As the first book in the series, I am not sure I will read any additional books. This was okay, but I was not invested in the story or the lives of the characters. I like cozy mysteries, but this one was lacking in several ways … murder mystery was cheeky, the bantering among the family members was irritating, etc. I’m sure there are those out there who would appreciate the story, but for me it was not a big hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

This was an interesting spin on a culinary murder mystery. Some parts were hard to get though but I powered through. There could have been a little more detail to some scenes

This new series celebrates the culture, food, and people of the Caribbean. One aspect that I enjoyed was how close the family was in this book. They supported one another through all of the ups and downs, especially when Lyndsay is a person of interest in the death of a competitor. It is all circumstantial, but the police detectives don't seem to know how to search for other possible suspects. Luckily, Lyndsay is able to sniff out the killer, but almost too late!

The story moves at a slower pace. I did feel like it took a long time to get to the point of Lyndsay investigating to try and clear her name. But perhaps that is indicative of the lifestyle of those from the Caribbean, not in a hurry.

I thought Lyndsay was a unique character with her interests and her desire to open a bakery since she was young. The author does a wonderful job of describing everything, and I felt like I was there and could imagine what the different dishes tasted like.

I did not like the reporter, Jose. While I get he has a job to do, it is like he has a vendetta against Lyndsay and only seems to report things that could hurt her vs. help. 

I think this will be a fun but laid-back series. I look forward to seeing what happens next for the family and their bakery.

We give the book 4 paws up.

Against the Currant is the first book in a new shopfront cozy mystery series, written by Olivia Matthews. Released 24th Jan 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's imprint, it's 304 pages and available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The author is prolific, talented, experienced in her craft, and most importantly genuinely readable. This is a breezy fun shopfront cozy with a confrontation avoiding introverted young baker who nevertheless has to put on her big girl pants and deal with a competing baker who's a bully and owns a bakery just across the street. When the bully winds up dead a day after a public confrontation, Lyndsay is the prime suspect.

As with most cozies, the emphasis is on the characters and the puzzle mystery. This is a well constructed and easy to read cozy, with clean language and no over the top violence. The addition of a likable protagonist and her family with roots in the West Indies gives the whole a Caribbean flair. It's nice to find a new series with well written PoC in central roles with positive representations. Lyndsay's family are adorable and fun to read.

The author/publisher have even included some recipes for yummy baked goods in the back of the book.

Four stars; a promising start to a new series. Book 2 released from the same publisher 23rd May, 2023. It would be a good choice for a mini-binge or buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. This was just a wonderful book to read and it was just easy to lose yourself in the story. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This cute mystery was a 3.5 star read for me. I was disappointed to see there was no romance involved, as I got some romantic vibes, but as this is a series, maybe it will develop in the next book. I enjoyed a book that takes place in a bakery, with recipes included at the end. I like that the heritage of the main character was included in the book. I also liked that the main character took the situation into her own hands when she was accused of murder. This will definitely be a good series to follow!

Thank so much to St Martins Press and Net Galley for the gifted e-copy to read. This book came out in January 2023!

I love cozy mysteries and am always looking for a series to read. When I came upon the Spice Isle Bakery series I was excited about the setting of a Caribbean baker in Brooklyn. The Caribbean vibe is well described and I loved the family dynamic between Lyndsey, her parents, Grandmother and brother (especially that they prayed and cooked together). There were certain things I didn't understand- like why did Lyndsey open a bakery if she can't bake (it sounded more like a cafe), why keep repeating that Granny didn't follow dress code , why can't Lyndsey get over HS almost 10 years later. The repetitive details bogged down the mystery portion of Claudio's murder. Lyndsey is accused of his murder and appears to be the only suspect as circumstantial evidence points to her. In trying to clear her name she puts her life and that of her family's at risk. Although this was just an ok read for me I'll give the next one a try. I do recommend giving the unique setting a go perhaps while enjoying a batch of currant rolls (recipe included). Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced readers copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Lindsay has dreamed of opening a bakery that highlights her Caribbean heritage. At long last that dream has come true. However there is a little hiccup in the first day of their soft launch. Another bakery owner, who by the way is several blocks away, comes in and threatens her. Claudio claims that she is destroying his business and threatens to shut her down. Lindsay is normally a quiet, shy person, the her shop is not close to Claudio and they serve different foods--hers features tastes from Grenada. She tells him to get out in front of a long line of customers. When Claudio turns up dead and Lindsay's charm bracelet is found at the crime scene, Lindsay becomes the prime suspect. Despite not knowing the man very well, his long list of enemies, and other people who have threatened him, the police insist on making her their main focus. Lindsay decides the only thing she can do to clear her name. She doesn't want to lose her bakery or spoil her family's good name.

This was a fun read and nice escape. Reading about the Grenadian culture was interesting. The story was easy to follow and has a few twists involved.

This was a very cute, cozy mystery. I really liked the MC and her family and their voyage in starting their own bakery. I loved how dedicated and passionate she was (and honest about her cooking abilities). I loved her family dynamic and their sweet sass with each other.

I found the mystery a little. . far-fetched. That she was the main and only suspect? Meh, but I just enjoyed the story and I liked the twists and meeting all the different supporting cast/suspects. I did this as an audio and the narrator did a great job. Recipes at the end? YES! And they sound so good!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I'm pretty new to cozy mystery books, but Against the Currant is definitely one of the best I've read this year. First off, I love the family in this book, especially the grandma. She was hilarious and so supportive of trying to find the actual killer. All the food they made in the book also sounded delicious, and really helped set the scene. I liked that there were several plausible suspects for the killer, and I thankfully didn't guess it ahead of time which was a plus. I will definitely keep checking out the books in this series!

This was a great start to a new culinary cozy series! I loved the bakery setting, the wonderful cast and all of those mouth watering food descriptions. This one is going to leave you hungry. It does conclude with a couple recipes mentioned throughout the book. Maybe make those first so you have something to snack on while solving this mystery!

Lyndsay was an excellent lead. I loved how her family was celebrating their roots by opening a Brooklyn bakery specializing in authentic Grenadian cuisine. They were so cute in their various roles of supporting the bakery. Grandma was obviously my favorite. She was feisty and up in everyone's business. She has a really sweet connection with her granddaughter too. Being a person who enjoys shadowboxing, I was excited to see Lyndsay participate in that same form of exercise.

The mystery was well done and kept me guessing. The victim was easy to despise with his sour mood and actions. He had many plausible enemies. I was lead off the case several times by falling for the wrong red herrings.

I'm wondering if a love triangle is brewing involving the ex high school crush turned detective and the journalist who doesn't stop until he gets his story. I definitely look forward to reading the sequel, Hard Dough Homicide!

4 stars!

Against the Currant is the first book in the cozy Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series and follows Lyndsey Murray, who wants to open a bakery in Little Carribean, Brooklyn, New York in order to honor her family and their Carribean heritage. This is all ruined when Claudio Fabrizi is found murdered. Did I mention Lyndsay was arguing with him over the opening of her bakery?

The setup was typical cozy mystery set up, and I enjoyed the integration of the main character's Carribean heritage. The book was fast paced and I was constantly thinking about how much I would like to eat some of the food mentioned in the novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love cozy mysteries, especially those that involve restaurants and food like Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews. Lyndsay Murray is living her dream by opening a family bakery celebrating her West Indian roots in Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, when a neighboring bakery owner threatens her business. When he turns up dead, Lyndsay is the prime suspect. She must solve the mystery to clear her name and protect her family and dream bakery.

I enjoyed this one. Lyndsay was likable and so was her family especially her Granny. She does do a few stupid things but that happens in pretty much all cozies I’ve read. I am a middle aged white Southern woman so I know nothing about Grenada or the Caribbean so I cannot relate to the authenticity of the food, culture, etc but it sure sounded delicious.

I also listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator so much I immediately found another book narrated by her.

If you like food cozy mysteries like the series by Mia P Manansala and Vivien Chien, I think you’d enjoy this one. It was an entertaining book and I will look for the next in the series.

Lyndsay Murray and her family open a bakery called Spice Island Bakery in New York. On the day of their opening, she gets into a very public and heated argument with rival bakery owner, Claudio. The next day, he turns up dead and Lyndsay finds herself at the top of the suspect list. Lyndsay decides to start an investigation of her own to clear her name.

I didn't find this to be anything spectacular in my opinion. I wasn't bored, but I wasn't fully engaged either... I just... was. There were a surprising amount of suspects, that were hard to keep track of at times. I did like the family dynamics in this, and how supportive they were of one another. Grandma was definitely my favourite of the bunch. I also liked how much Lyndsay grew by the end of the story, learning to find her voice and stand up for herself.

This was a good start to a new cozy series - I feel like in the first book of a series like this, the author always has a lot to do with setting up location, side characters, the main character's "thing", and, of course, the murder.
In this one, Lyndsay Murray is opening up her dream West Indian bakery with a lot of family help. Family is a big part of this book, and I loved the supportive relationships shown. It was also fun reading about the food.
I thought the police detectives seemed a little dumb, but that too often happens in cozies.
I'll be checking out book 2 soon!

All Lyndsay has ever wanted was to own a Caribbean bakery and sell the food of her ancestors. Claudio is threatened by this new competition, and when he ends up dead, after a very public fight with Lyndsay, who is the first (and only) suspect the police look at? As Lyndsay fears for the reputation of herself and her new bakery, she sets on a course of investigating the case to clear her name.

With a bunch of twists and turns, this semi-cozy mystery doesn’t hold anything back. I’m looking forward to continuing this series and hopefully find out if the hint at romance for a few characters come to fruition.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in a new series is always tricky. This book introduces readers to Lyndsay who has recently opened a Caribbean themed restaurant with the help of her family. She finds herself accused of murder after a rival (?) shop owner is murdered. The entire idea of her as a murder suspect is a bit hard to buy into. The setting and characters were good, and I will definitely read the next book.

I really enjoyed this Caribbean food cozy as we follow our amateur sleuth and oh my goodness the family dynamics was so good. I've been wanting to read this cozy and anticipating this one since last year and it was just as fun as I thought. The pacing was good and even though I had a thought about whodunnit and I was pleasantly surprised.

Against the Current is the first book in Olivia Matthews' Spice Isle Bakery series. Lyndsay Murray opens a bakery in her Little Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn. Her family plays a critical role in the book and the bakery, where they offer support and even roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help her get her new venture in town. Her goods are primarily based on recipes from her family's native Grenada, and she attracts a clientele of people of West Indian heritage and those who love her unique flavor profiles.

Her venture seems doomed from the start, with local bakery owner Claudio Fabrizi claiming she is encroaching on his territory and swearing to force her out of business. He comes to the Spice Isle Bakery on opening day, spoiling the mood with his bloviating. Lyndsay loses her temper and gives back as good as she gets in front of her many patrons. They cheered her in the moment, but when Claudio turns up dead the next day, she's the easiest place for the police to lay blame.
She has little choice but to take it upon herself to clear her name.

Against the Current is well-paced and keeps the reader interested and engaged all the way through. The characters are likable and well-rounded. I enjoyed getting to know a little bit about the culture and cuisine of a region quite different from my own heritage.

I look forward to reading more in the series, and I'd recommend the book to anyone who loves cozies and is looking for something a bit different.

I received this advanced reader copy of Against the Currant from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.