I greatly appreciate receiving this arc. Unfortunately, this definitely maybe wasn’t the book for me. Marketed as a quirky murder mystery with a dash of romance and humor, it instead delivered a winding narrative with a painfully slow pace and a frustratingly incompetent main character at its center.

The murder mystery, which was no mystery at all, can be solved within the first few pages of the murder. The main characters embarked on a series of implausible goose chases, never once pausing to question the reliability of the information being thrown their way. It was less of a whodunit and more of a “how did this take 300 pages?”

The FMC was intended to be charming, relatable, and funny. What we got instead was a flighty, oddly horny inner monologue that couldn’t stop “straying into X-rated territory” every time a man entered the room. This trope got old fast, and rather than endearing, she came off as scattered and, frankly, kind of dim.

Throughout the book, she’s paralyzed by indecision (agonizing over text messages, second-guessing every move) while the actual plot crawls forward at a glacial pace. I kept waiting for the story to kick into gear, but it never really did. It’s not until you’re over 80% of the way through the book that she starts actually talking to the MMC in normal sentences.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But between the sluggish pacing, an inept main character, it just didn’t deliver.

This story was great! With Emersyn actually meeting a Wyatt and going on this adventure to see who murdered the super. This book had the twist and turns. Great book! Would definitely recommend.

This is a great pleasure read. I'm so impressed that it is successfully both a romance and a mystery. I really enjoyed this book. And she has multiple series already! Cool!

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox is a delightful yet familiar murder mystery “whodunit” with a cute romance sub-plot.

Our protagonist, Emersyn, is an out-of-work copywriter who has recently become the guardian of her niece, Livy. Emmy inadvertently becomes wrapped up in trying to solve the mother of her creepy apartment manager.

This book has very “Only Murders in the Building,” vibes, complete with a plucky young female protagonist, an art deco New York apartment building as the backdrop, lots of zany neighbors in the golden years, mysterious love interests, and the most ridiculous string of bad luck incidents that push our heroine into action to save her neighbor from prison by solving the murder he’s accused of.

Emmy also has boy-drama in the form of her shady ex who stole her life savings, a mysterious new stranger who wants to help her solve the murder, and her hot golden retriever bartending neighbor. There is no spice in this book but there are some steamy kisses and swoony hand-grazes and tense elevator rides. Honestly, I ate IT UP!

While the setting was familiar and the plot somewhat predictable (I clocked the killer immediately though I was successfully misdirected a few times along the way,) those were actually welcome factors. There are a LOT of characters to get to know and Fox did a great job of making them all distinct while still giving me a fun ride. It’s obvious that Fox is very adept at her craft because she packed a whole classic mystery plot, a rich setting, and a brand new cast of compelling characters with a lot of depth into a fairly short novel (at least short to a fantasy reader).

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I will be adding the next installment in what I hope is an upcoming series to my tbr and look forward to reading more from Ms. Fox in the future.

Thank you to NetGally and Bantem/Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

This review will also be published on Goodreads.com/judeisreading on July 19, 2025 and likely mentioned on my TikTok as well.

This fun book had a little hit of everything: cozy mystery, romance, humor, and fun. Emersyn is broke and secretly living in a seniors-only apartment building with her niece, When her super is murdered, she becomes involved in solving the case! This was a fun, fast-paced mystery. I enjoyed Emerson’s lovable personality and her quirky senior neighbors. Overall, this was a quick, fun read.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox

When the guise of hiring a fake PI to influence her ex to return stolen money turns into a real murder investigation, Emersyn and her new “colleagues” embark on a thrilling journey to find her apartment super’s murderer. Along the way, she finds herself entangled in a love triangle while keeping up the rouse of her PI firm in her unofficial investigation, while also being a suspect herself. With her lack of employment, Em’s guardianship of her late brother’s daughter is in jeopardy, but thanks to the gossip and input of her neighbors, Emerysn and her team are determined to uncover the identify of the killer.

4 ⭐️

With twists I didn’t see coming and different characters coming under suspicion of the murder, this novel was a lighthearted, yet fun read with an unexpected ending.

Thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for this ARC read! “Definitely Maybe Not a Detective” will be published in January!

This book was good but not like the mysteries Iam use to reading . This book is like they were stumbling though trying get to the end , with a bit of a romance twist.
A lot of people like that Iam use to a different kind of mystery books I guess . It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my type of writing style either .
Thank you NetGalley for the arc

3.5 stars

A fun, cozy murder mystery set in a run-down apartment building. Emersyn is raising her young niece Livy after her brother died nearly a year ago. Down on her luck, she’s just lost her job and worst still, her ex-boyfriend stole her money. When her best friend Jemma suggests sets up Wyatt Investigations (Em’s favourite name), a fake private investigator business to force him to return her money, she comes across the very hot Wyatt. Then, the creepy super of her building is murdered and one of the residents is charged with the crime. Emersyn and Wyatt now hired to find the murderer. Throw in the bossy, teenage tech whizz Theo an array of residents and Emersyn finds herself over her head.

This was a fun book. I really felt for Emersyn, trying to keep her head above water raising her Livy while battling her own grief and helping Livy with hers, plus her parents threatening to take over guardianship. There’s also a hint of romance with Wyatt, but I wasn’t really sold by it as he didn’t really come off as a fleshed-out character other than hot and rich. It felt like it was being added for the sake of it, and I would’ve preferred them to just be friends and colleagues.

However, at times I felt that the pace dragged a bit, and some chapters just felt the action stalled a bit with too much of Jemma forcing Em to get with Wyatt. I also found Theo and the other characters all just a bit too much, bossing Em around, so I hope we see some of Em growing to take more charge and not let them order her around.

Charming, escapist mystery. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Thanks to Ballantine/Bantum and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute, fun, and a little bit sexy mystery. Perfect for fans of Stephanie Plum or Findlay Donovan. Look for my full review in Library Journal.

Quick summary: This cozy mystery is basically Only Murders in the Building in book form. It follows Emersyn, a woman who’s just lost her job and suddenly finds herself responsible for her young niece, Olivia. She’s also broke, thanks to her shady ex who scammed her out of all her money. To try to scare him into paying her back, she and her best friend Jemma create a fake private detective agency, complete with a website, business cards, and a burner phone. But things take a turn when Emersyn returns home and discovers the superintendent in her building has been murdered. Their fake PI business gets out, and Emersyn somehow ends up leading the charge to solve the crime and clear her neighbor’s name. She’s joined by Wyatt (the cute guy who returned her phone), Jemma, and Theo (a teenager whose grandparents live in the building). There’s a bit of a love triangle between Wyatt and her neighbor Bodie. And a lot of the story focuses on how she’s adjusting to life as Olivia’s guardian. The mystery unfolds as the group works together to solve the case, with plenty of moments exploring romantic tension, family relationships, and friendship along the way.

Review: I enjoyed this overall. It’s light, entertaining, and the pacing kept me engaged. The characters are likable, and I especially liked Emersyn as a main character. It’s cute and easy to get into. But the humor was mostly sarcastic and was a bit too much for me. It felt repetitive and got in the way at times. I also thought the ending to the mystery felt rushed and wasn’t very satisfying. The romance subplot felt underdeveloped and didn’t have much payoff. And honestly, you’re basically reading Only Murders in the Building, which is a knock on the originality. It’s hard to ignore. I still liked the book and had a fun time reading it. I really struggled with what to rate this one; it’s a true 3.5 for me, but just not quite enough to push it to a 4.

Every once in a while I long for a light, funny, yet heart warming mystery with a bit of romance thrown in that I can read while stuck inside on a rainy day. This was it. I’d had a houseful of family visiting for an entire week at the lake and I needed to relax and decompress after they left. I immediately connected with the story. Em was a likable, quirky character who had a knack for getting herself into strange predicaments – think getting caught changing behind a rhododendron bush by the hot guy outside the country club. The surrounding cast of characters as well were well drawn and relatable. I especially loved the elderly neighbors who added so many LOL moments. Each character added to the story in his or her own way. The perfect summer read. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

I loved the character of Emersyn Gray and she was a detective. This had romance, mystery and some fun. There was a whole cast of characters including Wyatt a stranger but soon to be not, Jemma her friend, some elderly neighbors and so much more. There is a murder of course. This book was great and full of surprises! You will not be disappointed.

Hmmm. I can't really say how I feel about this book. Yes it's cute and all but it was more like I was reading a YA novel than anything else. It reminded me a little of the Finlay Donovan series which I loved.

This book is a fun mix of rom-com charm and amateur sleuth shenanigans, with vibes that reminded me of Freya Sampson’s Nosy Neighbors or The Busybody Book Club. If you like quirky communities, meddling neighbors, and reluctant heroines thrown into ridiculous situations, Definitely Maybe Not a Detective delivers. It might not go quite as deep or solid, but it is still a worthy read.

Our leading lady, Emersyn Gray, is chaotic in the best way: broke, raising her niece, and living in a seniors-only apartment building where she may not belong—but also kind of totally does. When a fake detective agency becomes real overnight and she finds herself teamed up with a swoony stranger named Wyatt (coincidentally the exact name on her fake business card), the hijinks begin. Add in a suspicious death, a gaggle of overly invested neighbors in the 65+ variety, and a sizzling attraction, and you’ve got the makings of a thoroughly entertaining time.

I do enjoy a found family novel. The seniors are delightful, Wyatt is charming without being a cliché (quite lovely and unexpected), and Emersyn’s messy life felt genuinely relatable (not really messy, just life and all the struggles that come with it). My only real gripe: that ending! It’s not a romance ending in the traditional sense (no big declarations or firm resolution), and all of Emersyn’s personal arcs are very clearly left open. That, to me, screams sequel. Not necessarily in a frustrating way—more like the author is teeing us up for more with this cast of characters. And honestly? I’d read another. I liked hanging out with these people.

What can I say? I liked it, and it was a breeze to read.

It's a good read.

Part romance and part cozy mystery, this seems like a good start to a new series. There were some funny moments, heartwarming moments, and a few kissing moments. The whole cast of characters were interesting, which was my favorite part. The romance was a little lacking because I didn’t see any chemistry. I think a working relationship would suit them better.

"Then why is my name on the business cards?"

This book had me laughing from the beginning. A woman down on her luck desperate to get money back from her ex created to a fake PI business ro try to scare him into giving her the money back and ends up with a detective partner who's name matches her business' name and a murder in her building to solve. It kinda gave Only Murders in the Building meets Thursday Murder Club which I absolutely enjoyed. I am excited to see if this turned into a series following the cast of characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for an e-ARC!

I think it was fun but a bit unbelievable and predictable. It was a fast read. For me personally, there were too many characters and sub-plots.

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery Books for the ARC!

This was a little too corny and slapstick humor for me. Like there were so many shenanigans going on, I wasn't sure what to focus on and then it kinda felt like a YA novel in the fact that the romance never really took off and we just keep calling the guy hot. And then I wasn't sure if I should be rooting for her parents, her ex, the kid prodigy, the nosey neighbors. It wasn't bad even though it sounds like all I'm doing is complaining. I live the idea of a mystery romance ro is the term romance mystery - but this writing was just a little too zany for me.

Emerson Gray is NOT a detective...but she could be! She's smart, raising her niece, and seems to attract good looking men!
This is a fun "read on vacation" kind of book. It's not complicated, the characters are fun and it is fast paced. I loved the wacky old ladies and that the book was clean.
Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the mystery was fun, and it kept me guessing. I really loved the big cast of side characters in the book, especially the whole group of old ladies (a group of odd old ladies always makes a book better, to be honest). I thought the romance was a bit lacking, but as it was a side plot it was fine. Honestly, I feel like the book could have had no romance and been just as enjoyable. Overall, I had a really good time with this book, and will definitely be looking into the author's other books! I would definitely recommend this book :)