Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell in exchange for my honest review.

This delicious combination of Clue and The Great British Bakeoff is what hooked me on this book. We follow six contestants and 2 cohosts on Season 10 of Bake Week from arrival as everything begins to unravel.

You have Betsy, the original host who started the show 10 seasons ago and is known internationally as an amazing baker. The book takes place in her childhood home, a secluded mansion that’s not as put together as it once was. The production team has added a cohost, Archie Morris, who comes from another cooking competition where he’s known to be brash (as Betsy says). He’s good-looking and younger, and Betsy starts to think the production team is pushing her out of her own show. We also get to meet the 6 contests, as we spend time in their POV throughout the story.

Just a warning, the options to connect and cheer for a character in The Golden Spoon are very limited. From the beginning, it’s obvious that Betsy is paranoid and maybe a little off, as the book goes on, this because more and more obvious. Of the contestants, there are some you get immediate “somethings not right here” vibes from, for sure 1 “why are you here”. And then you have the crew, who is talked about by Betsy and the contestants but you really don’t get their view until the end. I found it weird how much Betsy fixated on the crew but they really only peripheral to us.

I really wanted to love this book. I love baking shows, especially when the contestants support each other. And I’m a huge mystery fan, but for most of the book, there’s no mystery other than if the contestants are who they say they are. Then suddenly there’s a death and it happens so suddenly in the last quarter of the story and it felt forced. The mystery behind how the person died isn’t mysterious at all, meanwhile, a bigger mystery is unfolding that never felt very suspenseful. This was a story that took a lot of effort to read. I had to keep pushing myself to pick it back up because I wasn’t invested. There will be plenty of people who LOVE The Golden Spoon, sadly I am not one of them.

I absolutely loved this one! I still think about it and I finished it over a month ago! It was so cute and read like a TV show. I would love to read something like this again!! I can't wait to read more by Jessa Maxwell.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! It was so fast paced. I read through the whole thing in a weekend; I just couldn’t put it down! I really enjoyed the different personalities and backgrounds of all of the characters and the way that they interacted with each other. The storyline kept me guessing all the way up until the end; so many twists and turns! I don’t want to say too much, since it’d be best to go in blind. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes cozy/light mysteries!

THE GOLDEN SPOON by Jessa Maxwell is a story told over the course of four days, and each day the contestants prepare a different type of baked good: breads, pies, and then cake. The narrative is told from seven different points of view, those of the six participants and Betsy herself. The characters are introduced in the opening chapter. I referred back for the first few chapters until I was familiar with the contestants. The author has done an excellent job in developing each character with his/her own voice and behaviors. Each is unique and easily distinguishable.

Once the pans are greased and floured, the action begins. Evil is afoot as a saboteur switches the flour and salt cannisters. The plot moves quickly and gains momentum to keep the reader flipping pages. THE GOLDEN SPOON is a murder mystery and a bake-off stirred up into one great tale. It felt a little like a favorite childhood game: Why did it? Miss Severson, in the dining room, with the whisk. (No spoiler. It wasn’t her!)

This is a fun and enjoyable read. Curl up with a hot apple tart, a cup of coffee, and this book. It’s a sweet treat. And watch for this author. I just know she has another story to tell us. Many thanks to the publisher, Atria Books and to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

I was disappointed in this book.
Initially I was so excited about the book and looking forward to it with great anticipation. I’m a huge Bake-Off fan and a mystery buff. But the story rang inauthentic from the start. First of all, despite clearly being based on the British baking hit competition show, it takes place in Vermont. Then, despite being in Vermont, it is in a stately home— historic estate—something that truly is not a Vermont thing. Vermont doesn’t have the kind of generational wealth and snobbery that England—or for that matter Massachusetts or Connecticut has. So the whole attempt at crafting a cozy mystery was slightly off-kilter—-creating a British-ish aura—but situated in a setting where you’d more likely find log cabins.
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Then there were the characters..Their back stories initially seemed like they were going to matter and create some important relationship dynamics. But ultimately, with the exception of the specific pieces of information that provided motives, little about the characters mattered to the story. Those back stories weren’t even really red herrings. They were just character descriptions that hung around without ever being well integrated into the story. The exceptions to that were the 3 characters directly involved in the main story:: Pradyumna, the rich and unhappy former app developer, Lottie, the older woman who ostensibly grew up in this mansion as a servant’s child, and Betsy, the estate heiress and long-time show host (so obviously based on Mary Berry as to be a bit weird).

Finally, it just wasn’t much of a mystery… no big reveal was needed because the culprits were essentially obvious. That was the biggest disappointment to me. I never wondered who did what or what the resolution would be. I wanted to be stumped—to be “dying” to find out whodunnit! I wasn’t because it was telegraphed continually throughout the whole book.

With respect to the weird setting—I really can’t figure out why the author didn’t just put the book in some British country estate since it had every other trapping of the show—including the giant tent on the grounds of the estate. Everything would have hung together because the setting and characters would have been situated in the right culture and geography for the story she was trying to tell.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I had less familiarity with the things it gets so wrong: Vermont, Britain and the Great British Bake-Off. I wanted it to be so much more than it turned out to be. The fundamental premise had the makings of something as good as any of Antony Horowitz’ books or similar. But it would have needed to be longer with a more complex plot and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance review copy of the book. I look forward to reading more by this author as the fundamentals are there— and the next book will likely rise to the occasion of a new terrific premise.

So much fun and super quick read! This story is Great British Baking Show only with MURDER! This was written so well, the characters were well developed, the recipes were yummy sounding, the murder mystery was fun to try and solve. I will definitely be watching for the next book this debut author writes. Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available for purchase on March 7, 2023

This was a really fun read. I loved the Baking Show aspects and was really entertained the entire time. I think some of the story plots were predictable and the ending was abrupt but it was truly an enjoyable reading experience.

This was an intriguing mystery for fans of Agatha Christie and the Great British Bake Off. On a stormy night, Betsy one of the judges for Bake Off finds a body in the tent. We go back a few days in time to see the events play out. With the contestants and judges in a big lonely mansion, who is the killer?
The food descriptions are fantastic in this book. If you are a fan of cooking shows you will love this! The plot ends up following two mysteries. In the end I thought that it was very slow paced and took a while to get to the point. There were several of the characters viewpoints you got through the book which helped with character development and different points of view.
Overall, I think this was a fun cozy mystery. Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ecopy for review.

I received a free e-ARC of this book through Netgalley.
I used to watch a lot of the British Baking Show and if you like that show, you will probably enjoy this book as well, but it's definitely not a requirement. I really liked the backstories on all of the baking contestants. Someone gets murdered and almost everyone seems like a suspect. Reading about the bakes was enjoyable too.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a mystery thriller that is filled with suspense and twists and turns then look elsewhere. The biggest things that happen for a while in this book are salt and sugar being switched and a refrigerator being left open. Yes, there is a murder that happens that you see in the prologue but it doesn't truly happen until more than halfway through the book.

Even though we were introduced to all of the characters I felt like there were way too many points of view(7 of them). It took a little while for me to fully remember which characters were which and even after finishing it I still don't fully remember some of the bits of pieces that we were given in their introductions.

Overall though I did enjoy reading this and it was an easy mystery type book to read. If you like Great British Bake Off and some mystery then I would definitely recommend this book.

. The concept behind the plot of The Golden Spoon is interesting but it didnt seem to be well executed, it lacked any dramatic tension and was honestly very predictable. There are so many areas of the story that had great potential but simply fell flat. The pacing is all over the place, at time excruciatingly slow, then the ending just immediately wrapped up. The characters had great bones, but ultimately wound up remaining very two dimensional. It was not a horrible book, but it definitely felt more like an early draft that a completed concept.

This book turned out to be very enjoyable, but not all that I was expecting. The arc copy which I read had many errors, which were distracting but will hopefully be resolved in the finished version. The writing is odd. While it is very fun and digestible, it was very awkward at times and definitely read like a debut. I kid you not, one character is referred to as a "poor septuagenarian." That was the point when I really didn't feel like I could even take this book seriously. The mystery was fun- the baking show setting was very unique, but it was a very small part of the story, with only short descriptions of the competition itself. The characters were juvenile at times and some of their actions were extremely confusing. While this book was not quite executed the way I was hoping, it was a pretty enjoyable read.

A cozy baking competition at a grand estate? Sign me up. 6 contestants arrive to celebrity chef, Betsy Martin's, iconic estate to compete in the nation's favorite, cozy baking show. When things start to slowly go wrong, you have to wonder what is really going on with the show's star, producers, and contestants.

***

Ok, so I am a fan of GBBO. And this mystery had high hopes at the beginning but could not really keep my attention and some of the premise/plot points just did not hold up for me.

This one thing drove me bonkers:
*SPOILER*If Betsy is this crazy famous celebrity chef, why is she struggling to pay the bills on this estate? I realize they were like the upkeep is SOOOO much, but I just don't buy it. If she was that famous, wouldn't she have a financial advisor helping with this? Wouldn't she be doing more than just this one 6 day show that is wildly popular? Plus, her struggling with money, really didn't add much to the plot in general. Totally unnecessary. *SPOILER*

Overall, it was a pretty breezy read, but I found myself getting bored as things dragged. Then at the end, we're throwing out a bunch of random revelations. Maybe the biggest issue was that it was just trying to do too much at the end instead of focusing on an interesting and fun premise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for my ARC!

The Golden Spoon is a debut novel written by Jessa Maxwell that celebrates the classic locked room mystery set on a remote estate and a tv show where bakers compete to win an award but end up dying. Sort of... it's somewhere between a cozy and a traditional mystery but smartly uses the best of both worlds to create a fun reader experience. Switching POVs from the five contestants to the judge and a few other random folks involved in the story, readers learn what each baker wants to get out being a top baker. Some are truly in it for the fame and published cook book (at least we think) and some have a grudge they can't give up (for reasons we may not yet understand). As the truth comes out, so do each of the bakers treats... and behind the scenes, someone is playing tricks. Salt instead of sugar. Refrigerator doors left open. Wacky oven temperatures. Distractions. All gets very dramatic in a fun way, and through it all, I kept bouncing back and forth on who should win. The murder happens fairly late in the book, which was a tad frustrating but at the same time, the book would have ended if the murder happened early on. The contest would've been stopped, and the entire showing takes place over 4 days. Writing quality was strong; I enjoyed the personalities and the dialog between everyone. I see promise in the author's future and I would definitely read another books of hers. Thanks NetGalley!

Oh my goodness, this book was creepy and brilliant, and I can’t wait to read more from this author after really enjoying this one!

Great cozy mystery with fun characters. I liked the baking aspect. Some of the younger characters sort of blended together for me but overall a good read. Thanks!

Set in the mountains of northern Vermont, The Golden Spoon features six home bakers arriving at Grafton Manor to compete in a friendly competition à la Great British Bake Off. They will reside in the manor for the next week, performing baking challenges set by “America’s Grandmother”, the host, Betsy Martin. But secrets lie in the manor, and with each of them.

Okay so let’s introduce the characters. We have…
Stella Velasquez, a young former journalist from New York.
Hannah Severson, the youngest of the bunch and desperate to get out of her small town. Gerald Baptiste, a technical man who follows time, instructions (and recipes) to a T.
Pradyumna Das, a young millionaire who just wants to have fun.
Lottie Byrne, the oldest of the contestants and no stranger to Grafton manor.
Peter Gellar, who, when not working construction, is found baking for his husband and their daughter.

Only 30 pages in and I was already attached to all the bakers. I certainly didn’t want anyone to be sent home from the fictional competition. And I really didn’t want any of them to die. They are all diverse, with their own quirks and varied personalities coming together because of the thing they have in common, baking. They feel all too real and I wanted all of them to take home the “Golden Spoon”. They all have their own story to tell, the baker’s chapters being written in the first person to let the reader inside their minds. A few other characters had their own chapters, though they were written in third person.

The book starts a little slow. I was expecting more murder mystery, less baking description and that threw me off at first. But, be prepared for this book to make you hungry. I really wanted to try my hand at making some of the creations described in this book, and I really really wanted to eat them. You can tell that it is as much a homage to baking as it is a mystery. Despite the slow start, there is a bit of tension felt throughout the book as the anticipation of something big happening builds and more minor disruptions are introduced.

I would recommend this one to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery and who doesn’t mind a large cast of characters.

4 Stars

I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fine, quick murder mystery. The actual murder aspects begin pretty late, which was a little disappointing. A nice way to pass a few hours.

I absolutely love a fun and light mystery, and The Golden Spoon is about as fun as it gets.

The concept behind this is an excellent one. It’s a classic style mystery centered on a competitive baking show filmed at the crumbly old mansion owned by the host.

I’ve often complained about woefully inaccurate comps made in publisher’s summaries (“This is the next <insert name of recent bestseller>” or “This is <trendy theme> meets <other trendy theme>”). They’re generally off the mark thematically and also a huge reach in terms of the quality of the book. So I was pleased to see someone actually get it right with this one which was described as “The Great British Bake-off meets Clue.” That’s about as spot on as it gets, and an excellent premise for a book.

The atmosphere is well-rendered, both in the descriptions of the mansion and its contents and in the baking that takes place during the competition. The characters too, are well-drawn. You won’t like them all, but they serve the story well.

It’s not super hard to figure out the solve before the end, but it’s still one that works well and that doesn’t detract from the fun of reading the book. Overall an excellent pick for when you need something light and fun but want to stay engaged with an intriguing whodunit mystery.

Although the premise of this book is what made me want to read it, I must admit that I was fearfully because of the large cast of characters. Honestly, that is what keeps me away from Agatha Christie books. However, each character in this story has their own chapter that is relatively short and for the most part, I was able to keep up with who was “speaking”. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and tried to solve the case as I went through the book. I also wanted all of the baked treats that were mentioned! Don’t go in this without having something sweet around.

Rumor has it that Hulu is developing this into a limited series. I’m in!