Fun filled read that immediately caught my attention. From the 1st chapter throughout the book was an enjoyable read. The characters were complex and interesting. They were written in a way that they stood out individually. The situation that they found themselves in was engaging. Going into the book, I decided to just enjoy and not try to figure out who was the killer. Which made my enjoyment of the book so much better. Ms. Maxwell has a style of writing that made the story flow at at fast pace. This was my first read by the author and I can guarantee it won't be my last.

#THEGOLDENSPOON #NETGALLEY #JESSAMAXWELL

Classic English manor murder mystery × Top Chef × the Help = the Golden Spoon

Each chapter is narrated by a different character, making all of them unreliable, but it works in this foodie's paradise of a thriller. No one is who they seem to be when they are given a coveted spot on the tenth season of Bake Week. When there is a saboteur in the kitchen and the new co-host dies, the competition really heats up.

Can't wait to watch on Hulu!

This was a fun mystery because of the setting and I enjoyed some of the characters like Lottie and Pradyumna. Other characters felt tropey which almost makes sense for a book that is set during a reality tv show. However, I would have enjoyed it more if when exploring the depths of the characters it did not feel like they were basic standard characters. Particularly the character of Hannah felt rote. The mystery itself fell a little flat and the plot happening in the background was full of tropes that I am not sure the book needed. I enjoyed the concept being during a version of the Great British Bakeoff and I think the execution could have been better if there were more contestants to fill out some of the suspects. The book also didn't read like the story was focused on a mystery because the set up of revealing a body in the first chapter and then flashing back and telling the story straight forward until the murder and then only having a few chapters after the body is revealed took the wind out of the sails of the mystery for me.

This novel is going to be a hit! It's just so fun to read. Maxwell does a great job of creating each distinct character, and builds Grafton as a character of its own. I've never seen The Great British Bake-Off, but a few chapters in and I was ready to stream Bake Week!

On a publication note, I do hope the book had another round of professional proofreading before it was released. The galley had a lot of extra or missing words, as well as issues with homonyms (mantle/mantel, morn/mourn, decent/descent) and Peter's partner appears as both Frederick and Fredrick.

Imagine if The Great British Bake-Off was combined with Anthony Horowitz and The Magpie Murders - that would be this book! I loved this story. It was a lighter mystery, very little foul language, nothing too dark or creepy where it is troublesome to read alone at nighttime. In this mystery all the characters have a back story, some more sinister than others. Each chapter is a different person's point of view, which allows the reader to learn about that character and their history. I enjoyed this aspect, it also lets the reader come up with their own ideas of "who dun it." The twist wasn't a huge twist, what I definitely didn't see it coming, so that was nice. Some mysteries are so easily guessed by an avid mystery reader, but I really didn't expect this one. There was great resolution in the end, with a bit of a happy ending!

I will definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys a lighter mystery. Even though I wouldn't classify it as a "can't put it down" book, it was such an easy read that I could definitely see it being a weekend binge read for others. Overall rating 4.5 stars! Hope this author comes out with more reads like this one!

This book has received quite the fanfare, and its being marketed as one of the highly anticipated books of 2023. I was immediately sold - a classic locked room type mystery in a remote location meets the Great British Bake Off, Murder? Mystery? Excitement? Cakes? Iconic, right?

Meh.

I was left pretty disappointed - I was really anticipating a thriller with twists and turns, yet it really read more as a cozy mystery. I was always waiting for something MORE to happen, and nothing really did. yes, there was a murder, yes multiple people had reasons to want that person dead, but I find there was a lack of character development that made me not care. You only find out who the victim is 80% through the book, and honestly imo it was very obvious at 50% through. Very anticlimactic.

I must admit - I did enjoy the baking, competition aspect of it, and I really wish the contestants would of started getting picked off one by one by the saboteur, that's where I wish it went !

That being said, I am looking forward to the Hulu adaptation, I could see this being great for TV.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC to review.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

If you enjoy cozy mysteries but often need a bit more thrill then this is the read for you!

The 10th season of a reality baking show goes off the rails when someone ends up dead.

There’s lots of gothic elements to the plot which I love and it has a very Clue-esque vibe!

The Golden Spoon just released yesterday, 3/7, so make sure to check it out!

Thanks @netgalley and @atriabooks for this advanced reader!!

#BookReview #BookStagram #JessaMaxwell #TheGoldenSpoon #AtriaBooks #BookishLife #Reading #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #BookRecommendations #Instabooks #BookNerd #Thriller #ThrillerBooks

A fun, fast read. This closed room mystery styled after the Great British Bake Off read as a cozy mystery for the first 80%. The final 20% took a sharp turn toward thriller with a prominent murder. I didn’t love the mash up. I would have preferred it to stay solidly in the cozy mystery camp. But overall an enjoyable read. Short chapters and transitioning narrators keep the pages turning and help characters have distinct voices. Readers will enjoy the satisfying end. A perfect pickup for fans of the baking challenge.
Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to preview this title.

I was very excited when I read the synopsis for this book and received an arc through Netgalley. After reading it I must say I was disappointed in this debut novel. It had the potential to be a really great isolated murder mystery with elements of baking but instead it just felt like a cozy mystery.

Honestly, I don't know why this book is being compared to Lucy Foley or Knives Out, or any other murder mystery thriller. While there's a lot of drama going on -- enough to keep the casual reader interested -- there's not a lot of murder mystery or thriller to keep fans hooked. If you like baking shows, then yes, you will enjoy this story. <u>That</u> drama hits the mark. But that's kind of where it ends. I enjoyed the multiple story lines and that each character was so distinct with intriguing backstories, but the potential of this novel goes unrealized in my opinion. Only a couple of characters' stories are fully explored, leaving me wanting for more from the other characters that I was invested in. And not much in the way of murdery intrigue happens at all. This reminds me more of the serial mysteries you find with kitchy titles like "The Custard Caper" or something you'd find on the Hallmark Mystery Channel. And as far as who is sabatoging the baking competition, it ends up not being much of a mystery fairly early on in the book. So while the characters kept my interest, the story itself did not. I kept waiting for something "juicy" to happen, but nothing all that big came about. The twists weren't very twisty, and the ending was relatively anti-climatic. Overall, I was sadly disappointed by a book that I was so looking forward to.

**<i>Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.</i>**

This cozy mystery was super interesting, with two mysteries intertwined along with a baking show competition and a locked room murder. Even though I usually don't enjoy multiple POVs it worked in this case for me, giving the story a more rounded out feel. I definitely enjoyed this book and think it was a perfect mix of mystery, murder, and coziness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of The Golden Spoon! #TheGoldenSpoon #NetGalley

Reviewed for Netgalley:

This didn’t work for me overall. Liked the premise, but not the execution. Too many character point of views, got list in the mix.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell is equal parts Great British Bake Off and Agatha Christie novel. I loved the concept of one of my favorite reality shows coming to life in this locked room mystery.

The reader follows the experience of each contestant applying for and being accepted to join the cast of Bake Off, a baking competition shows that is filmed at the manor of renowned baker and “America’s Grandmother” Betsy Milton. We gain an insider view of each baking challenge, and find out that not everyone is there for baking alone.

As is typical with most cozy mysteries, the story is heavier on character development and mystery over gore and fast paced action scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to more from the author.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Six contestants arrive at celebrity chef Betsy Martin's secluded mansion, Grafton Manor, in Vermont, for the chance to compete to win the highly prized Golden Spoon in season ten of Bake Week. This year, Betsy's producers decided to bring in a second cohost to join Betsy to help freshen things up and boost ratings on the show, and Betsy is not a fan. Once the show starts filming, and the baking begins, strange things happen, and the contestants start to wonder if someone is trying to purposely sabotage their chances of winning by swapping out their ingredients. Everything about the competition feels off. Throughout the week, secrets are uncovered, alliances are formed, and a body is found murdered!

I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery and debut book! Throughout the book, a lot of attention was paid to the baking, and the author did a great job detailing what the contestants were making. However, I thought this book would be more of a 'whodunnit' mystery and was disappointed that there was not really a mystery for the reader to solve. A lot of the drama relating to the murder did not happen until the very end, making it seem rushed. There was also a lot of overlap between the characters, and, at times, I found it hard to distinguish between their voices since the book was told from multiple POVs. I heard that Hulu is developing a limited series based on the book, and I'm excited to watch it once it is released! Overall, this was an easy read, and I am excited to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of The Golden Spoon in exchange for an honest review!

It isn’t often that I can’t put a book down. This one is exactly that. It focuses around a cooking show and murder. It is an easy read but thoroughly enjoyable how it all comes together. If you like, watching anything on the Food Network or Knives out, you’ll enjoy reading this book. I can’t wait for more from this author.

The Golden Spoon was a fun, locked doors, cozy mystery set on a baking show at a manor like The Great British Baking Show. The story follows 6 contestants over the course of a week as the mystery unfolds. We're introduced to each character including the host, Betsy, very early on and the introductions were so helpful. Once I knew who everyone was it was easy to breeze through the chapters (although Hannah and Stella were hard for me to distinguish between).

The mystery itself isn't a main point of the plot until about halfway through when characters finally start interacting and they're not mostly inner monologues. I wish the characters would have done more together earlier on and started forming friendships and rivalries. The first half of the book was a bit difficult to get into but once I was hooked it was great. As it turns out there was not only a murder mystery but also a bit of family drama sprinkled in. I loved finding that this second plot point existed and was interested in both.

I highly recommend this book to those wanting a cozier baking mystery that has a serious fun twist to it. The baking show aspect was enjoyable, the characters unhinged and interesting, and all wrapped into a satisfying ending.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jessa Maxwell for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't had so much FUN reading a book in a long time, so this was a joy. Although I don't claim this book has any redeeming social value (in fact a murder did go unpunished), but every chapter brought a smile to my face. I couldn't decide which contestant was my favorite, really every one of them was endearing in some way and problematic in another way. Miss Maxwell took a diverse cast of characters put them in a winding plot in an exclusive location and then tied it all up in a bow at the end making it a very satisfying read. My only "complaint: is that the recipes might have been included--or better yet send me a piece of the chocolate peanut butter pie!

A manor, a famous baking contest, two famous hosts, and six contestants come together in The Golden Spoon. What could go wrong when for a week all everyone has to do is bake delicious pies, cakes, breads, and tarts? Plenty can go wrong, and you just have to read this book to know.

The Golden Spoon has plenty of characters, and the story proceeds by each chapter dedicated to one character. The flow and pace are both good. The story can get a little clunky when there are so many characters, but this book does not, and it's very smooth to follow.

The book is supposed to be a thriller, but I found it to be a cozy mystery, and I really liked it. It was a refreshing book where it's not too hard to predict, but at the same time, when that prediction comes true, it's satisfying.

Thank you, Atria Books and Netgalley, for this book.

CW: hints of SA, Infidelity

This was an enjoyable read. The British Baking Show is one of my most beloved TV shows. Golden Spoon captured the vibe of it while introducing us to multiple diverse characters. One of my favorite parts of British Baking Show is getting to know the contestants. There was also a mystery which I love a good mystery but I felt like the mystery took a back seat to the story. Chapters were short and descriptions of the bakes were yummy. Thank you Net Galley for the arc I’m am sure this will be a popular read for 2023. Although not a 5 star book for me a solid enjoyable read.

I saw a write up about this book and was excited to get an advanced copy.nThank yo7 to NetGalley!
This was a fun book - the combination of the baking show and mystery was right up my alley.
I look forward to her next book!