Ten Things I Loved About…
Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review.
This week’s topic is meant to highlight the ten things you like about a certain book or series. Today, I decided to go with two separate series and discuss the five reasons I like each of them. I can’t think of ten things for one book!!
Truly Devious
1. The setting
The best part of this series is the Vermont boarding school full of smart kids. I absolutely love reading books set in New England and this takes the cake. Boarding school books are absolutely read-bait for me in general and the location of this one, plus the mystery at the center of the school, are so cool.
2. The cozy-ish vibes
I don’t consider this a cozy mystery really but there’s something comforting about this series when you add all of these elements together. There’s just something about it that can’t be replicated for me. No other book series compares – it’s like coming home for me for some reason. It’s like Nancy Drew at boarding school.
3. The characters
Stevie is a little annoying and her boyfriend is even worse, but their friend group is really at the core of this series. I don’t love any of them but they all have interesting personalities and flaws that make them feel real and interesting.
4. The multiple mysteries
There are five books so far in this series and more to come (next year, I believe – she took a break to write a standalone this year). TRULY DEVIOUS and the next book or two feature the mystery at the core of the school and the other book or two involve trips elsewhere and different mysteries for them to solve, which I love.
5. The writing
I’ve always been a fan of Maureen Johnson and really need to dive deeper into her backlist. Her writing style is top tier and really embodies all the things I mentioned above.
Black Dog Bay
1. The town theme
Have I talked about this series too much? Nah. Black Dog Bay is a town where all the businesses focus on getting over heartbreak. Businesses like Jilted Cafe, Whinery (bar), Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, and Eat Your Heart Out Bakery help the brokenhearted get over their exes when they come to visit. The concept was just so fun and the fact that the town all went IN on this theme made it very charming.
2. The townspeople/characters
Like I said, the people in the town were really committed to the bit! The whole vibe was so fun to read about and everyone brought something different to the table in terms of helping their visitors/tourists.
3. The setting/location
Yes, I already mentioned the theme of the town that makes the setting so amazing, but it’s also worth noting that it’s set in a small coastal/beach town in Delaware. I never wanted to go to the Delaware shore until I read this book! A cozy small town setting is always going to put a book on my radar but add in the ocean and beachy vibes and I couldn’t ask for more.
4. The audiobooks
I vividly remember finding the first book in this series on a total whim when I needed an audiobook for the ski slopes many winters ago. I was so enthralled by the premise and charmed by the town! The audio narrator is excellent for this series, in my opinion.
5. The writing
I went through and read a ton of Beth Kendrick after this series. Her writing is easy and breezy in the best way possible. She became an auto-read author for me and I kept waiting for more and more books by her to come out. She released an additional title in this series (not shown here) years later unexpectedly and I was so happy. She also put out a fun Christmas novella a couple of years ago, so fingers crossed she keeps putting out random books for me to read 😉
I love a good cozy setting.