Kostya has a unique gift. He cant exactly see ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. He discovers he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones by creating their favorite dish.

I appreciated that this book was truly unique. So many memories are tied to food and this book was flooded with vivid descriptions of all sorts of cuisines. I also liked that this was set in the high stakes culinary world of New York.

Ultimately I think this could have been shorter/edited. There was a definite lull in the middle. I also just dont LOVE magical realism but that is a me problem. 3.5/5

Kostya has a gift of communicating with the dead, but in a unique way - he can taste their favorite meal.

This is one of the most fascinating premises for a book that I’ve ever read. The author’s writing is lovely, poetic, descriptive (especially of the food!), and absolutely mesmerizing. It completely drew me in and was surprisingly emotional.

Instant classic? I think so!

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

This was a very unique premise for a book! I’ve never read anything else quite like it. We meet the mc as a young boy having just lost his father. He has a “gift” so to say, of connecting with the dead through their taste for food. I really Found myself not enjoying the good descriptions and didn’t realize that’s something that would bother me going into the book. The storyline was okay, somewhat forgettable to me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Aftertaste is a brilliant, heartwarming concept. A man can taste, in his mouth, the best meals a ghost ate while alive. It allows them to share a meal that he prepared with a loved one. He lost his dear father and discovered his superpower after tasting a meal his father had as a boy in Kyiv Ukraine. It takes you down the path of several departed people and their unfinished business.

Read if you like
-stories about Ukrainian immigrants
-culinary business, running a restaurant and chef language, like The Bear
-Before the Coffee Gets Cold

The writing style seemed pretty "stream of consciousness" and the character development was almost poetry-like. I did find much of it a bit hard to follow, I don't know much about chef lingo although I liked the main character and how he chose to use his gift. My favorite was about a nun who had recently lost a fellow-nun and will give bonus points for reference to Ghostbusters "There is no Dana only Zuul."

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Book to be published May 20, 2025.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle is a delightful mix of magical realism, romance, and mouthwatering culinary arts. I've never had so many food cravings while reading a book before! The author truly outdoes themselves with the vivid food descriptions.

The story follows Konstantin Duhovny, who lost his father when he was 10 years old. Ever since then, he has been able to taste a ghost's favorite food when they are nearby. This unique idea gets even more intriguing when we learn that when Konstya makes the meal he tastes for the ghost's loved one, they will appear for the time it takes to eat the food. This ability allows him to create dishes he's never made before. The story immersed me in the NYC culinary scene. The writing is absolutely mouthwatering at times.

The narrative also explores themes of grieving and closure. As the story progresses, We discover the dangers that come along with this extraordinary ability. The romance with Maura balanced the other elements of the story well, adding depth to the plot.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

3.5 stars. I went into Aftertaste not knowing quite what to expect, and while the story itself was unique and beautifully written, it wasn’t exactly my usual cup of tea. That said, I can absolutely see why so many readers will fall in love with this book.

The premise is incredibly original—a chef who can reunite people with their lost loved ones for one final meal. 🍽️👻 The blend of culinary artistry, magical realism, and emotional depth makes for a fascinating read. Kostya’s journey through the intense, high-stakes world of fine dining in NYC, while grappling with his ability to connect the living and the dead, is full of rich sensory details that practically make you taste the food on the page.

The writing is lyrical and immersive, and the themes of love, loss, and longing hit hard. However, the pacing dragged a little for me in places, and as someone who doesn’t usually gravitate toward romance-heavy literary fiction with magical realism, it didn’t fully click as a favorite.

That being said, if you love emotional, food-centric stories with a touch of the supernatural—think Under the Whispering Door meets Sweetbitter—this book is absolutely worth a read. I’d recommend it to fans of poignant, beautifully descriptive fiction that explores grief in a unique way.

📚 Verdict: A gorgeously written, thought-provoking novel that wasn’t quite my genre, but still an engaging and memorable read. Fans of lush prose, food writing, and magical realism will love it!

I thought this book started out a little slowly but was very intriguing. Pretty soon I was sucked in and was loving it and appreciated the unique structure and narration. However, I did find the last quarter to change tone and pace rather sharply and it became a bit more of an adventure novel. I think audiences will absolutely love this book but I was hoping for something a bit quieter and more literary based on the first half of the book. Still, I couldn't put it down so it gets 4 stars from me.

This book packed more of an emotional punch than I expected. I thought this would be a lighthearted magical realism story but within the first few chapters, my eyes were watering from a past scene involving the main character and his father. This book deals with the emotions of grief through the heartfelt love language of food. Different dishes can evoke such powerful memories in each and every one of us, and I loved that this book decided to make that the center of this story. A very unique premise and a touching read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me advanced access to a copy of this ebook!

loved this book. The author's writing was so descriptive that I could taste every bite of food, see every item through the characters eyes and hated when the book ended.

If you've lost a loved one and could and speak with them just one more time, would you do it? I would do/give pretty much anything to see/speak with my husband again.

This is without a doubt the best book of 2025. Grab a box of kleenex and buy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book about connecting with our lost loved ones. When Konstantin discovers as a boy that he has a way to connect with his dead father thru food, it opens the door to a question...should he share this power with others, to soothe their sadness? How will he use it? This book packs alot of emotional punch, and I loved how it tells little stories of loss and connections that Konstantin makes with others. It is a beautiful story.

This book is absolutely brilliant! It is her debut novel?! Whattt?! Aftertaste is a culinary carpet ride, spinning readers through a world of flavors, ghosts, loss, and love. It’s atmospheric and masterfully crafted—a true love letter to the NYC food scene, as well as a poignant exploration of grief, memory, and the longing to share just one more meal with those we’ve lost.

It made me reflect on the people I’ve lost and what their aftertaste might be, lingering like a cherished recipe passed down through generations. The story embodies the idea that time shared over food forms palatable, profound connections between us and those we love. The characters are deeply relatable, and the narrative is woven together with such skill, every element simmering to perfection until the last, satisfying bite.

I loved everything about it!

A flavorful ghost story with a unique palate. Impacted by the deaths and afterlife of loved ones, the hungry characters seek unworldly connections. Remembered foods stir up a blend of this world and that to feed the ravenous. This fantastical novel urges the reader forward with tidbits of suspense blended with gastronomic details that make the readers' mouths water while serving them a gourmet literary style. For those with an appetite for cookbooks and mysteries, this is the perfect read.

This book was intriguing, and made me hungry for more.

I enjoyed the story telling and concept. Dealt with grief in a way that was emotional but I felt it was healing.

Check this book out when it is released.

Loved this one! The descriptions of food are absolutely gorgeous, and the worldbuilding is so fun and textured.

Daria Lavelle’s *Aftertaste* is a poignant novel that intertwines grief, love, and the connection between memory and food in the high-stakes world of New York cuisine. The story centers around Konstantin “Kostya” Duhovny, who can taste the favorite meals of the deceased, allowing him to connect with those who have passed. This unique ability leads him into the intense realm of professional kitchens, presenting both blessings and burdens.

Lavelle’s evocative writing creates a synesthetic experience, where each dish evokes deep emotions. The novel explores themes of grief and the longing for one last moment with lost loved ones, culminating in a climax that is both inevitable and heartbreaking. The romance subplot adds tension, as the person who understands Kostya the best may also be the one to stop him.

*Aftertaste* is a bittersweet tale that resonates long after the last page, perfect for fans of lyrical, high-concept fiction.

Aftertaste is a darkly comedic exploration of family, food, and life’s messy moments. Lavelle’s sharp, witty writing makes this an insightful and enjoyable read.

Thank you Net Galley for this arc!
I started reading this book, and then it got too personal for me, and I sadly had to take a step back and DNF.

TL;DR: maybe one of the biggest surprises of the year, a really entertaining and surprisingly emotional paranormal thriller about a chef who is able to connect the living with the dead thru his ability to taste and recreate the dead's favorite dishes. It's a HUGE swing for the fences that starts off a little shaky, but finds its footing by the halfway mark and ends on a huge emotional note. I loved it.

Aftertaste is a unique blend of fantasy and culinary fiction. While this book wasn't for me, I can absolutely see the appeal to someone looking for a unique blend of culinary, humor and a little bit is magic realism/supernatural. If nothing else, you must appreciate the sheer range of dishes/cultures that were cooked!

This book feels like watching a fun cooking show comedy with some tender moments thrown in, so if that sounds like something you'd like, I'd recommend Aftertaste!

When Kostya was ten, his father died. At eleven, he started to taste entire meals in his mouth. He had no trouble identifying every ingredient but couldn’t figure out why he was tasting flavors from his dead father and others. After he told his mother about it, she institutionalized him, so he learned to keep this strangeness to himself.

Twenty years later, Kostya was a mess. The strange tastes still existed, he couldn’t hold a steady job or relationship and resorted to binge eating when things got rough. Years of blaming himself for the angry words he’d tossed at his father the last day he’d seen him alive, and self-torture had worn him down.

One late night an irate customer demanded a drink at a bar where Kostya had just become the dishwasher. After tasting flavors that suddenly appeared he created a drink and, as the customer drank, his dead wife appeared. Through their reunion the grieving husband was able to let her go, she moved on to her final resting place, and Kostya gained a purpose for his life. Through his mysterious ability for aftertastes he could bring happiness to those in mourning. But first, he had to learn how to cook.

I was hooked from the very beginning. Kostya’s struggles, and the ways he was able to get back up again after falling in so many ways, were very moving. His heart was always in the right place, though things didn’t always turn out the way he had planned.

Recommended for Adults.