I wanted to read this because it looked funny. I'm surprised to say, I actually laughed out loud a few times. It's hard to be that funny, I think. It was the right balance between sympathetic and uncomfortable when it came to the warring villages. And I ended up liking the characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book. It was cozy and wonderful!

Delicious!..
There is trouble simmering under the surface in The Bartons - these apparently perfect and pristine villages of the East and the West hide resentment and anger, jealousy and rivalry. Not all is as it first appears but havoc and chaos are soon to reign. With an edge of Wodehouse and a side of Sharpe, the author has penned a delightfully entertaining and gently humorous tale of the underbelly of village life with a frothy plot populated by a cast of eccentric, eclectic and well crafted characters in a well imagined setting. Delicious!

I love this book. Mart Capsticks writes like a modern day P.G. Wodehouse, furnishing his novel with a cast of eccentric characters.
I live on an inland island in the heart of Somerset, surrounded by small village communities not unlike the Bartons, where they really do have contests and rivalries not far removed from those described here.
The plot is fabulous. In places it reads like a Cozy Crime caper but then the action takes off and swiftly introduces all the revelry of a 1970s British T.V. sitcom. It's full of gentle banter and nostalgic charm.
It's very difficult to get the humour right in this sort of novel, and especially so in a contemporary setting, but the author nails it completely. There are times when we all need cheering up and this book is a perfect remedy to life's everyday blues.

I loved the style of writing and had fun in reading this novel: likeable characters, tightly knitted plot
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Well-written and laugh-out-loud funny with a cast of quirky characters, Best Kept Village by Mart Capsticks is an entertaining novel that revolves around the rivalry between two neighboring English villages in North Norfolk as they compete for first place in the Best Kept Village Competition.

With active committees on both sides diligently planning and preparing for the competition round the year while also trying to keep tabs on their rivals, tensions are high in East Barton and West Barton. Matters are complicated further when both villages are victims of strategically timed acts of vandalism. With their carefully designed displays ruined just before the judges are scheduled to visit, both committees are quick to suspect the other and Sergeant Dale Richards is at his wit's end trying to maintain peace between the two rivals, while trying to find the person responsible for the damage. Frustrated with local law enforcement’s failure to apprehend the perpetrator, the committee members on each side decide to take matters into their own hands and chaos ensues.

The narrative is consistently paced and flows well. To be honest, there isn’t much about this novel that will surprise you and it isn’t too difficult to guess the identity of the culprit behind the vandalism, but I did like the writing and the characters (a tad stereotypical, but well thought out and interesting nonetheless) and appreciated the humor. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read, perfect for when you are looking for something light-hearted or as a palate cleanser between books.

Many thanks to Troubador for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Pleasant but too cozy and formulaic for me. I found Marc Capsticks’ writing a bit stilted and cliched, his characterization generic. I think some readers will like it, as it is an easy, low pressure read, but not my favorite.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I could not shake off the feeling that I had read or watched this plot before. It is like an Ealing comedy with rival villages warring over who will become ‘Best Kept’. Or a Midsomer murder without the murder. Or an episode of Agatha Raisin.

Peculiarly English in tone and featuring recognisable caricatures: Brigadier chappie, bombastic double barrelled lady, a mad Scotswoman, a huge gentle giant farmer, a drunken Lord of the Manor……and a pair of star-crossed lovers.

The comedy plot is about the efforts made to win, the enmity between the rival villages and unknown saboteurs, though I correctly guessed their identities early on.

Summer read maybe but not for me.

I read a copy provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

This title is perfect for anyone who likes the setting of Midsommar Murder. A fun and easy read, I would definitely read more of this author’s titles.