3.35 ⭐
This one was a little different type of mystery than I am used to, kinda cozy~ish. I am more of a mystery thriller reader and I am usually not one for cutesy covers either. The title captured my eye and I'm glad I gave it a whirl.

This was fun ~ well as fun as baking pies with the intent of murder can be. The men totally deserve it though because they are abusive. Daisy bakes good pies that help people, too, so she's not all bad.

There's a little magic and a little mystery trying to figure out who is blackmailing Daisy because they know her secret. I always love when there's a dog and Zoe was super cute.

I like the name of her mobile bakery van Pies before Guys.

The narration by Tanya Eby was good.

Although I was listening and couldn't write them down if I wanted to, I did like that there were recipes at the end.

Daisy is the owner of Pies Before Guys truck. Pie maker by day and murder pie maker by night. Her murder pies are for men who hurt women. Now someone is trying to blackmail her into making murder pies to kill three women. I like Daisy, she gets away with murder. This audio had me entertained from the start. It reminds me of the Lost Apothecary, in the sense of a woman helping to poison the husbands of the women of London. This book would be the best start to a new series. This is a great debut, I can't wait to see what Misha Popp writes next.

TW: sexual assault, murder, death of parent.

This book was NOT what I expected. It is labelled as a Mystery/Thriller, which is a genre I generally avoid and dislike but I very pleasantly surprised by this book. Our main character is a quirky pie girl who happens to have magical powers - and uses these powers to kill rapists.

I worked as a sexual assault crisis counselor for a number of years and I have to say that this book was something I would have loved to read as a form of self care to put all of my anger and secondary trauma into a fictional story. That being said I was a little concerned about how survivors would feel reading this book, since the main character is not a survivor herself (or at least it is not disclosed) but is using her powers to help survivors - it might have been more powerful to have a survivor as the focus of the story.

The audiobook was perfect quirky vibes that fully transport you into the story (I have to say Tanya Eby is an AMAZING narrator!) Another thing I loved about this book was the bisexual love triangle! Most stories like this do include a love triangle but it was incredibly nice to see a story where the love interests were of different genders and there was no awkward "wait am I not straight" part. It was just natural and smooth.

This book was the epitome of what I would like to call "feel good murder mystery" which seems like a contradiction but somehow seemed perfect for this debut novel. It may just belong to a new genre.

This was a fun mystery book. I really liked the added recipes at the end as well. Definitely will recommend

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp is a fun listen. I love the slogan Pies before Guys. This escapism audiobook let me visualize so many details. The narrator, Tanya Eby really fit the book with her voice and how she brought the characters to life. I loved the details in the book, and Zoe was my favorite character, although Daisy appealed to me as well. Thank you #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this book.

This book, unfortunately, did not impress me. The whole premise could have been developed so much more than it was. There was too much repetitive self talk by the protagonist, Daisy, which bordered on delusion. Her magic is not explained or even mentioned when the pies are baked! In fact there is very little real cooking that occurs.
I could not get a good picture in my mind of most of the characters as they were not fleshed out.

This book is a lazy read which doesn't do much but waste time.

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is a perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. At first glance, it looks like the fluffy, silly cozy mysteries where the quirky heroine accidentally ends up near a dead body for reasons she had nothing to do with but feels the urge to solve the mystery anyway and fall in love along the way. Yeah…not quite with this one. For one thing, the heroine fully intends to, and succeeds in, killing her marks with her to die for pies that are spiced with magic. Secondly, the novel highlights deeper societal/political issues that are often absent from cozy mysteries. Finally, while there is a love triangle of sorts, it probably isn’t what you’d think of when you think of the genre. For these reasons, I’d say that this novel is a gateway for cozy mystery lovers to inch their way closer to the more sinister and serious thriller genre, a tactic that I find pretty fascinating. Being a hardcore thriller fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the more sinister/serious parts of the novel but also appreciated the lighthearted moments and definitely loved the magical realism elements. Overall, it was an excellent balance of genres and definitely edgier than expected. The baking descriptions were mouthwatering and I actually picked up several tips for pie making, an unexpected bonus!

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the pacing of the narrator - quick enough to not need to speed up the book but not too fast to ever miss anything. The voice seemed a little singsongy at first but then I realized that the heroine is in her 20s so the voice really matched the age and personality of Daisy. The men’s voices were well done and differentiated between the characters. It was an engaging listen for sure!

This book is perfect for readers wanting to spice up their coziness and tiptoe into an edgier plotline. The audiobook is a great way to fully engage with the characters too!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

“To everyone working to dismantle the pastry-archy in their own way.”

CW: domestic abuse, murder, death of a parent, sexual harassment

I actually read this book in mid-April, but I’ve been holding off writing this review forever because I just loved this book so much and wanted to do it justice! This was such a fun read, I loved Daisy with her compassionate energy mixed with a whole lot of snark.

This was such a unique spin on a cozy read, as there were strong feminist threads weaved throughout and an interesting examination of how principles of restorative justice could look (albeit with a magical bent). This book deals with some pretty serious issues though, so be sure to check out the content warnings.

As well, while there are romances in this book, including some queer rep, this definitely takes a back seat to the larger storyline of Daisy’s magical pie business and mysterious blackmailer.

A final tip while reading this book: Don’t read this while you’re hungry! The descriptions of all the pies (yes, I would like a cutie pie) will have your mouth watering, and Misha Popp so graciously offers up some much needed recipes at the end. I can’t wait to see more in the Pies Before Guys series!

Pick this one up if you love:
- the Finlay Donovan series or quirky, murdery leads
- Baking/baking competition shows
- Books that blend genres

This was a cute storyline with a little bit of thrill and magic to it. Nothing over the top. Just an overall feel good book.

The characters were cute in it. Especially the main character Daisy. She bakes murder pies for women in need and who deserve justice. Along with that are her regular pies that give off things like encouragement, energy, and more.

There’s a bit of a love triangle thrown into the mix. So not only do you get a little bit of a thriller you also get some romance.

I also absolutely loved her dog as a big character throughout the book. A cute little pit bull who loves everybody and always had Daisy’s back. Especially since Daisy didn’t have family, she found it through her dog.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s not my typical trope I read when it comes to books but it was an easy ready and mixed things up for me.

I want to thank Dreamscape Media through netgallery for providing me with this audiobook!

This was a cute story with some refreshing characters. The author used profanity when I didn't feel it was necessary.

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is a NetGalley selection that I selected to read in exchange for an honest review. The story is infused with magic and a mystery. Daisy Ellery is a culinary artist able to whip up delicious pies with magical sprinklings. She also operates Pies Before Guys, a secretive group that assists women with abusive partners. When Daisy suddenly is harassed and blackmailed with a murderous request, she tries to solve the mystery while balancing her social life and a pie contest. I tried to like this book, but I don't tend to read about current events in my literary choices. Because of this, I dinged the rating. Otherwise, there were a lot of cute elements, and I enjoyed reading about Daisy's pie-making. The book did leave me wondering more about Daisy's magical background, but perhaps a second story would reveal more about her character.
I enjoyed the narrator, a B+.

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp is the first book in the “Pies Before Guys Mystery” series and is categorized as a “cozy mystery.” It’s not. This book is 100% vigilantle justice with politics. The main character bakes magic into pies to murder men that are physically abusing their girlfriends/wives/daughters.

The use of magic in this book is intriguing. I love the idea of her baking strength, courage, and love into pies for people in different situations. I love how she supports her community. There’s just a few too many flaws. The character is presented as potentially bisexual. Cool! I love representation. My issue: she only bakes murder pies for men.. as if women cannot be the abusers as well? I mean. I get it, it’s “Pies before Guys” but it just really bugs me that the whole premise is that only women are victims.. This book is also set in the present political climate with events occurring due to politics. If you’re like me, and you read to escape reality, this book won’t be for you. It just hits a little too close to home on a few points. There were some very dark moments that can be triggering.

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is scheduled to be published May 10, 2022. Overall, I’d give the book a 2/5. It was well written with a lot of aspects that I enjoyed. I probably won’t read the next in the series. I prefer my vigilantes to be “equal opportunity.” 🤷🏼‍♀️

I want to thank netgalley and crookedlanebooks for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I love cozy mysteries and when I heard about this book I knew I had to read it and boy oh boy am I glad that I did. I loved the premise of this book but the execution was everything. I was not expecting the main character to be queer either so that was great as well.
I will say this book does deal with some heavy subject matter that abuse, sexual assault, and murder so do be advised about that. This book handles those subjects with care.
I would definitely recommend this book anyone who enjoys cozy mystery or books about strong woman.

I didn’t know I needed a cozy serial killer book but this one was great. A pie baker that can infuse her pies with magic and typically uses it to give people courage, energy and positive vibes but… sometimes she uses it to murder yucky dudes. The premise was fun, the characters were good I found the middle to drag on and I wanted some action but it ended strong and was overall enjoyable.

I received an audio ARC from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review. Daisy Ellery makes the most amazing pies, to die for some might say, specifically, the men who died after eating them. Daisy comes from a line of magical women who have infused their craft with magic. Her grandmother sewed, her mother was a beautician, and Daisy? She's a baker. She not only uses her magic to bring hope and peace to victimes of domestic violence, but uses it to get those who wish it, out of their abusive relationships. But, someone is on to her. Someone is blackmailing her to kill three women, and threatening to expose her otherwise. Most of her enemies are, well, dead, so who could it be? One of the people she has let into her very closed off life? And it all happens just as she's entering a statewide pie competition that could be her chance to get her name out. Will she find the blackmailer in time?

Cozy mysteries aren't usually my genre, but when I listened to a sample of this one I was hooked. A woman using her abilities to take out abusers who are getting away with their crimes otherwise? Sign me up! Daisy is a bisexual woman, who presents as a "traditional" woman while dounig her part to change other women's lives for the better. I enjoyed this book. The premise was great, the characters were written in such a way that while I wanted to love both her potential love interests, I always had that nagging feeling they could be the blackmailer. It kept me guessing and the reveal was a surprise to me. I would recommend this to fans of cozy mysteries and feminist fiction with bisexual representation.

"Blood is just a liquid. Family is what's made."

Thank you eternally to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book. It was sensational and I enjoyed every bite– I mean bit 😉 of it.

Somehow the author is able to combine the ingredients of found family, murder, pies, feminism, romance, and discovering one's own sexuality all into one masterpiece serving of a good story.

I very much look forward to the future of the Daisy Ellery series– what lies in store for her business, her magic, and her shoulder angel and devil triangle.

“Dismantle the PastryArchy”
From the brilliant dedication to the mouth watering recipes ‘Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies” was a perfect and empowering cozy mystery. Filled with friendship, strength, magic, an adorable pitty, love, loss and a whole lot of pastry this was a 100% amazing 5/5⭐️ read. I hope we see many additional books in this magical world Misha Popp has created!

*Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a super fun and cute book! I hope that the author will write more books and make this a series. I would love to learn more about Noel and Cidery and some of the PBG women and their stories! This was a well-written and fun book and I will certainly read more books by her!

#MagicLiesandDeadlyPies
#NetGalley

I was interested in this audio book as it sounded like an interesting story line. Women contact a pie maker to "take care" of their domestic partner problems with deadly pie...then someone starts contacting her because they know what she is doing.

Unfortunately, I DNF'd this at 30%.
I typically listen to my audio books at 1.5 to 1.75 times normal speed. When I did this, the narration sounded like computer generated narration. I immediately went to normal speed, but still the narration grated on me. Sadly, narration is make or break for me.

The book had such promise but the overblown political/feminist tangents ruined it for me. After the third one, I realized I didn’t care enough about the storyline to keep reading. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was great at adding a little flair to the story.