This was such a fun mystery! As a huge fan of the Great Britain Baking Show I was super excited for this. It was fun, had elements of baking and a mystery. Overall I didn't love it as the mystery was a little lackluster and I wanted a little bit more baking in it, it was a fun, quick read and I would recommend it.

As a fan of mysteries like Clue and reality TV shows, this was perfect! I loved the multiple POVs with flawed characters. This book really kept me on my toes. I loved it!

This book was fine! I really wanted to love it since I am a baker, but it didn’t end up standing out to me.

The premise: Great British Bake-off meets Clue. Several bakers are in the show Bake Week, all vying to win the Golden Spoon. As the bakers begin to compete, it is clear that there is something else going on…the question is, who could be sabotaging them?

It wasn’t my favorite, and I probably won’t necessarily recommend it to anyone, but it was fine! None of the characters especially drew me in, but I did always enjoy finding out what each contestant made for the bake of the day! If anything, it made me want to watch some Great British Bake-off!

✨ Review ✨ The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

This book while probably not actually a cozy mystery it personified feelings of COZINESS for me. Set on an American Bake Off style show with six contestants hosted at Betsy Martin's estate, it brings us all the happy GBBO feelings. However, the book starts with a murder, and then backtracks us through the contestants arrival onset through their first days of cooking.

The book rotates through perspectives including Betsy, one of the co-hosts and the founder of the show, and the six contestants. Chapters are short and light and it's not hard at all to track across all of their POVs. Characters' personalities are over-the-top, leading you from the beginning to ask questions about people's meticulousness, sloppiness, depression, alcohol abuse and more, and how these might relate to the crime at hand.

This book just made me so happy to read and I flew through it! I do think it fell off a bit at the end (it felt like the author rushed to finish instead of continuing on the same pace of the rest of the book -- my primary disappointment), but I'll read more from this author for sure!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.25)
Genre: thriller, mystery
Location: rural Vermont(?) at a manor house like that on Bake Off
Reminds me of: Bake Off, Alexis Hall's Bake Off books meets Agatha Christie
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Bake Off style adaptations
⭕️ mysteries with cozy vibes
⭕️ rural settings
⭕️ multiple POVs
⭕️ all the baked goods!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster, Atria and #netgalley for an advanced copies of this book!

I love thrillers that have a different formula. This one starts with a dead body at the beginning, then a game of clue mixed the the American version of the British bake-off. It's a quick read, and a fun and different twist on a thriller. Multiple POVs, and some really random characters. Good for thriller readers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

Are you looking for a cozy mystery taking place on the set of a beloved cooking show that reminds you of the Great British Bake Off? Yes? Well, this is it. Let me just say that I got so hungry reading this! The descriptions of the bakes were mouth-watering and ALMOST influenced me to get baking myself! The characters were fun and their various perspectives kept the story moving. In the end, the mystery tied up neatly and I will say, I was slightly surprised!

This story was told from the perspective of all six bakers and the show's host, so in total SEVEN different perspectives. In all honesty, it took me a while to keep the names and personalities straight.

There are hints of sabotage scattered throughout the story, but I felt that this storyline kind of fell flat.

As I was reading, I kept hoping for an Agatha Christie moment where everything was interconnected and was kind of let down when this wasn’t exactly the case.

For me, I felt that there was something missing from this story and it took a little too long to really get to the point of it all.

I did enjoy the camaraderie amongst the bakers and enjoyed how the story came together in the end.

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

I'm going to be in the minority here because this has mostly rave reviews: I didn't care for this. It started off strong and then lost me with the multiple POVs. It was too much work to keep track of them and I felt like the premise was wasted on all the moving around. But, again, most people seem to love it so it's probably just a personal preference!

This book was a fun time!

Its bakers week where 6 new bakers are invited to be in the race for the best baker and stay at a big mansion where Betsy the host lives. Betsy is the author of cookbooks and she's known as the grandmother on tv with her baking skills.

This is definitely a slower burn mystery however, there are definitely little things that go on during the show that happen that hint to something weird going on with bake week this season. We find out some secrets of some contestants along the way as well as some of the secrets of the house its self. I do not want to spoil anything but this job does a good job of keeping you interested with multiple pov and a good mix of plot and character development.

It does have some thriller elements to it as well but I just really enjoyed the mystery aspect of it. I listened to the audio version for half of it and it really helped to bring the characters to life with 6 different narrators!

Thank you netgalley for this earc I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Jessa Maxell, Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. The Golden Spoon has been one of my most anticipated reads since first hearing that it was a mash=up between a locked room mystery and the Great British Baking Show and it did not disappoint. Jessa Maxwell paints an amazingly clear picture of a remote filming location, an old manor and each of the characters. Every character has their own voice, flaws and motives in this murder mystery story. I will say that I had a bit of a hard time with some of the character's and the first person narration - I would have like to see a little bit of a clearer distinction between the inner voices for each character. If you like Lucy Foley and/or the Great British Baking Show, its a fantastic pick.

For the Great British Baking Show fans who love Clue.

Such a fun little romp into the lives of a group of amateur bakers. Is one of them willing to kill to win the show?

I loved the quirky, fun way this book was told. I kept trying to guess what would happen and my theories changed each little section.

I loved that we got into each person’s mind. It felt like the way “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley was set up, but I’ll say this one was much more entertaining.

Just a cute little romp that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

It’s the tenth season of Bake Week, but unfortunately for Betty Martin, they have decided to give her a co-host in Archie Morris. The show much go on though, so the six contestants arrive ready to bake. Things begin to get strange, salt instead of sugar, gasoline instead of orange oils, a burner turned on high instead of off, so when someone shows up dead, everything becomes chaos.

I love a good book about a reality show, and this one did not disappoint. I immediately felt bad for Betsy and her being pushed out of her role, but you never know how things change as a book goes on! I love all the contestants and their unique personalities and quirks. Overall., I found this an insanely enjoyable murder mystery!

Baking show competition and murder?! Sign me up...or wait...maybe not?

This is a very sweet and cozy mystery. The concept of a who-done-it style mystery on a baking show is a ridiculously creative concept. I was so excited diving into this book.

It was SO predictable.

I was really disappointed because of how hyped up this book has been on Instagram. I have seen people suggesting it left and right. I fell under the hype trap *shakes fists*

There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming but I blame the binge listening. A regular mystery confidant is going to see them coming so quickly. It’s going to bore them and they’re going to hate it.

There wasn’t really anyone to root for. The characters were written blandly or they were big ol' dinguses. I hated Hannah and Stella. The way the author wrote the young female characters really made me so frustrated. It was like they were born without brain cells. Why are they like that? Why were they so focused on the attention of men and their beauty? I was not about that. Outside of the nit-wit women, the men were dull and if there was a chance for a character to be good, he was cut from the “show” in the first 50 pages.

I can say I did love Lottie’s story. I think that was what kept me invested in the story. I wanted to know everything about that plot line. Everything else around it was a snooze fest.

Am I in a slump? Am I being too harsh on this book? Why couldn't I feel the hype? Are mysteries not for me anymore?

I am one hundred p spiraling.

I am so disappointed because the concept is really cool! I think that maybe if she pushed the boundaries more? Maybe if she made Betsy more sinister? Maybe if she made the deaths more gruesome? Maybe if she could have made the hints NOT so obvious? Maybe if she gave the young women a brain?

I think that if you’re a fan of baking competitions and cozy mysteries, this is calling your name.

It reminded me a lot of an Agatha Christie style who-done-it book with a modern twist.

I wouldn't cut this out of your reading line-up. The story will grip you. It's very fast-paced. Lottie's lore is worth investing in. Her plot was intriguing.

I just think it could have been done better if Maxwell pushed the envelope more. Less cozy...more thrill is what I needed.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of "The Golden Spoon." If this baking show mystery interests you, go run to your favorite book story and get it today! Don't forget to support Jess Maxwell and all your favorite author via the intranets!

After reading so many rom-coms set on baking shows, I loved that The Golden Spoon brought a little bit of darkness to the genre. The set up is strong: Betsy Martin has hosted The Golden Spoon at her Vermont estate for more than 10 years, but to keep things fresh, her producers are bringing in a second younger host. She's not taking it well. Add in a scheming producer and the various reasons the contestants are on the show - it's all good stuff. And while this baking show is American, it's kind of fun to imagine a Mary Berry-like character who's a little unhinged.

But what left me a little cold is a few of the characters are fairly stereotypical/one-dimensional with mental health issues thrown in to give them some depth (one has depression, another has anxiety-fueled blackouts). I felt like at least one of their stories could have been taken in more interesting directions.

That said, it'll make great TV on Hulu, especially coming on the heels of Knives Out and Glass Onion.

3 stars

I was so intrigued by this one - it was pitched as Great British Bake-off meets Clue. Yes please!! And I am always in for a locked room mystery. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook. I also bought the audiobook and love that it was full cast narration.

It started off strong for me - with a dead body being discovered and then jumping back to the start of the competition to see how we got here. There are a lot of points of view but with the full cast narration it was easy to follow. However it ultimately lost my attention - it feels like tired plot points that I’ve already seen and characters that are similarly flat. I was about to DNF when I saw I only had a half hour left so decided to finish. This one was a miss for me.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
.
Bake Week is starting, a baking competition at host Besty Martin’s home, Grafton Manor.
Six contestants will compete for the Golden Spoon. This is the first year that Betsy will have a Co-Host, Archie Morris.
This will also be the first year to feature a death.
.
Wow! This is probably the best cozy mystery I have read. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I read this in 24 hours. I could not stop, didn’t want to stop. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and all the secrets and mystery surrounding the contestants and Grafton Manor.
Couple things I loved:
-When Pradyumna and Lottie teamed up to uncover a mystery.
-Gerald going into spy mode.
-Stella getting her investigating hat back on.
-ALL of the baking!
-The suspense!
There was a lot to enjoy. I am really impressed that this is a debut novel.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Baking show completion with a murder mystery! This book was a fun read. There were several mysteries and everyone had secrets. The setting of a gothic mansio. Was perfect. I really enjoyed it!



Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the digital arc.

The Golden Spoon lived up to it's comparison to The Great British Bakeoff meets Clue! I loved the idea of a bunch of characters, all with their own secrets and baggage, being in a secluded location to film a baking show. It felt wholesome with a twist! I thought the story moved at a great pace, and every character had a reason to be unreliable, so I enjoyed the ride despite guessing the ending. I wish we had a bit more tension with the ending, but overall this was a fun and cozy mystery.
Thank you Atria Books for the digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Golden Spoon is a “locked room” murder mystery set during the filming of British Bake-off esque reality show set at a remote estate with characters that all have ulterior motives. This is a perfect rainy day cozy mystery. A bit predictable but quite fun! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Great British Bake-Off set in a Gothic Mansion with a twist of mystery, murder and revenge. I really liked this one, almost DNF’d it, then ended up liking the ending. Mostly.

My favorite parts of this book were the settings; the gothic mansion & the baking show completion. It was a great mix of my favorite locked room/gothic horror mysteries with the reality shows I’m obsessed with. And there were so many great, detailed scenes for the competition. Often books with reality show themes only include scenes from the show briefly so I loved that that was not the case here.

The rest of the book was in ok. The main murder (yes there is more than one) does not happen until late in the book. This is when I nearly DNF’d. 😬 I am not a fan of some of the themes/tropes surrounding it so that’s when the book lost me. The final ending redeemed the mystery though and I was happy with the conclusion.

Overall I loved the setting and premise but it was a miss for the Murder mystery.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review

Thank you @netgalley for providing me this ARC! This cozy mystery was a great read since it combined a thrilling genre with some fantastic food recipes. When I read the premise of it, I was completely hooked! I will say, don’t read this book while hungry because it’ll make you hungrier!

The story follows 7 POVS of different characters and their adventure while participating in “Bake Week”. At times it was difficult to keep up with all the storylines but I was very pleased with how it all wrapped up very nicely at the end.

The book came out this week so make sure to check it out!