literatelyalibrarian's Reviews (594)

This was my first Ellie Alexander and it won't be my last. This was a pretty decent start to a cozy mystery series that I plan on continuing. Ellie's voice took me a while to get into, but in the end I enjoyed it.

There were two characters in the story that got on my nerves every time they were on page, and lowkey would not be mad if they got killed off in the future

*cough cough* Lance and Richard

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I liked the ending and the reveal of who the murderer was, it was a nice twist. My favorite thing was reading the descriptions of the food and getting the recipes in the back - I want to own a physical copy for that very reason. I'm dying to try the Sweet Heat Espresso!!

I found out about this book on a whim while searching 2023 horror releases and I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed this book! I loved the discussion about generational trauma and its effects on future generations. I love how there was an almost haunted house aspect to the story (probably my favorite horror trope). I also really enjoyed that this followed an author and it's a fun way to fit into the book about books trope which is rarely seen in horror novels - although it is more common in more recent horror releases.

This book had many creepy moments and some that actually had my stomach churning. You know how movies have a cold open? Well, this had like a double cold open. There were so many parts of this that I was slack-jawed, listening to what was unfolding. And personally, I liked the reveal, but I can understand how it would be divisive.

If J.H. Markert writes another book I will definitely be picking it up!