The Golden Spoon was just the most perfect and cozy book. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but I absolutely could not put it down. The mystery was phenomenal but the setting? PERFECT. The author really made it feel like you were there. I looove stories about old crumbly houses and this book scratched that itch for me. I cannot say enough good things about this book and I look forward to reading more from this author!

This definitely didn't live up to that gorgeous cover. I liked the story in this one better than I did the writing, which felt kind of shallow, and also her characterization was very surface level. It probably didn't help that there were like, eight POV characters in a 300 page book. There was a lot of attention paid to the baking, which I very much enjoyed, but not enough to the mystery, which I thought was weirdly structured. I can't say more without spoilers.

I will read more from this author, but I went into this one with way too high of expectations, and it didn't meet them.

I listened to the audio for the majority of the book, and while most of the character actors were fine, the woman who voiced Stella was miscast, and also started to get on my nerves by halfway through.

Described as The Great British Bake-Off meets murder mystery, The Golden Spoon definitely lived up to the hype for me!

Told in Multi POV, this story follows Betsy Martin, an award winning baker, now hosting Bake Week – a reality tv style baking show pitting 5 home bakers against one another to see who will take home the coveted Golden Spoon. The backdrop is Betsy’s family home, Grafton Manor, that has been passed down through generations and has its own creepy backstory. When a murder takes place, the baking show turns into a real life game of Clue with everyone questioning who the culprit may be.

Overall, this book was a hit for me! I loved how the story unraveled and especially how the author not only introduced us thoroughly to each character, but also gave them distinct personalities and quirks. The shifting perspectives were done well and I loved solving the mystery alongside the characters. This was a really fun mystery and I’m thrilled that Hulu has already picked this up for a limited series.

3.5 stars rounded up! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of The Golden Spoon. This is a must read for anyone that is a fan of The Great British Baking Show! It is an easy read with just enough mystery to keep you entertained and guessing for more.

Bake Week. It’s every baker’s dream to be chosen to appear on this popular tv show, filmed at the home of its famous host and “America’s Grandmother”, Betsy Martin. Now in its tenth year, the show is as popular as ever and the six contestants can hardly wait to begin. But, from the very first day, things go wrong. It could just be bad luck, or maybe something more nefarious.

The Golden Spoon is a locked-room mystery with an ensemble cast. All the contestants are different, with various backgrounds and baking experiences, and even a few secrets. Quite a bit of the book is devoted to introducing these characters and the author gives them all distinct personalities. There are also some very good depictions of the competition itself, with descriptions of the various baked goods that are created.

I really enjoyed this book and I still find it hard to believe it’s a debut novel. The only thing I didn’t like quite as much was the ending, so I would give this book 3.5 stars but will round it up to 4.

This debut novel is set at a baking show filmed at the Vermont mansion of its famous baker hostess Betsy - think an American, weeklong version of the Great British Baking Show. The book alternates viewpoints between Betsy and the six contestants - as things get increasingly tense - someone is sabotaging the show, one of the contestants Lottie is concealing her past connection to Betsy, and you know from the prologue that someone is going to end up dead somewhere along the way.

This was definitely a light and enjoyable read. The trickiest thing about it is figuring out what genre to classify it as. The publisher calls it a thriller which is definitely not right, and even calling it a mystery might be pushing it as the dead body from the prologue does not actually happen until about 3/4 of the way through and not much attention is paid to solving it, though I suppose there is also the mystery of Lottie’s past. So I suppose you could call it a cozy mystery, but it’s really just as much a behind the scenes reality tv show novel and a quirky character novel. But whatever you want to call it, I really enjoyed it!

This has such a great premise! I'm a huge fan of the Great British Baking Show and this definitely had that same vibe. The first third was really enjoyable - I liked hearing about the bakes, getting into the setting, etc. Then it kind of went downhill for me. It's not that the story wasn't good or that the plot didn't move, it just kind of felt flat. And the ending did that thing some books do where stuff just ... happens and no one questions it too much and it just is. It wrapped up well, I just thought it could have been more thrilling. But overall a super enjoyable read.

I’ve heard baking and cooking shows can be cut throat, but actual murder seems excessive. This is a multiple POV murder mystery thriller set around a week long baking competition. The contestants and hosts stay at one of the hosts family estate.

I enjoyed the mix of personalities for the characters and the way the plot unfolds. The story takes a bit to set up but is easy to read.

I saw this book described as a cozy thriller and I think that is a pretty accurate description.

I wanted to love this and I got into it until the very end. I am not used to cosy thrillers but having it all wrapped up in ten pages wasn’t for me. There was no build up or burn wanting me to finish the book

4.5 ⭐️ I loved this quick, addictive mystery. I can’t believe this is a debut. The characters were all so distinctive and the writing was so quick and snappy. I loved the rotating POVs and short chapters. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Such a fun read!

I loved getting the British Bake Off vibes mixed with Clue! Like genuinely it's so fun. Clue has been a favorite for years, and Bake Off is my go-to show. Some of the tent aspects and details did feel very very close to what we see in the show, so I was a little bummed that I was only envisioning that tent, rather than a more unique one specific to the book. But maybe that's just picky.

Every character feels so unreliable in a way, that it adds tension from the beginning to get you hooked.
This book has a lot of points of view, which can sometimes become overwhelming, but because each chapter is in specific characters perspective, it works so well! Getting to see into the minds of the individual contestants, judges, and host is intriguing. Additionally, because of how many perspectives we get, and it seems each one has alterior motives, it provides many a question and mystery.

It's like a well done layer cake. Cant wait to grab a physical copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital arc!

Thank you Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC e-book. This book was like a cross between the great american bake off and murder she wrote and honestly it was well done. Each chapter was a different characters point of view yet it was never confusing and watching the build up and the mystery get solved was brilliant. Such a great who's done it type of book and truly every villian got punished. What an amazing debut novel for Maxwell!

Well this was a treat pun not intended. A bake off to be a host of your own show who wouldn’t want the opportunity. That is until things go wrong. Who is is sabotaging the bakers who has secrets. When you realize the one dubbed the Grandma of baking is in actuality not the warm and fuzzy kind but is actually darker. This book will make you stop and think about your o of people. The end is chef kiss because I didn’t see it coming

Jessa Maxwell’s debut, The Golden Spoon, is a fun cozy mystery that makes for an enjoyable escapist read. I absolutely adore the premise for this book and the execution made me feel like I was right in the middle of all the drama. There are seven points of view for this story, which may sound overwhelming, but each voice feels distinct. There aren’t huge plot holes between the flow from each narrator that you can’t track the progress of the story. While I would have enjoyed getting to know each of the narrators a bit more, there’s still ample amount of backstory provided for the main contenders.

I think it’s important for readers to understand going into this book that the pacing is a bit on the slower side. There are several twists thrown in as the story progresses, but this is very much not a thriller in my opinion. The Golden Spoon is perfect for fans of shows like Only Murders in the Building where quirky characters take center stage while a mystery plays out.

Maxwell has won me over with her writing and I’ll be on the lookout for more books from her in the future!

A huge thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy!

A dead body has been discovered in the Bake Week tent at Grafton Manor, site of the ten-year old baking competition that has captured the hearts of America’s viewers. The winner will get the coveted Golden Spoon trophy and a deal for their own cookbook. The contest started out a few days ago with a few hiccups that smell of sabotage: salt stored in the container that traditionally belongs to sugar, open refrigerator doors… Now there is a dead body on set, but who and why?
Betsy Martin, Bake Week’s host and creator, is a most beloved figure, but she has secrets and motives of her own. She is not happy that a co-host has been imposed on her, and she fears she is losing control of the one thing that can guarantee her livelihood. On the other hand, there are six contestants with various degrees of ambition. How far will they go to win the Coveted Golden Spoon? Is there a killer among this group of people?

Thoughts:
This is page-turning, easy, cozy mystery with an interesting setup. The story initially captured my attention completely, however I started to lose interest once the identity of the body was revealed. The pacing is slow, there are no big twists, and the ending felt anticlimactic. I still had questions about the results of the investigation and the choices made by some of the characters, which did not feel logical to me. On the other hand, I enjoyed that most of the characters were interesting, and that the author presents us themes of ageism, and of power imbalances between older men and young women. The food descriptions are striking, and the atmosphere is transporting.
Overall, I think that the story had room for development, and I am curious as to what this debut author will offer us in the future. A 3.5-star read for me.

The Golden Spoon was exactly what it promised to be, taking the well known and beloved format of a baking competition and adding in mystery and murder. This book was exactly what I was hoping it would be, the competition at the forefront for most of the book with mystery slipping in little by little. It was an enjoyable and fast read, I would definitely recommend it!

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

The Golden Spoon is an amazing debut novel written by Jessica Maxwell. This mystery revolves around six bakers selected to participate in a culinary contest over six days at the estate of the host, Betsy Martin. Grafton, Vermont is an unlikely setting for a mystery. But readers will be immersed in this book from the first page until the last page as the author takes us on a thrilling ride. When the taping of the baking show commences, things begin to go wrong. Betsy Martin is a perfectionist and known as “America’s Grandma.” She is unprepared both for the drama unfolding around her, and for her new co-host Archie Morris. But the taping of the show unravels more when a body is found on the estate. Everyone is a suspect. Jessica Maxwell cleverly takes us to the conclusion of the mystery through a series of twists and unexpected events. Readers of mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this well written novel and I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

Take It- The Golden Spoon- a murder mystery set during the Great British Baking Show. It’s a cozy mystery and just so much fun! I loved all of the descriptions of the bakes, the sections were divided by bread week pastry week etc. Main issue with the story was that the murder took a LONG time to actually occur.

Who knew that baking just might be deadly? If you’ve ever watched the Great British Baking Show,The Golden Spoon’s basic set up will be slightly familiar. Six home bakers will spend a week together. At the end, only one of them will be named the season 10 winner. The competition is held at Betsy( reminded me of Prue) Martin’s family estate, Grafton Manor.
This year though she will be sharing the judging with a new host, Archie( reminded me of Paul) Morris. From the first day, things seem to go wrong for the contestants. But a bad day baking is nothing compared to murder and pretty soon everyone is a suspect. The story unfolds as each baker and Betsy alternate chapters letting us get to know each character’s secrets. This was a fast read that reminded me of the GBBO in so many ways. Just when I thought I knew whodunnit and why, well let’s just say that the author wasn’t going to let me walk away with the amateur detective prize quite that easily. A fun read that made me think of other books I had read and of course the bake off. A very intriguing debut with a lot of characters. Once I got used to Who’s Who, it became a lot easier to follow along with this plot.

This was a solid, if not predictable, cozy mystery. The characters were lovable and sweet but the plot was slow and plodding. It took forever to get things moving. All of the POVs were hard to keep straight early on. I wanted to love but it’s just a like.