I was attracted to this book by the "punny" title and adorable puppy on the cover. Cozy mystery is not my usual genre as I'm not good at figuring out whodunit. The murder of town cad Lyle Bagley behind her grilled cheese diner, brings out the detective in Carly Hale. As she works to clear the main suspect, friend and waitress Suzanne, Carly manages to get into everyone's business around town.

This mystery is a very slow build; took a bit for me to get drawn in to the story. Being the first in a planned series, there is way too much world building and introduction of characters. I get that the author is setting up the future stories, but it took away from the plot to drop in so many characters, none of whom felt fully developed. Oh, and not enough of the adorable puppy! The puppy has almost nothing to do with (or in) the story, yet is prominently featured on the cover.

This books suffers from too much telling and not enough showing. It's very, "Carly did this", "Carly met this person", "Carly wondered". Carly does a lot of wondering. She wonders why her teenage employee Grant's parents don't come to the restaurant, but doesn't want to pry by asking. She wonders why Suzanne was hostile towards Lyle, but doesn't want to pry by asking questions. Instead, Carly spends her energy snooping and asking inappropriate questions to the murder suspects. It leads to a shallow understanding of the heroine, as well as the core supporting characters. The story would have been better served by spending more time with these core characters and less time on introducing all the red herring suspects.

Overall, it was OK; an enjoyable enough small town mystery. However, I don't feel invested or connected to the town or these characters, and am not interested in reading any more books in this series.

What a wonderful, well thought out cozy mystery Linda Reilly has crafted! I am glad to have been given a chance to read the ARC from NetGalley.
Starting with a unique setting - a grilled cheese restaurant that features more variety in the food than I ever imagined - and characters that ring true, the book grabs you right from the beginning. The descriptions of locations and characters are detailed without crossing the line into tedious as happens with many cozies, adding to the overall enjoyment of the story. The mystery itself is intriguing, with so many of the characters crossing into suspect territory at one or more points in the story, and keeps you turning the pages to the very end.

*SLIGHT SPOILER*
One of my pet peeves, pun intended, lies with the cover, which I think is beautiful yet misleading.
The dog on the cover plays an extremely small part in this book, and those hoping for a pup centred story as is alluded to on the cover are sure to be disappointed. Like so many others in the genre, it seems to me this book put a dog on the cover in hopes of running up sales among those who search out pet themed mysteries. Normally I drop my rating by a star when this happens, but this book is just so well written and entertaining, I couldn't bring myself to do so.

When Charlie Hewitt comes home after her husband's death, she decides to pursue a dream of opening a grilled cheese eatery. Things are going great, at least, they are until her high school ex-boyfriend Lyle decides to buy the shop so that his new fiancee can open a boutique. When Lyle is found dead behind the shop shortly after telling Charlie that he wants her out, Charlie immediately becomes suspect number one with local law enforcement and business soon drops. When the law's eyes soon turn to Charlie's employee, it'll be up to Charlie to clear their names and save her beloved eatery.

This book was a quick, easy read. Is it cheesy beyond the subject matter? Yep, but that doesn't take away any of the fun. The characters are enjoyable and I look forward to finding out more about them. Anyone who likes food-based cozy mysteries will definitely get a kick out of this series debut!

This cute, cozy mystery starts off a new series set in a quaint Vermont village and features Carly, newly-returned to her childhood hometown to run the grilled cheese shop of her dreams. Things look dire as the jerk from high school is ready to evict her restaurant, and get even more dire when he turns up dead in the parking lot. Carly goes into Miss Marple mode, as one does, to investigate the crime. The book features the usual cast of quirky small town characters. The bad guys are pretty one-note, but the other suspects have nice nuance. Carly herself is a pleasant character, a kind and forgiving person still getting over the death of her husband; of course, there is a promise of a potential romance going into future books.

This is everything you’d hope for in a cozy, plus lots of grilled cheese talk. The back of the book even has recipes for the sandwiches mentioned in the book!

I was interested in this as it was a new series by an author I have read before. I did not really connect with the characters or get involved in the story. It was an average cozy mystery that was fine.

After the death of her husband, Carly has moved back to her small Vermont hometown to pursue her life-long dream: opening a restaurant that specializes in grilled cheese. Despite the fact business is booming, her new landlord decides not to renew her lease. When her best employee becomes the prime suspect in a murder, Carly embarks to prove her friend's innocence, maybe saving her shop in the process.

The first chapter of this book is a huge backstory with a lot of information that will be repeated later in the book. However, once I got past that, I found this story fairly enjoyable. I liked the characters and I found myself trying to solve the mystery along with Carly. While I did figure out the whodunit before her, I didn't catch the motive until just before she did.

I did have a few issues with the book. There were times when the dialogue felt a little forced and not natural. There was also the scene where Carly shared a glass of port with her neighbor. In the morning, although she didn't use the words, she was more or less described as being hung over. While the reasoning is explained later, I found it unrealistic that she could be hung over from a single glass of wine. While I liked the later explanation, I think in that morning scene, the character should acknowledge how strange this is, maybe wonder about it every so often over the course of the day.

However, despite it's slow start, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more in this series.

'Up to no Gouda' is a fun amateur sleuth story. Whilst the story does follow the usual tropey plotline that most murder mysteries it is still very enjoyable. The characters are likable and the murderer was unexpected which is always a plus. I would definitely pick up the next in the series!

What do you do when an ex-boyfriend flexes his muscles, for his new love interest, by buying the building your successful new restaurant is located in? Well, if you're Carly Hale you and your loyal staff try to figure out options. One of the options someone decides on is murder! Now, Carly has to find out who killed her ex-boyfriend Lyle and clear her staff of murder before a killer strikes again!

When I saw the charming cover, I knew this was a series I'd love! This new series has it all - a "keep you guessing" mystery, a feisty main character that has seen heartbreak and is determined to start over; Havarti, a sweet rescue dog and of course the unique and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and recipes! The author creates mysteries (this new series and The Cat Lady Mysteries) with twists and turns and with relatable main and supporting characters. In this new series, life has not been easy for Carly, but she never gives up. I loved the positive but realistic outlook on life Carly possesses and the quirky and fun people in Balsam Dell.

I'm looking forward to the next mystery in Balsam Dell, Vermont!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A fine cozy but nothing really special in the plot. I do enjoy reading about the fabulous grilled cheeses
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Poisoned Pen Press and #NetGalley for my honest opinion

This is the first in a promising new cozy mystery series. I look forward to reading more Carly Hale adventures soon.

Demons And Dead Bodies…
The first in a new series of cosy culinaries featuring Carly Hale who returns to Balsam Dell to open a new business. Not all goes to plan and soon our fearless protagonist is battling demons and dead bodies. A delightful read with a likeable protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters. A promising start to a new series.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the story is interesting. It’s a fast paced book. #UptoNoGouda #NetGalley

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of UP TO NO GOUDA (Book 1 of the Grilled Cheese Mysteries), by Linda Reilly, in exchange for an honest review. After her husband died, Carly Hale returned home to Balsam Dell, Vermont, where she opened “Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery.” Carly’s eatery was doing well after five months; however, an old high school flame of Carly’s bought the building and served her with an eviction notice. Carly’s business is temporarily saved when her new landlord is murdered. When one of Carly’s employees becomes the primary suspect, Carly knows her friend to be innocent, so Carly decides to investigate. If Carly can solve the crime, she might be able to save her friend and her business.

I liked the book and thought it was a promising start to a new series. I’m a fan of this author’s Cat Lady Mystery series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, small businesses, diners, and shady landlords.

Who doesn't love a grilled cheese? I can't think of anyone! Up to No Gouda is a delectable start to a brand new cozy series that I'm extremely excited about! I absolutely loved this one. The food descriptions, the characters, the plot and setting- everything! I know I'm going to be a big fan of this series and I highly recommend it to all cozy readers!

Carly owns a grill cheese sandwich shop. The restaurant a former ice cream parlor was a perfect fit in the town of Balsam Dell Vermont the town where Carly was raised. Suzanne needed a part-time job and appreciated tips. Grant Robinson was a 19 yr old who was saving to attend culinary school working six days a week he spent mornings prepping at a local sub shop then came to Carlys to work 2-7pm. Mr Warner the attorney from the bank that held the mortgage on the building came in. He let her know that the high bidder at the foreclosure sale expressed his intention to not offer her an extension on her lease. Lyle Bailey bought the mortgage and was an old school acquaintance from high school. Lyle wanted to redo the propane make it a boutique for his girlfriend Tiffany. Suzanne points a finger in Lyles face and said “one of these days Lyle Bailey you’re going to get what’s coming to you big time you can bet on it”. When Lyle is found dead the first suspect is Suzanne and Carly needs to prove her innocence and find out who else had a grudge against Lyle. A fun enjoyable story. Well written characters to engage with.

Vermont in the summer, melted cheese, a cute rescue pup, and a reunion with an old friend. Any one of these things is great all by itself, put them all together and they're awesome. Carly Hale has returned to her hometown of Balsam Dell, Vermont, to open a grilled cheese restaurant. Things are going great until her building goes up for sale and is purchased by an old flame who wants to throw her out. When he turns up dead outside her back door, she's the first suspect they turn to.

Carly is a great character, she's kind and strong and caring. The other characters are interesting too, unique enough you can always tell who's who as you're reading but not so different as to seem like caricatures. The mystery was complex, giving so many people a motive that you could never quite be sure who to blame. I wasn't able to figure out the killer and at the end kind of kicked myself for not seeing the connections.

I loved this book and was so glad to find out that Reilly has published other books. She's definitely going on my TBR pile!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Coming back home and opening up a grilled cheese restaurant, after the death of her husband, was a good choice for Carly. Good friends, good food and plenty of customers. Enter in Lyle, the bad boy she briefly dated in high school. Now he owns her building and wants her out. After only 6 months that is hitting her hard. When his body is found behind the shop the next morning things get even more complicated. A good start to a new cozy mystery series. Highly recommend and look forward to the next one. Also has some yummy recipes which I want to try.

I picked this one up on Netgalley because like everyone else, I’m obsessed with the idea of a grilled cheese restaurant. This one was a great start to a new series, and although it took me a bit to get into at first, once the introductions were out of the way and the investigating got going, it was hard to put down. And there’s recipes at the end!

The eclectic cast of characters quickly became like friends, I’m going to enjoy getting to know them as the series goes on. The plot, who killed Lyle and why, was a real banger; lots of twists and turns and a big pile of suspects. In the end, I never guessed whodunit, so I must’ve overlooked the clues. Add in the happy endings for a couple of the characters and this was a stellar read, heartwarming and endearing.

A great start to a new series, I’m already looking forward to reading the next book!

What a great start to a new series! The characters are well done, the mystery was very entertaining, and the included recipes all seem mouth-wateringly delicious. I really like that they’re not rushing our heroine into anything and she’s cautious enough to not take unnecessary risks.

I loved this book! I was looking forward to reading this book which is start of a new series because the book cover was very cute.

It did not disappoint. The story was well paced and plenty of red herrings. I was pretty much guessing until the very end.
I enjoyed Carly and all her friends. Her back story was very touching to me.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series. 😊

This is an honest review of ARC I received from NetGalley.