I listened to this entertaining cozy mystery on Audible. I liked the narrator, Callie Beaulieu. I enjoyed the main characters, especially Poppy who I related to the most. This may sound strange but my favorite chapter was the last one. Poppy had a lot of growth and I loved her frame of mind there. I will be reading the next book in this series. Poppy has reconnected to her first love and, as I also did a couple years ago, I am dying to see if it works out for her. ( )

It's been six months since Poppy has lost her husband, and she can't seem to pull herself together. She sits around eating and missing her beloved husband, John. It doesn't help that her mother-in-law hates her and wants her out of the home she shared with him (which she won't leave). When she receives an invitation to her twenty-fifth class reunion, she has no intention of going. She's gained weight (obviously) and doesn't want to see the people who made her high school years miserable. But she's convinced by her best friend Sawyer Montgomery to go - and she winds up taking her cat, Figaro, and heading to her Aunt Ginny's in New Jersey.

When she arrives she's surprised at the state of Ginny's large Victorian. It's been neglected, and there is dust everywhere. It doesn't help that the social workers are trying to put Ginny in a home, thinking she's getting senile. Now Poppy is trying to keep her sanity while helping Ginny and trying to avoid her nemeses; but when she learns her old boyfriend Tim is going to cater the reunion, it's just about all she can stand.

Then, when Barbie, her main tormentor, is found murdered and Poppy might be the prime suspect, she figures the only way out of this is to find the person who wanted Barbie dead. But with so many people who hated her, it's not going to be easy...

I wanted to like this book after reading the blurb, but there were so many things wrong. I understand that she was grieving her husband, and sometimes you never get over it. But staying home for six months eating your way to larger dress sizes? It's not like she woke up one morning and looked at herself and said, "How did this happen?" I really got tired of her complaining about her weight. There are women of all sizes, and they're all beautiful in their own way, so the self-fat-shaming was getting to me.

I also didn't like Amber one whit. She should have been taken off the case because she was part of the problem, hating Poppy in the first place. And when I found out why Amber hated Poppy, it was like, are you kidding me?

Okay, then there's the ending, which really threw me. (You can find this on my blog: https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2020/02/class-reunions-are-murder-poppy.html ( )

This is a wonderful start to a new series. I loved the themes in this book. Besides having a mystery, there is high school bullying, healthy living and naturopathic healing as well as self-esteem, acceptance and second chances. All this is wrapped up in fun with a lot of laughs along the way.

Poppy McAllister is dreading the 25th reunion of her high school graduating class, in fact, she doesn't even want to go. Her best friend, Sawyer, talked her into attending along with the other two girls, Kim and Colleen, that were her only friends in high school. Since the death of her husband, Poppy's life has been falling apart. She has gained a lot of weight, her mother in law is driving her crazy, and her only companion is Figaro the cat. Her dreams of becoming a pastry chef and a mother have vanished and at this point, she has no desire to spend an evening with all the bullies who made her life miserable, and will probably make her feel even worse about herself and her life. When the reunion plays out the way Poppy expected, it is understandable to see her snap. She finally lets loose on Barbie, the leader of the mean girls followed by a physical altercation between Barbie and Sawyer. When Barbie is found dead in front of Poppy's old locker, by Poppy, she is the main suspect in her death.

Cape May, New Jersey is a fun town. The characters inhabiting the town, especially the older set, are a hoot. Aunt Ginny is one of the funnest characters I have come across in a long time. I hope I have that much energy and wit when I am in my 70s. Poppy is a smart, sarcastic heroine, who is loyal to her true friends and her family (not her husband's family). She is addicted to food and is a plus-sized woman, which I loved. She ends up with not one, but two males interested in her which is also a nice change, that they do not all go after the skinny women. Even the two women she meets when arrested are wonderfully written and give inspiration to Poppy to make changes to her life. All in all, someone I would love to have as a friend. And of course, the police are out in full force, but with the blinders on so that Poppy has to hand them the evidence to eventually solve the crime. This is a cozy mystery after all. The lead detective is also one of the bullies from high school, so that adds another dimension to the story. I also enjoyed the secondary storyline about the Social Services trying to get Aunt Ginny put in a nursing home because she needed supervision. I did figure out where that plotline was going before the ending and I loved the resolution of it. The story moves quickly and the reveal of the culprit was well done, although not someone I had on my radar. I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy cozy mysteries, especially those with humour and quirky characters. I am really looking forward to reading the next one in this series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions stated are my own. ( )

Widowed and stuck in a middle-aged funk, Poppy has been running on cookies, infomercials, and one-sided chats with her cat for months. The last thing she wants to do is attend her 25th class
reunion. After receiving a bizarre letter from Barbie, the popular cheerleader who taunted her all through high school, she is positive that the reunion is going to be a horrible experience. Her best
friend practically drags her to the event only to end in Barbie being murdered.

Using the dreaded homecoming as an excuse to visit her eccentric Aunt Ginny, Poppy vows to leave Cape May with pride and Spanx intact and as quickly as possible. Too bad Barbie is still the queen of mean at the reunion. Worse yet, her dead body is lying right in front of Poppy’s old locker, where Poppy finds her.

Singled out as the killer, it’s up to Poppy to confront her past and clear her name. But between protecting her aunt from disaster and tackling a new lifestyle change, Poppy must crack the case before she’s sent to prison for murder or becomes the next victim?
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Series: A Poppy McAllister Mystery
Author: Libby Klein
Genre: Cozy Mystery/ Culinary
Publisher: Kensington

Class Reunions Are Murder is a thought-provoking and interesting take on class reunions and everything bad that happened to us as students in high school. It shows how the past catches up with everyone, even the bullies we dealt with on the road to adulthood.

Poppy is a wonderful, well-rounded character with flaws and insecurities on a grand scale. After the death of her husband, she sinks into a routine of watching television infomercials, eating anything sweet and brooding about life. She is older, with half her life gone and has no desire or ambition to change things. But when she returns home and renews her friendships and confronts the past, she realizes that she still has dreams and wants to start over. Her outlook on life is very relatable for any reader who has experienced the heartbreak and devastation of life’s turmoil.

Aunt Ginny is wonderfully eccentric with an attitude that people half her age envy. She has everything Poppy doesn’t, spunk, motivation and a way of doing things her way regardless of what anyone thinks. She makes readers hope that they are like her when they grow older.

The supporting cast of characters are interesting and entertaining, some of which such as Bebe and Tawnika should have their own series. They are funny and very likable, even under the circumstance of being behind bars.

The setting of the story is described in enough detail that the reader wouldn’t mind visiting and spending time discovering. It is the perfect location for this story, and hopes are that the author will flesh it out more in future installments.

Overall Class Reunions Are Murder is an enjoyable book. However, it isn’t as fast-paced as many would like and is a bit on the long side. There is a lack of real action until the end, and this makes it difficult to keep turning the page. The reader will dislike many of the characters and will have no empathy for those that the writer may have intended to come off as someone you would have compassion for. They might also have trouble figuring out the clues to the killer’s identity. The romantic interests are a bit confusing as the reader is never sure who the main interest is though they will cheer for one over the other.

This book is recommended to anyone who has the time to sit down and read the story uninterrupted, and with the knowledge that not everything will be easy to figure out. That said, the plot is interesting and the story although a bit complex is fun to read. The recipes in the back are great to try!
( )

Recently widowed Poppy just wants to hide out in her house, eat cookies, and just hibernate on her couch. The last thing she wants to do is attend her 25th high school reunion, but when her dear friend Sawyer calls, she finds herself promising to go.

Poppy is not looking forward to seeing the “it” crowd that used to torture her including the ringleader Barbie. Right now Poppy is carrying about 60 pounds of extra weight, has absolutely no self-confidence, and battling depression. This spells a party for disaster and boy is she right when the Prom Queen Barbie is murdered and Poppy is found standing over the body. Did I mention the police officer in charge is Amber, one of the girls that used to torture Poppy? Can Poppy find the real murderer before she finds herself behind bars?

What can I say about this book other than I love the characters? Poppy is every woman in their 40’s who dreads going to her reunion, Aunt Ginny is eccentric and fun loving, Sawyer is the trustworthy best friend, Tim is the ex-boyfriend/fiancé that got away, and Figaro is the snarky cat with personality.

This is a fun and quirky cozy mystery that will be enjoyed by all. ( )