A cute book. Not my usual genre. I will read another Zeo Wallbrook. I enjoyed the narrator a lot, I am very picky about them! Thank you NetGalley

Audio/Narration: 4/5
Book/ Overall Story: 3.75/5

What a pleasant surprise! This book was equally everything I thought it would be and so much I didn’t expect. I actually love how perfectly misleading this book is with its cover and description. It definitely presents as a cozy mystery, and in most ways it is. Though it has this faintly darker undertone that approaches heavier topics and gives the story a needed weight and tension for readers to hold onto.

My only real annoyance with this book was the romance. I’m glad that overall the romantic aspects weren’t as forward but on occasion they were ill fitted into the story or minority distracting. Truly, it just came across as unnecessary bc it wasn’t as developed. I enjoyed seeing her and the retired detective work together, but his character felt shallow. I don’t mean to minimize his role, since his assistance does play a large part in keeping Daphne informed and a step ahead. I just would’ve preferred more insight into his character outside of who he could be romantically to our leading lady.

Personally, I enjoyed the story and gelt it definitely challenged my expectations while holding my interest the whole way. Even though there were some slower moments that could’ve been cut, I feel grateful I had an ALC and a final review copy to have an immersive read (thanks to the publishers & Netgalley). The narration was well done and further connected me with Daphne’s curiosity, reasoning, and dedication. I still believe many readers will be able to solve the mystery before the end of the book. But hopefully anyone who picks this title up can enjoy the story along the way.

It's a fun cozy mystery. Great for fall time. Loved the audiobook, it's a 4 ⭐ read for me. It's written in the classic mystery style.
Intriguing: 2
Unsettling: 0
Scariness: 0

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. Definitely recommend the audiobook.

I feel bad giving this a bad review. I was so excited for it. A cozy mystery set on a college campus written by a professor sounds like my cat nip. However the plot moves so slowly. The main character, a young tenure-track, black, history professor, is so negative. I work in academia so I am familiar with the issues. The racism, ageism, pomposity, i totally get it. But the main character has won the lottery in terms of her career and she cannot stop complaining. It took all the cozy out of the mystery. It also takes her a long time to actually start investigating? I just felt bored and frustrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia for the audiobook copy!

The cover hooked me with this novel that I had to check it out regardless of what it was about. The story was not bad but definitely could have been better. In terms of mystery, this falls into the type where we have to suffer through the protagonist (who we're told is smart) trying to solve a mystery that was very obvious from the beginning. I also wished we got more background on the other characters. It would have made up for the overall okay mystery. I would still recommend checking this out as it may work for someone but for me, I found it to be okay.

5 fun and entertaining stars
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook. It has something for everyone: a mystery, a blooming romance (that is both passionate and clean), characters with distinctive voices and strong relationships, action, subtle humor and current social issues. Wallbrook does an outstanding job weaving these elements together in a fun and entertaining narrative.

Jasmin Walker did a fantastic job narrating the book. I listen to Audiobooks regularly and her voices and dialog are among the top ones I’ve ever heard! She really made the book come alive. I will look for more of her narrations.

I hope this is part of a continuing series! Fabulous debut from a funny author who knows how to write! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

History Lessons started off slow for me, and as someone who doesn't typically read mysteries, I almost didn't finish it. But I'm so glad I stuck with it. Once the story picked up I found myself completely invested in the amateur sleuthing. The plot was easy to follow, a welcome change from some of the overly convoluted mysteries I’ve encountered in the past.

What surprised me most was the book's depth. It tackles several heavy and dark topics I wasn't expecting, like sexual assault, campus politics, and race in academia, all woven into the mystery without feeling preachy. I even enjoyed the hint of romance, which, as a self-proclaimed "romance girlie," was a bonus.

By the end, all the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, and I appreciated that the author left no plot holes. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking mystery. The narrator also did a fantastic job bringing the characters and the story to life, making the audiobook a truly enjoyable experience.

Thank you to Zoe B. Wallbrook, RBmedia | Recorded Books and NetGalley for giving me early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook might be my favorite cozy mystery debut novel of this year. I absolutely love our amateur sleuth Daphne Overture, who is perceptive, empathetic, and endlessly witty. I wish I could be part of her circle of friends along with her hilarious and extremely supportive best friends Sadie and Elise. What elevates this cozy mystery from the slew of others that I have read is the added discussions of life as an academic, particularly from the perspective as a BIPOC professor in a predominately white institution. The book also addresses racism, sexism, and sexual harrasment, which are woven seamlessly in the story and not heavy handed. I also appreciated the organic inclusion of diversity within the secondary characters in the book too.

Funny, thought provoking, and a cast of incredibly likeable characters, this is a debut that you don't want to miss. It is for sure going to be on my staff pick recommendations for this year. I can not wait to revisit these characters and join Daphne on her future mysteries. Two big thumbs up!

Jasmine Walker is a terrific narrator for this series. She exudes the personalities so perfectly for all of the characters. Her natural cadence made this audiobook such a delight to listen to. Please have her narrate the entire series!

TW: Sexual assault, stalking, sexual harassment, racial microagressions

Thank you to Netgalley, Recorded Books, Soho Crime for an advanced copy of the book.

I enjoyed this mystery, but its biggest strength was in its setting and vibes. the University setting felt very real, the problems faculty and students are facing relevant to today, but also the *feeling* of being in a university town was very well described and felt quite nostalgic to me.

Daphne was a believable character, fleshed out by a strong supporting cast. I especially liked her parents and the importance of her family history to her current research and values. This was helped by the great audiobook narrator who made each character come to life. I enjoyed the French elements too but as somebody who studied French I'm probably a bit biased on that front 😂

The mystery was engrossing and touched on some interesting and varied elements to keep you guessing, but I kept being taken out of it by the romance. I usually really like a romance subplot but this just felt too "instalove" for me, to the point that I didn't care about the subplot and just wanted Daphne to get back to business. Literally every time she looked at him she said something horny. It just all felt a bit much. This was probably worsened by the audiobook as if I read it in print I could have skipped over it, and it would have annoyed me less.

That said, this was an enjoyable well-written mystery and I would definitely read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free audio copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A history professor who just joined a university, gets herself tangled into a murder of a fellow professor after realizing that the dead professor sent her a cryptic message just before his time of death. This was a very promising start and I was very invested in the story in the beginning. I liked the academic background, the university setting and the police and consultant.
I liked how Daphne kept on going even though she was in danger multiple times. It showed how brave she was and thanks to her father, his background made him so much more cooler. Very important topics were discussed in this book like university politics, racism , misogyny, misuse of power, which I really liked to read.
The mystery itself was easy to figure out for me so after that it was just me waiting to see how Daphne figures it out so that part got a little boring. but I appreciate that there were no loose ends or far fetched explanations.
Overall the setting was great but the execution could have been better.

I really enjoyed this read. I enjoyed the characters and I really hope that this becomes a series so we can keep getting to know them. This book felt smart and witty.

Thank you to the publisher (audiobook producer?) and NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ok, this is a great listen. History Lessons follows Daphne, a young Associate Professor of French History at Harrison University, an elite university, trying to make tenure. She's still finding her way through academia whilst being a Black woman who has to battle prejudice, subtle as well as overt. Everything that she knows is thrown off kilter when she gets sent a cryptic voicemail by a colleague, another young, hotshot professor who strangely turns up dead. Cue her being implicated in the crime and of course, she gets involved to clear her name.

The narrator for this audiobook is great. She's extremely talented at doing all the different accents and inflections, and her voice is very easy on the ears. The story itself is a very strong one. The backdrop of a murder in academia is an interesting one as the thought of violent crime is in such stark contrast to academia but the idea works because this book divulges not only the violence of the act of murder but the various ego clashes, powerplays, power dynamics and workplace politics that go into running an esteemed institution. Not to mention there is a very necessary thread running throughout this whole book of the way in which Black people, and Black women specifically, are treated in a field like academia. This is very well covered by the author (I suspect they are an academic themselves!). As a WoC in STEM myself, I can totally identify with the impostor syndrome, having to work 10x harder to prove myself than a white colleague, the general bias that comes with looking a certain way, etc.

The mystery itself isn't the strong point, which, ok, is pretty run of the mill. The revelation of the murderer wasn't particularly shocking (especially so if you're a serial mystery reader) but the world building, themes of belonging as a Black woman in a white area, being a Black academic, the subtle microaggressions of racism that Black women face on a daily basis, this is what really makes the book interesting and worthwhile, and overall, a pretty solid read. I hope this is the beginning of a new series, because I'd definitely like to keep reading.

A solid 4 stars/5.

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book. When it got to the point that they figured out who the killer was, I felt like that should've been the ending. The additional investigation into sexual assault was fine, my only issue is that it felt like it came out of nowhere instead of the idea being planted early on in the story.
The narrator was brilliant. Her voice was very pleasant to listen to. She was also really great at the different accents and voices.
I'll update this review with a link to the social media post once that it up.

Incredible debut! I absolutely loved the cast of characters. Daphne is a great character, and, impressively, the side characters are well fleshed out, too -- I would love future novels where we can spend more time with Daphne and her family and friends! As a romance novel lover, I am so also here for the sexy detective-turned-bookseller love interest! This had the feel of a "cozy mystery" with the college campus setting and charming sense of humor, but it does get heavy at times. For me, the characters kept me invested in this, but the mystery does tie up nicely. The narrator does a lovely job bringing these great characters to life. Highly recommend checking this one out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook

While mystery isn't my primary genre but this book had me completely hooked. The story follows Daphne Overture, a junior history professor who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation after her colleague is killed and a strange message links her to the case. What unfolds is a clever, layered mystery interwined with campus politics, romantic tension, and sharp commentary on life as black woman navigating academia.

Wallbrook's writing is immersive and nuanced, with worldbuilding that feels lived in and authentic. The pacing balances slower, character driven moments with tense turns, and the audiobook narration is excellent, adding depth and distinct voices to each character. And the ending? Perfectly executed. The emotional payoff feels very earned. I would love to read more about Daphne and whatever mystery she solves next. I would highly recommend for readers who love smart, character driven mysteries with romance and depth.

The moment I started this book, I was hooked. From the mystery around Daphne's colleague's death to the debate over the new Dean of the college and the dangerous target on Daphne's back. I enjoyed it all. On the surface, it seemed Daphne's connection to a colleague's death was non-existent. Until she realizes a random text from him in french is a message from a beloved personal book of hers--that's suddenly gone missing. 

Daphne's intuitive, kind and professional nature despite the microaggressions she endures at Harrison University made her an instant favorite character for me. Her supportive best friends and her ex-CIA father made the story even more entertaining when Daphne sought out answers on her own to track down her missing book. Sam's 'charmer' personality didn't fool everyone, but it hid a lot of dark secrets both on and off campus. 
The more Daphne uncovers; the greater the danger.

This was my introduction to the author's work and I'm excited to read from her again.

I loved this book. I found the story to be engaging and the plot twists intriguing. The main character is likeable and relatable in many ways, and I enjoyed the writing of how she thought through the problems.
This had a bit more substance to it than many cosy mysteries but still maintained that vibe.
Would 100% recommend!

I love the main character so much, and the rep for women and BIPOC folks in higher education. There was a little too much going on in the mystery which kinda lost me at times

I am torn about History Lessons; some things I loved, a lot I didn’t. Our main character is history professor, Daphne Ouverture, who is trying to solve the murder of another professor, Sam Taylor. Sam’s text to her the night of his death was strange, as is the fact that one of her books is missing. It all must be connected to his death and she needs to find out how.

I want to love Daphne. She’s smart and tough and I appreciated her thoughts on race and feminism and society. I didn’t like the way she instantly smitten with Rowan, the police consultant/bookstore owner. I didn’t like how unsure she seemed of herself in the beginning, especially after we meet her family and see how she deals with some situations later on in the book.

I love the language in the book and the literary and historical references. You could make a whole reading list based on this one. I liked the glimpse into faculty life and academic politics.

The mystery was engrossing, with well-placed clues and plenty of suspects. It also felt like the author had to great ideas and just had to combine them both. I do wish it the blurb had been written differently. This one deals with some heavy topics and was not as light-hearted as I expected going in. I actually almost DNFed it. It turned out I’m glad I didn’t, even if I wasn’t thrilled with the case’s wrap-up. Hopefully, the next one will be a bit more enjoyable, both because I assume it will deal with a different topic and I’ll know more what to expect.

I listened to the audio and the narrator did a great job bringing Daphne to life. The personalities she brought to the characters was great and took a bit of the dark edge off.

I sadly did not get a chance to finish this book. I got about half way through and found myself getting caught up in the spiderweb of stories going on with the actually mystery taking a back seat. I think the concept for this is lovely and I wanted to hear more about the story it advertises.