CONTENT WARNING: mention of past bullying, mention of cancer, murder

I love a good cozy mystery, and while some of them have started incorporating diversity, I’ve only seen one other series actually written by a person of color (A Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivienne Chien). So I was excited to read this one, especially one set so close to home.

Matthews manages to take a huge, busy borough like Brooklyn and imbue it with that small-town vibe that’s commonly found in cozy mysteries. Many parts of the boroughs are broken into sections by ethnicity, so you’ll find areas like Chinatown, Spanish Harlem, Little Italy, or in this case, Little Caribbean. I’m not familiar with the area, but it was wonderful to see an area that’s dominated by Caribbean immigrants and their descendants, who stay true to their cultural traditions and values, opening local businesses and staying involved in the community. It allows Lyndsay and her family to know everyone within their neighborhood, greeting customers by name, but also allowing everyone to know everyone else’s business.

However, this book wasn’t what I was hoping. The writing was repetitive, often spending far too much time on descriptions that weren’t necessary to furthering the plot. There were a ton of customer interactions detailed, and they didn’t have much bearing on the story other than demonstrating that Lyndsay and her family are heavily invested in the community and offer fantastic customer service.

Possibly due to the amount of descriptive and redundant writing, the story itself is incredibly slow-moving. Rather than following the typical formula for a cozy, Lyndsay spends nearly a quarter of the book justifying her decision to start investigating on her own, and only takes action halfway through the book. The police officers are basically incompetent, and don’t really take any investigative action at all, even when provided with a plethora of information, only focusing their efforts on Lyndsay. They ignore any evidence that contradicts their theories.

By the time the action happens, I was already kind of bored by the story. The big reveal turned out to be anticlimactic, and I struggled to stay in the story. Everything felt so repetitive that it got a little boring, and I wasn’t fully invested in the characters, especially Lyndsay. She came across as a pushover for so much of the story, then swung to the other extreme and became very assertive. It was difficult to fully empathize with her. Overall, this was a slow-moving story that I didn’t completely love, and wouldn’t continue reading in the future.

What a wonderful culinary cozy mystery! This is a great start to the series! Strong heroine, tight family ties, baking and murder. So good!! Can't wait for the next one!!
I just reviewed Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews. #AgainsttheCurrant #NetGalley
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Fun story about Lyndsay who opens a bakery in Brooklyn.. about neighbors and community and competition. When the competition turns up dead she becomes a suspect. Engaging and original - I give all stories unlike 3 stars

Oh man. So I picked this up from @netgalley because the premise sounded super cute. It’s described as a culinary cozy mystery. A family with Caribbean roots opens a bakery only to get accused of the murder of their neighborhood rival.

This just wasn’t for me. The writing felt super repetitive to me. Like super repetitive. The plot was overall pretty unrealistic and the MC’s motivations at times made no sense, and I found her very frustrating.

I did love the cultural aspects when the author described the food and how the bakery was decorated to honor their roots, but that’s about all this one brought to the table for me. I honestly likely would have DNF’d I felt like I needed to follow through since it’s an ARC.

This is set up to be a series but it probably goes without saying I won’t be checking out the next one. I hope it finds an audience though because I know all the hard work that went into writing it!

The first in a new cozy series! Lyndsay has finally realized her dream of opening her West Indian bakery in her Little Caribbean Brooklyn neighborhood. Nearby baker Claudio though makes a fuss on her soft open. After he winds up dead, Lyndsay ends up as the main suspect. She becomes determined to solve his murder to clear her name and save her business.

As a first entry, I thought this was pretty good! Some of the investigating parts was a bit slow, but I think the author will find the groove in the future. The characters and premise though made me want to come back for future books that might be in this series!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! A whole new type of cozy mystery (at least to me!): cozy, savory mystery! We get to follow Lyndsay Murray from opening her dream business, Spice Isle Bakery, and directly into being a murder suspect! When her neighborhood rival comes in on opening day, Lindsay stands up for herself and her family…while also maybe threatening him to never return. But when Claudio is found dead the next day, Lyndsay quickly becomes the prime suspect.
This was such a fun read! Lyndsay shared her Grenadian heritage with her neighbors and readers while setting out to clear her name. All the food descriptions leave you salivating and hungry while the mystery unfolds at a very satisfying pace.
I don’t normally read cozy mysteries so I am SO GLAD this caught my eye! I loved all of this: the family dynamics, the enemies, the freaking food!, the mystery, the twist. AND! It’s the first in a series, so I can’t wait for the next!

This is a new-to-me author. I liked the great family dynamics. Granny is quite a character. There was some repetitiveness throughout the book, and it was a little hard to get into at first. I felt the MC put herself in danger too many times, all while claiming that she wasn’t trying to solve the crime herself. It doesn’t appear that law enforcement is trying to solve the crime. There’s murder, plenty of suspects, danger, and drama. Who is guilty?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Netgalley, and Olivia Matthews for an advance copy of Against the Currant in exchange for an honest review. For all my cozy mystery lovers, this is a YES! I loved this book and couldnt put it down. Not only was I hungry throughout the whole book (which is a fan fave of mine while reading cozies)!! I had my suspicions while reading but I was pleased about how the book ended. I also LOVED the relationships in the book and the premise that family is everything. Do yourself a favor and put this one on your radar, it is available 1/24/23!! 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for GR!!

This is a terrific first in a new series.
Great characters and a compelling whodunit.
I look forward to reading the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This one was just okay for me. I was definitely in the mood for a cozy mystery, but this one just didn't do it for me. I found it to be quite repetitive and just couldn't sympathize much with the MC. I enjoyed the family unit element and loved the representation, but the story just didn't grab me like I had hoped. I found the idea that the only suspect the police had of this widely unliked murder victim was the MC, based on the flimsiest of motives, extremely unlikely. I had hoped that maybe the police were looking more seriously at other suspects but didn't want to show their hand or something, but it seems like they really were just that bad at their job. And that the love interest that's being set up for Lyndsey was one of those cops was just cringey, particularly at the end. I see a lot of promise in the author's storytelling, but not quite there yet.

As a cozy mystery fan, I was excited to read the first book in Olivia Matthews’ Spice Island Bakery Mystery Series. Against the Current takes place in the Little Caribbean neighborhood of Brooklyn. Lyndsay Murray is fulfilling her dream of opening a bakery in her neighborhood that celebrates her heritage. However just as she’s opening, the nasty owner of another nearby bakery causes a scene in Lyndsey’s bakery. The next day he’s found murdered and Lyndsay is the prime suspect. The local police don’t seem interested in following other leads so Lindsay and her colorful and delightful family turn to investigating before Lyndsey’s reputation and bakery are ruined.
I enjoyed this new series. The cast is likable, the setting is unique and fun, the food sounds delicious, and the mystery was well thought out. The only thing that didn’t work for me was the reasoning and actions surrounding the police investigation. Something was just missing for me. But all around a fun first installment for lovers of culinary cozy mysteries.. 3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

DNF - I can picture, very clearly, the ideal reader for this book. I know there are many fans of stories such as this one who will find this book to be a wonderful read & truly hope this book fits its way to them.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I especially loved the description of the treats in the bakery. The author took great care in describing the characters, Little Caribbean and the close knit community. I truly appreciated that.

While at times slow paced for me, I enjoyed the story and after it picked up in the second half I was all in.

I look forward to more from this author.

I love cozy mysteries, and this sounded like a fun read. I found it a bit lackluster, however. Overdetailing created lags, particularly in the middle of the story, which made it hard to stay engaged. I did enjoy Lyndsay and her family (particularly her grandma). I also liked the tight-knit community feel. and the food descriptions. Pacing was a problem, especially in the first part of the story. That and numerous characters, some of which felt unnecessary, led to a decreased rating.

Really enjoyed the story of the Spice Isle Bakery that Lyndsay Murray opened with her family. On the soft opening day Claudio another bakery owner in the neighborhood came to threaten her and they got into an argument and someone who was out to get him, seen her take off a bracelet and proceeded to steal it. setting Lyndsay up for the murderer. After it is published in the local newspaper that she is a person of interest., Lyndsay decides she is going to investigate, Thus the amateur sleuthing begins. This is a very good cozy myster.y

I was immediately immersed in all aspect of this well-baked whodunit, and I couldn’t put this book down until all was said and done. A disgruntled bakery owner and having words with Lindsay, later is found murdered and who is the primary suspect, yes, you guessed it, Lindsay. Determined to prove her innocence and with help from her friends, she begins an investigation and with help from the author who gives us plenty of suspects, tossed in a few clues with bonus of several red herrings to keep me in the game. When I thought I had a handle on the person responsible, the author changed directions all to the betterment of the solidly wicked plot and to enhance my reading pleasure. It was that “aha” moment that put a smile on my face and I enjoyed watching it all play out with key characters having pivotal roles in the apprehension of the killer. What I liked best was the generation of family coming together and the warmth and love that spilled onto the page. Overall, a delightfully appetizing series that I hope is her to stay.

When a woman opens a bakery with her family, she faces the ire of another business owner. When he is murdered, she becomes a suspect. The police are not helpful and she investigates on her own. There is so much family and community involvement, it makes the reader feel like they are a part of this multicultural neighborhood.

⭐️⭐️💫

This is a cozy mystery with lots of suspects and twists along the way. At times it’s hard to keep up with all the customers that get intertwined into the case because they are not really memorable. When you finally figure out who did it, it just doesn’t make as much of an impact. I didn’t find the MC too likeable either. The MAJOR flaw for me though (and what I think really affected my feelings towards this book) was an aspect of the writing. When the character spoke to her parents she called them mom or dad, but they are written as and referred to as Mommy or Daddy. “Mommy gasped. Daddy scowled.” I found this very annoying because it was really hard to take the book seriously when you keep reading that in every other sentence! Maybe it’s just me, but I found this very off putting and sometimes felt like I was reading a children’s book.

Thank you as always to NetGallery and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC!

This had all the markings of a cozy mystery, and while it was entertaining, I found myself not fully invested in the story. Some aspects felt a bit repetitive and I didn't feel a sense of urgency during the more high stakes moments. However, I loved the focus on family and how they all supported each other. Although not my favorite, I'm sure I'll check out the next book in the series once it's released

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews is the first book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series. This being the first book in the series, I was quite impressed with how well the entire book kept my attention. I really liked the main characters and the closeness, togetherness and support of the family. The amateur sleuth Lindsay Murray entertained with her methodical steps ferreting out possible murder suspects. I really enjoyed this book.