I loved this book! It was high drama and delicious and a lot of fun. It was a mystery with a cozier side, but I would not describe it as the genre "cozy mystery". There is an amateur sleuth, but other than that it was definitely only the edgier side which I loved. It was on the slower side, but there was also a lot going to parse through. The descriptions of the soul food made me hungry and I loved Savvy's passion for her cafe and her desire to keep innovating. There are a bunch of different threads here and I am so impressed Savvy was able to muddle through, because there were so many secrets and people with sketchy intent, that I kept changing my mind about my suspicions. I love how she had no problem looking into things and how everything came together in the end was so well done (loved the tai chi). Mostly I loved getting to know Savvy and her cafe and hope we get to see more of her!

This is the first book from Sandra Jackson-Opoku that I have read.

I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. Savvy keeps investigating even though she doesn’t seem to uncover any evidence until the end.

I received an advanced readers copy from Netgalley and these are my own opinions.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes was such a fun read! Cozy and fast-paced, it pulled me in with its snarky humor and emotional depth.

Savvy Summer, the owner of the beloved family-run Essie’s Soul Food Café, is known for her award-winning sweet potato pie. While attending a community wedding anniversary celebration, a shocking revelation stuns the guests. The next day, the husband visits Essie's, eats a slice of Savvy's famous pie… and dies. Suddenly, Savvy is accused of poisoning him, putting both her livelihood and her freedom in jeopardy.

From there, we’re taken on a whirlwind journey to uncover the real culprit and their motives. I loved how realistic the world felt—this could have been any small town, even though it's set in Chicago. I was especially impressed by how Sandra Jackson-Opoku captured a cozy, small-town vibe in the middle of a big city. That’s not easy to pull off, and she did it with charm.

Savvy and her assistant manager, Penny Lopes, made a great duo. Savvy is the calm, collected one; Penny is the wild card. Their friendship was warm, funny, and relatable—like sitting in the café eavesdropping on two aunties. The supporting characters were just as thoughtfully written, each one serving a clear purpose in the story while also feeling like real people you could care about.

I can’t wait to see what mystery Savvy gets pulled into next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books, and Sandra Jackson-Opoku for the ARC of this entertaining book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this delightful debut in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an absolute treat! With a vibrant South Side Chicago setting, mouthwatering soul food descriptions, and a fierce, funny heroine at the center, this cozy mystery had me hooked from page one.

Savvy Summers is a force—smart, stubborn, and full of heart. I loved her voice and the way she balanced running a beloved café with amateur sleuthing after a customer dies suspiciously mid-meal. The mystery itself was fun and well-paced, with plenty of red herrings and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

Bonus points for the strong sense of community, a colorful supporting cast (Penny is a riot), and just the right sprinkle of second-chance romance. My only wish? A little more depth in the final reveal—it wrapped a tad too neatly for my taste. But overall, this was a fantastic start to what I hope is a long-running series.

Fans of cozy mysteries, foodie fiction, or strong female leads—this one's for you. And yes, I’m still craving that sweet potato pie.

Savvy is a funny, observant, cool customer who inhabits a richly interconnected world. It means a lot of what makes a cozy mystery work...the cast of characters, the sleuth's motivations, and the tone of the storytelling...are all present and accounted for from the get-go.

Just in case you're wondering, the sweet potato pie of the title (which, I'll note approvingly, is both vegan and murder weapon after a certain...addition's made) is very much part of the story line. You will not do well with your diet during this read. Calorie restriction and food-item substitution regimes are not supported by this author's descriptions of food. I would marry Savvy's macaroni and cheese and/or collards as described.

No quotes...I'm not that cruel.

Part of the charm of a series mystery is the scoobygroup of side characters, and the sidekick or assistant sleuth. Penny seems likely to do the latter sparkly and sneaky (a little too sneaky) role, and Savvy's grumblybear ex-husband Fanon does a lot of the fun sparking with her. He totally gets that Savvy's innocent and does things he might maybe shouldn't've because he knows Savvy so well.

So where's the fifth star, fussbudget? I can hear one partic'lar friend say. It got stuck in the run-around-accomplish-nothing middle third. The scumbag who wants to make profits *ptooptoo* without ethics takes up a lot of space. It's not quite there but it's close, like the sweet potato pie out of the oven just before it sets. I found the vernacular easy on my readerly ear; others will not feel it adds anything and might take away from their positive experience. My Rob was in the latter camp.

I'm also required to mention that Savvy is not an eager, nosy sleuth; she's compelled to act because she's got skin in this game as her pie's being blamed for a death that, frankly, ought to upset no one. Oh yeah...that's another piece of a star gone, it seems to me a lot of amateur-sleuth mysteries now are leaning hard on the crutch of making the victim a rotten-souled bastard. The use of that trope here makes a touch more sense, because it's Savvy's pie thus her reputation, but honestly? Just chalk this one up to cleanin' the gene pool, officer, and move on with your day.

So no...not a perfect read. A perfectly fun one, yes, and one I think will give a lot of summertime smiles to most all y'all.

TL/DR: A different take on a cozy murder mystery set in South Side Chicago with some of the best soul food around. The world is rich, the characters richer and the food makes me want to crawl through the page. Thankfully, the author was kind enough to include recipes. This is a great book that I recommend wholeheartedly, not only is it a great murder mystery, Miss Savvy drops some knowledge from her Great-Aunt Essie that I might just start incorporating into my own life. Need more? See below.

Although the author has published other books, mostly literary and historical fiction, she has always loved reading mysteries and wanted to start writing in that genre. Enter Miss Savvy Summers, a sassy, strong, curious and funny Chicago soul food chef. Although the beginning can feel a little chaotic, there are a lot of characters introduced, please try and stick with it. This is a rich world that I hope you don’t miss out on.

The setting is rich and authentic, Miss Savvy is a strong, no nonsense woman who has worked hard and lifts those around her up. Her employee Penny is one heck of a character herself. Unfortunately, someone dies in her diner and she starts to lose business even though she had nothing to do with it. Then there may have been another murder and she and Penny are somehow connected to and now they determined to solve both of them and get the diner back on track.

If that isn’t enough to intrigue you, maybe Great-Aunt Essie’s sayings will. “You do your best listening at mealtimes ‘cause that’s when people do their best talking”. Then there are recipes at the end. I loved it!

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and my review is voluntarily given. As always, I wish you happy reading!

I really enjoyed the plot of this debut! The first few chapters were hard to get into with how many characters were introduced. It felt like speed dating, but once past that initial onslaught it was quite an entertaining read.

The main character Savvy was sassy, knowledgeable and determined. To keep her business afloat and prove that she wasn’t the one taking out shady individuals, she went through a series of plots and plans to find out who the actual culprit was.

I loved how intricate the plot was, and every time I thought I had it figured out I was shocked!

I usually read romances so this novel was a nice departure from my routine. I was here for the hijinks and colorful characters. Savvy Summers channeled her inner Sherlock Holmes with her partner-in-crime, Penny Lopes, doing her part as the femme Watson. I did not see some of the twists and turns coming, which is what you want in any good mystery. The author definitely kept me guessing until the very end. If you enjoy shows like Only Murders in The Building and/or Murder, She Wrote, you will like this book. Thanks NetGalley and Minotaur for this ARC..

3.75/5

In many ways this one reminded me of Vera Wong, but with soul food. Savvy Summers is a grandmother who’s on her third career running a soul food cafe on the southside of Chicago. When one of her regular customers dies in cafe people blame her sweet potato pie. But his death is ruled an accidental overdose. Savvy, however, suspects foul play. When a second customer dies of the same overdose and the police still refuse to investigate, she and her sous chef with the help of her cop ex-husband decide to solve the mystery themselves. Which of their friends and family is guilty?

First, I cannot talk about this book without talking about the food! Savvy’s cooking made me hungry. So many elevated southern dishes and amazing desserts. I wanted to pull up a chair and order one of everything on the menu. I loved that the book included recipes!

Also I loved the characters in this book. A main character in her 60s? Yes please! And the supporting cast was excellent. All unique and memorable. Their relationships drove the book.

The mystery definitely kept me guessing till the end. And that ending was intense!

If you love good food, cosy mysteries, and older main characters, you need to read this book.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @readforeverpub for the chance to review this ARC and to @hachetteaudio for the ALC.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes introduces Savvy Summers, a vibrant retired teacher turned café owner on Chicago’s South Side, whose signature sweet potato pie becomes central in a murder investigation. When a longtime customer drops dead after tasting her vegan pie, Savvy—alongside her assistant Penny and ex-husband, Officer Fanon—takes detective matters into her own hands to clear her name and save her café. Jackson‑Opoku blends cozy mystery with soul food culture, delivering witty dialogue, rich community detail, and authentic Black vernacular that brings the setting vividly to life. While some readers find the heavy use of regional slang a bit challenging, Savvy’s charm and the story’s twisty suspect pool keep the pages turning. This flavorful debut charms with cozy intrigue, memorable characters, and a touch of culinary magic—perfect for fans of food‑centric mysteries.

Well well well where has this author been hiding!!

Savvy is a badass, running her biz and makingthe kind of food that made me drool.

I really enjoyed the murder and the investigation that went with it. OHHH and the secrets were delicious and I love how we got the story laid out. It was sweet and cizy and exactly what I needed to read.

i loved the side characters too!

Brilliant book!!

4.5 stars

This was an exceptional cozy mystery!! We really got to see Savvy running her business and making all that great food. There were some events that she worked on that weren’t extremely detailed, but I thought it helped it flow well with the way Savvy was telling the story. The murder and investigation and the secrets were well done. It could have descended into something grittier and smuttier, but it didn’t. It managed to be funny and maintain the cozy. The people around Savvy were supportive and a great addition to the story. This book is just what I wanted. It is cozy, but less twee than some cozies. I can’t wait to see what Savvy gets up to next.

I love a good cozy mystery and this book didn't disappoint. This a new author and I look forward to more books from her. Bonus was that he setting was in Chicago (my home town). You had me at Sweet Potato, this book made me want to eat while reading.

Savvy Summers is a relatable character, despite the fact that she comes from a completely different world than I do. (The rural northeast is not the same as the Chicago South Side, after all.) Savvy is an independent woman, with friends, acquaintances, an ex, a widow’s heart, and an empty nest. She sees everyone for who they are, which is, for the most part, multi-faceted. The characters are plentiful (edging on a few too many to keep them all straight), and all have their own unique interests, motivations, and personalities. Using the tools at her disposal, a gossipy employee, her ex (who happens to be a cop), and guidance from memories of her deceased aunt’s advice, she clumsily tackles clearing her name when a local man dies in her cafe. As in all good cozies, there’s a touch of humor and a dash of potential romance. This is a great read for a summer day. I look forward to more Savvy Summers in the future!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this engaging mystery.

SAVVY SUMMERS and the SWEET POTATO CRIMES is a well-crafted, cozy murder mystery with a unique, middle-aged protagonist whose talent for serving the best soul food and sweet potato pie has made her restaurant on Chicago's south side famous. Business is booming . . . until seventy-five-year-old Grandy Jaspers drops dead while sitting at table two eating Savvy's to-die-for sweet potato pie. While police rule the death as accidental, the bad press spreads like wildfire and just like that, the business is in trouble. With suspicions and rumors flying, Savvy decides to go uncover as an amateur sleuth and find out what really killed Grandy. She knows it wasn't her sweet potato pie. Joined by sidekick assistant manager Penny Lopes, Savvy cooks up a plan to clear her name and keep her restaurant afloat.
Author Sandra Jackson-Opoku's debut novel is a cozy mystery with a ton of laughs, soul food, and murder all tossed in a pot and served up as a deliciously entertaining whodunnit that's highly entertaining. Savvy is a strong, spunky character that readers will identify with as is her quirky sidekick, Penny. They play off each other in a manner reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel of I Love Lucy fame which is hilarious. I enjoyed the introduction of a middle-aged main character with a sharp mind unafraid to stand up for herself. A large, convoluted cast of characters seem a bit confusing at first, but roles are soon claimed, and the story is off and running. A sea of red herrings threatens to spoil the stew, but Savvy Summers won't stop until she sifts through facades and unearths the truth. Afterall, her reputation as a chef and her famous sweet potato pie are at risk.

SAVVY SUMMERS and the SWEET POTATO PIE is an entertaining cozy mystery with charismatic characters serving up a plate full of soul food. Armchair detectives will enjoy figuring out whodunnit while rolling on the floor in laughter. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Savvy and her crew. Highly recommend to fans of cozy mysteries.

I was so excited to read this book! It is the perfect cozy mystery- a great lead character, interesting secondary characters and a mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the series..
Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a wonderful cozy mystery based in my favorite city, Chicago! Savvy is an owner of a cafe known for her cooking but when a man dies while eating one of her sweet potato pies the suspicions around her and those around her rise. Savvy is determined not to let that get to her and she must prove her innocence! With her assistant manager, Penny, at her side together they start to piece together who was actually behind these murders.
It was a fun and entertaining read and the "how" the murders happened actually made me giggle, it was so silly.

This book was exactly what I needed. If you're looking for fun and quirky with just enough mystery to keep me from being able to put it down.

I will fully admit I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but it was just such a fun read, Every time I thought I had it figured out I hadn't and that's what I love about mysteries.

Savvy is one of those characters that's going to be in my mind for a long time, she's smart and witty and seems to attract adventure like she's a post-it it but I love her and would love to see more of her crime-solving feats... and food, there needs to be more food in books.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sandra Jackson-Opoku for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes coming out July 29, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy murder mysteries. I definitely thought Savvy Summers was set in summer. I didn’t realize it was the character’s name until I started reading it. But I really enjoyed the setting. I enjoyed the characters. I thought it was a good group of different characters. I loved the food references. I would definitely check out more books by this author!

Who is poisoning these men around her? After being present in two different situations where a man mysteriously dies, Savvy must do something to figure out who is going after these people. Especially since it is hurting her cafe, and after the first incident, it hasn't recovered. Even though those around her try to discourage her, Savvy knows that she must figure out who is behind the killings before someone else or even she ends up dead. It's a fun, quick read that leaves you wanting to figure out who is behind the murders.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the eARC!