How to describe a murder mystery combined with reality tv show drama and a baking contest?Delicious, of course. The Golden Spoon is a gift to all readers and foodies. Just make sure to eat first!

Grafton Manor, Betsy “America’s Grandmother” Martin’s, poorly aging family home, is the annual setting for Bake Week, a cook-off show featuring six amateur bakers. This year she’ll be joined by Archie Morris, the lecherously ambitious host of a rival show. The six bakers are Stella, Hannah, Peter, Lottie, Pradyumna and Graham. Their voices, joined with Betsy’s, tell the story of what happens in one tumultuous week. There will be bread, pie and cake. There will also be trauma, threats, cheating, lies and revelations and, oh yes, murder.

The Golden Spoon is impossible to put down! It’s character driven with a well planned, fast-paced plot and a locked room (huge stone estate) mystery. I can’t decide whether I’d prefer it as a movie or a series but it will certainly be one! Jessa Maxwell, congratulations! You win the golden spoon!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Jessa Maxwell for this ARC.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery and it definitely had the quirkiness of Only Murders in the Building — a diverse group of people coming together to solve a mystery (and in this case, primarily also to compete on a baking show). I found the multi-character perspective interesting and it allowed you to see into the past of the different characters, but I found the jump between first person narration for all characters but one (Betsy, which had third person narration) a bit jarring. I thought some of the characters seems like caricatures, however; a bit overdone. I didn't mind that most of the mystery action took place towards the very end of the book as I quite enjoyed the baking competition portions (felt very true to real shows I had seen!). I would say the book was bingeable and a fun read — one I recommended to my mother (as someone who has been known to watch a cooking show and shies away from books that have very graphic mysteries/crimes). The book was quite atmospheric and seems like it will translate well to the screen if/when an adaptation is made.

This was categorized as a cozy mystery and that was exactly what it was. I would say this is like reading about the Great American Baking Show mixed with Clue.

When six contestants come to Grafton after being choosen for a baking competition they all came for different reasons. They all have to work to show what they can do on national tv but the pressure starts to show. While thd baking occurs there is sabotage, behind the scenes plans, and jealousy. And little do they know what is to come.

I truly enjoyed this book and I thought it was very enjoyable. There were a few things I didnt expect and I liked that because it kept me reading. The characters had back stories that were interesting and helped to make it show the reasons they were choosen. I would recommend and I really think this could be very popular .

The Golden Spoon by Jesse Maxwell
⭐️ rating: 4.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
📖 genre: cozy mystery

I have two warnings for you before going into this book:
1. Do not, by any means, read this book when hungry. The food descriptions in this novel are top notch & will make your mouth water. Have snacks handy.
2. This book is told from 7 POV. Yes, you read that right, SEVEN. So do yourself a favor and bookmark the opening news article for reference in the early chapters.

This novel was an absolute delight! I couldn’t put it down. I had to know JUST how the whole mystery would unfold. Since you’re in the head of seven different characters, you’re able to get different clues from different people and it all comes together quite nicely!

My only complaint is that the ending wrapped up kind of weird. Not that I’m dissatisfied or it hampered my enjoyment, but it felt like it was missing something.

Run don’t walk to pick this one up!
It’s so fun (& tasty), you won’t regret it!

Pub date: 3/7/23
Genre: mystery
Short plot summary: Betsy Martin hosts GBBO-like "Bake Week" in her family's castle - but a murder will make this season of the show unlike any other.

Baking show + mystery = sign me up! I'm not sure you could find a more "me" book. I loved getting to know host Betsy and all of the competitors - it takes a bit to sort out who's who, but then I was invested. This mystery definitely falls on the cozier side of mysteries - if you're looking for a lot of blood and death, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you need a fun read to wile away a Saturday on the couch, this is a great option.

I thought the ending came together quite nicely, and there were a few twists that surprised me! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 since this is a debut (and I read it in two sittings!)

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My final read of 2022 and what a fun cozy way to end it. As a fan of books that take place on set, I loved that this premise was a bit different and at times felt like I was reading an episode GBBO. At first, I was a bit worried by the number of POVs, but this is an excellent example of how to handle multiple POV. While I did predict some of the twists, I absolutely could not put this down, eager to get through all the twists and turns. My favorite plot line was Lottie's, I would've loved to have seen more of it.

This is the perfect whodunnit! Take Clue and mix it with the popular TV show Chopped and you have The Golden Spoon.

A celebrated baker, Betsy Martin, hosts the long running contest Bake Week at her home where contestants come and vie for The Golden Spoon award. The contestants all have something to prove, either to themselves or others, and when you add in an extra co-host for the season, there is sure to be drama!

The book takes you through twists and turns until everything comes crashing down one incredibly rainy and stormy night. Who’s dead? Who killed them? Why? You’ll be on the edge of your seat with this amazing thriller!

Grab this one on pre-order! I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was drawn in immediately by the premise of a murder mystery and a cooking competition like the British Baking Show. Brief biographies are given of the diverse characters. Chapters are told from multiple points of view, a technique I enjoy. Most all of the characters have secrets. Jesse Maxwell does an excellent job of weaving their tales together culminating in a believable conclusion. I enjoyed this and recommend it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

There was a lot going on in here that didn't quite cohesively work together. The parts were all there, but it was lacking in a whole.

The biggest issue is the pacing. The whole premise is based on sabotage and murder but the sabotage is very limited and the murder happens in the third act of the book. All in all, it just made the beginning feel so slow and it was difficult to connect with so many characters all up front who you aren't given much to root for with them until the very end.

The Great British Bake Off motif also didn't really work for me because there was very little that separated the show from the show in the novel. Even down to the catch phrase of "ready, set, bake" it felt ripped entirely from the actual show and the only thing that differentiated them was that it was filmed over the course of one week. The limited time frame also left me feeling like I didn't think the characters had any reason to really care about each other at all.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy murder mystery! It's a very fun setting which, thanks to GBBO, as a reader we immediately understand. I wish the mystery was a bit heftier though.

Ok I wanted to finish this book, like honestly, but I had to dnf this…. For me, it was so slow in the beginning and kinda of dull. There weren’t any suspense or action. I read about 40% of the book, and in my opinion, thriller books to have something interesting in the beginning and not the end.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review. This is one of my absolute favorite cozy mysteries of all time. It is so entertaining and unique. If you love baking, reality TV, and cozy locked room mysteries then this book is for you. This book takes place at a remote mansion estate. The owner is a famous baker and she hosts a week long baking competition each year at her estate. I loved how the reader does not get traditional chapters. Instead, each section is broken up according to day and the bake of the day. In each section we are able to get multiple viewpoints from each of the contestants and the main host. It sounds like it would be difficult to follow along and not get everyone confused but the author is such a master at making the reader care about each character and storyline. I was invested the entire time and I loved every storyline and character. Please make this into a series. I don’t know how it could be done but I just need more of this world! This needs to be a movie or tv show!!! This is a new favorite book of mine and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy!!! Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review.

If one loves to watch baking reality competitions and also read murder mysteries, then this story is for you. From the very beginning, the reader is aware that someone is dead, but the rest of the book is told in alternating POVs allowing the reader to meet all of the characters visiting the manor where the baking show is filmed. Every one of the characters has the ability to be the dead person or the murderer, so trying to guess what the end would be made the reading experience very enjoyable. I did not see the end coming! I appreciated the writing style and the feeling of the setting as well.

A murder mystery on the set of a reality TV baking show? Yeah I know. I ate this shit up. It is the cozy mystery that I didn’t know I needed.

Set in a manor in Vermont, the fictional show Bake Week is clearly modeled after the world’s favorite comfort show, Great British Bake Off. As the six contestants progress from bread to pie to cake week, it becomes clear that not only are the tensions between members on the set but someone is also sabotaging the bakes (🫢 again I know).

This is definitely mystery NOT a thriller so don’t go into it looking for fast paced twists and turns. What I loved most about this book were the vibes. The manor, the tent, the challenges, the descriptions of the bakes, the personalities of all the contestants. It was just chef’s kiss 🤌🏻 the ultimate comfort read.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book that was marketed as "The Great British Bake Off" meets "Only Murderers in the Building." The premise was fun, six bakers are chosen to compete in a week long baking competition at the famous manor of the grandmother of baking, Betsy Martin. In the opening prologue we are given a sneak peak several days into the competition, with someone turning up dead. I found this story to have good character development, I enjoyed that even if I started off liking or disliking a certain character, the writer was able to slowly change my opinions over time. The mysteries of the book were pretty well done also, there was a good amount of red herrings and misleading to keep the reader on their toes. I think anyone who loves the GBBO and any murder show out there will really enjoy this fun read!

This is quite good. It's not in the "great" category, but very much worth a read. There are already hundreds of ratings and reviews already, so I'll just recommend it to mystery fans.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

Knives Out meets Bake off perfection. This is my new comfort murder mystery book. I will be reviewing a physical copy of this book on my social media platforms but thank you agin to Atria for the digital arc

The Golden Spoon combines the art of the murder mystery with the art of baking - providing a murder mystery for fans of the Great British Bakeoff. Betsy Martin is about to host the tenth season of the wildly popular show Bake Week at her palatial gothic mansion. Betsy has a public persona as America's benevolent baking grandma, and had always been the solo host of Bake Week until the introduction of Archie Morris, a tanned, slick, winking womanizer, added to "modernize" the program. The six contestants arrive for the competition and then a very subtle sabotage commences - substitution of salt for sugar, a refrigerator door left open, a stove burner cranked to high - until tensions rise and someone is dead. The carefully hidden secrets of the contestants and the hosts are about to be revealed...

I had a lot of fun reading this novel! I couldn't help but picture Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood while reading, although I am sure that "any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental" etc., etc. The story is told from multiple perspectives and the reader finds out what the characters really think behind their polite, TV-ready public faces. It doesn't take a master detective to figure out who was behind the murder, but that isn't a deal-breaker in my view. The fun lies in enjoying the interactions between the competitors and the hosts, and in discovering the backstories of the characters. If you enjoy a cozy mystery and are a fan of competitive baking shows, then you will enjoy this one.

Jessa Maxwell’s debut novel The Golden Spoon is an Agatha Christie-esque manor house mystery meets The Great British Bake Off.

Six amateur bakers travel to the Vermont woods to participate in the hit TV show, “Bake Week”. Filming is set to take place at Grafton estate, the home of Betsy Martin, celebrity baker and the show’s host.

As filming kicks off, small things go wrong with the competitors bakes. Salt substituted for sugar. It’s the usual thing you would expect when you have a group of people in competition with each other. Someone has to be sent home at the end of each day and no one wants it to be them. But not all of the bakers are what they seem. Then a body turns up and everyone is a suspect.

This book is an addictive read. My best advice. Make sure you’re well rested and you have some sweet treats at hand, because this book will keep you reading and craving baked goods until late into the night.

I did anticipate a lot of the twists, but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Instead, I think it indicates that Jessa Maxwell has written a well-plotted book filled with both clues and red herrings. The ending was so satisfying. I will definitely be looking out for Jessa Maxwell’s next book.

The Golden Spoon comes out on March 7 2023 and is available for preorder now.

Atria Books provided me with an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much @atriabooks and @netgalley for making this possible!

Loved this book! Great characters and enjoyed the baking competition details. Many twists and turns which kept me guessing until the end. Hope to read many more future novels of this author.