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strawpix's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As someone else said, this book has not aged well, it sort of reads like it's narrated by an almond mom. The main character is not very likeable, and she says so herself, but it's a good background book, it's fairly short and not difficult. Being set in the countryside of England gives it a cozy vibe and the mystery is pretty light as well. Overall not bad just not my taste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
sea_tea_books's review against another edition
mysterious
3.5
Oof, this story didn't age well (published in 1992). There were also a lot of convenient plotlines in which the main character was rescued because someone happened to be nearby.
Aside from those issues, I did enjoy the narration and will probably listen to the next book in the series.
[Audiobook]
Aside from those issues, I did enjoy the narration and will probably listen to the next book in the series.
[Audiobook]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Minor: Violence and Murder
miniingrid's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Aún siendo un tanto odiosa Agatha y algún que otro personaje, el libro ha sido divertido y entretenido sin pretensiones.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mooneyreads's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The setting was cozy, but there were jarringly racist descriptions, weird homophobia, persistent fatphobia, and the mystery itself was only meh. Apparently recent books of the series continue to have racist language (without any condemnation by the story), so this can’t be chocked up to being from “another time” (though the 90’s were not that long ago..)
I won’t be continuing the series.
I won’t be continuing the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
charliebella's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism and Racial slurs
Minor: Stalking
jillgoober's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars
I thought maybe this would be a cute little quick read...but it was a slog to get through this. I think I need to stop trying to read cozy mysteries from the 90s/early 00s because the protagonist's inner monologue is somehow always fatphobic, sexist, subtly homophobic, and simply rude. Despite its short length, the book was filled with unnecessary descriptions. There were also multiple times where a character who was not even in the scene was written as speaking, i.e. there were some big editing mistakes. I also felt that the actual mystery component to this story was juvenile and predictable to say the least.
I thought maybe this would be a cute little quick read...but it was a slog to get through this. I think I need to stop trying to read cozy mysteries from the 90s/early 00s because the protagonist's inner monologue is somehow always fatphobic, sexist, subtly homophobic, and simply rude. Despite its short length, the book was filled with unnecessary descriptions. There were also multiple times where a character who was not even in the scene was written as speaking, i.e. there were some big editing mistakes. I also felt that the actual mystery component to this story was juvenile and predictable to say the least.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Sexism
ramblingravioli's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
iwantacactus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism
eicart_reads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
Fatphobia from the 2022 perspective, looking back on 1992 and how they talked about themselves. "I've gotten fat, I need to eat less and exercise more," type of talk. Mostly fatphobia towards oneself, not from others. But could be jarring to the modern perspective.