Ehhhhhh I couldn’t get with this one. I definitely liked the vibe but it might have been a little too hokey for me.

I don't read a lot of modern fiction, so I picked up A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem in hopes that it would be a fun, light-hearted read (or listen, in this case). And it was. . . at times painfully so. The premise was interesting--a young woman enters a beauty pageant to pay off her deceased mother's medical bills--and I found the protagonist, Dakota, likable and charming. But the story only grew increasingly sillier as the convoluted murder mystery descended into parody, complete with the culprit(s) confessing their guilt via public monologue, like in a cheesy TV show from the 1980s. While that's surely someone's cup of tea, it left me feeling thoroughly unsatisfied.

I listened to the audiobook and loved it! This was such a fun, feel-good mystery with a great balance of humor and intrigue. Dakota is a fantastic main character—smart, sarcastic, and easy to root for—and I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peek into the pageant world. I can’t wait for the next one in the series!

This book came onto my radar via NetGalley. I was lucky to receive an ARC for review. Katie Beudert provided excellent southern narration that provided the perfect ambiance for a beauty pageant and murder mystery. I thought this book was a lot of fun. The characters were colorful. This is a good summer read to escape from the real world day-to-day. Read if you’re a fan of Miss Congeniality.

Cozy mystery. However, I wasn’t gripped by it. I would say it’s a perfect choice if you want some fast-paced plot, not overwhelmed by heavy mystery.
The narrator is great. She really grabs the attention.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem is a witty, fast-paced, and refreshingly offbeat mystery that blends Southern charm, small-town secrets, and pageant drama with a sharp-tongued heroine you can’t help but root for. Dakota Green—sarcastic stable hand turned reluctant beauty queen—finds herself juggling gowns, gossip, and a decades-old disappearance, all to fulfill her late mother’s final wish and save her family home.

The story strikes a perfect balance between suspense and humor. Think Miss Congeniality meets Only Murders in the Building—with a little more Southern sass. The quirky cast of characters, from the fiercely loyal Aunt DeeDee to the smirkingly handsome sheriff, adds plenty of personality and misdirection to keep the mystery engaging. I never guessed the ending, which made the reveal all the more satisfying.

Narrator Katie Beudert brings Dakota’s voice to life with energy and ease, making the audiobook both entertaining and easy to follow. This is a fun, clever, and heartfelt cozy mystery with just enough bite to keep you hooked. If you like your murder mysteries served with high heels, hijinks, and a whole lot of heart, this one’s for you.

I loved this book! With charm, chaos, and a twist of danger, Dakota Green is the kind of reluctant heroine you can’t help but root for. Forced into a pageant she wants no part of—thanks to her late mother’s final wish—Dakota juggles sequins, sabotage, and a suspicious string of murders. Smart, funny, and full of heart, this page-turner blends mystery and mayhem with just the right amount of emotional depth. A total standout in the cozy mystery genre! 👑🔍💀

SO, to be completely transparent, I so judged this book by the cover and wanted to read it completely on the title and the cover art. Sometimes that works out great sometimes it does not. I am happy to say this time it worked out really well for me. I am very very pick on my cozy mysteries. Most I find boring and not a lot of depth. I mean I guess that is what makes them a fast read. This one though. Loved it. It was not boring, and it had depth, and it was still a fast read.
I adored the main character, and I fell in love with her right of way. All the characters were just enjoyable to spend half a day with. They all had layers, and they were all flawed but also just loveable.
The mystery was good. It was your standard average person finding a dead body and has to solve the murder with little help from local authorities.... but the setting and the characters are what set it apart. I loved the beauty pageant setting and then also being set in the deep south. LOVED it.

I can't wait to read more of this series.

I loved this book at the start! A fun summer read: a southern beauty pageant murder mystery. I really love the way the story is written in the characters voice… but the problem with this story is the pacing. It felt insanely slow at points. However, it is a really fun summer read. I could see this becoming a movie.

This started off with Miss Congeniality vibes mixed with a dash of Finlay Donovan - two things I love. The narrator was great, but the story fell a bit flat for me. It's a good read if you're looking for something quick and lighthearted, but I felt like it was lacking anything to really get me hooked.

3.5 ⭐️
I liked this book overall - it was enjoyable but not a standout read for me. The idea of solving a murder paired with a beauty pageant was one I was very excited for, and the story did not disappoint in this department. It was a very fresh idea, and a fun one at that. Definitely a funny, cozy mystery.
There were a couple of really good surprises and twists that were written in really well, which was nice and unexpected.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator was alright. I enjoyed her persona for Dakota, but didn’t enjoy the stronger accents that felt put on for the side characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This little cozy read was so fun! Fun setting, quirky characters and a brilliant FMC. I listened to the book and the narrator was sooo good! Definitely would encourage the audio version!

Thank you NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the ALC.

An absolute blast—sharp, sassy, and suspenseful in all the right ways. Kristen Bird serves up small-town secrets, pageant drama, and twisty whodunits with the kind of flair that keeps you hooked from the very first tiara toss.

The main character? She’s a total knockout—brains, wit, grit, and a closet full of sequins. There’s humor tucked between every suspicious glance and dramatic reveal, but the story never loses its emotional pulse. Underneath the glitz and gossip is a story about reclaiming your power, even when the world keeps underestimating you.

It’s Miss Congeniality meets Only Murders in the Building, with a side of southern charm and a whole lot of “did that really just happen?” If you love fierce women, clever writing, and a little chaos with your crown, this book is your next obsession.

This was a nice little cozy murder mystery set against the fun backdrop of a beauty pageant. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect - pretty predictable what's going to happen with a few minor surprises thrown in. It's also definitely a little cheesy but that's also to be expected. I thought parts of this dragged just a touch as I figured out what was going to happen more quickly than the characters and was waiting for them to catch up. I didn't love the main character honestly, she had a really annoying "not like other girls" energy from the start that I never like, though it did get slightly better as the book went on. I really liked the narrator of the audiobook. Not sure if her southern accent was real or put on but I thought it was super cute! Added a lot of charm to the story. Overall this was a fun and easy read that I think a lot of people would enjoy.

Thanks NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Kristen Bird’s A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem is an absolute delight—a cozy mystery that effortlessly blends suspense, humor, and small-town charm. Set in the quirky town of Aubergine, Virginia, the story follows Dakota Green, a stable hand who finds herself thrust into the world of beauty pageants after the passing of her mother. What starts as a simple, albeit reluctant, journey into the competitive world of pageants soon turns into a thrilling adventure filled with secrets, mysteries, and a decades-old disappearance.

Bird's writing is sharp, witty, and filled with warmth. Dakota is a wonderfully relatable protagonist—smart, resourceful, and refreshingly down-to-earth—as she navigates the bizarre world of beauty queens, all while uncovering long-buried truths. The suspense builds steadily, keeping you hooked as Dakota unravels clues and stumbles upon unexpected twists.

The true charm of this book lies in its characters and their interactions. Bird creates a colorful, engaging cast that feels alive, from the eccentric pageant contestants to the fiercely protective townspeople. Each page is infused with a sense of humor that lightens the darker moments, making it the perfect balance of mystery and fun.

For fans of cozy mysteries with a dash of Southern charm, A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem is an absolute gem. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to curl up with on a lazy afternoon—gripping, heartwarming, and impossible to put down.

This book was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I look for — engaging writing, memorable characters, and a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The author’s voice is distinct and compelling, making it easy to get lost in the world they created, no matter the genre.

I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for the early copy. It was such a joy to read this in advance, and I can’t wait for more readers to experience it. Highly recommend!

This was a fun cozy mystery with a bit of a different take than the usual. Dakota's mother left her a series of letters to read following her death, including one announcing that she has entered Dakota in the local beauty pagaent. Dakota is not thrilled to join but needs the prize money to save her family home.

When valuables and then people start going missing during the days of the beauty pageant, Dakota works to prove her aunt's innocence while trying to compete with the professional contestants.

There's nothing groundbreaking here - just a lighthearted cozy mystery with heart and humor. The narration was good as well.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeSelect for a free copy of #ABeautyQueensGuideToMurderAndMayhem by Kristen Bird. All opinions are my own.

Had me on edge till the last page. Such a fun and funny book. I loved every character even the not to nice ones. I can’t wait for the next book!Thanks NetGallery!

A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Kristen Bird is a delightfully quirky and suspenseful audiobook that blends humor, mystery, and a touch of Southern charm. The story follows Dakota Green, a stable hand in the small town of Aubergine, Virginia, who is reluctantly pulled into the world of beauty pageants to fulfill her late mother's final wish. Dakota, who would rather face the Hunger Games than compete in the annual pageant, finds herself trading her muck boots for Jimmy Choos and diving into a world filled with secrets, rivalries, and scandal.

The town of Aubergine, with its picturesque setting and darker-than-expected undercurrents, serves as the perfect backdrop for Dakota’s adventure. Armed with her wit and sarcasm, Dakota navigates the cutthroat beauty queen world, determined to save her family home. However, things take a dramatic turn when the pageant owner vanishes, and Dakota’s beloved Aunt DeeDee becomes the prime suspect. As Dakota investigates, she must deal with the tension between catty contestants, a handsome but exasperating new sheriff, and a decades-old mystery surrounding a missing beauty queen.

Bird’s writing is sharp, witty, and full of snappy dialogue, making the audiobook an engaging and entertaining listen. Dakota is a fantastic protagonist—relatable, sarcastic, and full of heart—and her growth throughout the story keeps the reader rooting for her. The mystery itself is twisty and fun, with plenty of red herrings and surprises to keep listeners hooked.

The narrator’s performance adds an extra layer of charm to the story, bringing the colorful characters of Aubergine to life with distinct voices and perfect pacing. A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem is a perfect pick for fans of cozy mysteries with a humorous twist, Southern flair, and a touch of suspense. It’s an entertaining ride from start to finish—full of laughs, drama, and just the right amount of intrigue.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
_________
This was a fun, interesting listen. Perfect for fans of mysteries but also Miss Congeniality and Dumplin'.