This was such a fun read! One of my favorite movies is Clue, so I was hooked just from the synopsis! This is certainly a highly anticipated book for 2023, and for good reason! Definitely recommend!

Thank you Atria Books and Jessa Maxwell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Golden Spoon publishes March 7, 2023.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book before publication in exchange for an honest and thorough review.

The Golden Spoon is for anyone who likes mystery books and watching Food Network or any type of cooking shows (like I do)! The alternating character view points do a nice job of building suspense and creating multiple layers of mystery. That being said, I felt like the majority of the characters were underdeveloped. I felt a lot of depth to Stella, Lottie, and Betsey, but all of the other characters were just kind of... there.

I enjoyed the background story, which then became center stage, of the estate and property that the show was being filmed at. The setting really aided the competitive and cutthroat side of the cooking show.

I was pleasantly surprised at the twists in this novel, I thought they were well-done, unpredictable, and spunky. However, there were a lot of twists working together at once. The twists don't make an appearance until the last third of the book, but for the most part, I feel like they blended well together to create a satisfactory ending for the novel.

With a little more character depth and development, I feel like this book could have been a smashing hit. I needed a little more to be totally invested. As soon as the spicy stuff started happening, the book was over.

Thank you again to Atria Books and NetGalley, as well as the author Jessa Maxwell, for the opportunity to read this novel ahead of publication.

Reality show meets murder mystery in this engaging debut novel by Jessa Maxwell. Six excited contestants are chosen to compete in a televised baking show. The show is hosted by a well-known cook named Betsy and takes place at her large, isolated estate. This year, for the first time in the show’s history, Betsy has an unwelcome new cohost, Archie.

The contestants, Betsy, and Archie are to stay at the estate for the duration of the one-week show. Each day from Monday through Thursday one contestant will be eliminated. On Friday, the remaining two contestants will battle it out to determine the winner.

Because the contestants are staying at Betsy’s estate it is somewhat of a locked-room mystery. The book also has a cozyish feel and the murder is not too grisly.

But murder there is, and, because of when it occurred, the villain must be one of the remaining contestants or a cohost. The amateur cooks are strangers to each other at the beginning of the show, so no one knows who can be trusted or who is lying. Each character is acting suspicious in some way. And due to a big storm, the estate is cut off from the outside world, so the characters must all spend a frightening night with a dead body and an unknown murderer in the house. Creepy!

I especially enjoyed the baking-show setting of this book. It was interesting to read about the daily baking challenges and how the characters decide on a dish to prepare that will highlight their particular strengths and impress the judges (the two hosts). The baking results are surprising, with several of these seasoned cooks making beginner mistakes. Or could it be sabotage?

Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different contestant. The reader knows only what they know, so neither we nor the contestants have a full picture of the circumstances. This makes it challenging to figure out who the murderer is and why the victim was killed.

The multiple POVs are confusing at first, but luckily the author included a key to the cast of characters in the beginning of the book. I also did not find any of the characters to be particularly likeable, so I remained fairly detached throughout. And the ending disappointed me because I felt that justice had not been served to all of those deserving it.

All in all, this is a strong debut and a compelling mystery. The baking-show setting is a fresh perspective that works well and makes for a more interesting story. I will definitely read the next book this author produces.

Recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2. Available on March 7, 2023.

My thanks to the author, to Atria Books, and to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book

#TheGolden#Spoon #AtriaBooks #netgalley

The Great British Baking Show meets a summer at a manor in Vermont meets a game of Clue played by the characters of Only Murders in the Building.

This, somehow, managed to combine so many of my interests that I had to read it. It follows six bakers who compete in a GBBS-style competition at the manor of famed host and baker, Betsy Martin. The first half of the novel focuses heavily on the baking competition, and we see how each character reacts since we read from a majority of their perspectives. There are side-shenanigans and mysteries to solve, and that added fun layers to the story.

Although I enjoyed the story for the most part, I do think the ending was very rushed. By the last quarter of the book there are several huge plot points that needed to be resolved. Resolutions came in the form of telling not showing in a lot of cases, and I think the book would have benefitted from being about 50 pages longer to make sure that all plot points were not rushed.

I am not the biggest thriller fan, but I did thoroughly enjoy this one. I would say it was more of a mystery than a thriller, and it would probably lean closer to a cozy mystery in my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one was not a hit for me. I would give it 2.5 stars and rounded it up to three. At best this was a simple, cozy mystery, but no mystery even happened until about the 70 to 80% mark. There were too many characters, which meant none of them got built up enough, so I didn’t feel a connection to any of them. Even the setting, which should’ve taken center stage as a locked room mystery, was lackluster. This was an extremely simple book and not one element stood out. It was an easy read, and a fast read, but did not have enough bite for me or enough substance.

I really enjoyed the cooking aspect of the story. The challenges they each had and the little twists kept it interesting. Reading it made my hungry though. I did struggle with Hanna from Eden Lake as it was just too close to another character that I really love but this wasn't her. All in all a great read with twists I didn't see coming.

I really like the concept! I don’t think the writing style is for me though. Not enough atmosphere and a lot of telling rather than showing. I had to DNF for now as I just couldn’t get hooked.

What a fun and devious mystery complete with the feel-good vibes of the baking tent but also all the delicious mystery of unsolved murder. Told from multiple perspectives and jumping about in time this mystery was a dark delight! I enjoyed it so much! Definitely want to read more from this author and an impressed by her debut.

Sometimes all you need to shake up a long-running reality TV baking competition is a slice of murder! Granted, that's not what the six contestants signed up for when they arrived at Grafton Manor in Vermont, where they hoped to cream their competition and acquire the coveted Golden Spoon award, but it's what they were served. Bonding them together like fondant in ways they couldn't possibly have imagined.

This was delicious, immersive fun! It's a character-driven cozy mystery that was equal parts baking, locked room intrigue, and whodunnit. It's told in a revolving set of POV, seven to be precise, that leads readers through Bake Week festivities as the participants navigate sabotage, secrets, forbidden rooms, and a killer who's on the loose.

I usually find too many different POV's to be disengaging and difficult to follow, but in this case it helped to preserve the suspense of the story as well as connect me to the characters. What was great was that everyone felt distinct. Unique. They all had their own problems and personalities. There was Lottie, the oldest, who had applied to be a contestant every season and had secret ties to the estate, a mystery about her mother she was still trying to untie. Stella was the ex-journalist and least experienced of the bunch, who was dealing with anxiety and blackouts. Then there was Hannah, the 22-year old from Minnesota, who was determined to win, desperate to make a name for herself and kickstart her career at any cost. Gerald was the compulsive math teacher obsessed with structure, order, and precision. Pradyumna was the wealthy entrepreneur who was looking for a thrill, for something to make him feel something, anything, again. And Peter was the restorationist with an eye for architectural gems.

Grafton Manor, the family home of host, Betsy Martin, and the estate where the show is filmed, was atmospheric in a way that made it feel like its own character, with secrets hiding behind every door and skeletons rotting away in the closets. I liked how it beckoned me through its halls with the characters, spiriting me away to the East Wing, which was forbidden, and taking me by the hand to unearth past and present iniquities.

A wonderful debut. Perfect for fans of The Maid and The Great British Bake Off. I'm so looking forward to more from this author in the future!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Quite a few too many characters. Not my favorite way to do a locked-room mystery, with all those viewpoints. Too many stereotypes were relied on in service of the plot.

3.75 stars

This was a surprisingly enjoyable mystery that wasn’t overly complicated but had the perfect amount of twists to keep it interesting. As a lifelong Agatha Christie fan the closed location and setting was perfect for me! Some of the characters irked me but overall it was a fun, fast paced read!

Thanks Netgalley for the digital arc!

Who can resist a book about a baking contest and a body? Charming characters, a mansion, and a mystery. A perfect combination for all readers. All ingredients mixed together for just the right story. This will keep you entertained and turning the pages.

Heavens to Betsy, this debut novel entertains!

The characters were stuck in my head for days after finishing the book!! Never would I have anticipated their leaving a mark when initially I couldn't even keep them straight. (I wasn't alone; the matriarchal character thinks the same at first.) My cheat sheet:

-The diner golden girl (hayseed, hanky-panky Hannah)
-The journalist (safe-space Stella)
-The retired RN (lamenting Lottie)
-The methodical mathematician (geek Gerard)
-The rugged restorer ("Paul Bunyan" Peter)
-The restless techpreneur (nothing-to-prove, depression-prone Pradyumna)

The multi-perspective story opens with a murder, the victim unidentified, before rewinding two weeks to the issuance of a press release that contains the bios (tab those pages) of the six contestants selected for season ten of "Bake Week," a reality TV program hosted by famous cookbook author and "America's Grandmother" Betsy Martin at her ancestral Victorian home in rural Vermont. (Cue atmosphere.) Veteran crew members Melanie Blaire (lead coordinator) and Graham (cameraman) return; but to inject new blood into the series, producers have decided (much to Betsy's chagrin) to bring in a cohost, "Cutting Board's" Archie Morris.

The timeline then becomes linear, as the contestants travel to and arrive at the imposing Grafton Manor (45 miles from the closest town, where the crew is put up), and the competition for THE GOLDEN SPOON trophy begins.

Day One and Day Two center around the bake-off, but the focus of the show (and book) is on capturing the essence of character (on which the story builds).

Come Day Three, as baking details decrease (and alcohol consumption increases), suspense rises. The up-until-then light mystery grows darker and more layered.

Marketed as a cozy in one breath and a thriller in the next, it *is* kind of a hybrid, with the vibes of the former and the psychological element of the latter.

Seasoned readers of closed circle mysteries might find more niggles than surprises but still be sated by this story of murder, sabotage, theft, and trauma that ties up in a neat little bow.

🥖🥧🎂

How fun that this book about a TV series is being adapted to a television series!

Thank you to Atria Books for the galley.

A mashup between a British-style manor house mystery and a cozy mystery set at a baking competition at said manor?! This book was like cat nip to this mystery lover!

I absolutely loved that there is a nod to the queen of cozy mysteries, Joanne Fluke. A character from Eden Lake named Hannah Seversen can absolutely not be a fluke….see what I did there?!

This book is a delightful read with a cast of diverse characters, tons of mood, and motives galore. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and was never disappointed when I got to read from any of the character’s perspectives. They all had something to offer.

The house itself is almost a character in the book. I can easily see this book translating well on screen and the house is half the reason it would make a great movie. I particularly enjoyed the scene in the storm and the fact that the house was divided into East and West wings for added drama.

I would highly recommend this for loves of British fiction, lovers of cozy mysteries and lover of the Great British Bake-off…even though the book is set in the US.

Thanks to Atria Books (#partner) for the opportunity to read this book in advance of its publication on March 7. When the book, The Golden Spoon, opens, the TV show host (fondly described as "America's Grandmother") finds a murder scene. The book is a nod to The Great British Baking show where contestants gather for a "Baking Week" to determine the winner and recipient of the Golden Spoon award. The book is a fun locked room mystery with multiple points of view and darker undertones. My favorite part of mysteries is trying to figure out who did it, and this one kept me guessing until the end. Secrets unfold as each character adds a different layer to the story. The Golden Spoon is a creative spin on the mystery-not quite cozy, not too dark. I loved it!

A perfect cozy mystery for the The Great British Bake Off fans. I'm noticing a recent marketing trend of cozy mysteries being promoted in a more 'thriller-esque' packaging (The Maid by Nita Prose comes to mind), if this was released with a cutesy illustrated cover and a food pun title (something like Another One Bites the Crust...), I would've passed it over and moved on. So the tactic definitely works — and I'm happy to say I quite enjoyed the reading experience; even though the mystery was slightly too tame and didn't quite scratch my inch, it fully satisfied my foodie side with all the details description of the bakes.

I appreciate how much of the baking competition is actually present on page; there's a tendency in mystery thrillers where setting or character's occupation become superfluous once the plot gets moving — a superficial overlay to get the buzz words in its synopsis (how many 'podcast' thrillers have we had that ended up with no realistic podcast element?). Jessa Maxwell is clearly a fan of the source inspiration, even as a casual The Great British Bake Off watcher, I picked up a couple scenes that are clearly referencing incidents happened on the show.

Going into the The Golden Spoon with the right expectation is critical — because at its core it is still a wholly conventional cozy mystery, with archetypal character types doing expected mystery sleuthing activities. If one was expecting shocking reveals and great twists, you'll be sorely disappointed at the lack of depth, and how by-the-book the story beats are executed. While part of me would love to experience the sharp contrast of brutal violence and clever deceit against the backdrop of a cozy baking show (not dissimilar to the film The Menu), What's offered still made for a pleasant, breezy read.

I was very intrigued when I received this book, especially with all the buzz I was hearing about it. I even got myself addicted to The Great British Baking Show in preparation for reading and understanding this. However, I think this is a case of all hype, no substance. It’s very choppy and not well written. There’s a lot of back story and baking, but the actual action doesn’t happen until about 80% in. I thought maybe I was reading the wrong book.

There are a lot of points of view, and many of them are indistinguishable from the others, so I had to go back to the chapter beginning to remind myself which character I was reading.

I didn’t find this “Clue meets The Great British Bake Off” so much as two episodes of a baking show with a little bit of mystery thrown in.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

"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 - perfect for fans of Nita Prose, Richard Osman, and Anthony Horowitz.

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.

A sharp and suspenseful thriller for mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon is a brilliant puzzle filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night until you turn the very last page of this incredible debut."

Because everyone who is a fan of GBBO has been wanting that extra element of murder...

Any book described as Clue + The Great British Baking Show is a must-read, and The Golden Spoon did not disappoint. I really liked how the story was told through the POVs of the various contestants - it kept things interesting and really kept the pace moving along. I will say that I didn't super love the ending - I did like how the various threads of the story were woven together, but thought the ultimate explanation of what happened was a little hokey. That said, I overall really enjoyed reading this book and will be recommending it a lot!

Thanks to Net Galley and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute concept- a murder mystery on the set of a reality baking show. I found the POV chapters did not lend itself well to character development. The plot devolved into a pretty cheesy ending. It was a quick read but not very satisfying.

2.5 stars rounded up