This was such a fun cozy mystery! It's the first book in Olivia Matthew's new Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries series and I can't wait to read the next ones. Bonus, she includes recipes for some of the amazing treats at the end of the book.

📖 Lyndsay is living her dream of opening a little Caribbean bakery with her family in Brooklyn. She is planning to serve all her favorite West Indian treats (which all sound so good) while helping support her community and family.

On opening day when Claudio, a disgruntled neighbor, and fellow bakery owner drops by to cause a bit of a ruckus and threatens to have Spice Isle Bakery shut down. Lyndsay is not going to take his threats lying down. She decides to confront him in the moment and has a heated exchange in front of the whole neighborhood.

The next day, news breaks that Claudio has been murdered, and due to the very public altercation, Lyndsay is the prime suspect. Now to prove her innocence and protect Spice Isle's reputation, she is on a quest to figure out who really killed Claudio before anything else goes wrong.

🎧 Janina Edwards narrates the audiobook. It's a great listen, entertaining, fun, and a quick listen. I would highly recommend checking it out. I can't wait for the next books in this series.

⚠️ Content Warnings ⚠️
This book contains descriptions of murder, bullying, death, gun violence, suicide, violence, drug abuse, and drug use.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the Advance Reader Copy of this audiobook!

Against the Currant is the story of how Lyndsay's dream to open a family bakery is about to come to fruition when she gets into an argument with another neighborhood baker and then he is murdered. Lyndsay is the police's main suspect so she and some of her family set out to identify other suspects as well as successfully get their bakery off the ground.

My biggest issue with this book was the premise of Lyndsay having a lifelong dream to open a bakery despite being unable to bake. Her parents aren't even characters; they just stay in the back of the bakery doing all of the baking and occasionally being hesitant about Lyndsay accepting other new projects when they are the only members of the family generating product.

The writing was good and the overall story was intriguing but everything felt a little one-dimensional.

The narration was good.

I'll 100% admit it, this adorable cover drew me in right away. How could I resist?

So glad I gave Olivia Matthews' Against the Currant a try. Matthews captures this little corner of Brooklyn perfectly (I live a few miles from this area, and I can promise it is just as colorful as the author's portrayal).

Creative, realistic characters fill the pages, even if the mystery itself is a scootch fantastical. It was still a lot of fun.

I listened to the audio edition of Against the Currant and I really enjoyed Janina Edwards' performance. Lovely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book’s cover had cozy mystery all over it, right down to the pun in the title. It did not disappoint—even including the recipe for the currant buns! The narrator was excellent—I was disappointed in the lack of West Indian accents at the start of the book, but it was explained away as we were introduced to other members of the family with distinct and appropriate accents!

Lyndsay Murray has brought her family together to make her dream come true—the Spice Isle Bakery is ready for business. But not everyone in the neighborhood is thrilled, and when its biggest detractor turns up murdered, Lyndsay is the number one suspect.

To clear her name, she begins her own investigation to cast suspicion away from herself—but can she solve the case in time to save her bakery’s reputation?

With family and friends supporting her, she gets close enough to become the murderer’s target herself. Will she make her way through the twists and dead ends in time to save herself?

Advertised as first in a series—looking forward to seeing what comes next, and planning to try the recipes provided!

the fact that this book has recipes makes me like it so much more. i truly enjoyed the fact that the suspect wasn’t so obvious like in other books. this book has so many different aspects in it. murder, family, food. truly a delight to read

this was okay not enough to the plot to keep me interested i wanted more but it never came. i just wanted more

lyndsay murray is strong and capable and could probably beat up anyone who tried to hurt herself or her family. she knows how to fight. but when she gets framed for murder and her name and her family’s bakery’s name is dragged under, she’s clueless of what to do.

this is a cute cozy mystery with a fantastic main character who’s strong, yet shy. i loved lyndsay. she’s not naturally social and has a good bit of anxiety, which makes it all the more interesting that she’s into kickboxing. it’s just such a great contrast.

although she’s clearly strong and can easily take care of herself, her overprotective older brother and parents all treat her as though she’s weak and needs to be protected. her family really annoyed me for a while. her brother gave opinions when there wasn’t any need for one and her parents acted like she didn’t have her own mind. this is when i realized that she’s actually in the exact same situation as me, and it was very weird to see. it was very easy to relate to her character and she seemed very real. i also appreciated how even though she was technically the owner of the family’s bakery, her baking skills were constantly judged by her family. it was so unnecessary of them and so realistic for a youngest child to be treated like that (from my own experience).

AND HER GRANDMA WAS AMAZING

the characterization in this book was fun to read, but it didn’t change the fact that the book wasn’t the most memorable. whenever i put it down, i didn’t often have a very strong urge to pick it up. if i hadn’t gotten it as an audiobook, i’m not sure i would’ve.

the audiobook itself has a great narrator and is very fun :)

a very cute cozy mystery which will make u hungry!!! do not read without food present.

I really wanted to like this one, but it just wasn't for me. The female MC really annoyed me. I had high hopes for this one and was really excited to read it, but I think I ended up being more upset with it as the story went on, because I just didn't like the main character. This doesn't mean that others won't enjoy this story, and I loved the premise and the other characters, just not the main one and that kind of ruined it for me.

I'm obsessed and this is just book 1! Cozy mysteries are one of my favorite genres and especially cozy mysteries. I'm completely invested in this world and these character. I loved Lyndsay and her family, especially her grandma. I can Lyndsay growth and am very much looking forward to the next book. She's a great protagonists and yes she had some growing up to do but I'm enjoying her inner badassness emerging. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to try a lot of Carribean food but the recipes and the food in the book always left me hungry...I'm still trying to figure out were to get currant rolls in my city..lol. the mysteries was also great
..lots of twist and turns and everything you thought you knew who it could be a new suspect popped up. I will say the Cops though were frustrating...like were they even looking for another suspect. I also see the hint of possible live interest for Lyndsay...I see two possible so far but can wait to see how it will play out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to the audiobook of Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews in exchange for an honest review.

CW: murder, knife violence, see full list on StoryGraph

This was such a fun cozy mystery! I loved getting to learn more about Caribbean foods as a part of this novel. I cannot say that the mystery was particularly interesting or intriguing, the true highlight of this novel is in the family relationship amongst the main characters.

If you're an avid fan of cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out!

This audiobook was very good! I especially enjoyed the accent of the narrator, it made the story much more realistic.

You have a deep rooted family connection, characters that build great relationships, and a brand new bakery! Everything goes downhill when bakery owner, Lyndsay, is framed for the death of a neighboring New York bakery owner. Lyndsay and her family goes on their own investigation to clear her name and correct the press.

It's such a cozy murder mystery. Kept me pleasantly entertained! So many twists and turns, I was surprisingly wrong with my guesses! It's refreshing to read a story and not be able to predict what's next.

Deep family connection, FMC character development, and dessert recipes! What more would you ask for in a cozy, west Indian Mystery series? Can't wait to listen to the next one!

Thank you NetGalley And Olivia. This review is of my own honest opinion.

DNF. I don't know why I couldn't get into this story, I had such high hopes for this book, but it didn't hook me in the way most cozy mysteries do. Will try again at a later date, because I love the premise.

I thought this one was just okay. I wish I had more to say, but this one didn't leave much of an impression for me either way.

This book was super cute and fun to read! I love the interplay between the entire family and how much they love and support each other. I can't wait for the next installment. I also love that this is written and represents BIPOC people! Off to look for more books by Olivia Matthews!

#AgainsttheCurrant
#NetGalley

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Against the Currant is a cozy murder mystery (seems like an oxymoron, but that's the best way to describe these types of novels) that follows our main character, Lyndsay Murry. Having just opened her new bakery, Spice Isle Bakery, the local competition decides to come in and confront her on opening day. Frustrated that he expects her to just close up shop because he told her to, she publicly shuts him down. After all, their bakeries don't even sell the same products! Her competition, Claudio, is well known in the area for being involved in questionable practices. She nearly gets a standing ovation when she tells him off! Unfortunately, this stand off would come back to haunt her days later when Claudio is found dead, and Lyndsay is their top suspect.

I love these kinds of mystery books so much!! I love the way food is described and the fact that, yes, they did include some of the recipes!! I cannot wait to make some of these myself once I pick up a physical copy of this book. I really like Lyndsay's character and her drive to keep her bakery and her family's reputation on the up and up. There's no inherent romance plot in this either, which is a little surprising for these novels, but I actually really liked that. It kept our main character from being swayed away from her goal. I LOVE the little kick boxing side story, we love a strong female lead (both physically and mentally) and how it came to be useful in her investigation. The narrator was wonderfully picked, I especially cracked up at her sound effects for the boxing training sequences. I cannot wait to read the next volume in this series!

I read a combined audiobook and digital arc edition of this book so I got the best of both worlds!

Lyndsay Murray has always dreamed of opening up her own bakery, and after years of planning and saving up she can finally do just that. Lyndsay along with her family are opening up Spice Isle Bakery, but on opening day a competing bakery owner comes in and accuses them of stealing customers and threatens them. Soon after that, this other bakery owner ends up dead and the police think Lyndsay is suspect number one because of the argument that they had that so many people saw happen. It is up to Lyndsay to clear her name and ensure that the family business isn't hurt by this accusation.

Overall I loved this story so much. I adored Lyndsay and her family and how they were finally getting to live out a dream and share their culture with others through food. You could tell that they were all really passionate about it and just wanted to do and share what they loved with their neighbors. The way that Lyndsay went about trying to figure out what had happened to the other shop owner, and how she was able to get people to talk to her was interesting because the entire area knew she was being accused of being the killer by the police. For some, this helped get them to talk more, and for others, it made them suspicious of why she was asking so many questions which was understandable. I loved getting to see all the different interactions that Lyndsay had with her family, especially her grandma who always believed in her and was so proud of her.
The ending of this book was surprising, I still had no idea who was the real killer until it was revealed and I was absolutely shocked in some ways because of how they had been acting throughout the story.

I cannot wait for book two in this series now because I have no idea what is going to happen next, or how Lyndsay is going to get involved in another mystery. Hopefully in the next one shes, not the one being accused for a change.


For the audio portion, I loved how the narrator would switch voices slightly depending on who was talking. It helped me keep track of who was talking and how the story progressed as time passed. little things like that I really appreciate when listening to audiobooks especially when I don't have the physical copy in front of me to follow along with. I highly recommend both the physical/kindle and audiobook.

A cute little mystery, but was a little simplistic and read like a YA novel. Lyndsey is a daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean and has finally realized her dream of opening a bakery in her home town of Flatbush, NY. The stories about her close family and friends was a warm and enjoyable part of the book. At the soft opening of her bakery, Lyndsey gets into a very public fight with a rude, established bakery owner in the area who didn’t want Lyndsey to open her bakery. When Fabrizio shows up murdered later, Lyndsey is the prime suspect. And unfortunately, it looks like someone was trying to frame her on top of everything else! Lyndsey’s life gets turned upside down and she decides to pursue an investigation of her own, since the police seem insistent on blaming her. The plot was a little simple, but the characters were lovable and cozy for the most part. In some places, the dialogue and plot was downright childish. Overall, it wasn’t bad and I would liken it to a lifetime tv movie in print. Not bad, but also not for me. Thanks to #netgalley for letting me preview.

Against the Currant is a new cozy mystery series by Olivia Matthews. It’s a charming, sweet, mystery about Lyndsay and her close-knit, supportive family who opens a Caribbean bakery and cafe in a small neighborhood of Brooklyn, which is Lyndsay’s life-long dream. She has saved her whole life for this opportunity and the bakery is proving to be a huge success on their soft opening. When a rather heated argument takes place between usually soft-spoken Lyndsay, and the infamously caustic Claudio, antagonistic nearby bakery owner, the breakfast customers support her for standing up to the bully. However, when he is found murdered later that day, all fingers point to Lyndsay, despite other viable options.

I loved the people, the strong sense of family and community and the rich culture and tradition displayed in this story. I did find it to be rather slow in getting to the actual investigation and somewhat repetitive in regards to various speculations and aspects of the crime. This caused me to lose a bit of interest in the plot despite the novel’s charm. The culprit was fairly obvious, though the conclusion offered a nice final twist.

This simplistic, sweet cozy mystery offers a unique and heart-warming variation to this genre, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just hope that in the next addition to the series, the plot is a tad more complex and less redundant.

Janina Edwards narrated the audio-version of this book and definitely added a sense of personality and reality to the character.s. She has distinct voices for each character and they felt very natural.

This is a charming beginning to a new cozy mystery series! Lyndsay is a relatable, endearing protagonist. I love that she is independent and loves her family and culture. I love that this followed the cozy mystery framework but included diversity about the family's culture and food! Family is important in this one, and I adored that. The food descriptions were to die for, and I love that we get recipes in the back of the book. I highly recommend this one!

This book offered a fun whodunnit and falsely accuse story. I really enjoyed the family relationships and how they grounded the bakery business and the characters together. I found the story a bit repetitive towards the last third, but it really picked up at the end with an excellent twist. Lyndsay was a great lead character and I felt connected to her and rooted for her and her business. Overall it was a fun read and I would read the next book in the series.