A Half Baked Murder
By Emily George

Book 1 of Cannabis Cafe Series

4 🌟

I love romance, contemporary, mystery, and thriller. This book wrapped them all up into one. It's more of a light, cozy murder mystery. It was the perfect thing to break up and give me something more on the entertaining side to read. (Well listen too 🎧. By the way, the narrator is fantastic!)

Recently separated, Chloe moves back home to her small town in California. While trying to figure out her next steps and taking care of her grandmother, the idea arises to open a Cannabis bakery. Little does she know while educating herself on the business she will be intertwined with a murder investigation.
Even though small town gossip spreads fast, it's surprising what some can hide and keep to themselves….

I love that this adds a new age element of Cannabis, which I can totally see being controversial for some. Along with being a cozy read it is pretty educational if you are interested in the medical side.
Lots of facts, twists and turns, and some laughs in between.
Can't wait to see where the series goes.

Thank you @netgalley @kensingtonbooks @tantoraudio @stefanielondon for the digital ARC!

Cute little thriller. Family drama, a little love story, cannabis and a whodunnit. Best part was the recipe at the end.

A Half-Baked Murder was my introduction to the cozy mystery genre, and it did not disappoint! The story follows Chloe Barnes as she recovers from an embarrassing breakup, sets up a new cannabis café with her aunt, and tries to solve a murder that is looking into her relative as the prime suspect. The audiobook narrator, Chelsea Stephens, did a phenomenal job bringing the story to life and voicing the characters.

A few things I really liked; the fullness of the story (lots of side adventures to keep you intrigued), the surprise ending (I tried following the clues but was surprised by the end revelation), the forward thinking and modernistic elements (opening a cannabis café), and the sense of community within Chloe’s hometown (plenty of likeable characters).

A few things I disliked; it felt like I barely got to know the main character as a whole person (she seemed somewhat underdeveloped), multiple annoying/overly predictable characters, and it got off to a slow start.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, would like to dip their toes into this genre, or anyone who likes to try to solve a “whodunit” type of puzzle. It’s a cute story that will stick with you even after you’ve finished reading it!

Thank you to Tantor Audio for allowing me to read this book. It was a sweet mystery/romance/family book. The main character Chloe is so likable and I would totally visit her CBD cafe. I could see myself laughing with her grandmother and aunt in the cafe and talking over town gossip. I did not see the end coming, which to me makes this a great book. A feel good read.

Thank you to Camel Press for an ARC of A Half-Baked Murder.

4/5 stars.

Part of the reason for a high star rating for me is that I could relate to Chloe immensly. She's a 28 year old who just left Paris, her dream location where she was working her way up to be a pastry chef, to take care of her grandmother with cancer. It's a complete change she wasn't expecting in her life and I feel like I'm in that same headspace.

Chloe discovers that she can cook cannabis-infused pasties and they help her grandmother with pain relief! Her aunt Dawn loves the pastries too and convinces Chloe to open a cannabis cafe. This is the first cozy mystery I've read where the shop is not open during the mystery and the entire backstory for that was interesting. However, Aunt Dawn is the prime suspect in a murder in this small town. Chloe has to juggling adjusting to her life in the states, taking care of her grandmother, and helping to clear Aunt Dawn's name.

Why I took off a whole star was for 2 reasons: first, there was a random subplot starts like 6 hours into the book that (while it was cute) felt clunky and unnecessary, slowing the pace of the book for me. Second, the ending of the book when a suspect is clear just left a bad taste in my mouth, especially considering this a modern day book? I don't fully know how to explain it, but I just think the reasoning seems a bit archaic considering what we know about the character.

Overall, I enjoyed the pacing, characters, learning about the town, and the action in this book considering it's a cozy mystery. The audiobook narrator was great so I would recommend either a physical or audiobook copy of this book!

The setup is a typical cozy mystery (which I LOVE). A girl, Chloe, moves from the big city back to her small hometown to take care of a loved one. While Chloe is taking care of her grandma, we get to meet the fun Aunt Dawn. Aunt Dawn suggests that Chloe open a cannabis cafe and then there's a murder that Aunt Dawn gets accused of committing. It is a short read, and very fun. I was given an audiobook and the narrator had a nice, animated voice. Cozy fans will like this one.

This was definitely a different kind of book for me to read as I don't have an interest in cannabis BUT I ended up really liking this book. Although I don't use cannabis I liked how to book discussed topics like removing the stigma behind it and using it to help with pain management.

I really enjoyed the murder mystery vibe to this book and I was constantly wondering who was the murderer. The book had a lot of detail and I never felt bored once while listening to it. I think I definitely would've preferred to read it instead of listen to it but it was a good book to listen to for anyone out there who likes audiobooks!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another cute and fun cozy mystery. I really enjoyed it as I always do with cozy mysteries. Narrator did a great job. Book wraps up nicely. I believe this is the first one in a new series so I’m looking forward to more.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Returning home to deal with family events is just the icing on the cake for Chloe after the disaster in Paris. As if things can’t get worse, a shady someone from her past winds up dead and her aunt is the main suspect. Chloe is determined to clear her aunts name no matter what it takes!

Review: First off thank you so much for allowing me to receive an arc, this was my first one! This book was very surprisingly lighthearted and a very fun read. Even though it was a “murder mystery” it wasn’t like a thriller and read more like a fun mystery. I followed along so closely and yet I was completely surprised at finding out who the murderer was. I thoroughly enjoyed not figuring it out before it was revealed. The author wrote all of these character’s scenarios so well that honestly everyone was suspicious. I would love a second book so I could read more about the restaurant. The only thing making this book not reach 5 stars was because I wanted to see more with the love interest. But then again, this wasn’t a love story just a mystery. Other than that amazing!! Don’t hesitate to read this book once it is released!

This was completely out of my comfort zone. I love reading cozy mysteries, and I do feel like this fits into that category. We’ve got a bakery, a small town, a murder, and a main character this is pretty funny. All things that should/would make a great cozy feel good read. Right? Well, I was not prepared for the whole story to center around this bakery that infuses all of their treats with marijuana.

This is definitely a me problem, and I am sure that there are plenty of people who would love this story. It was fun and cute, but I just did not enjoy how much we were talking about the use of pot. So unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. But I would recommend it to a lot of people, especially if they like to read about more baking with marijuana representation. I have not read a book with a similar premise.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my early e-audio copy.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

This is a fun, silly, cozy Murder mystery with some romance, silliness, and cannabis wrapped in. The main character was in the process of opening a cannabis bakery in a small town. She explored the healing side of cannabis and how to make it tasty and useful for pain management and chemo patients. The setting was a small town which automatically lends a lot of suspects for the murder. And there was a lot of silliness along the way - most notably being a dog dance competition. Overall this was a lighthearted, fun, interesting read. (Oh, and stay tuned at the end for some actual recipes.)

4.5 stars
Chloe is back home in California, from Paris, after a devastating break up with her fiancé. She isn’t sure what to do with her life and skills as a pastry chef in her small town. Her Aunt Dawn has a great idea, open a cannabis café. Before Chloe can even get her café started a classmate is found dead and her aunt Dawn is the prime suspect. While trying to get her one of a kind café off the ground she meets some new friends along the way that are helping her clear her aunts name.

I loved the premise of the book and the recipes at the end. It was a fun read with the ups and downs of Chloe’s investigative skills. Sometimes I wanted to yell at her to stay the hell out of police business. The book was easy to follow and left some room for the reader to guess the culprit. I’m excited that I’ve found a new cozy mystery series to follow.

I started listening at normal speed but sped up to 2.0 and 2.5. The narrator did a great job conveying Chloe and the other characters.

Chloe is a trained baker who is opening a cannabis café. Her grandmother, Rose, is ill, so she is back home to take care of her by taking pot brownies to another level. But the a creepy past acquaintance, Branden, stirs up old drama just before turning up dead... and Chloe's aunt, Dawn, is the prime suspect in the investigation.
This was an entertaining cozy mystery, the first book in the Cannabis Café Mystery series. The story happens in a small town setting with a full set of great side characters. The concept was really unique, and it contains recipes. As with any good cozy, it was full of red herrings that really keep you guessing. I listened to the audio book, and the narration was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Chloe is back in her hometown after finding out her Grandma is sick. When he aunt comes to her with an idea, Chloe is skeptical, but open to the idea of opening a cannabis bakery. When the man she knew in high school tries to attack her and later ends up dead, the entire town becomes a suspect. With her aunt being one of them, Chloe is determined to find out who had actually killed him, and the list of options is insanely long.

This book was just a dang delight. I loved the cannabis themed bakery idea, it was so much fun and I loved that Chloe’s aunt and grandma were her biggest supporters. Brendan was such a terrible person, and it was kind of comical that nobody was upset to see him dead. I really enjoyed following along with Chloe’s antics to find out who killed Brendan, even if she wasn’t a very good detective at times. Overall I found this one a super fun read!

I listened to this on audiobook and I first would like to state that the narrator, Chelsea Stephens, was very good! I look forward to listening to more books read by her.

It had a fun, playful spin on murder mystery. There is a whodunnit element, of course, but also a starting over storyline and a potential love element as well. Something for everyone!

I found this book to be very detailed and it was easy for me to imagine exactly what she was describing/portraying. The author clearly did her research on the science behind baking with cannabis and the book was very informative, but also respectful to all viewpoints of marijuana usage. There are even recipes at the end of the book for the things that were made.

My only complaint would be that I would have liked a more complete ending to the secondary storylines. It felt like it was left a little unfinished for me at the end.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and would definitely read more books from Emily George.

I was given access to this audiobook through NetGalley and I'm so glad! What a delightful cozy mystery and with the added fun of the main character working to open a Cannabis Café. The characters are absolutely charming and I want to see where this series goes. The main character, Chloe, has just returned to her home town after 5 years abroad studying in the culinary capital of Paris, France. Her grandmother, Rose, is going through Chemo, and she and her Aunt Dawn are both there to help Rose through it all. With a whole array of marvelous side characters (A DND Group, her childhood best friend, a hunky neighbor, and many more) this book sucked me in immediately. I loved the narrator of the audiobook (Chelsea Stephens) as well and felt she brought a lot of joy to the characterizations. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series as it comes out!

This was such an enjoyable cozy debut. It has such a unique premise of our main character Chloe opening up cannabis café. All of the different food and pastries that were mentioned had my mouth watering. I actually really enjoyed how the author explored the subject of cannabis as a way to treat a variety of medical concerns. Plus the creativity of introducing it into such a variety of different foods was just really cool. Honestly, I'd probably be more likely to try cannabis in the form of a French pastry or salted caramel brownie than I would as a gummy or tincture. I liked pretty much all of the characters, and I loved the small coastal town setting. It made me wish for spring by the seaside.

Overall, this was a fun and entertaining read, with a mystery that kept me guessing. I'd definitely recommend.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for the audio-arc of this book!

This is a very cozy murder mystery but I didn’t really find anything special about this book, which is why I gave it three stars. It’s cute but brought nothing new to the genre and came off as predictable numerous times.

A wonderful modern cozy mystery with a sprinkle of special fun. I love how there are recipes at the end and I can’t wait to try since it is legal for me

I feel a little conflicted about this audiobook! There were many aspects of this book that I liked. The characters were likable, the mystery was good, and the suspects were believable. The one main problem that I have with this book is that it is slightly falsely advertised. I would not say this is a cannabis-themed mystery, as the author states. While the main character is opening her own cannabis cafe, the murder plot has virtually nothing to do with her business plot. I suppose maybe that is my fault for not reading the description of the book well enough, but I was very disappointed that these two plots were almost completely separate. Aside from that critique, I think it was a good book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good and their voice did not bother me at all. I just feel like this book is being advertised wrong.