5⭐️

Celebrity baker Betsy Grafton created Bake Week with a streaming service strictly to bring in money to keep her family home, Grafton House, in working order. Every year, a group of six bakers are brought to Grafton House for a competition with the winner getting their own cookbook deal among other things. But the executives have started to think Betsy, dubbed ‘America’s Grandmother’ has gotten boring and has brought in Archie Morris, the brash host of a cut throat cooking show, to join as a co-host. And producer Melanie has started making more nefarious decisions that Betsy hasn’t approved.

And then there are the contestants: a gentle handyman, a neurotic teacher who plans out everything to the minute, a bored, young tech startup, a former journalist, a retired nurse, and a young baker looking for her big break. Not everyone is there for innocent reasons and one may have more of a connection to Grafton House than anyone else knows of.

I. Loved. This! Clue meets The Great British Bake-off is the perfect description and I loved all the technical baking aspects of the story. This had multiple POVs-one for each contestant as well as a third person for Betsy, and you weren’t truly sure who died until much later on in the book. There were a handful of cliffhangers where anyone of them could have been the dead body or they could have just as easily been the killer.

I loved the backstories of each of these characters-what got them into baking, what drove them to apply for Bake Week, there different baking styles. And I loved that this gave the dark side of baking competitions. I know most people watch GBBO for how nice and kind everyone is to each other, but that is actually the reason I struggle with it. Call me cynical, but it’s almost too over the top to be believable. I like that this showed what happens behind the camera and felt more authentic to me.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC to me!

This book was amazing and one of the best mysteries I have read in a while. With multiple POVs and a cooking competition turned locked room mystery this book is not the average mystery. It walks the line of cozy mystery and thriller, and I enjoyed every second.
There are some common tropes and plotlines, but I found it comforting rather than cliched and there will still twists I didn't see coming (but still felt grounded in reality).
The book is well written with great characters that are all fully developed in a well paced mystery that I couldn't put down.

Not your average Bake Show when competitive hijinks and mayhem turn to murder. A well written mystery that kept me engaged all the way to the end. A great weekend read with a cup of coffee and a roaring fire. The characters are presented early on and in clear fashion, giving the reader a solid base to launch from once the plot develops. This is the first novel for Jessa Maxwell and she knocked it out of the park. I can't wait to see what she delivers in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Golden Spoon is available March 7, 2023.

I enjoyed this mystery book. I loved that each chapter was from a different character view. I enjoy baking competition shows and mysteries so this was an enjoyable read. I found each character unique and the baking competition descriptions well described. I received this book from NetGalley and a special thanks to Atria for sharing this books

Oh man I didn’t realize this is a cozy mystery. Which is so not my thing. I looooove British Bake Off but sadly I 1. Don’t like reading abt baking and 2. Found the characters boring. I just really slogged through this. I’m sure this will be a hit and a lot of folks will enjoy it but unfortunately it’s just not my cup of tea/piece of cake/that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

I enjoyed the story overall and the tie-ins to reality cooking competitions. I found the characters to be interesting overall. The mystery of who killed the character found in the prologue was not much of a mystery, and some of the tropes were slightly predictable. I did find the characters of Stella and Lottie to be the most developed, and I looked forward to their chapters. It reminded me a lot of Lucy Foley but with a unique voice and approach.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.5/5

If you are a fan of The Great British Bakeoff you need to read this book! Set in a very familiar setting of a historic mansion's sprawling grounds under a large tent, the next season of a baking show is starting to film. Six contestants meet at Grafton in Vermont to try and earn the coveted golden spoon award. The host, and owner of the estate, Betsy Martin allows the contestants to stay in her large home while participating in the week long baking competition.

As each character is introduced, it really feels like you are reading about real people from The Great British Bakeoff. There is the pretty one, the young one, the older woman, the eccentric one, the doing it for fun guy, and the father figure. These classifications were useful for me remembering the role of each character when reading since the storyline was told by different characters throughout the book. The cast and crew meet up in Grafton to begin bake week, but ultimately it is the end for someone (and I mean death as much as I mean losing and leaving the show). As the book progresses more and more sabotages are happening on set. Who is trying to ruin the show? And then on top of that there is a murder! All the cast is there for different reasons, but can anyone find out what is going on in the tent and who is responsible for the murder?

This cozy mystery hits all the main points for me. Great cast of characters, fun setting, and a storyline with layers that keeps me guessing until the end!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

A fun concept for fans of GBBO! It was slow to start but ultimately this one made for an interesting read.

The Golden Spoon is an interesting concept. Betsy Martin, famous for her recipe books, is hosting the 10th Bake Week at Grafton Manor. The tents are all set up and ready for the new 6 contestants. One by one they arrive as the first six chapters give us an insight to the contestant. Each of the chapters are from one of the contestants and Betsy's point of view.

After the bake each day one contestant is eliminated until there is a winner. But it becomes very clear someone is sabotaging the contestants, until a body is found in the tent. Is it a contestant hoping to eliminate the competition or is it someone else who has their own secrets to protect.

The was a fun and entertaining story. I often wondered myself when watching these shows on tv if they are nice and friendly as they appear. I have to say I was surprised at who was responsible. I had several suspects in mind since most acted guilty of something. All in all lots of good fun.

How can I do better than the delightful mash-up descriptions I've read and enjoyed? My favorite is The Only Murders in the Building meets The Great British Bake-Off. It took a LONG time for me to get oriented and figure out which character was who, and when the resolution came it sure came in a hurry, but I enjoyed every minute.

3 stars

With clear links to Agatha Christie and The Great British Bake Off, The Golden Spoon is a charming novel that would be best read while drinking a cup of tea and eating way too much shortbread. The setting of a baking competition being filmed at a historic manor home is immensely effective both as a tool to bring this specific group of people together and to create atmosphere. As someone who watches a lot of baking shows, I felt truly immersed in the setting (minus the murder) and got a huge chuckle out of a character being a clear reference to Joanna Fluke's cozy mystery heroine Hannah Swensen.

Speaking of murder (and by association, mystery), that aspect of the story is really where this book lost me. I'm not the biggest fan of mysteries where the murder takes place super late in the novel; normally, there has to be a ton of intrigue that happens beforehand to pique my interest if the plot is going to be structured that way. In this book, the murder doesn't even take place until the 80% mark of the book and while what comes before that has some elements of intrigue for the characters, I saw pretty much every reveal coming a mile away.

While the mystery really did not land for me, the characters and the setting went a long way in redeeming this book for me and I see a lot of potential in Maxwell as an author. I'd certainly pick up whatever she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

As advertised, this is a dark, cozy mystery that is along the lines of Agatha Christie meets The Great British Baking Show. I did enjoy reading it, getting to know the characters and following through to the entertaining conclusion, but there are some issues with it. The pacing is off, with a very long build-up to the murder (which we learn about in the first pages but doesn't actually happen until much further along in the book), and a very quick wrap-up at the end. It's an interesting story, but will definitely be too long for those looking for a plot-driven mystery, as there is really no focus on solving the mystery at all. There is a long lead-up, and then it's suddenly over. I will be looking for Jessa Maxwell's next book, to see the next product in her writing evolution. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance digital copy!

Betsy Martin has hosted her baking show, Bake Week, at her childhood estate for ten years. This year something is difference. Is it the new host? Or could us be the sabotage that eventually becomes a body.

Warning…. This book will make you hungry! The food descriptions were the best part, as well as the baking competition parts. The reality show scenes made this one unique. I loved how we got a perspective from each character. It made it easy to keep track of who is who. This is not a dark or deep thriller. It’s more of a cozy mystery, where not much happens until the end but it’s super entertaining!

“It’s not just a show for bakers…
It is something else too, an escape of sorts, a glimpse into a simpler way of being where people are kind to one another and sugar isn’t thought of as junk food, but as something special to be shared and cherished.”

The Golden Spoon comes out 3/7.

A Monday to Friday BAKE OFF with a sprinkle of MURDER - who will win the GOLDEN SPOON 👩🏼‍🍳 🏆 🥄. Jessa Maxwell’s “The Golden Spoon” is a debut novel that you won’t want to miss!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Betsy Martin has been the solo host of television baking show hit “Bake Week” for nine seasons. Much to her dismay, the producers have decided to add a co-host to the show for Season 10, Archie Morris.

The show takes place at Betsy’s family manor and six contestants have moved in for a week of baking catastrophe … let the games begin👩🏼‍🍳!!! When a body is discovered, all contestants become a suspect and it’s a race to the end to find out whodunit!

The art of baking and the art of murder go head to head in this cozy murder mystery! This was such a fun read and is perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Nita Prose, Joanne Fluke or Richard Osman 🍞!!

Thank you kindly to Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Canada, Jessa Maxwell and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! You can pick up your own copy on March 7, 2023!

A mix of baking show and thriller you didn’t know you needed!

Betsy, the famous cooking grandmotherly celebrity hosts an annual baking contest at her ancestral mansion. Six bakers, each with their own history and stories come to participate in the baking competition. But soon the intense baking contest turns into something entirely sinister and scary.

The book is well written with good character building. We get perspectives of all the different characters randomly and I found that very entertaining, keeping the reader hooked.
The pacing is very appropriate, reading the competition parts felt like actually watching a reality cooking show on TV which is hard to execute with just words in a book. This book kept me hooked and wanting to read more.

This is a unique thriller with the setting of a baking show - a combination you never knew you needed but will devour! Even if the mystery aspect is not out of the blue or extraordinary, the execution is engaging. I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something fast paced and unique!

I absolutely adored this book. Two.of my favorite things mixed in one book, a bake off show and a murder mystery. Imagine Great British Bake Off but in the US and at a dark manor. Someone ends up dead and someone is setting other up to fail on the baking challenges. The characters are diverse and so well written. Such a wild ride!

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I had to get my hands on it asap. “Clue meets Great British Bake-off”, which yes please. However, this book was not like I expected…. Yet, I kept reading and enjoying it.

I’m going to be honest, The Golden Spoon didn’t hit thriller really until 80% in. And everything leading up to it was kind of anticlimactic but minus it not being the thriller I thought, It was a good read.

If you’re into reading books about reality shows or baking. This is for you. The reality tv aspect and baking completion is mostly what this book is about for 60% of it. I mean heavily detailed baking reality stuff. Which was fine with me, but I really expected more thriller. Sure there were some unknown things going on and storylines I wanted answers for asap but the characters got blurred together for 50% of the book for me, until they finally started separating themselves and having their own storylines.

As I kept reading, I found a storyline that I kept wanting more of - Lottie and Pradyumna - now those “detectives” could have had a book just themselves and it would have been more thriller. But like I said, this book wasn’t bad, it was quite engaging and had me invested. I just was expecting more thriller and wanted more of it and not just boom out of nowhere 80% through. I kind of chucked at the synopsis of “this book will keep you guessing until the last page” because well of course if you don’t throw any major twists or turns (except the Lottie storyline and heartbreaking Stella storyline) until 20% is left of the book then you’ll only have a few pages at the end to guess. I did enjoy the last few chapters and the closure for everyone that deserved it.

So I just want to throw that out there, if you’re in this for just the thrill, the Clue aspect of it or twists and turns…. This may not be for you.

If you’re looking for a book heavily into baking competition, and baking lingo with some thrills and splash of murder at the end… this book is for you.

Once I removed the thought process that I thought this would be more thriller, I still gave it 4 stars because The Golden Spoon kept me interested and I am a fan of competition reads and baking/cooking shows. So it still hit the right audience but I would have probably gave it 5 stars if there was a lot more thriller, mystery and murder involved and throughout the most of the book. All and all good debut novel and I would for sure read Jessa Maxwells next book.

Readers will not believe that The Golden Spoon is a debut novel. Author Jess Maxwell crafts a rollercoaster ride, complete with one surprise after the other. How I adored this whodunit!

Cookbook queen Betsy Martin hosts a show more Great British Baking Show than Gordon Ramsey, now in its 10th season, in her family’s mansion in a Vermont backwater village. Six contestants vie, each with an interesting backstory; however, the real attraction is the murder that opens the book. Who’s dead? Who killed — well, whoever it is? And what about all those secrets? Characters take turns advancing the story, and I couldn’t put the book down. Readers won’t be able to, either.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an amazing book, especially seeing as it is a debut! The concept is compelling and the story was able to follow through on that. This murder mystery is told through the POVS of each contestant, offering insight into each of their minds to help figure out the mystery of it all. Overall, the story was well written, nicely paced, and suspenseful.

Cozy mysteries for the win this winter. My recipe for beating the winter blues remains the same - a blanket, a cup of tea and a good cozy mystery. The Golden Spoon made me forget about everything else for a day in the best way possible.

A TV baking competition being filmed at a secluded manor. A famous chef and the show's hostess, Betsy Martin herself has some competition in front of the cameras. Her co-host Archie does not align with her/show's brand in her eyes. She's also on double hostess duty as the show's 6 contestants stay at her estate for the duration of the filming. These home bakers of varied personalities and experience levels will have 5 days to win the ultimate prize - the title of Top Baker and The Golden Spoon. Strange things start happening as soon as the show starts filming and it seems there are plenty of secrets to go around. Competition just might end up being deadly for someone.

I just couldn't (and did not want to) put this one down. Pesky sleep interrupted. Otherwise it would've been a one sitting read for me. I got lost in the world of this competition and I genuinely enjoyed getting to know each one of the characters - yes, even the not so likeable ones. If you are looking for your next cozy read, look no more! The Golden Spoon is cozy entertainment at its best. Well written, well paced and fun!
A word of warning for thrill seekers - I would not classify this as a thriller. I know it might matter to those among you who are mood readers like me.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for gifting me an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!