A touring theater company has come to Balsam Dell to perform <i>A Christmas Carol</i>, and the residents of the town are excited to see the show. The actor playing Scrooge, though, is as crotchety as the character, so it’s no surprise when he is found dead. When Carly learns that her friend Gina is at the top of the police’s suspect list, she sets out to find the killer, and to prove that her friend is being framed.

I have enjoyed the earlier books in this series, so was excited to learn that the series was continuing. I like Carly and her friends, and would love to spend the holidays in a small town like Balsam Dell. We’ve seen the opening of a lot of food establishments in our area that specialize in a very limited menu – only donuts, only cheesecakes, only Bundt cakes, for example – but I still wonder how long an eatery like Carly’s will thrive with such narrow-minded offerings.

We never got to know the murder victim before his body was found, but it was obvious that he was not well-liked and that he was a nasty piece of work. Accordingly, there was a long list of suspects to consider, and it was hard to narrow that list down to a manageable number of names. I didn’t figure out who the culprit was until it became obvious, and even then I was surprised. Given the character, the motive made complete sense.

If the series continues, I will gladly read the next book. I’d love to find out what happens next with Carly, Nate, Gina and the rest.

Balsam Dell is welcoming Christmas with a rendition of The Christmas Carol in their theater. Carly’s bestie has a part as a caroler. Unfortunately, the actor playing Scrooge is not so well-loved. He has a long history of issues which Carly has to pursue as someone has killed Scrooge. I always enjoy a trip to Balsam Dell. I really enjoyed the bonding of Carly with her sister in this addition to the story. I highly recommend.

The holidays are here and Carly and Ari are in their new home and anticipating their wedding. But first, a production of A Christmas Carol is being held in town. When Carly's best friend discovers one of the lead actors dead in his dressing room, Gina becomes a suspect. Carly begins asking questions which leads to more suspects. I like the balance between Carly's sleuthing and life in the grilled cheese shop, this makes for a good read. These are great characters and it's fun to be back in the shop. A perfect Christmas read!
I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

When you hang with the theater crowd, things get interesting! This is a well-plotted mystery with plenty of red herrings. It's fun to visit with Carly and all the season regulars, and this was a satisfying read. Sometimes it's hard to get so invested when the victim is such a horrible person. But Reilly manages to keep me caring, at least for Gina's sake. This is a good entry in an enjoyable series.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy, via NetGalley.

I love the Grilled Cheese Mysteries and You Feta Watch Out is a wonderful holiday addition to the series. Carly is bustling around her eatery as she and her crew serve all the holiday shoppers.
Also happening this festive season is A Christmas Carol. The day of the dress rehearsal ends badly for the actor playing Jacob Marley. He wasn’t very nice, which provides many suspects for review in determining who was behind his death.
This is a mix of holiday coziness and a bit of horror and sadness for some of the people that were in the dead man’s life. Instead of leaving good in his wake Prescott Lennon sowed the opposite. Carly felt he deserved justice but most readers will have little sympathy for him. Instead the sympathy will be for those negatively impacted by him.
The book ends with some holiday cheer. The main characters all support and care for each other, which saves the book from being overpowered by some heavy feelings and situations.
I enjoyed reading You Feta Watch Out.
Thanks to Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Carly is happy to be attending a dress rehearsal of the production of A Christmas Carol that has come to town. However, Preston Lennon, the actor playing Jacob Marley, causes such a disruption they have to take an unscheduled intermission. Then Carly’s friend, Gina, finds Preston’s body in his dressing room. Can Carly clear her friend?

While a play of A Christmas Carol might be familiar in a Christmas cozy, I enjoyed the twist on who the victim was. It led to a strong mystery with plenty to suspects and a logical climax I didn’t see coming. The characters are all fun to be around. I especially enjoyed spending time with the series regulars again, and I appreciated that the warnings to Carly to be careful were toned down in this book. The Christmas spirit is strong; it made me wish I were reading it in December with my decorations already up. There are two recipes at the end, including a Christmas grilled cheese. Grill up a sandwich and enjoy this fun Christmas mystery.

What's cozier than A Christmas Carol at Christmas? Well, it would be if someone hadn't died. Carly can't help but start questioning suspects, even if her real job is running her grilled cheese eatery. Who's the killer? Well, you'll have to read this cute story to find out. It's a fun, cute story to read during the holidays.

While three ghosts visit Scrooge in a Christmas Carol, Carly finds herself trying to figure out who turned Scrooge into a ghost before his time. The actor cast in the lead role was anything but charming and kind, who would actually want to kill him? That’s exactly what Carly aims to find out.

With quite a few suspects, And absolutely zero fans, the actor was never on Santa’s nice list. But can Carly figure out who took Scrooge out before they have a chance to take her out as well?

Cheese, a solid, cozy mystery, and several delicious recipes always make an entry in this series a delicious pleasure. The author has developed solid characters that come to life on the page and makes each entry feel like a visit with old friends. I have enjoyed each entry in this series.

A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite stories, so I was happy to read a book centered around a performance of this timeless take. The only issue I had with the story is Carly’s need to get answers at all costs. She basically makes a man relive a horrible experience just because she wants answers. It was not a good moment for her.

What a wonderful mystery to read to get one in the Holiday spirit! I loved the characters, and I am grateful to learn that it is a series, as I will be downloading all of the books. Carly runs a grilled cheese sandwich shop but does some sleuthing on the side. When her friend is a suspect in a murder at the local Theatre, she begins searching for clues to help clear her name, which coincidently, also helps the local police solve the murder. The bonus... recipes that they serve at the shop are included in the end of the book! I am so grateful for having the opportunity to review the book, thank you to the author, and Netgalley for approving my request.

This is a holiday themed cozy that takes the reader back to Vermont and Carly's grilled cheese theme eatery. All of Carly's friends and family make an appearance as well as her fiancé. Carly is all set to attend a preview /dress rehearsal of a local production of A Christmas Carole. However, the leader actor is murdered, and the show doesn't go on. Carly is warned by the local authorities to keep her nose out of police affairs. But she can't! Her best friend is a suspect, and Carly is on the trail of the murderer finding clues and processing them in her detective mind. A good read! As in any cozy, lots of characters who add to the main character. Author does a good job of furnishing enough info of the past stories to make this readable by itself. As a grilled cheese fan, I recommend this book!

Carly needs to make sure her best friend, Gina, does not become the main suspect. I always enjoy this series. The opening was very strong and had me wanting to know more. I was expecting a little more investigating at the theater since this was surrounding a production of A Christmas Carol. I like when the victim is not well liked. This means a lot of suspects, red herrings and more questions. I did not guess the murderer because I was focusing on another person. It was nice to get to know Carly’s sister, Norah and her boyfriend Nate. I hope we get more of her in other books. I also think the chief now being a married man has softened him a little.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Carly and the gang are doing all the things you do when getting ready for Christmas. Shopping, getting together, watching A Christmas Carol at the theater, and solving a murder. Well atleast in Balsam Dell they solve a murder..

What I love about this book is the depth of the characters and how they are all so tight knit. They are always there to help each other and make sure everyone is good.

This is a great book to read to get in the Christmas spirit and get swept away from all the stuff going on on the outside.

I love when a holiday themed book involves A Christmas Carol as part of the plot. So setting the murder at the play’s rehearsal is perfect. Carly is a good lead, smart & hardworking & I think readers will have no problem relating to her. The best part of the series is her restaurant, it makes for a perfect hub to bring in characters & to learn important information to help solve the mystery. This is one of my favourites in the series.

This will give you all the warm & cozy vibes, especially when it comes to describing the food. So definitely curl up with a grilled cheese & this book for a peaceful afternoon.

🎄

Read if you like:
* Cheese Shop series by Korina Moss
* Bake Shop series by Ellie Alexander
* Maple Syrup series by Catherine Bruns

It’s the holiday’s in Balsam Dell and you know what that means for restaurant owner Carly Hale, right? Well yes, specialty grilled cheeses of course, but also murder! Much like Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote (or honestly any leading character in a mystery series) Carly always seems to around when someone turns up dead. This time around it’s one of the lead actors in the town’s production of A Christmas Carol. Naturally one of her friends ends up being a prime suspect, and so Carly, of course, jumps into help the investigation. This is just a fun series. Linda Reilly always delivers a well thought out crime, and that is definitely the case in her latest book: You Feta Watch Out. There are quite a few suspects, ie plenty of red herrings, and this one had me guessing until the end. Now if you’re like me, you might not be tempted to try the Scrooge’s Redemption (a grilled cheese made with fruit cake), you’ll still a have a great time joining Carly as she tracks down Balsam Dell’s latest killer in time for a Merry Christmas. I’d like to thank Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of You Feta Watch Out.

This is a Christmas installment in one of my favorite cozy series, Linda Reilly's Grilled Cheese Mysteries series. Once again, another outstanding entry in this delightful series.

Here, the murder occurs at the local theater company's staging of A Christmas Carol. Naturally, Carly, the owner of the town's grilled cheese restaurant, finds herself trying to help solve the mystery.

Once again, a clever plot and the wonderful cast of characters is back. Lots of yummy grilled cheese recipes too.

Highly recommended cozy mystery!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Linda Reilly for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for You Feta Watch Out coming out November 19, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read the book right before this one. I really love this series! Cozy mysteries are one of my favorite genres! I really loved that they incorporated a Christmas Carol in this book. Carly is a fun character and she has a lot of supportive people in her life. I loved the mystery. I think it’s perfect for the holidays. I love the food involved as well. I would definitely check out more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy Christmastime mysteries!

What a wonderful addition to this series! I loved seeing the gang back together again and I liked seeing more of Carly and Norah together that was really nice. I love sisterly love. The mystery was so good too. Solid lots of red herrings. When it was solved I was surprised, I did t think it was going to be the person it was and maybe cause of the state of my life I was truly singing he had it coming. If I was on that jury I’d vote not GULITY. And last but not least maybe just a little too little Havarti! Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The holidays are here and so is tech week for A Christmas Carol at the opera house. Carly has been invited to the dress rehearsal and watches as they have an unplanned delay. Then she hears an ear piercing scream and she once again gets involved to save a friend. Another fun, cozy mystery with delicious recipes made with cheese! What could be better for a cold night?

I've been catching up with this series over since about March, and I think it might be one of my all-time favourite cozy mystery series. I really thought a 'grilled cheese diner' themed series would be too specific and either get stale or become really generic after a couple of books but this doesn't!

Reilly manages to hit that cozy mystery sweet-spot trifecta: decently size cast of distinct characters (enough that the town feels populated, not so much I either lose track or don't care who the recurring cast are), a memorable mystery with enough twists to keep you guessing, and a interesting theme that adds a touch of unique interest to the story.

Unsurprisingly, YOU FETA WATCH OUT is a festive installment to the series. That's done really well - the murder of Scrooge during a performance of A Christmas Carol and enough references to snow storms and present shopping that the holidays stay a real central focus - but balanced out with a few non-Christmas plotlines, so that the seasonal stuff isn't cloying and the book can be read whenever the mood takes you.

I had originally thought this series stalled at three, and I've been thrilled to binge the fourth and fifth books. I desperately hope Balsam Dell, Carly, and the Grilled Cheese Mysteries have many future installment.