Once Upon a Seaside Murder

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was kind of going back and forth between 3 stars and 4 for this one. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. I loved the setting. It was well written and well paced. The plot was engaging and had plenty of twists that kept things interesting. It held up well as a standalone. There was an extensive cast of interesting and likable secondary characters, and the author threw in a few tasty sounding vegan recipes at the end. All good things.

The main issue with this one is that Summer just isn't a very likable character. At least, this reader didn't find her all that likable. She cops an attitude whenever anyone dares to say anything she doesn't want to hear. She is also judgemental, pompous and rude. It's hard to connect and root for a character that you want to punch in the face 80% of the time.