I really enjoyed this murder mystery where the lead character, Lydia, is an advice columnist at the Washington Post. It wasn’t perfect and Lydia wasn’t really fully developed and seemed at times rather immature. But that may have been because of her insecurities with her appalling girlfriend. The English classes side plot was interesting and allowed Lydia some movement beyond her desk and home. And her friend Jen was awesome.

The serial killer aspect was handled adroitly and meant that we went along with the plot trying to figure out whether a letter writer was a skilled riddler or a dangerous killer. I especially enjoyed the twist at the end when Lydia finally comes into her own and solves the conundrum. An enjoyable mystery and I’ll read more from the author.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

Concept of this was intriguing (advice columnist starts receiving letters that may be connected to a string of murders) but the execution left a lot to be desired. First of all, the dialogue drove me crazy. Every character is constantly talking in long, awkward, exposition-filled sentences, even when exposition is not at all necessary because the reader and the other characters are fully aware of what is happening, because they were there when it happened. The author overall seems to have no faith that her readers could ever connect things on their own, so everything has to be explicitly spelled out (the book even stops to explain what an anagram is). There were some descriptions of the geography of DC that were so glaringly wrong that I felt actively angry (I know this is pedantic but it just feels so sloppy to me) and somehow everyone only rides the bus, never the metro. The clues in the letters are nonsense — I don’t think you can just take any two random words from a sentence, say “look this could spell something else!” and have that be an actually believable clue. Also, the book fully name drops an AI program that the protagonist uses, when it seems like Google reverse image search could’ve achieved the same result?? At a time when I see many authors and other creatives voicing their concerns about AI, it seems very weird to make it a key part of your protagonist solving the mystery.

As for the plot, the “twist” about the letter writer feels so glaringly obvious as a possibility that I could not take her seriously. It felt like the book spent way too much time on the relationship with the ex girlfriend at the beginning — I guess this was to establish the connection to the Phillips Collection, but it felt like a waste of time (and the Phillips doesn’t even have any Pollock drip paintings so why use them at all (this only makes sense if you’ve read the book sorry)). Speaking of wastes of time, why did we need the protagonist’s weird self improvement journey/yoga cult retreat at the beginning? It took so long to get into the action of the book. There is also a romance subplot that felt like it was dropped in from a completely different book. The romance was boring (we get a couple random chapters/paragraphs from the love interest’s POV, so there’s not even any tension over whether she reciprocates the protagonist’s feelings), the tonal shifts between the mystery and romance sections were weird and jarring, and the romance was ultimately totally disconnected from the main mystery plot line.

I personally would not recommend this book at all. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this novel! It was fairly short but had a LOT packed into it. There was a mystery thriller, a romance, and a journey of self discovery and personal growth. This was a quick read that was a page turner and was incredibly enjoyable. Rating this one was hard for me, between 4 or 5 stars, and since I can’t give partial marks, I ended up rounding down to “the highest 4-stars that I can give”. I would absolutely recommend this novel.

Highlights:
-I liked the relationship between the protagonists a lot! It was sweet, developed organically, and they were a great pair together. I thoroughly enjoyed them, but I wish that there had been more/longer.
-I loved how even though I knew this had a romance, I didn’t know who the potential love interest was going to be. There were a few possibilities early on and the discovery was very enjoyable. I don’t mind straightforward romance in the least, but it was refreshing and nice to see something that was a little less straightforward.
-The mystery was well done. There were plenty of hints and foreshadowing. It was simple enough to be believable and understandable but also complicated enough that it wasn’t overly obvious.
-The character growth/development of the MC was satisfying. She went on a little journey of self discovery, with rewarding results. The character arc was interwoven nicely with the relationship and mystery, to great overall effect.

Complaints:
-Throughout the novel additional POV’s were added. Initially there was the love interest, which was unexpected but ultimately fine, but then later on there was more and I wasn’t as on board with this choice. The novel was from a single POV and the reader was speculating along with her about everything, which worked very well for both the mystery and any potential romance. When the other POV’s were added it felt like a massive give-away and undercut all the tension and speculation (for me). I don’t know if that’s just a “me thing” or not, but it felt essentially like an infodump that wasn’t earned by the character/story. Simply didn’t work for me!
-The novel was somewhat short for both a romance and a mystery thriller and as a result each wasn’t as developed as it could have been. The novel was still great, but I think that each of these elements could have been better if they had been further developed in greater depth and detail.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not sure what to expect when I read this. I had seen on social media that the book was supposed to be good, I just didn't know why. I prefer not to read about a book before I read them - so I come to it fresh with no preconceived ideas. Of course sometimes that is just not possible.
I can't remember now if I even knew it was a murder mystery!
I did know it was probably going to have something to do with an advice columnist though - I think the title tells me that.
I have to say that the story itself is quite ridiculous - but it works. The way in which everything centred on the columnist - Lydia - made it look as though she was seeing murderers in everything she touched. But I also think it was obvious that there were connections and everything was not as 'simple' as her deduction that 'he did it and is after me'.
Add in her failed relationship - she was obviously 'a wrong un' and her mutual attraction with the star of the college, plus the suspense and incidents and it made a good story.
It was a little like a wholesome murder set in the 1950s, but with modern day technology. Perhaps it was the advice columnist job and the letters that were sent in that gave it that feel for me. Oh, and by referring to the murderer as the 'RSM' every time my head read it as regimental Sergeant Major which I then had to rethink into the ' Red Scarf Murderer'.
But anyway, I really enjoyed it. I read it on the train - I started it as I left Kings Cross - and by York I had finished. A good distraction from a rainy train trip.

A sapphic mystery that was quite engaging. My favorite thing with this story without giving anything away was how Lydia was able to find herself and know her worth. Cade did a great job with this story. I recommend.

Thank You Bella Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

A solid sapphic mystery. Lydia Swann, the main protagonist, is an easily likable character. She recently became an advice columnist when she begins to receive threatening emails after advice was given to a woman wanting to break up with her boyfriend. She begins to see threads connecting the writer of the emails to an active serial killer. She decides to investigate. The story unfolds from here.
I enjoyed the storyline and the side characters that helped move it along. Lydia’s developing relationship with Sophia, a woman from the agency where Lydia teaches ESL, is gentle and sweet. While there is the subplot of the blooming romance, the story stays true to its main focus, the mystery emails and their connection to the serial killer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for the arc. I leave my review voluntarily.

Lydia's career may be taking off as she lands the much-coveted advice columnist role at The Post, but her personal life is a mess.

Her unsupportive girlfriend dumps her via text message, and having spent far too many years being what everyone else needs, Lydia has no idea who she is anymore.

Finding what makes her happy as she grows closer to Sofia, who she knows from her nights of volunteering and teaching, is interwoven with a cosy thriller storyline following a serial killer on the loose.

After a series of strange letters are sent to Lydia's advice column, she draws a connection between them and the murders. Can she solve the mystery before she becomes a target?

I felt this book walked a very fine line between romance and thriller, never stepping strongly into either genre.

It's a superficial read but perfect for a brief piece of escapism. Pick this up as part of your summer read pile and enjoy an afternoon of advice column crime-solving.

*I received a free copy of this book from Bella Books via NetGalley, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.*

I love anything by this author! This book was engaging and kept me flipping pages well into the night.

Lydia gets a great new job as a newspaper advice columnist, and also has a rewarding voluntary role at a language school. Her personal life isn't so good after being dumped by her nasty girlfriend Carrie, who we only get to know through her aggressive text messages and calls.
Following the publication of some replies, Lydia and her team start getting letters which seem to be from the Red Scarf Killer operating in the area. Lydia passes the information to the police and to the paper's crime reporter, and she continues to investigate. In the meantime, Lydia meets Sofia at the language school and starts a new friendship with her. This is a fun book, a combination of murder mystery, and romance, Lydia's supportive friend Jen is the voice of reason, and her work colleagues are nice. Recommended for the beach

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

lydia swann is on top of the world not only has she been coveted for her dream job of being an advice columnist at The Washington Post but life is going brilliantly she has an amazing girlfriend .... until she doesnt....

after being dumped by her girlfriend by text she now has to settle for being single until she finds the right one.... but when will the right one be there....

lydia is also a volunteer teacher and likes nothing better than seeing her adult students learn english and excel and is looking forward to the next academic new year

with that and her advice column its full steam ahead for lydia well it should be but the mail bag has been getting some very strange messages lately should she be concerned....

not a bad read...

I really wanted to like this. I did. Perhaps I feel a little less satisfied as I expected more depth and more integration of the plot elements. Cade Haddock Strong has set out on a bold path here, one that has to tread the right tone throughout and feature a strong lead character. For me, Ms. Strong’s reach has exceeded her grasp, alas. If you’re going to have a serial-killer overt subplot, then probably the tone is going to have some substantial gravitas. I felt the tone was off throughout as the mix of self-discovery, romance, and thriller-suspense didn’t gel as cohesively as I’d have expected.

If it was my choice, I’d have wanted Lydia to be more adult than she felt to me. She’s set up as the next big thing in advice columnists, gets offered the lead job at a prestigious newspaper, and yet is on a journey of pretty basic self-discovery all while holding an M.Sc. (I think it was) in psychology. Lydia feels more like 20 than 30. And as a result, her actions and reactions as the suspense ramps up feel like a younger woman, and thus I felt frustrated as I expected more depth of reaction and involvement.

To me, this reads more like YA than a full adult novel in terms of character behavior and development. That means Lydia feels young and how the relationship with Sofia develops is not one of how more mature adults’ might develop. Readers who enjoy YA, and the genre’s nature of character depth and development vs. focus and pace, will quite probably feel differently to me. I hope so; I’ll admit I couldn’t get passed my issues and biases due to my expectations, alas. But that’s me.

On the plus side, the set up and environment are good. I enjoyed a peek into the worlds of advice columns and of teaching. And there’s a lovely sprinkling of ethnic heritages throughout that I really enjoyed. And food! Lovingly described—always a plus. Add to that, there's a cast of supports who are also interesting and engaging.

Many readers will doubtless enjoy the suspense and thriller elements here. Like I said, the author has attempted to reach high, and even if I didn’t feel she did so as successfully as I’d hoped, there must be kudos given for the attempt and partial success. And many readers will likely not feel the same about my issues as I do. And if so, they’ll likely enjoy the story’s mix.

3.5 stars due to my personal bias vs. expectations but bumped up to 4 stars for a) the freshness and attempt to create something more notable than the “next lesfic romance.” And b) since Ms. Strong finished the book after a period of inactivity, I understand. She ventured, and boldly so. And that’s to be congratulated.

Thank you to the author, to the publisher, Bella Books, and to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC and give my honest opinion.

A cozy mystery from Cade Haddock Strong. As the blurb says Lydia Swann takes over as the advice columnist at the Washington Post. It is her dream job. A serial killer is on the loose in the DC area and she begins to suspect that a letter writer has a connection to the cases. There is more going on in this story than just the mystery. Lydia is a people pleasing character and after a recent break up she is trying to find herself and it is hard to break old habits. She also volunteers at a center that helps teach English as a second language. There she meets Sophia who has gone from being a student at the center to a teacher in a few years. With Sophia there is new friendship and possible romance.

I like the personal character arc for Lydia and her finding and valuing herself. The mystery itself is fairly straightforward. Lydia originally gets involved more out of concern for a letter writer. There is wondering about a connection, suspicion, some coincidental menacing. It fits that she can use newspaper resources for example to find an IP address etc.. Overall, I liked this romantic mystery. I would have liked the romance to go further but closed door is normal for the cozy mystery genre. I’ve read the author previously and know that this is her first mystery and I would be interested if Lydia stumbles into another case.