mystery with an amazing cast of characters. Each character was well developed and it was so easy to tell them apart, even with the multiple (6??) points of view. The ending did surprise me and I really enjoyed the play style of story telling that was thrown in through the novel.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF. The characters were so quirky as to be caricatures. Although I like a goofy detective, this one didn’t seem goofy so much as prejudiced. There’s a lot of repetition in each character section—the Thing That Happened, the divorce, the planning committee—and that became irritating. This one is personal, but at this point in my life, the does she or doesn’t she have dementia plot point doesn’t play well.

All in all, while this sort of extremely light, very quirky mystery is for some readers, it is not for me.

Thanks for the ARC!
This will be a perfect book to go into fall reading. It is a cozy mystery with quirky characters and a suspenseful plot. I have never read anything by this author but she definitely is a great writer. I enjoyed the pace and it made me want more. I would recommend it for sure.