Cherry Hinton is trying to start over. After being caught in a compromising situation, on national tv, her credibility as a journalist has taken a serious hit. Deciding to try something new, Cherry opens her own bakery and gives up journalism/sleuthing. Until the man who committed a murder, on the same tv show Cherry was on, swears he didn't do it.

I liked the book, but wouldn't necessarily categorize it as a "cozy". While there are some cozy elements, Cherry is a more "gritty" character. The premise was interesting and I enjoyed seeing Cherry move on from a mistake and succeed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

I don't know how I managed to finish this one. It was so slow, and the attempts at humour were disappointing. But the big reveal was entertaining enough.

Two years ago, Kenny Thorpe was murdered on live TV. As a contestant on a celebrity weight-loss show, Kenny was locked inside a house with 5 other people and filmed 24/7. So everyone saw how Martin killed Kenny, right?

Now, crime reporter Cherry Hinton is fresh off of a reality show embarrassment and on top of that her newspaper fired her. Stuck in a bakery her parents help her pay for, she tries to get through each day without too many people shouting abuse at her in the street. Until Kenny's sister Brooke walks into her shop. She wants Cherry to investigate her brother's murder again, because she's convinced the wrong man was convicted for the crime.

The mystery aspect was entertaining, if a bit unoriginal. Ben Elton's Dead Famous did the whole "Big Brother reality TV-style murder" plot 20 years ago and from what I can remember of that novel, it did it much better than this one. This is the first in a series though, so there's opportunity for improvement.

Most of the characters annoyed me from the start, including the main character. Cherry does have a redeeming moment at the end, after she has revealed who murdered Kenny. The same goes for the setting, in which everyone seems to be obsessed with reality TV shows. I don't know if the author was trying for some kind of social commentary, which I can definitely imagine could be hidden between the lines, but the author mostly managed to annoy with the abundance of needlessly spiteful characters.

I don't regret reading this novel, but I doubt I'll pick up the next book in the series. This just wasn't for me, I guess.

A quick flowing, quite enjoyable mystery. The first in a series Cherry is a celebrity turned P.I. set out on her first murder case when an ex bf of hers was killed live on tv on a reality series.

I’m afraid I didn’t get on with Cherry Slice. It’s well enough written but I found it slow, rather derivative and not as funny as it tries to be.

Cherry Hinton was a local journalist but after a humiliating public failure on a TV reality show while working undercover is now working in her parents’ cake shop in a small Essex town. She is asked to look into the apparently cut-and-dried murder of a contestant on another reality show which was filmed on live TV.

It’s a cosy murder mystery used as a vehicle for satirising modern mores: behaviour on Twitter, gutter journalism, cheap and tawdry “reality” TV shows and so on. Although it was mildly amusing in parts, it didn’t really work for me; the satire wasn’t very new, very little actually happened for quite a long time and the humour didn’t really amuse. For example, a lot of people (including the title character), are given manes which are adaptations or puns on place names like Jacob Stow, Leon Solent, Jodrell Banks (oh, come on!) and so on, which I just found annoying, I’m afraid.

I’m sorry to say that I gave up in the end. Several other reviewers have enjoyed this, but I’m afraid it wasn’t for me.

(Mt thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Cherry Hinton is trying to reinvent herself as a cake shop owner after her career as an investigative journalist came to a humiliating end when she was framed as a cheat on a reality TV show. When her former boyfriend appears to be murdered on camera during another reality show, Cherry starts looking into the killing. She knows that things on TV are not always what they seem.

This is a fast, fun cozy mystery, distinguished by the behind-the-scenes looks at reality TV and the juxtaposition of the cake shop and the much grittier scenes in night clubs and gyms. The characters are sharply etched, with identifiable voices and accents. There are some wonderful details, my favorite of which is that Cherry’s mum is a devotee of armchair Zumba: “all of the Latino beat while relaxing in a seat.”

On the downside, the mystery’s resolution relies on an implausibly ready confession, and there is vulgar language. Still, this was an enjoyable story, and I look forward to the next installment in this series.

Cherry is a hoot and a half! If you are a Stephanie Plum fan you are going to devour Cherry Slice in the time it takes to make some scones because you will not be able to put it down. From the small town of Essex comes everything reality TV-related, including but not limited to: sex, drugs, subterfuge, caravans, love, getting "nicked", envy, and really good pastries. The titles the author comes up with for these fictional shows are HILARIOUS! This character's debut is sure to be just the first of many stories and I am hoping that as the characters develop, so will the recipes. As for the basic plot, there is nothing basic about it and it incorporates many of today's social norms even though some of the people do not seem very norm-al. Cherry is the sort of character that makes you laugh out loud, nod your head in agreement, and cheer silently as she picks herself up literally and proverbially, dusts herself off and soldiers on in spite of the media that won't seem to "let it go." The supporting roles/characters such as her nail artist and Instagram junkie Kelsey are spot on showing support as only a bestie can. Cherry's folks are typical parents as well, Mom wants her to be the best at whatever it is she is trying to be (but please stay out of the media and quite be involved in scandal), Dad is good with whatever Cherry wants. Oh and there is the hot n cold relationship with Jacob. Oh the history lesson that you are in for to be sure. You may find yourself shaking your head and talking out loud to the book at some point. All in all, I for one am inspired to try my hand at making a cherry bakewell. Hope to see the next installment soon!

Cherry Hilton, once a reporter of the chronicle, but now after an undercover action in a real live tv show were she’s was exposed as an cheater, she now runs a cakeshop. Brooke, the sister of the in another tv show (big blubber) killed Kenny, is asking Cherry to help her find the real killer, after she received a letter from Fat Martin, who was in jail for the killing. Cherry is taking the challenge and find out lots of information about the other contestants and finds the real killer. But before she does, she has to handle with a hot police officer, her parents and a neighbor Kelsey who spends a lot of time in her cake shop and the rest on social media.

It’s a great cozy crime. I really likes Cherry an her problems, I loved her mum an her friend Kelsey, they were fun. It’s also a story with diversity in the characters, and the setting of Expose tv, real live tv is a great choice. I started reading with no expectations, but it was nice and I kept reading till the end. It taste like more, and I don’t mean only because of the cakes.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, Duckworth Books, and Jennifer Stone.

This is a light funny look at reality TV, the public's perception, and going "behind the curtain" to find the truth.
When Kenny Thorpe is killed on TV while competing in a weight loss reality show, the police arrest another competitor and he accepts responsibility. Two years lather, Cherry is contacted because the killer's sister doesn't really believe he did it even though he confessed. Cherry had her own problems with the reality TV world when she went undercover to investigate vote rigging on Caravans Of Love. When the producers found out she was a journalist, she was very publicly thrown off the show in the middle of the night, half naked. The newspaper denied she was working for them and fired her.
After having to move back in with her parents and going to work in the family bake shop, Cherry jumps at the chance to investigate the supposed closed murder case.
What follows are interesting characters, too many suspects and clues until the final show down. Did Martin kill Kenny? Was he set up? You need to go pick up this wonderful book and find out for yourself. I am looking forward to reading more about Cherry, her friends and her investigative skills.

Cherry is rebuilding herself and proving to those around her she got brains not just cleavage. Realistic and enjoyable to go along with Cherry’s adventure. She shows all in the town that she has what it takes to be Cherry; PI while making the pastry shop profitable.

Cherry Hinton, former investigative reporter/ex-communicated reality tv-star turned baker, is approached by Kenny Thorpe’s sister, to uncover who the true killer is of Kenny. But why would anyone question that it wasn’t Martin who done it, when the world saw him kill Kenny live on the weight-loss reality tv show, Big Blubber?
This is her best opportunity to win back the public’s trust in her reporter skills by uncovering the truth in who truly killed Kenny and why. Along her journey, she is aided (and in many times, not so helped) by her nail salon owner/instagrammer best friend, Kelsey and her embarrassing but still awesome mother by questioning the cast and crew of Big Blubber, all the while, trying not to get distracted by her high school crush-turned police chief, the sexy Jacob Stow, who somehow is always showing up where she is and intruding on her investigation.
I was skeptical at first when I started reading this book, but my skepticism quickly turned to laughter all some of the crude statements or script that occurs in the story. This book had be laughing out loud and I can’t wait for the second story in the series.

Social media postings will be on my Instagram channel.

This was a cute murder mystery. I loved the blend of murder and the live tv show it made for a fast paced plot and very funny show. Although this isn't your normal cozy mystery it was one I won't soon forget. I enjoyed the story and the characters and the twists and turns. I can not wait to read more from this author!

The cosy mystery genre is one that’s meant to be tongue in cheek. Its central premise is that extremely unlikely protagonists manage to solve crimes that defeat that the experienced police force, and whilst that may occasionally happen in real life it’s not an everyday occurrence. This is what gives the genre its energy and allows authors to pull out all the stops imagination-wise.
Cherry Slice is a wonderful example of an imaginative cosy mystery. It’s an ingenious reworking of the locked room mystery, the type that Agatha Christie made famous. This time the action happens in a reality TV setting. And instead of Christie’s high society characters, we have a true Essex Girl, Cherry, as our chief sleuth, and the murder suspects are a group of wannabe celebs with weight issues.
Cherry, like all good amateur detectives, comes with emotional baggage. She used to date the victim, and she’s under a black cloud for some undercover work she did as a journalist. She now works in her parents’ bakery, famous for its tasteless (metaphorically speaking) gimmicky cakes.
As you’d probably expect from this description so far, there’s plenty of humour, wit and quirkiness in this novel. The characters are all larger than life, and not just the ones on the Big Blubber show. There are shady underworld figures, glitzy bimbos and plenty of almost-ordinary people but with something a little absurd about them to make them fascinating.
The Essex setting is convincing, especially for someone like me from just over the border in south Suffolk and knows the area, and the plot is original and cunningly thought-out. If you like a cosy that makes you chuckle, occasionally wince and be thoroughly entertained from start to finish, then this is for you.

Well written
Good plot
Fun characters
Good murder mystery.
I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I found this book to be funny, boring, exciting at times - in fact I think that I ranged through a whole lot of feelings while reading it. I could say that I loved - but I'm not sure that I didn't hate it ...

The best thing I can say is that you should read it and see.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This book was hard to read. I honestly do not know how or why I finished it. Perhaps I will come back and expound on my reasons. I am shaking my head at the four and five star reviews.

Not a typical cozy. Oh, it has the cozy elements, such as woman in her twenties looses her high-achiever job, moves/returns to a place of her youth (in this case both) and start (to work at) a bakery. But also, it is more gritty than most cozies. “[I] placed my cleavage on the bar along with my purse.” I don’t think I have ever read a line like that in a cozy.

It took some getting into this story. Until I read a review that suggested <i>Cherry Slice</i> should be read as a satire. That worked.

Cherry, once an investigative reporter, but since she was exposed as a fraud on a reality TV-show, works at her parents’ cake shop. She is approached by the sister of a one-time boyfriend Kenny. The ex-boyfriend was killed when he participated in a TV-show. The sister believes the wrong man was sent to prison and asks Cherry to investigate.

Though she believes this is a though case - the man pleaded guilty and is now dead himself, plus, everyone saw him do it on the footage - Cherry takes on the case. Between selling cakes, being hassled about her current investigation and her previous public humiliation (and her mum treating her like everything is her fault), Cherry talks everyone that was involved in the TV-show with Kenny. She soon finds there is not much true in reality TV.

The grittiness worked because of the setting of the story in reality TV shows and the Y-listed celebrities that appear in them. The story was well executed and all the characters came off really well (over the top as they should be in a satire).

Perhaps this story is a better fit for someone more familiar with the reality TV show genre.

Cherry Hinton was a journalist till a reality show mishap (or was it sabotage?) destroyed her career. Now she's running the family bakery. She's smart and funny, even if she doesn't always show wisdom in her life decisions. Along with her family, friends, and enemies, Cherry's talent for getting into trouble makes this book a romp through Essex club life.
I feel as though I might have missed some of the undertones because I know nothing about Essex, or the stereotypes about Essex. The location is definitely a character in the book. But Cherry's life is larger-than-life anyway, even before she gets tangled up in murder.
The book is well-written and hard to put down. The mysteries are not the most important part of the book, though they are intriguing. Think of this as high quality comic chick lit with a side of mystery.

Everyone believed Martin had done it he was seen on live TV killing Kenny Thorpe. How could anyone else have possibly done it. This is a mystery for Cake Baker turned Investigative PI Cherry Hinton. Throw in the bad humour of Celeb reality exposure and you have many suspects in this twisting mystery. Cherry has been burned herself by exposure TV and you will be with her all the way to turn her life around.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A quirky investigative story, set in the world of reality TV. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

I enjoyed this book and the story! Loved reading about Cherry and her undercover and investigating work. I liked the fact all the characters come into there own! Couldn’t put it down