Homemaker is a smart, engaging mystery with a refreshing heroine at its heart. Prairie Nightingale is a standout character—sharp, capable, and endlessly curious. I loved how her homemaking expertise and eye for detail became her superpower as she unraveled the mystery of a missing former friend. The story strikes a great balance between domestic life, personal reinvention, and a twisty investigation full of secrets and small-town intrigue.

The mystery kept me guessing, and while some threads unraveled slowly, they always led somewhere interesting. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw’s narration was a great match for Prairie’s voice—warm, confident, and emotionally grounded. If you’re looking for a character-driven mystery with depth, heart, and a touch of romance, Homemaker is a compelling and satisfying listen.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook! Everything I love in a light hearted thriller was in this book. It had plenty of humor and a great story to go along with it. I fully enjoyed this book and the narrator.

2.5 ⭐️
At first I ate this book up. It has total Finlay Donavan vibes, and loved the shade on MLMs, however, my love stopped there.
This feels crazily agenda pushing. Almost like that is what is driving a story that should be lead by the mystery at hand. I don’t mind a little world issue drama scattered in the books I read, but this one choked you with it.
Wish I could say I liked it more. Thanks for the listen @netgalley!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Purchased. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Prairie Nightingale series is a collaboration between two of my favorite authors. It's a new mystery series about a professional homemaker turning into a private investigator. I absolutely LOVE it.

Prairie is a divorced mother of two girls. The younger is definitely gifted. The older is going through her rebellious teen phase. She co-parents with her ex Greg and he is very successful and not a bad guy, just one who really didn't pay attention to Prairie, other than as his personal attendant. His mother Joyce, lives with Prairie and helps with the girls along with her assistant, cook, etc. It's fascinating and great.

Prairie grew up in sort of a commune and was homeschooled. After that she worked and raised the children, to put Greg through graduate school. She is smart and observant.

The current issues for Prairie started when she headed the PTO fundraising and found out the main donor was a sexual predator. One of the victims Megan is now her best friend. But she is shunned by other mothers. A woman she liked, Lisa, has now gone missing. Prairie's curiosity and natural observation skills have her looking into it. She meets the local FBI agent assigned to the case and that's fun.

Everything about this is fun and different. The perspective is very much a women's perspective. The characters are real and fresh. I can't wait for more!


Narration:
The narrator is new to me, although she does also narrate the sapphic romances these authors have written (I read the ebooks for those.) I was very comfortable with her voices and the differences for the age and gender felt comfortable. I listened at my newer 1.75x speed.

This book is about Prairie Nightingale who is not only a mom of two teenage girls but also a boss who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. so when one of her fellow moms disappears, Prairie decides to find her.
I loved Prairie, because she is a just another mom if you don't know her but she cares about people in her community. She is not nosy and wants gossip but she actually wants to connect with people, form real friendships and actually be there for them. She is smart and she is aware of her surroundings and she knows how to use resources in the best way possible and all of this made her not just a sleuth but a really good detective.
The mystery was good. I could guess who was the culprit be but some of the twists really surprised me.
The discussions about struggles faced by moms or rather by all the women are discussed in the book which I really liked to read.
The romance subplot was in the perfect amount. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am excited to see what Prairie does the next.

Homemaker is a fast-paced and engaging audiobook that mixes suburban life with a twist of mystery. Prairie, a homemaker turned amateur detective, finds herself investigating the disappearance of a fellow mom from school. Her journey from routine to risky was both emotional and empowering.

The missing woman, Lisa, was involved with Kitty Blue, an MLM that reminded me a lot of LuLaRoe. That detail added a realistic and timely layer to the story without feeling overdone.

I especially enjoyed how the story explored Prairie’s identity—how she balances being a mom and a woman wanting more from her life. The narration was strong and kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for the chance to review this advance audiobook copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Brilliance Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Homemaker is an entertaining, sharp cozy mystery that is perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan. Prairie Nightingale is a divorced mother of two that turned housemaking into a salaried profession. She also cannot help but be a bit nosy. When another mom goes missing, Prairie decides she must solve the mystery. Even if the handsome agent tells her not to.

This was very fun and hilarious. I loved Prairie and the romance is already worth rooting for. I hope there is another book in the series!

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A highly entertaining, fun and feminist mystery, featuring amateur sleuthing, scandals, an MLM-type setup, a budding romance, as well as the gritty details of parenting and midlife.

I enjoyed Prairie as a complex protagonist and the wonderful cast of supporting characters. I appreciate the nuanced depiction of Prairie's autistic daughter, as well as the amicable divorce. I am looking forward to the next Prairie Nightingale mystery.

I enjoyed the audiobook, which was narrated well by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. I hope that she also narrates any future stories in the series.

This book was a refreshing twist on the classic cozy mystery. While it followed the genre’s usual rules, no graphic violence or language, it delivered so much more. The writing was strong, the plot felt realistic, and the murder mystery kept me hooked. As a mom, I especially loved seeing the story unfold through another mom’s perspective, her everyday experiences gave her such a unique and relatable insight. I genuinely connected with the main character and would absolutely recommend this one!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

What an enjoyable read! I just read another cozy related to an MLM, so that felt a little familiar, but Prairie is such a strong main character!

Prairie, a recently divorced mom who is now a pariah for putting another community member behind bars (rightfully so), is a keen observer and brilliant amateur sleuth! When she notices a fellow mom with a high-end purse and broken taillight, her instincts fire up and she is forced to investigate.

I loved that Prairie is a strong lead and undergoing a lot of self-discovery. There was some romance but not to the point where it overtook the story. Overall a great read, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BrilliancePublishing for an ARC.

This was a fun regular life mystery book. I loved the characters and relationships. The narration was fantastic and helped me slip into the world of Prarie Nightengale. I will read sequels.

2.5 stars.
I had to give this one 2.5 stars because it was just a lot.
It was a bit overwhelming because there were so many tropes and there was so much shoved into the plot. I do think it was potential to a 3 to 3.5 star book with some serious editing.
There is the main plot - our mystery/romance, and then there feels like there are many sub plots. The multiple sub plots are what make this boo feel like it drags out too long. So the pace is a bit too slow for me. SO much detail about things that I felt were unnecessary. While it was great - it just felt like it didn't fit right.
Touched on important societal topics but again, it felt overdone and stuffed into places it didn't belong.
The mystery was predictable and fell flat for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Happy Reading!

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw delivers a warm, thoughtful narration that really worked for me. As for the story—Knox and Mare do a great job bringing Prairie to life, especially her unique ability to notice what others overlook. I especially appreciated the nuanced representation of Prairie’s autistic daughter—it felt real and respectful.

The novel dives deep into themes of motherhood, womanhood, and the invisible mental load women carry. It also doesn’t shy away from examining the expectations placed on women—and of men—which I really appreciated.

That said, there were moments where the story veered into “check-the-box” territory. A few elements felt more like a DEI checklist than organic storytelling, which pulled me out of the moment. Still, Prairie has depth, and I’m invested enough to follow her journey into the next book.

Book review of Homemaker by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare. Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio released this title, and thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for my gifted ALC.

Homemaker was so much smarter and sharper than I expected—and I mean that as a real compliment. I went in thinking I’d get a cozy suburban mystery, something light and clever to break up my usual reading. What I found was a layered, insightful novel about motherhood, identity, feminism, and yes—a solid mystery that kept me hooked.

Prairie Nightingale is an absolutely fascinating protagonist. Newly divorced, mother of two teenage daughters, and founder of an unusual business: she’s turned her homemaking into an actual paid profession, one she runs like a CEO. She outsources cooking, gardening, and repairs while managing the emotional labor of parenting with intention. That already makes her stand out from the typical cozy mystery heroine. But when a former friend from her mom circle disappears, Prairie’s natural curiosity—and her refusal to back down—leads her straight into the heart of a tangled web of secrets.

I’ll be honest: Prairie wasn’t always easy to like. At first, her nosiness felt grating, almost performative. She prides herself on observing people and situations, but she can also come across as judgmental. However, as the story unfolded, I realized that her flaws were the point. Prairie is a woman constantly aware of how others view her—too much, too bold, too curious—and she fights that pressure by leaning even harder into her instincts. I appreciated that the book didn’t force Prairie into a conventional “growth arc” where she learns to be more palatable. She is who she is—and by the end, I was rooting for her.

The mystery itself works well, though it’s more of a “how-done-it” than a “whodunit.” The big reveal wasn’t shocking, but the emotional layers around it were what made it sing. The book is less about the crime and more about what the crime reveals—about marriage, motherhood, the roles women are asked to play, and how communities close ranks around certain people while ostracizing others. The exploration of these dynamics felt authentic and resonant.

One of Homemaker’s biggest strengths is how it tackles feminist themes with nuance. The novel never lectures, but it shows, again and again, the invisible work women do—and how that work is often undervalued or ignored. It also highlights how even “perfect” lives are built on unstable foundations of performative happiness. The critique of MLM culture and the wellness-industrial complex was especially sharp and satisfying.

I loved the supporting cast: Prairie’s ex-husband Greg, her daughters, her ex-mother-in-law Joyce, and best friend May Lynn all felt vivid and real. The slow-burn tension with FBI agent Foster Rosemare was also a nice touch—romantic without overpowering the rest of the story. I’m looking forward to seeing how that dynamic evolves in future installments.

Now, a word about the narration: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw was phenomenal. Her performance absolutely elevated the audiobook. She brought Prairie’s voice to life with warmth, wit, and just the right hint of irony. The pacing was perfect, the emotional beats were hit with precision, and the dialogue felt natural and engaging. I’ve listened to many audiobooks where the narration fades into the background, but here it actively enhanced my experience. I would happily listen to Mia narrate this entire series.

If I have one small critique, it’s that the pacing in the first third of the book felt a little uneven. There was a lot of set-up and internal reflection before the mystery really kicked into gear. But once it did, I was fully invested.

Overall, Homemaker is a fresh, feminist take on the cozy mystery genre. It’s smart without being smug, insightful without being preachy, and deeply satisfying on multiple levels. Prairie Nightingale is a heroine worth following, and I’m already looking forward to book two. If you enjoy mysteries with heart, sharp social commentary, and complex female characters, I highly recommend giving this one a listen.

This book was much more intelligent than I expected it to be, which I really appreciated. I cared about the plot more than the characters, which is unusual for me, though May Lynn was definately my favorite character. It's more of a 'how done it' than a 'who done it', but that didn't keep it from being very engaging.

It was very funny. Witty and quick. The feminism in it is beautiful and pervasive but not shoved down your throat while still driving the entire narrative. This was a love letter to the emotional labor of parenting. The characters are wonderful – multifaceted and jumping from the page. They have robust backstories that draw you in.

I didn’t really like Prairie. She grew on me, of course. I just couldn’t put together the timeline and her days before Lisa. She’s a CEO of homemaking so she outsources the majority of homemaking leaving her with a lot of free time and no drive to work even part time or go to school, or read. What was she doing in the years after Greg, but before Lisa? Being observant is one thing, being nosy and rude and playing it off as quirky so you don’t need to work on yourself isn’t great either. Prairie had a lot of flaws I stuck through for to see change, only to find out they were never flaws Prairie was supposed to work on.
It was the take down of Lulu Lemon that kept me going. Beautiful.

It was snarky and fast paced. The mystery kept my attention. The characters are all well designed but ultimately Prairie still needs growing. Maybe in book 2?

Full of heart and great development, this first book in a new series of amateur detective mysteries is well done and perfectly sets up a new story for readers. I fell in love with Prairie and her family and the budding romance was well placed and burned slowly. Can’t wait to see where this goes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Prairie is definitely an interesting character I love her attention to detail and her amicable divorce! This was so much fun to listen to Mia Hutchinson Shaw delivers every emotion so clearly ! Listening to the story unfold and all the pieces coming together was definitely enjoyable. I can't wait for more of Prairie her daughters her ex husband her bestie and of course some more of Foster