This was a fun cozy mystery! I loved the premise--a group of people gathered to participate in a baking competition at an isolated mansion. We learn at the beginning that someone has apparently been murdered, but don't really find out the details until near the end of the book. Under some circumstances, that delay could be frustrating, but it was a lot of fun to read about the different characters, their backstories, and the events leading up to the murder. It definitely helps if you're a fan of shows like The Great British Bakeoff or Top Chef. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Golden Spoon is a fun cozy mystery that feels exactly like a blend of The Great British Bake-off and Clue.

Throw six bakers, two hosts, and a crew together on an upper New York state estate, and somebody winds up dead. Who is the unlucky loser, and who took time away from their mille-feuilles to commit murder?

Each baker has his or her own reasons for wanting to be on the show--some more intriguing than others--and each day is spilt into several different points of view to give each main character their time in the spotlight. The MCs have their own unique personalities, and although I really liked everyone, I particularly liked Lottie. Her storyline is the most interesting and ends up playing a significant role in the story overall, but really, everyone is important.

Of course, the story is about a baking competition, and the bakes themselves are mouth-wateringly described. It made me feel as if I was watching a mini-episode of GBBO, albeit with more drama. And the setting of the show, while giving an air of gravitas to the proceedings, is described well, giving off vibes both posh and creepy.

Although the pacing is a bit off at times--a slower beginning and a slightly rushed ending--The Golden Spoon is a great read that will hit the spot for fans of baking shows and Agatha Christie-style mysteries.

The Golden Spoon follows six contestants and the hose of Bake Week as they take on the tenth season. The book starts out with our host begrudgingly going out to the tent to check equipment in a storm only to find a dead body. But who is it? And who did it?!

This was a really fast and enjoyable read. The story is told through 7 different POVs - the 6 Bake Week contestants and the host, Betsy. You really get the feeling like you’re watching a baking show but with behind the scenes footage. Each contestant had a very distinct personality and gave each chapter its own rhythm and atmosphere that I really enjoyed.

I loved all of the contestants but Lottie and Pradyumna were my favorite unlikely duo. Lottie is a woman in her 70’s who has tried out for the show each season while Pradyumna is a bored millionaire entrepreneur who tried out for fun. There is a mystery that surrounds Lottie and her ties to Grafton Manor, where the show is filmed. Pradyumna teams up with her to help solve the mystery. Their dynamic reminds me of Mabel, Oliver, and Charles from Only Murders in the Building. The quirkiness between them and their bumbling efforts at investigating were some of my favorite moments.

The actual murder mystery part felt rushed toward the end. You find out who the victim is and then it’s just a quick reveal of who did it that almost feels like an afterthought. There is a second twist thrown in during the middle of the murder reveal that almost made for a better moment than the murder. The ending felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic to me but at least the mysteries were solved.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone who enjoys baking shows and cute mysteries similar to Only Murders in the Building.

Six contestants arrive at the Grafton Manor to compete in Bake Week, a week-long GBBO-esque competition put on by "America's grandmother" Betsy Martin and new co-host Archie Morris, a Paul Hollywood knock-off with all of the over-the-top charm and confidence of a middle-aged man who knows how to wink. The book, split between the six contestant's and Betsy's POVs, is too scattered to have any real character development, instead having to say point blank who thinks what and why. There's simply not enough page space for any kind of depth for anyone. Pradyumma's depression, for example, isn't a creeping thing under the surface of his catch-all flirting, it's just said right there on the page. Stella's insecurity, Hannah's ego, Gerald's need for control, it's all spelled out for you. I did find the twist on the grandmotherly visage interesting, though I think if it were supposed to be any kind of reveal it should have been hidden behind closed doors longer than it was.

All in all, it's a cute cozy mystery that I enjoyed more as a reality TV baking show book than a mystery in and of itself.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the e-arc!

The Great British Bake Off is one of my comfort shows, add in a murder mystery? You have my attention!! So goes The Golden Spoon, Jessa Maxwell's debut novel. We follow the host of the show as well as the five contestants of Bake Week. The book opens with a murder, though we don't know why. What follows is a lot of baking, fun, and sleuthing! I absolutely loved this cozy mystery and would recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers that don't take themselves too seriously.

Bake Off with a sinister twist and more drama. Six contestants are gathered for Bake Week, a reality show that is filmed over a week instead of multiple weeks like GBBO. There is some sabotage and eventually a murder.

I was expecting more clue hunting because of the synopsis that it was like Only Murders. I wouldn’t say that comparison is a good one. Did I enjoy this book? Yes, a lot! However, if you’re looking for a lot of mystery or thrills, this is not that. It’s like a slow suspense, with not a lot of thrills at the end. Again, I really enjoyed it! I just think that it shouldn’t be compared to Only Murders.

*Many thanks to Simon & Schuster, Netgalley, and Jessa Maxwell for my gifted eARC for an honest review. Publication date 3/7/23*

If you love cooking and reality cooking shows you are going to love this book! If you are like me and hate cooking and don't watch reality cooking shows you are still going to love this book! Add this one to your list, it was so good!

6 contestants and 2 hosts what could possibly go wrong? From the prologue we learn a murder has happened at the beautiful mansion that belongs to the host Betsy. 4 days before the murder 6 contestants arrive at Betsy's house to compete in a very popular show called Bake Week.

The book is told through the view of the contestants and Betsy in short chapters. I absolutely loved all the contestants and their back story lines. My favorite part of the book was while they were baking in front of the cameras. I had no idea I was going to love this book as much as I did, such a creative wonderful story line. 5+ stars for me!

This book was billed as a cozy mystery for fans of The Great British Bake-off. While it was both of those, it did neither well. It all but ripped off the show using identical language, identical scenes, and identical show process which made it feel highly unoriginal. Additionally, the characters didn’t have much depth. Each of them had one dominant trait and none of the “secrets” felt plausible. However, once turned into a show/movie where the characters can feel more real and the viewer immersed in the story, this has LOTS of potential.

Overall, this ended up being a pretty underwhelming book but I am looking forward to the show.

Loved this one! Interesting characters and a story that kept me turning pages waaay past my bedtime. A baking motif and a mystery combined!? Yes, please! A huge thank you to Atria and to Netgalley for this ARC. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

I was really looking forward to this book, but it was a bit of a letdown for me. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, this isn’t it. Instead it’s more of a slow paced mystery. While I liked getting the viewpoints of each contestant and the host, at times it was too many viewpoints to follow and I felt it slowed the story too much for me.

3.75/5 stars! I love TV baking/cooking competition shows, so the premise of this story was right up my alley. Add in the gothic mystery angle and I was hooked. This story was the ultimate who-done-it thrill ride. I felt pulled into the story and the disparities between our six home bakers and their stories. My only complaint was that 7 different POVs just felt like too many. Overall an enjoyable murder mystery. Will check out more books by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

If you enjoy a good mystery and love the Great British Bake Show - you will enjoy this one!!
Bake Week kept me going in this book. To see how the bakes turned out, what was going to be sabotaged, etc. The ending was well worth the wait. There were quite a few twists there!

The only thing I did not enjoy was the multiple character point of views. In the beginning it was difficult to keep all of them separate. Towards the end it was a little easier and I did enjoy seeing where they were at in the end.

Wow! I'm blown away from this book. I absolutely adored it. It was creative and fast-paced and I could not put it down. I am usually overwhelmed with several characters in books but it was not the case with The Golden Spoon. Maxwell did an awesome job organizing the flow from person to person and with the plot!

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. 5 stars! Don't miss this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. The Golden Spoon is as if Agatha Christie wrote one of her classic whodunits based on The Great British Bake-off. It is a fun and modern take on the locked room mystery. I adored the premise, but the characters and writing fell flat for me. The characters all had the same voice despite coming from vastly different backgrounds; and the writing was more “telling” rather than “showing.” It was a wonder premise with poor execution.

An entertaining house party-type mystery that takes place on the estate where a popular baking show is filmed (think GBBO, but American and also someone is trying to sabotage the competition from within). While I would’ve enjoyed a slightly longer book — I think the drama could’ve been amped up even longer alongside the competition, which in turn would’ve allowed certain character dynamics to grow and evolve even further to make the end more impactful — this was a very fun debut with several intriguing story webs to untangle.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is a great mashup of The Great British bake off and a little bit of Knives Out or Clue. This book was an absolute joy to read. I took me a bit to get all the individual characters down since it is in multiple perspectives. This book takes place at a mansion that holds some big secrets, or skeletons. Betsy, the famous baker holds a yearly baking competition on the property of her family's big home. Six home bakers compete for the golden spoon. There is a quick change thrown in this year after 9 years of doing the show. There is a guest judge. Betsy is not happy about this change. Things quickly go awry as the show proceeds. Are contestants being sabotaged? Why is Archie there? Are they trying to replace Betsy? Someone dies.

My only complaint is the end felt very rushed. Like the author realized how long it took to get there and she suddenly needed to end the book. For a first book it's really good though and I cannot wait for more to come.

✓ a group of bakers in a secluded manor competing on a reality television show
✓ lots of yummy descriptions of cakes and pies
✓ interesting characters with secrets
✓ a murder mystery
✓ short, engaging chapters

This was such a fun and quick read. Even though I felt like the ending was predictable and a bit anti-climactic, I still enjoyed the reading experience. Jessa Maxwell is a debut author I'll definitely be keeping an eye on what she does next.

Well, you can’t get much more cozy mystery than The Golden Spoon. When contestants gather at Grafton Manor to film the latest season of Bake Week, there’s a lot more than baking going on. Each member of the cast and crew have their own motivations for being on the show and some of them are deadly. Dun dun duuuunnnn…

I enjoyed this little novel in one afternoon and I think avid watchers of cooking shows will enjoy the humorous side of the story. From a mystery perspective, it was light and entertaining and just right for fans of Maid by Nita Prose and Agatha Christie. It wasn’t as nuanced and clever as Prose or Christie, but was still a fun read. I do wish they had included a few of the Bake Week recipes.

Secrets abound behind the scenes of Betsy Martin's popular Bake Week television competition, but which one will point to a murderer? The story of Betsy's worst season yet unfolds alongside the points of view of her six contestants in this treat of a manor mystery.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In Maxwell’s debut, six contestants are sent to the prestigious Grafton Estate in Vermont to participate in the competition for the Golden Spoon, a la an American homage to “the Great British Bake-off”. Betsy Martin is a lauded celebrity chef who is the creator and host, and this estate is her family’s ancestral home. This is the tenth season of the show and the six contestants- Stella, Hannah, Pradyumna, Lottie, Gerald, and Peter- strap in for 5 days of baking fun. Very early things begin to go a bit sideways and, by the time the fourth day of the competition comes around everything has completely unraveled. This book brings a lot to the table including:
-popular culture/reality TV tropes
-seven distinct POV from well developed characters
-cheating, lying, adulterating, murdering, sabotaging, and all sorts of other misdeeds
-Gothic vibes on top of all of it
The twists, although for me somewhat predictable, were still satisfying and well presented. It took me a while to get through the set up but overall a very fun read and a format/theme for a thriller that I haven’t seen yet otherwise!