𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝟰/𝟱⭐️
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟴

This book was exactly what I needed right now. Something fun, heartwarming, and reflective all at the same time. I loved the themes of sisterhood and family and all the hilarious mispronunciation of words. A cozy mystery with a fun beauty queen backdrop!

Thanks Storm Publishing for the arc via Netgalley!

I just finished a fun audiobook that is out today. A Beauty Queens' Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Kristen Bird is one to pick up!

3.5⭐️

A murder mystery set at a beauty pageant? That’s definitely a first for me, and the premise immediately had me intrigued.

📚premise of the book📚

When Dakota Green reluctantly enters a beauty pageant out of sheer necessity due to struggling with financial debt after her mother’s passing, the last thing she expects is to stumble into a murder mystery. With guidance from her aunt, a former pageant queen, she steps into the competition. But when Mr. Finch, the pageant owner, suddenly disappears and her aunt is arrested, things spiral out of control. What really happened to Mr. Finch? And how is the mysterious disappearance of the 2001 winner connected to it all? Juggling newfound friendships, a high-stakes mystery, and the cutthroat world of beauty pageants, Dakota is determined to uncover the truth and save her aunt.

🤔my thoughts🤔

While I enjoyed the story, there were moments that felt predictable, and certain sections dragged a bit without much happening. Some of the character motivations also felt a little rushed or unrealistic, which took away from the mystery’s impact.
That said, the strong female friendships were a definite highlight, and the epilogue hit me with a plot twist I never saw coming.

❗️SPOILERS AFTER THIS PART❗️

WARNING DO NOT PROCEED READING IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK YET

😭plotholes in the book😭

-if Miss 2001 was right there in front of everyone, why did no one recognize her? Had she undergone plastic surgery? Like the older people, for example the other female judge who were likely present during the 2001 competition?
-what was the male judges motive for assisting with the murder? And what were his motives for going rogue? I didn’t understand that
-Why was Sevilla not upset with her fathers death if she truly had nothing to do with it?
-miss 2001 was allowed to judge the competition because she had won in a different year. Had she re-entered the competition after her disappearance? Why had mister finch allowed that? Again, why had no one recognized her?


To end on a high note, here’s a quote that really stood out to me:
"Dead bodies are heavy, but angry women get things done."

3.5 stars This was a fun cozy mystery based around a beauty pageant in the south. It's pretty much what you think it will be. Protagonist Delilah's mother passes away, the family has a lot of debt, but her mom leaves a note saying she should have her aunt help her enter the pageant she's been involved with for the last 30 years, which has a big cash prize. In 1991 one of the contestents was murdered and now people are starting to go missing! It's amateur Miss Congeniality in Virginia.

Overall I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the reveals at the ending. I did find it a little hard to keep track of the characters on audio initially, and that made it harder for me to get into it, but I stayed up to finish it by the time I was in the second half. Overall, this is a fun, women-centered cosy mystery, and if that sounds good to you you'll probably like it!

Thank you to Dreamscape Select for giving me an advance review copy for an unbiased review.

This was an incredible read with some amazing characters. I hope this turns into a series. I am a fan of Kristen Bird. Narration was great.

Dakota Green is convinced by her aunt to enter into her town’s beauty pageant to try to win a cash prize. This felt like a modern and southern version of Miss Congeniality. I love that the contestants of the beauty pageant were represented as real people and not all ditsy girls. I love stories that take someone who isn’t used to being pampered, done up etc and gives them these experiences as they compete for something, in this case a beauty pageant. It opens their eyes into another world. Some of the characters were over the top but I enjoyed the storyline that kept me interested throughout. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. This was the first in a series that follows Dakota. I can’t wait to see what mystery she gets into next. This was a fun cozy mystery that was exactly what I needed.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this ARC. It was one that went really fast for me and enjoyed from the beginning. I think it will be one of the favorites in this genre when it eventually comes out.

This was so much fun! I loved the setting of a small town in Virginia, at a beauty pageant with a reluctant participant fulfilling her dying mother’s wishes. The characters were plentiful but were all well-developed enough to tell them apart and had their own quirks in their own right; I was a big fan of the contestant who smushed words together to form interesting malapropisms. The mystery was interesting and I had no idea who the guilty party was until the very end. Looking forward to more in this series!

This was a fun cozy zany read. It was a quick little mystery full of fun characters. I’m looking forward to more from this author and in this series.

📚💄 Book Review: A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem 👑🔍

Pageants, murder, and a whole lot of Southern sass—what more could you want in a cozy mystery? 🌸🔪

🐎 Dakota Green is not the pageant type, but when her Aunt DeeDee convinces her to compete for prize money to save their family farm, she trades in her riding boots for high heels. Then the pageant owner goes missing, and Aunt DeeDee becomes the main suspect. Cue Dakota’s unexpected turn as an amateur sleuth—while still trying to survive the glitz and glam of small-town pageantry!

🎧 The audiobook is a treat with its perfect Southern accent from narrator Katie Beudert, and the mix of humor, mystery, and small-town charm makes this one a fast, fun read. If you love cozy mysteries with a unique twist, this series starter is worth checking out!

Thank you to Kristen Bird @kristenbirdwrites, Storm Publishing @stormbooks_co, and NetGalley @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars - Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC of the 'A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem' audiobook. Based on the description, I had high hopes for this one, expecting a blend of beauty queen humor and drama akin to Miss Congeniality. I also anticipated a tone similar to the Finley Donovan series, with sharp humor, satire, and romance. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver on those fronts. The story felt drawn out, focusing on two separate disappearances with reveals that lacked impact. Overall, it didn’t meet my expectations.

Review purely for the Audiobook: Unfortunately I was unable to finish the audiobook. As a neurodivergent person, a Southern American accent was not something I could manage sadly. However, from what I have manage to hear so far, I would definitely read a written copy!

Dakota Green has spent most of her life exposed to the pageant life her town is known for, but never in her wildest dreams did she expect to participate in the competition. When her mom dies and Dakota is left with insurmountable debt, she realizes that competing in the local pageant may be her only hope to keep her family home and return to college to complete her veterinarian degree. If that weren't pressure enough, a decades-old mystery of a former missing pageant winner resurfaces, along with a new murder and additional hijinks. With the help of her former pageant-winning aunt, best friend, and fellow contestants, will Dakota be able to go from stable assistant to beauty queen while also solving the crimes and mysteries of the Aubergine pageant?

This story was a slow burn and more cozy mystery than a thriller. It had Miss Congeniality vibes but with virtually no humor until toward the end of the book. The plot involves a lot of pageant backstory and slow event progression until nearly the 75% mark. It took me about that long to get invested in the characters and story, and once the plot twist was revealed, it was a good twist. That said, it was also pretty unrealistic and felt like the storyline of a telenovela; a fun story if you aren't bothered by plot holes galore. There is a small romantic component but the chemistry didn't feel authentic and it didn't go anywhere at the end. I did enjoy watching Dakota's character gain confidence and see her personality shine as she let herself make new friends and have fun along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audio version of this book. The narrator had a pleasant voice and her character shifts were decent.

What a cute and fun novel! This book gave Miss Congeniality vibes, as Dakota Green enters a century-old pageant in her hometown to win enough money to repair her family's debts, but in the course of the pageant weekend, helps solve a murder that has taken place on the grounds. It was a fun mystery that had some twists that left me guessing till the very end, which was actually really fun.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dakota Green is tricked into entering a local beauty pageant by her recently-deceased mother. The pageant is not Dakota's scene, preferring to spend her days with horses. Once in the fold of hairspray and snide remarks, Dakota begins investigating odd happenings and deaths during the week to help save her Aunt. Along the way, hijinks, friendships, and love happen.

How can you not enjoy a cozy mystery with shades of Miss Congeniality? Well done, and I look forward to more Dakota Green adventures!

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Listening Copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun and entertaining cozy murder mystery to listen to. Loved the narrator and the book is well written and funny. I had several moments that made me laugh out loud. Really enjoyable to listen to. I would love to read or listen to more books by this author. A murder mystery with some amusement and comedy thrown in. Fun characters as well.

I thought this was a super cute murder mystery. Heartfelt and super cozy. Comedic and lighthearted Finished it in a day.

Dakota Green, a vet school dropout, enters her first beauty pageant for her late mothers last wish. After finding out the beauty pageant world comes with its own secrets and a decades old missing queen case.
The pageant director goes missing and Dakota must help figure out who done it to clear the only family member she has left. All while trying to win.

I love Miss Congeniality and this is the perfect updated version of that movie. It was heartfelt, intriguing, funny at times and romantic. I’ve been in a huge reading slump and this was the first book in awhile that I was addicted to.

Dakota Green is more at home in a horse barn than on a pageant stage, but after learning that her mother’s dying wish was for her daughter to enter the local beauty pageant in Aubergine, Virginia, she reluctantly agrees to compete. After all, that prize money would solve a lot of Dakota’s problems. Sequins and sashes aren’t Dakota’s thing, but luckily she has her Aunt DeeDee to guide her every high-heeled step of the way. But things quickly start going awry; first, a pageant crown is stolen and then the pageant’s owner goes missing, and Aunt DeeDee is the prime suspect. Between present-day hijinks and a decades-old missing pageant winner, Dakota is determined to solve these mysteries, clear Aunt DeeDee’s name, and win the crown (and the prize money!).

This is such a fun cozy mystery! Dakota is endearing as a fish out of water on the pageant scene (imagine if Miss Congeniality was a horse girl), and I loved her pluckiness and amateur sleuthing. Of course I tried to unravel the mystery right alongside Dakota, and I was delighted that I was able to guess some twists but also be totally surprised by others. I love the focus on female relationships, from Dakota’s bestie Lacy, to her fellow contestants Jemma and Summer, and of course sassy Aunt DeeDee. There’s a nice hint of chemistry brewing between Dakota and Sheriff Charlie Strong, and I can’t wait to see where that goes in the next installment, An Heiress’s Guide to Death and Diamonds.

The audiobook is capably narrated by Katie Beudert, and her charming accent really brings Dakota to life (although I felt a bit lukewarm about the way other characters were narrated).

Many thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Dreamscape Select for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ALC, in exchange for an honest review.

A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem is a book with an amazing blend of sharp humor, deep emotions, and a gripping murder mystery. When Dakota Green reluctantly enters the annual beauty pageant her ailing mother had signed her up for, she finds herself entangled in more than just competition—there’s a mystery waiting to be solved, along with revelations about herself and the women around her.

From the very first page, I was hooked by the witty, relatable writing that brought the characters to life in such an engaging way. The tone was refreshingly down-to-earth, making it easy to connect with Dakota and her journey. This book fits squarely in the cozy mystery genre, yet it stands out with its well-crafted characters and its perfect balance of suspense and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with these characters and I can assure you that you will too.

Kristen Bird’s storytelling talent is undeniable—her skillful blend of intrigue, humor, and emotional depth is a winning combination, and I’ll certainly be seeking out more of her work.
4 Stars!
#BoldwoodBooks, #NetGalley, #ABeautyQueen'sGuidetoMurderandMayhem, #KristenBird