A murder mystery version of The Great British Bake Off is exactly what the world needs if I'm being honest. It was so fun to read this book and try to piece together clues from the different character POVs. I will admit it was a little slow in the beginning but the pace quickens once the drama starts. As the competition began, I almost couldn't put the book down because I was so curious to see what would happen next. Pradyumna was my favorite btw. Overall, I think this was a great debut novel and I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Golden Spoon will be available on March seventh, 2023.

The Golden Spoon was advertised as a mix of Clue and The Great British Bakeoff. That sounded delicious to me (pun intended) and I couldn’t wait to pick it up. While there was a lot to like, there were also some things that just didn’t work for me.

The story features a group of contestants joining their hosts on a large estate to film a baking competition. Each has their own reason to be there and some have nothing to do with baking. Secrets abound. When a body is discovered, the secrets begin to unravel leaving the reader trying to follow the clues and solve the murder.

The book opened with a press introduction of the contestants on the show, a great way to quickly introduce a group of characters without taking a lot of time to break down each one in exacting detail. This lets the author slowly add details throughout the book which gave me the chance to guess at connections and motivations. It was a clever idea and worked very well.

Once the book itself got going, though, I found myself alternately drawn in and knocked out of the narrative. See, the book is told in first person present tense throughout, which tends to keep me from being too sucked in. I don’t know why it irritates me, but it does. At times this choice added tension, but in other instances, it was distracting. Doubly so because the book also switches back and forth between different points of view. It was never confusing, but it was jarring.

Despite this, the story was engaging and the characters were interesting. I was bummed that the first contestant to get booted from the show left so quickly that they weren’t fully explored but they served brilliantly to drop hints that would otherwise have been given awkwardly. Author Jessa Maxwell was incredibly smart in how she revealed her information. Going back, clues were there but she made the reader hunt to find them. I love being able to go back through a story and see the logic that leads to the conclusion.

The characters were all interesting. I had my favorites, of course. I liked Gerald with his logic and intelligence. I also liked his addition to the story. I also really enjoyed Pradyumna’s character. His reason for being there and his involvement was different from things I’ve found in other mysteries and his reasoning was intriguing. It explained his actions and choices well. There were even a couple of characters that I loved to hate.

The ending felt a little rushed which was a bummer because the author put so much care into building up tension. I did see the whodunnit coming, but I have a knack for doing that. It was in no way broadly broadcast. In fact, it’s that fun combination of a quick, fun read that also requires you to pay attention so you don’t miss something. It was an entertaining read.

I do want to say that there is reference to sexual assault. I only mention this because it is something that I struggle with as a reader. That being said, it isn’t spoken of in extreme detail. It is, however, something that I wish I had been aware of ahead of time. That goes back to the “trigger warning” argument: are they useful and do they take away from the book’s content. This isn’t the right place to discuss my thoughts on that. Suffice it to say, the author was delicate and respectful in her use of that subject.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The Golden Spoon is a fun, creative mystery. Jessa Maxwell is an author to watch.

Debuts novel for author Jessa Maxwell. 7 POV mystery framed like the Hulu show "Only Murders in the Building." Contestants meet at fictional Grafton Manor in Vermont to compete in a Baking Competition. The competition spans one week and that's how the chapters are split. Fun storytellinf but I struggled with a few aspects: a US version of "The Great British Off," fictional Grafton Manor in Vermont, and the approach to describing the bakes. For some reason this didn't work for me.

However, if you are alright with a US version of "The Great British Bake Off" with clear parallels to the first run of the show this can be the book for you. A mix of mystery, murder, and all suspects trapped in one locale.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about this debut and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot is well-constructed and slick in it’s blending of the baking competition show and a semi-locked-room mystery. The format featuring short sections channeling the thoughts of the characters might put off readers who like their mysteries complex, but I found it a pleasant change from lengthy prose.

I spent some time last year bingeing a rather silly series called The Great Witches Bake Off, so I am guessing thiat setting murders on set of these kinds of shows might be a new trend. I’d welcome it because The Golden Spoon was a lot of fun!

The Golden Spoon is a mix of Only Murderers in the Building and the Great American Bake Off. Fans of cozy mysteries will love this one!

The Golden Spoon takes place on the set of a baking show called Bake Week. 6 contestants compete on the grounds of Grafton Manor, home to Bake Week host Betsey Martin. As the baking begins, strange things start happening. Is someone purposely sabotaging the contestants?

This debut has been categorized as a thriller but is more of a cozy mystery or locked door mystery. Comparisons to Nita Prose’s The Maid are right on.

While filming a cooking competition series at a gothic estate (think Great British Baking Show) what starts as sabotage ends in murder and the contestants, hosts and crew are all suspects. Cozy, lighthearted mystery that was SO MUCH FUN. This was the first book in a long time to keep me reading into the night “just one more chapter!” style. Maybe it isn’t a literary masterpiece, but we all deserve to have a good time with our reading and this is the one!

While it took me a while to get into the groove and really start enjoying this book, I sped through the final 40% and loved the ending.

I’ve seen a lot of Great British Bake Off meets Only Murders in the Building and that is pretty spot on. America’s grandma, Betsy Marin, hosts Bake Week at her family estate in New England where six bakers compete for the golden spoon (title drop). The POV shifts between Betsy and the bakers as things start to heat up and tensions boil over. Someone ends up dead before they even make it to the finals - but who? And whodunnit?

I liked the diversity of demographics from the bakers (I’m sure it makes good television as well as good books) and while at times there was a bit too much going on in side stories, I was very motivated to solve the main mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

CW/TW: death, murder, grief, childhood trauma, sexual assault, rape, gaslighting

I loved the concept of The Golden Spoon, especially when I saw it being compared to The Great British Bake Off meets Only Murders in the Building. Six bakers come together to compete in the tv show 'Bake Week' in the mansion of baking icon and show creator Betsy Martin for the title of America's Greatest Baker and the Golden Spoon. Also joining the show is a new co-host and judge, Archie Morris, who is the host of his own show, 'The Cutting Board.' But trouble starts to cook as it seems there might be someone sabotaging the show, and then a dead body turns up...

I had fun reading this book. The plot was intriguing-- I loved the drama of the reality show, the secret history of the gothic manor, and the mystery of the murder. Each character was unique and brought something different to the story, and were well developed. I did find the plot a bit predictable, but this is a cozy mystery and still fun to read.

The chapters alternate between POV's of the MC's, and all are told in first person perspectives except for Betsy's. I'm not sure why the author chose to do this but I think I would have preferred the same perspective-be it first or third person-throughout because I did find it a little confusing sometimes, but other's may not have an issue. I enjoyed this book overall and thought it was a great debut novel, and am looking forward to the Hulu series that is being adapted!

The Golden Spoon is getting lots of buzz as a highly anticipated book of 2023, but I found it a pretty standard cozy mystery. It’s a light and easy read, fine for when you just need a little entertainment.
Bake Week is a popular contest oriented show. Betsy Martin is the famous baker with a wonderful old Victorian estate where she hosts the show. But this year, her producers decided they needed to shake things up and have brought on Archie Morris as a co-host. The six contestants run the spectrum in age and backgrounds. The story starts with the discovery of a dead body but quickly flips back to five days before. The story bounces between the different characters which helps to keep the pace moving at a steady pace.
My problem is that the story was filled with cliches. As you would expect, things go wrong. Is it nerves getting to the contestants or is someone sabotaging their work? The reader knows from the beginning that a dead body has been found but we go through most of the story before finding out who it is.
It’s got the elements of a locked room mystery. But the comparison to Anthony Horowitz is off as the writing and story is much more basic. It’s really a cozy mystery with a snazzier cover.
According to the blurb, this is being made into a mini-series for Hulu. It’s elementary enough that it will work better as a show than as a book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

This was the perfect mashup of the Great British bake-off and Clue. Loved it.


We are following contestants are they compete to see who is America’s best baker. Hijinks ensue: a fridge is left open. Salt and sugar are swapped. Then, one day, a dead body is found.

I don’t think it needs much more set up than that!

This book is FUN! The baking vibes are strong—with a dash of mystery and murder. It’s not very gory. It’s not scary. I think this is fun for many people!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

Unique and a quick read, was never really sure where it was going. I’m sure it will be a hit with people who love GBBO. Gerald was my favorite

🥄 The Golden Spoon - Jessa Maxwell

4 ⭐️- This was so good! The Golden Spoon comes out 3/7 so make sure you look out for it! Think cooking competition show meets Clue. It was fun and lighthearted while also being a bit mysterious.

The set of the show Bake Week is ready to go for its 10th season. Host Betsy Martin has her tent ready, her 6 contestants picked out, and her challenges selected. Except, Betsy is not thrilled to be sharing the hosting job with Archie Morris. All the contestants work hard to prove their baking abilities, unintentionally do some soul searching, and look least like the killer when a dead body turns up. Who will take home the golden spoon trophy and who will be crowned “killer” baker?

I really enjoyed this one. I thought the characters were quirky and lovable and the storyline was fun and mysterious. I did feel it was a bit rushed - I wanted more toward the end. It had alternating POVs which started confusing but later helped the story move along. Lottie is my favorite character and side story 😍. Definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of food network cooking competitions, Clue, or need a lighter mystery! Keep your eyes open in March when this hits the shelves and eventually Hulu!

This book takes the GBBO tent baking competition concept and bakes in the drama, There. is sabotage. Contestants have secrets, Judges are not who they appear to be on camera. Past secrets come out and become very relevant during the filming of bake week. It's everything you would want to read about in a behind-the-scenes, here's what really happens kind of novel.

The structure of the book takes a round-robin point of view. Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character. The result is you have a book that promises a murder, but 80% of the book is the setup to that murder, and the conclusion is packed into the last bit of the book. It was not always easy to keep the characters straight. It got easier towards the end when some contestants were eliminated from the competition and left. However, that style of writing is not my favorite and it took away from my overall perception of the book.

Each year, 6 contestants are invited to Grafton Manor to win the Bake Week competition and come away with the Golden Spoon prize. Over the course of a week, contestants bake an item each day. At the end of each bake, the food is judged and one person is sent home. The book starts off with a bang when Betsy Martin, host and owner of Grafton Manor, discovers a dead body. Then, it goes back to a few days before the competition and works its way forward to the dead body. There are seven POVs- Betsy and each contestant, but I found them easy to keep straight. I enjoyed the short chapters and learning about each character’s weaknesses, anxieties, and purpose for being at Bake Week. However, to be honest there is not a lot of mystery as the book concentrates on the competition until the last 25% or so. So, if you are expecting a tense thriller, you might be disappointed. However, I enjoyed the book for what it is- a fun, quick story. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Was excited to receive this arc when I was hearing and reading all the advanced hype! The publisher summary lays out the synopsis perfectly already-6 amateur bakers are called to participate in a week long Top Chef inspired reality show at famous baker Betsy Martins estate, The Grafton House. For the first time, Betsy is forced to co host with a smooth up and comer, Archie Morris creating tension for the bakers arriving. Betsy is less maternal than she appears and shows a ruthless and manipulating side right at the start and as the plot is told from 7 vantage points, all the characters start to reveal secrets and connections between one another and their reason for being on the competition. Someone begins to sabotage the bakers and by the end of the novel, there is a murder.-but who and why?
This is a clever and fun spin on the traditional Christie tropes-and a modern take on the country manor mystery. The plot moves quick and the the vantage points are fun and engaging as the reveals behind the characters begin to occur. This is a master class in atmosphere, as the author conjures the right mood of the Grafton estate from the beginning-foreboding and almost haunted. The tone is fun and light and will this is an easy read that hopefully signals the beginning of a new author in the “traditional” mystery game. My only complaint is I wish some of the action happened earlier-but it is trying to find out which of these characters is the one to die is almost as good as the whodunit-not only does everyone have a motive, but everyone has a reason why everyone else would want to kill. If it was possible, this would rate closer to 4.5 stars than the straight 4.
Very enjoyable read that mystery fans should be excited to read! Well done for a first outing.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The new season of Bake Week is set to film at GraftonManor, home to the host and creator of the show
Betsy Martin. The show features six competitors and is filmed in one week, with a daily elimination.
All are determined to win the Golden Spoon but as the competition progresses, it seems someone is
sabotaging the competitors. Who is it? What secrets are the competitors and host hiding? When the cohost
of the show is found murdered, will the murderer be revealed before someone else dies?
Chapters told from the six competitors' and Betsy Martin's point of views.
Enjoyable quick read.
#TheGoldenSpoon #NetGalley

This novel has an interesting concept that changes up the typical murder in a mansion setup. When the contestants of Bake Week arrive for a week of baking to compete for the coveted Golden Spoon they have no idea the mystery and mayhem in store. Interestingly, the murder doesn’t happen until almost the end of the book, which was a bit different than I was expecting. Overall, this is an enjoyable and fun murder mystery. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the characters and the bake off setting. It was so reminiscent of GBBO and the type of environment and dynamic that you wonder about behind the scenes. I'm glad the book focused on a one-week tv show instead of having it drag out for weeks on end. I think it was a good choice and helped moved the plot along. While I wasn't crazy about the resolution to the murder mystery, it was definitely the personalities that made this book so enjoyable.

I think I was more intrigued by the concept and description than the actual book. Comparing it to <i>Clue</i> and <i>Only Murders in the Building</i> is like comparing a watermelon and a cherry: minimal points to compare, and it's still a stretch when you do. Plus, I was annoyed at being baited and given high expectations. Damn you marketing department!

This is pure, poorly veiled (to the point of plagiarism) <i>GBBO</i> fanfiction, with a murder-y twist. I thought it was a little bit of a cheat, because if you're a <i>GBBO</i> fan, you can identify the exact contestants this author had in mind when she was writing. Also, the male judge's charactization is based on a very real scandal that is a little <i>too</i> thinly veiled, and I don't think I was an into it as I could have been. She didn't even bother to change the physical descriptions of anyone.

It also takes a while to get to the meat of the mystery. The first 65 percent is literally like reading the subtitles on GBBO. Descriptions of the baking, ingredients, explanation of how baking alchemy works, and descriptions of flavors and pairings that you can skim through and not miss anything (I sure did). Once we get to the who-dun-it, it was...fine. I think I understood what the author meant to do, but the execution was a little iffy.

All in all, I don't think I cared enough about it, and I don't know how I feel about it apparently becoming a TV series (for a first book?). It's a fast read, and you don't need to think too hard, but I've read enough baking show inspired books at this point to just find another one (with no differentiation between any of them) boring and uninventive.

<i>NetGalley gave me an ARC of this, in exchange for an honest review</i>

“Six home bakers will descend on Grafton Manor on June 5 to compete for the title of America’s best baker. They will compete from Monday to Friday in a series of five intensive, daylong competitions, leading to a showdown between the final two bakers Friday.”

Personal Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Great British Bake-off meets Clue, the board game! This book followed multiple contestants on the television show Bake Week. I particularly loved the organization of this novel and how it was set up by day based on the “to be baked” dish of the day. This book was like an onion and as I kept reading, I continued to pull back the layers that were deeply rooted in Grafton Manor, Bake Week, and Betsy Martin. The book starts off with a murder, that drives the whole plot, as the novel took us back in time leading up to that murder. For fans of locked room mysteries, multiple points of view, subjective endings, and baking! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am honored to give my advanced review in exchange for a gifted copy from NetGalley and Atria Books. Look for this book in store on March 7!

Synopsis: Every summer for the past ten years, six awe-struck bakers have descended on the grounds of Grafton, the leafy and imposing Vermont estate that is not only the filming site for “Bake Week” but also the childhood home of the show’s famous host, celebrated baker Betsy Martin. The author of numerous bestselling cookbooks and hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” Betsy Martin isn’t as warm off-screen as on, though no one needs to know that but her. She has always demanded perfection, and gotten it with a smile, but this year something is off. As the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.