The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #1) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Aug 28, 2017 Missy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cozymysteries, homage-to-books, bibliomysteries

"Becoming a reader is a change for the better. Trust me. No one has ever lost by becoming addicted to stories..." ~Nora Pennington

Trust me, you'll be better after reading this first book in Ellery's new series. We're introduced to four dynamic, determined, daring, and damaged women who live in the unique town of Miracle Springs. Their lives intersect because of small town life, but they choose to establish and build relationships to become connected and thus overcome loneliness. So, surrounded b ...more

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Nov 26, 2021 Lucinda rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was okay - not the best or worst book I have ever read

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Aug 31, 2022 Jessica McLaren rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I am not a fan of cozy mysteries in general, so I had low expectations going into this one. I read it to satisfy a couple reading challenge prompts, and thought it would be a harmless nudge outside of my comfort zone.

I was not prepared to be flung into blind rage, however.

In no particular order, here are some things that jarred me:

*The three white MC's own their own businesses/client lists, but the Black lady? She provides towel service at the pools. No, really! Oh my god with this.

*Every time o I am not a fan of cozy mysteries in general, so I had low expectations going into this one. I read it to satisfy a couple reading challenge prompts, and thought it would be a harmless nudge outside of my comfort zone.

I was not prepared to be flung into blind rage, however.

In no particular order, here are some things that jarred me:

*The three white MC's own their own businesses/client lists, but the Black lady? She provides towel service at the pools. No, really! Oh my god with this.

*Every time one of the female MC's needed information or answers from men, the default was flirting and/or playing dumb. WOW.

*Very little understanding of things like what lawyers do (ie, finding evidence to support a client's innocence, for example), and how search warrants work or why we need them (they don't in Miracle Springs, apparently). Private citizens recording other private citizens is also okay.

*White ladies selling mala beads to other white ladies, with no cultural or spiritual context. Just, you know, to feel better.

*A strong endorsement of Orson Scott Card. Yes, Ender's Game fit the context, but so do thousands of other books. You had to go with that garbage human of a guy? Really? There were many authors/books mentioned throughout, but this was one of a couple that was actually part of character developement and mentioned a few times. (This criticism is totally based on my own moral view, I see that.)

*The Help was mentioned in passing as a valuable book about race. THE HELP. Again, of allll the books out there, the white savior book is called out and promoted.

I get that this is a fluffy cozy, and that I'm biased against the subgenre, but too many of my buttons were pushed with this one, both personal and more objective. Miracle Springs is supposed to be this magical place, but it seems more like a creepy self-help hotbed where the women act like dingbats, your bakery order takes 20 minutes, and cops are free to enter your house and take what they need.

I do not understand all the love this book gets, not at all. ...more

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