Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

This book was a quick, fun read but was just “okay” for me. The ending was a bit unsatisfying and seemed rush, and I am also not really a fan of baking shows so probably not the best choice for me!

I’m a huge fan of baking shows and drama, and actually used to be a professional pastry chef, so The Golden Spoon was right up my alley. It didn’t disappoint. Was it slightly formulaic? Sure. But it’s a great formula.

If you love mysteries and shows like The Great British Bakeoff, this is the book for you! With multiple POVs, food descriptions that would make your mouth water and Clue-like shenanigans among the contestants, you won't want to put it down. Such a fun whodunit. I can't believe it's a debut!

Thanks to Simon & Shuster and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Thank you Atria Books and net gallery for e-ARC of the book.

Six contestants are fighting for the title of the best baker of the famous show "Bake Week". Every one came with a background and a motive on this set that is also host's Betsy Martin's childhood home. The competition week isn't even over when a body is discovered.

This book was a good mix of mystery and cooking. I enjoyed the characters and their stories. The story was somehow cozy even though there were elements of suspense.

I quite enjoyed this book. Its a bit genre defying, which may be off-putting for some, but didn't bother me. Overall, it's a light and breezy murder mystery that won't change your life, but might give you some enjoyment for a few hours

SO... THIS BOOK HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

I loved the characters and I loved the concept, but the execution just wasn’t there....

The book started off slow and had bits where I thought it would speed up, but it just never did. Then, when the dramatic murder plot was revealed... it felt mehhhhh...

I think this read suffered the awful death of too many characters and too many different plots going on. If the author had developed some a little better or even cut some, I feel like it would’ve been SOOOOOO satisfying, but it wasn’t.

Overall, this idea was interesting, but I thought it could have been done better....

For six aspiring bakers, the opportunity to compete in Bake Week is a dream realized.

As they step onto the grounds of Grafton Manor for the competition, they're determined to do whatever it takes to claim the coveted prize: The Golden Spoon.

But for Betsy Martin, the renowned host of the show, Bake Week represents more than just a competition. Grafton Manor is her family's cherished heritage, and Bake Week is the culmination of her life's work. The continued success of both is of paramount importance to her.

However, as the competition gets underway, unsettling events begin to unfold. Initially, it's minor acts of sabotage: an ingredient substitution here, a stove turned up too high there.

But when a lifeless body is discovered, it becomes evident that for one of the competitors, The Golden Spoon is a prize they're willing to kill for.

I found the baking competition aspect of the book to be quite enjoyable. It evoked the same feelings I get when watching cooking shows—pure delight and a rumbling stomach. However, while the setup was promising, the story lost its momentum and presented some plot holes that were hard to ignore.

The narrative begins with the discovery of a dead body but then rewinds to recount events five days before. It unfolds through the perspectives of various characters, which keeps the pacing steady. However, my main concern is that the story is brimming with clichés. As expected, things start to go awry, leaving the reader to ponder whether it's just contestant nerves or someone intentionally sabotaging the competition. The reader is aware of a death from the outset, but it takes a considerable portion of the story to learn the victim's identity.

In essence, it employs the elements of a classic locked-room mystery, yet the writing and storyline feel somewhat rudimentary.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re a fan of Great British Baking Show and cozy murder mysteries, this is your book. Six amateur bakers convene in the tent at a Vermont estate for Bake Week, and plenty is jam-packed into the handful of days, as everyone vies for the coveted Golden Spoon prize. But it’s clear not everything is going to plan as someone starts sabotaging other contestants like the dreaded salt-replacing-sugar, etc, and things escalate when someone winds up dead. More than one person may be guilty as the competition heats up.
As a GBBS/GBBO fan, I loved the story following the characters and would love to see a sequel with them. However, when murder is a major part of the hook and the notion that it’s a murder mystery, it’s a bit odd that the murder doesn’t happen until more than 3/4 way through the book. I kept wondering when a mystery would really happen behind the micro retaliations in the competition. The ending felt open enough for a sequel so I hope if the story is continued, it doesn’t take as long to get to the big moments.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is out now.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell is an intriguing mystery about what happens when things on a typically lighthearted baking show get very, very sinister.

Bake Week is a show very similar to The Great British Bake Off. Contestants come and stay at Grafton Manor for a week to film the baking competition show. Hosted by Betsy Martin, it’s a show that focuses more on creativity and craft than on actual competition. But as weird things start happening and the contestants begin to grow nervous, one can’t help but wonder… is there someone trying to ruin Bake Week? Or are stress and nerves just getting to the contestants?

I read this book in both eBook and in audiobook format, depending on what I had available to me at the time. I preferred reading the eBook, although the audiobook is read by a full case which is fun considering how many different characters and perspectives there are.

I really enjoyed how this was a double decker mystery. Each character comes to bake week for a different reason and it was interesting to hear about their backstories and how they learned to bake. Lottie’s story of rediscovering Grafton Manor was very interesting, and I really liked Stella’s story as well.

Other characters were less fleshed out, which is fine, but I also would have liked to know more about them. Peter and Gerald were both very interesting to me but I got to know very little about them throughout the story.

If you're a food network junkie like myself, I think you'll find The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell to be a fun mystery. With a unique cast of characters with many secrets to hide, it's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I truly loved everything about this book (except for the fact it made me hungry!). Such a great mystery and is definitely worth all the hype that is surrounding it. Do yourself a big favor and read it (when you aren't hungry).

3.5 stars - This was a fun locked-room mystery! I love shows like The Great British Bake Off so this was a must read for me. While it was entertaining, I found it to be slower-paced and the ending felt a little too abrupt for me. Other than that, I enjoyed The Golden Spoon and am looking forward to more from this author.

Fun and easy to read - it was a little bit cookie-cutter for my usual taste, but a perfect beach read if you're into lighthearted murder mysteries....especially if you're also a Great British Bake-Off fan!

I really wanted to love this one. I love reality shows. I love cooking shows. I love reality cooking shows. And I love a murder mystery. This one unfortunately fell flat to me. It didn’t have much character development so I wasn’t rooting for anyone. I think there were too many different story lines going on, that none of them could shine bright enough for me.

I had higher hopes for a story including a cutthroat baking competition but it just didn’t pan out for me. The foundation is there, but it could have used more depth and layers to make it awesome. Nevertheless, will recommend to people who like cozy mysteries, cooking and/or baking and reality tv competitions.

**I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

The perfect marriage between mystery and intrigue and baking! I've noticed other comments stating that this is a cross between Clue and The Great British Bake-off, and this is a very apt statement. I enjoyed reading from the perspective of most of the characters, reading about clues that point to red herrings and other misdeeds in the book. The characters themselves are rather unlikable - I did not necessarily cheer on any of them as the week-long competition progressed in the book. However, the characters for the most part acknowledged their flaws (there are a few exceptions to this, but that rather gives away a bit of the unveil). The last third of the book kept me on the edge of my seat; I just had to find out how everything concluded.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this excellent book. Jessa Maxwell created a fictional show based on The Great British Baking Show, set it in an isolated mansion in the countryside, and started the book with the cooking show’s creator finding a dead body. From there the book goes back to the start of that week’s competition and introduces all the contestants and judges. Each character is well written and interesting, with their own motivations for being there. The ending was not easily guessed and it was hard to stop turning the pages until I got to the conclusion. In the days since, I find myself thinking about the ending and its moral implications. If you like Ruth Ware books, you will like this one.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell follows six amateur bakers competing against each other in Bake Week. This beloved baking show, and legacy of Betsy Martin, soon take a turn for the worse as competition gets unfriendly, small sabotages leading to unjust results and the discovery of a dead body. This discovery leaves everyone taken back and questioning who could commit murder?

The premise of this story started off on a high. Who wouldn't love to read a baking murder mystery? However, I found this severely missed the mark from the beginning. We were forced too many perspectives, switching quickly from host to competitor and back without really building depth in each short chapter. Each character seems to be too separated and from each other throughout this work. Despite this, I appreciated being able to delve into the characters, their stories, and recipes created and baked for each event.

The pacing of this whole story was off. We are reeled in on the premise of a dead body being found and then nothing happening for the majority of the book. The set-up/layout needed more thought put into it. I would have also liked to see a less rushed ending and more focus on the 'themes' of this book (thriller/mystery/cozy mystery).
The Golden Spoon had a lot of potential and would have fit as a novella better. I would be interested in reading more work from this author, depending on the themes and her development.

For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true. A former journalist, a pie aficionado, a math teacher, a bored millionaire, a retired nurse, and a building restorer are all vying for the coveted Golden Spoon.

A big white tent is pitched at Grafton Manor, an aging Vermont estate to film the tenth season of the popular TV show. But for the show's famous host, cookbook legend Betsy Martin, Bake Week is more than just a competition. Grafton Manor is her family’s home and legacy, and Bake Week is her life’s work.

But as the competition heats up, minor acts of sabotage begin; sugar and salt swap places, gasoline masquerades as orange essence, a refrigerator door mysteriously stands ajar, and a burner gets cranked up. Then a body is discovered, and it's clear not everyone is there for the love of baking.

As a fan of The Great British Baking Show, I was naturally drawn to this baking themed mystery. It’s billed as a mystery/thriller, but it leans more towards the cozy, locked-room subgenre, which isn’t my cup of tea. For the uninitiated, cozies are light-hearted mysteries that keep sex and violence offstage.

If I’m honest, the first half of the book had me yawning, and the ending felt like a sprint to the finish line. However, a delightful twist at the end caught me by surprise.

The Golden Spoon is a light, intriguing read. If you like authors such as Joanne Fluke, M.C. Beaton, Alan Bradley, Richard Osman, Rhys Bowen, or Lillian Jackson Braun, this book could be perfect for you. For me, it was just okay. It’s slated to become a limited series on Hulu, so if you are a fan of Hallmark and Lifetime movies, it could be an enjoyable watch. 3.5 stars.

** I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

This was a cute quick little cozy mystery for fans of bake off and Agatha Christie. I liked the different point of views, as it helped me understand each character better. I did feel the characters were still a little light on development and the ending felt rushed, but was still a great read/listen.