Krista Davis

Determined to take down her childhood rival at the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown, Sophie Winston instead finds herself accused of murder when her quest for basting the perfect turkey goes horribly wrong, in a mystery complete with tasty recipes and entertaining tips. Original.

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme

Izza

3.75 stars | this was exactly what I was in the mood to read! :D

So I am really torn with this book. For starters, the characters are ridiculously weird and flat. The protagonist, Sophie, has a childhood rivalry with a "domestic diva," Natasha, who also happens to have "stolen but not stolen" her newly divorced husband. They go through a lot of weird incidents revolving around some cooking or decorating, all leading up to two murders and Sophie finds herself a prime suspect, because she finds both bodies. She then pairs up with her friends and family to try to solve the mystery, which really comes from left field in my opinion. (view spoiler)[and honestly, one freaking kind-of hint is not much to go on for what the explanation was (hide spoiler)]

What was weird to me is that Sophie is in her early to mid forties, but doesn't really act like it. Maybe it's because it is the first novel in the series so the author hasn't found Sophie's voice just yet, but she comes off more sheltered than her younger sister Hannah, who is introduced as really sheltered (who is also in the beginnings of an abusive relationship, but we'll just ignore that because the author heavy handedly focused on it only to dropp it in the end). For instance, when she and Natasha are attempting to psych each other out before the stuffing contest, Sophie points out that Natasha is making an oyster stuffing that Mars wouldn't like. When Natasha mentioned that he liked her oysters, Sophie childishly says internally that Natasha doesn't know what she is talking about, but I say Natasha knows how Mars likes his oysters.

And then there is Sophie's mother, who is cloyingly overbearing about Sophie getting another man. Think the historical romance novel mothers set during the regency period where a woman is worthless without a marriage. Everything from how Natasha stole Mars and how Sophie needs to steal him back to what pajamas Sophie wears is brought up repeatedly. This nasty woman undercuts her daughter with every comment, as if it is totally her fault Mars left and she is alone (although Sophie ignorantly stands that she didn't steal Mars). She just wore me out and made the beginning so rough because you want to slap her for being so mean for no reason. Also she introduces this weird stalker Humphrey guy, and then there's a random romance with the detective of the case. It just makes me wince a bit. It didn't need to be there at all.

The rest of the characters blend together. You have two old women (Francieand June being the best written characters in my opinion) an da bunch of busybodies or relatives who all happen to be connected like 3 times over. The rest of the story is pretty run of the mill, with some tips about being a good housewife, or "domestic diva" thrown into the mix.

I didn't like the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. It was cool to see the difference between Sophie and Natasha at first, but then it got old and I wanted to skip each one to read the actual story. It segmented it in a way that a 4 page chapter shouldn't be segmented.

So I am torn. I don't like most of the characters, but I saw the depth in some of them. The story is run-of-the-mill, but as it winds up to the climax and resolves I think it was enjoyable to read. The romances seemed out of place and/or creepy. I swear that Hannah will have an abusive husband arc within the series, but am confused how she would do that without breaking the cozy theme.

I read this mainly because it focused on Thanksgiving, and this does deliver a Thanksgiving themed murder plot. I think it was an okay read, but I don't know if I'll be purchasing another book in this series. At least not until my to-read shelf is dwindling.

Anna Adams

At least the third time I've read it. I love a nice holiday story when summer arrives, so I've been catching up with holiday stories I didn't actually read last year when the year both slogged and sped by. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and in anticipation of Thanksgiving, I usually read this story in July! I love the characters and the ambiance and the writing style. I did listen to the audiobook this time, and I didn't enjoy that as much, but come July, I'll probably read the book again!

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme

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