THE GOLDEN SPOON by Jessa Maxwell is a delicious debut which, as the publicity materials note, combines elements of The Great British Bakeoff with Only Murders in the Building. It is a totally fun immersion in behind the scenes view of Bake Week, a television contest (complete with big white tent) hosted by "America's Grandmother," Betsy Martin, at her longtime Vermont family estate called Grafton Manor. There are six contestants who share narrator duties with Betsy. That moves the story along as we see the varied plans for baked goods from Gerald, a precise and logical math teacher; Stella, a former journalist recently turned baker; Pradyumna, an entrepreneur looking for adventure; Peter, a restoration specialist; and Lottie, a nurse and long-time baker in contrast to Hannah, one of the youngest contestants ever on the show. Each has some backstory that is gradually revealed, adding to the ominous foreboding feeling as (of course!) a storm rages. Designed for amusement and entertainment, albeit with some serious elements, THE GOLDEN SPOON received enthusiastic starred reviews from Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Golden Spoon! I enjoyed this cozy mystery about a baking show contest. There were seven rotating POVs, which usually would turn me off, but the chapters were so short that I actually enjoyed being able to get each character’s viewpoint. There isn’t a big twist or “a-ha” moment, but the story moved at a good pace, and it only took me a couple days to read. All in all, a decent read, though not one that was a great standout. I will pick up Maxwell’s follow-up book in the future though.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A murder has happened under a baking show tent in this locked room murder mystery novel. The only people on the property at the time of the murder are the contestants and the hosts, with the crew having left hours before for the night with a storm thundering down on the mansion grounds. Who was killed on top of the tent where hours before sense of cake were wafting through the air? Who could have committed such a devious deed?

After the murder, which we witness right away, we're thrown back to the beginning of the competition and introduced to the six bakers and two hosts. Everyone has their own little secrets, because who doesn't, but some secrets are juicer than others. Through all their lies and deceptions, their making reality tv after all, someone's lies caught up with them eventually.

I really liked The Golden Spoon. As a GBBO fan I really enjoyed the baking show element as it really is reminiscent of GBBO but it's filmed in New England. I didn't mind that isn't a slower character driven novel. It reminds me a bit of a cozy mystery, but a little bit slower and more character driven. I was disappointed by the ending as a felt it was a little rushed and everything just came bursting out at one time. The Golden Spoon is Jessa Maxwell's debut novel and I'd be interested in reading more of her novels in the future.

As a big fan of both the Great British Bake Off and murder mysteries, I knew I would love The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell, and I was completely right!

When 6 amateur bakers arrive at Grafton Manor in Vermont, they think they know what they're getting into: a week-long baking competition, Bake Week, judged by America's Grandmother, Besty Martin. But for the 10th anniversary of the show, Bake Week is mixing things up by adding a new co-host, Archie Morris. The bakers have to impress the judges with their bakes, or be the person sent home at the end of the day. But when a body is found, they realize that there was a lot more on the line than just the Golden Spoon.

I loved that there were two mysteries in The Golden Sppon - who died and why, and who killed them. The fact that you don't know how had died until ~70% into the book kept me very invested in the story. Maxwell did a great job making everyone look simultaneously like a possible murderer and murder victim. I loved unpacking all of the characters' motivations for being a part of Bake Week. Seeing each chapter from the different characters' perspectives allowed glimpses into all of their thoughts, and sometimes those thoughts were pretty ugly. I did find it a little hard to keep track of who was who at first, but once I settled in, I found it hard to stop!

I also loved the nods to GBBO throughout the book - the baking tent, the pastel color set ups, the grand manor house - it was clear Maxwell had watched the show. But there was a sinister underpinning throughout the novel that is definitely not present in the show, and it made The Golden Spoon unique.

The Golden Spoon comes out on March 7th, and whether you're an amateur baker or an amateur detective, it's one you won't want to miss! Many thanks to Atria Books, Jessa Maxwell, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed most of this book, I felt like I was watching a beloved baking show but behind the scenes. I will say the murder mystery part of this book only takes place in the last 30% of this book. Come for the cozy baking vibes but expect to linger awhile for the murder. There are multiple POVs. Loved the concept! Thanks NetGalley and Atria for the advance copy.

This book was a super fun read! I love TGBBC, so this book was right up my ally. I loved getting views from all the characters, and I did not see all of the twists coming. Now I feel like something was missing and I just can’t place it, which is why it is 3 stars from me. I recommend this book to people just getting into thrillers(like me).if you love mystery and baking shows then you HAVE to give this book a read! It is truly unique and one of a kind!

As a fan of the cozy cooking show The Great British Baking Show, I enjoyed this cozy mystery that's set in a similar cooking competition. I did expect the murder to happen much earlier so a larger chunk of the book would be spent figuring out whodunit, but I still had enough fun with the baking show plot that the missing murder (it happens around the 80% mark) didn't bother me too much. Fans of The Great British Baking Show and Only Murders in the Building will absolutely love this.

If you love baking shows, culinary mysteries, closed door murder mysteries, and a large cast of character, this book is for you!

A recipe to die for:

6 quirky contestants
2 opinionated hosts
a dash of sabotage
1 dead body

It's the tenth season of the hit show Bake Week, and six new contestants are taking their shot at being the next great baker! Each contestant is there for their own personal reasons, and as the competition heats up, the sabotage and suspicion starts to rise. When a storm takes out the power, the contestants and hosts find themselves isolated on the estate. Then the dead body is found, and the race to find the killer is on! Will the murderer be discovered before they strike again?

I really enjoyed getting to know the individual contestants and hearing their voice and perspective as they work their way through the competition. Each was unique in their motivations and goals, creating a varied cast, each with an opportunity to commit the crime. The mystery had good structure and pace and kept me as a reader thoroughly entertained and eating up each chapter. Looking forward to more work from this author!

I received a DRC from the publisher.

Welcome to your latest book obsession. It’s 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 meets 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘉𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸, and I devoured it in one single day.

I loved the fast pace and the absolutely unforgettable cast of characters.

Read if you like:
✨ Locked room mysteries
✨Whodunnit reads
✨Cozy mysteries
✨Multiple points of view
✨Clue
✨Baking or baking shows

This is an incredible debut, and I can’t wait to see what @jessamaxwellauthor does next.

I’m having a major book hangover and highly recommend you pick this one up.

My thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

The Golden Spoon is a cozy mystery that take place on the set of Bake Week (essentially the Great British Bake Off). I've never gotten into cooking or baking shows, but I loved the descriptions of everything that was baked in this. I wanted to keep reading about more challenges.

Most of the characters were endearing, and I thought Maxwell did a fairly good job of keeping their voices distinct, which is not easy to do with so many short-chapter POVs. There were a couple times I forgot whose chapter I was reading, but not very many.

Maxwell set the scene incredibly well. The manor house and set of the show came alive for me. It felt like this was a real show that I could turn on the tv and watch or that I could hop in my car and drive to Grafton Manor.

I was intrigued by Lottie's quest, but without getting into spoilers, I unfortunately found it predictable. I was expecting more of the book to cover trying to find out who committed the murder, but that wasn't the case. I found the ending and explanation to be lackluster. If there had been that investigative section I was expecting, I think it may have worked better for me. Instead it was more just a couple paragraphs of "here's what actually happened" at the end.

Overall, I'd give this about a 3.5/5, rounding up to 4, because I was quite enjoying it up until what was for me a middle of the road ending. I'll definitely read Maxwell's next book, because I think this is a debut that shows promise.

Read if you like:
-baking shows
-cozy mysteries
-multi-POV casts
-atmospheric manor houses

I would classify The Golden Spoon as cozy mystery. It begins with the discovery of a murder victim, but the reader has no idea who the person murdered is. After the initial start, the author takes her time introducing each of the characters and their arrival at Grafton, a large secluded Victorian estate, where the popular reality show Bake Week is recorded. It is also the childhood home of one of the hosts, Betsy. The six contestants will all vie for the title of Bake Week's number one baker and the coveted Golden Spoon.

As the baking gets underway, some of happenings occur such as one baker's sugar and salt being switched. Another baker believes someone has tampered with his ingredients as well. Are they being sabotaged by someone...a fellow baker, a host, someone else? As the week progresses and some bakers are sent packing, the mystery deepens. Who was murdered and why? Who is responsible?

Although it was an enjoyable mystery, it was pretty simple in the end. The reader can mostly deduct the answers to their burning questions before it is all wrapped up. Jessa Maxwell's debut is "good enough" that I will likely pick up a sophomore book.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

Lovers of Great British Bake Off rejoice!! A mystery murder novel that takes place on the bake off grounds is exactly what you need. The cover of this novel is gorgeous, the characters are well-written, and the plot of the story is familiar yet unexpected.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Let's not beat around the bush. The Golden Spoon is going to land in my Top Ten books of 2023. It was so good that I plan on purchasing a hard copy for myself and I've already recommended it to friends.

Readers who love The Great British Bake Off and the Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship will find themselves relaxing into the couch with happiness. I loved the descriptions of what was being baked. The textures, the smells, the technique. Food and murder.

The six characters that compete on Bake Week are rich with development and had very diverse personalities. Jessa Maxwell describes them so well that I never wished I was following the perspective of another character. I enjoyed being in each character's storyline and never felt the need to rush through.

The setting of an old mansion in upstate Vermont lead to a dash and a sprinkle (see what I'm doing here) of Gothic vies. Betsy Martin's old manor is in need of repair. We're told of walled off stairwells. Empty spaces and butcher board tables with cleaver marks. The woods are dark and the entire top floor of the mansion is vacant.

Maxwell doesn't waste time. Our victim is found in the first chapter. But the ingredients of who-is-dead and who-did-it are slowly baked over 288 pages. The conclusion was gratifying and contained an element that I'm beginning to really love from authors. She does a three chapter follow up and brings back various characters to let us know how individuals are doing. Yes, the gang is brought back together.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Stop on the way home for a baked good. Heat yourself up some tea or coffee and then sink into the bake off with murder as the dessert.

There was no way I was going to say no to a muder mystery based in a manor with a baking show premise and this locked room mystery with mulitple POVs lives upto the hype. I enjoy baking shows and this cozy mystery wraps them together very nicely to keep readers intrigued. The whole historical manor added so much to the plot and continued to maintain eerie vibes all the way. The secrets slowly unravel but the ending was a bit predictable and I felt it could have ended in a better way!

When I saw that this book was compared to The Maid by Nita Prose, I ran to apply for the ARC. (Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for this Advanced Reader Copy of The Golden Spoon — out 3/7/23!)

I loved everything about this book — the Bake Week premise (very similar to The Great British Baking Show), the Vermont manor setting, and the classic whodunnit murder mystery.

This book is the definition of a cozy mystery, which is a very specific genre, and in my opinion, hard to come by. I thought this book was perfectly written.

For the first half of the book, the mystery was not the forefront of the book, which I could see how that would be a disappointment for some. However, I thought this was well done, because it allowed for the reading to get an understanding of the characters and setting before the murder took place.

I was not completely shocked by the ending, but in this case, I didn’t mind. The writing was so cozy and comforting that that took precedence over the lack of surprise at the end.

I loved this book so much, that I may need to buy a physical copy to have on my shelves. I am sensing a reread in the future! And I can’t wait for the limited series to come out on Hulu. 🤩

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Publishing and Jesse Maxwell for my early copy of The Golden Spoon.

Betsy holds a week long competition at her inherited family mansion once a year. This year makes season 10 and 6 contestants are chosen to compete. This year is the first that Betsy will have a cohost, one that she’s not particularly fond of but tolerates nonetheless. Things start to go wrong the first day of the competition and by the third day someone is dead. Did someone come to Grafton Manor with other intentions in mind?

I love watching baking shows and i absolutely love mystery/thriller books so i was really excited to read this. Unfortunately it was pretty predictable and not as thrilling as i had hoped. I did still enjoy reading through the competition and felt the same joy that i do watching them on TV so i’m still glad i read this but i felt like there could have been more to the mystery. Maybe i’m just used to books with a lot of twists and turns so that’s why this felt a little lacking to me.

As soon as I heard that this was The Great British Bake Off meets an Agatha Christie murder mystery, I thought: sign me up!

There’s always more to the story than what the cameras capture…

This is a locked room type mystery with multiple POVs. With that said, there’s so much more drama brought in with having the different perspectives of each of the contestants as well as the host of the show. It really allowed us to dive in a bit deeper with each person’s stories and how their backgrounds could steer how they would fare within the competition and story. I always enjoy taking a peek into the minds of individual characters to get a better understanding of the inner workings of their thoughts and judgments. What it did was also make you question who you could trust.

The build up to the crime was a bit drawn out, but almost necessary with everything that is going on between each character and to make you empathize with them. With the build up, we were also able to really get into the layout of the house and the tent; I could see the sunshine coming through the windows, feel the brick of the house, and the counter tops of the contestant stations.

This also touches on some issues that many people may identify with and suffer from: alcoholism, anxiety, depression and past trauma. It showcases people attempting to deal with their individual grief, get help for themselves as well as create friendships and families.

I did enjoy this and found that I needed to get through it; the author has a way with grabbing your attention with the last line of a chapter and makes you want to keep devouring the story.

Thank you so much to the author, Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC of The Golden Spoon in exchange for my honest review!

Two of my guilty pleasures - watching baking championship shows and reading cozy mysteries. Imagine my delight when the two are combined into a story!

6 bakers compete to become the winner of the Golden Spoon. Sabotage, intrigue, mystery and secrets. A great combination for a wonderful cozy story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙈𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙-𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙑’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

📍 Read if you like:
• Cozy Mysteries
• Multiple POVs
• Historical Mansions
• The Great British Baking Show

Let me start by saying DO NOT go into this book expecting a thriller because you will be disappointed. I thought it was a thriller, but it felt more like a cozy mystery.

I am a big fan of baking shows so I was so excited when I read the premise for this book. It sounded so interesting and it was such a fun + quick + light read!

In The Golden Spoon, we follow six contenders:

~ Stella Velasquez - a former journalist who also is the most inexperienced baker.

~ Hannah Severson - second youngest contestant in the history of the show.

~ Gerald Baptiste - math teacher who is also a perfectionist with his ingredients.

~ Pradyumna Das - entrepreneur: creator and former CEO of a company named Spacer, while also improvising his ingredients.

~ Lottie Byrne - retired registered nurse, her specialty being adapting traditional bakes with a contemporary edge.

~ Peter Gellar - construction worker who bakes in his family kitchen for his family.

We also follow one of the judges, Betsy Martin, alongside the other judge, Archie, for the Bake Week competition.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs in the book. I found them so interesting and each character has something unique to them. I also loved the connection they had with each other as time went by.

Also, the mansion setting in Vermont was so eerie with all its secrets. There were so many hidden secrets in the past that had me intrigued.

The ending was a bit rushed and predictable IMO. Also, it ended off kind of strange. I’m wondering if there’s another book after this.

Overall, this was a fun little cozy mystery. I loved the baking show aspect and the multiple POVs of the characters. Don’t go into it expecting a thriller, it’s a slow-burn mystery that isn’t revealed until the end. Still will highly recommend this one!

The perfect merge of the British baking show and clue the board game. This book had so many things to love. We're taken through this story from multiple povs the contestants of the show and the main host. Intertwined mysteries from the past and present day with the the manor home as a character to unravel as well. If you love a locked in mystery, with a creepy house of secrets from the past and a good baking show you will adore this book I know I did!