Review

"Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New – Where Murder Meets Mistletoe (and a Whole Lot of Predictability)"

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Nancy Drew retired to a small town, joined a book club, and solved crimes while sipping tea, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New is here to scratch that oddly specific itch. Released in 2023, this latest installment in the Hallmark movies franchise is like a cozy blanket you’ve washed 47 times—it’s familiar, comforting, and maybe a little threadbare, but you can’t help wrapping yourself in it anyway.

The plot, as always, revolves around Aurora Teagarden (played by the ever-charming Candace Cameron Bure), a librarian-turned-amateur sleuth who somehow stumbles into more murders than a season of Law & Order. This time, Aurora is juggling wedding planning, her book club, and—you guessed it—a fresh corpse. Because nothing says “happily ever after” like solving a homicide before the cake tasting.

What sets this movie apart from other Hallmark holiday movies is its bold decision to not be a holiday movie. That’s right, folks—no snow, no mistletoe, and not a single Santa sighting. Instead, we get a quaint small-town murder mystery with a side of romance, which is basically the Hallmark equivalent of a plot twist. The film’s title, Something New, is hilariously ironic because, let’s be honest, this movie is as predictable as a Hallmark Christmas movie where the big-city lawyer falls for the small-town baker. Spoiler alert: Aurora solves the crime, and love conquers all. Shocking, I know.

The supporting cast is delightful, as always. Aurora’s book club friends are back, serving up sass and questionable detective skills. And let’s not forget her fiancé, Nick, who somehow manages to look perpetually confused about why his life partner keeps finding dead bodies. (Honestly, Nick, it’s kind of her thing at this point.)

The dialogue is peak Hallmark movies cheese, with lines like, “I just can’t believe someone would kill over a rare book!” Oh, Aurora, sweet summer child, people have killed for less. Like, say, the last slice of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. The pacing is slow enough to make you wonder if the killer is just waiting for Aurora to finish her tea before confessing, but hey, that’s part of the charm.

In conclusion, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New is exactly what you’d expect from a Hallmark movie: wholesome, mildly suspenseful, and utterly predictable. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a warm cup of cocoa—nothing groundbreaking, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need. Just don’t expect any Hallmark holiday movies-level drama. Unless, of course, you count Aurora’s internal struggle over whether to wear heels or flats to her wedding. Now that’s a mystery worth solving.