Overall this is a good, cozy mystery with some wonderful characters and fun banter amongst them; Savvy being my favorite. I enjoyed the plot and thought it moved along at a good pace.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Savvy Summers And The Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson Opoku, savvy is a 57 year-old widow who owns a soul food catering company and restaurant. With her assistant sous chef penny la paste who’s also a whirl class gossiper brings a lot of of the lol moments to this cozy murder mystery. when Granderson Jaspers falls dead in her dining room savvy is sad but then when rumors start going around that it was her sweet potato pie that killed him, she ignores it at first, but when it starts causing her problems she desperately wants to clear her name. just went Sally starts to think Alderman Delbert daily is a good suspect he too dies at this time instead of eating the sweet potato pie he gets hit in the face by it it isn’t the pies that are killing these older men. Can savvy solve the murder and get her business back on track? I have been becoming a huge fan of cozy mysteries and this one to me was just OK. I was super excited to read it but thought the book had no ambience to it and being someone who is raised in the deep south around a family like the Jasper’s I didn’t feel any real connection to them nor did the narrative provoke any “oh yes that seems familiar“ type situations I also have never heard the term bless their naked souls and I am not saying I’m an expert on things everyone in the world says but when it comes to colloquialisms I just have never heard that. not only that she cooks vegetarian soul food and she has a policeman who is a connoisseur of tea and maybe it is mixing the familiar up with the new and strange that jarred me away from truly enjoying this book because I really did like savvy and Penny but there were too many things that had me thinking it just didn’t seem like a credible group of people IDK.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonostReview, #SandraJacksonOpoku, #SavvySummersAndTheSweetPotatoCrimes,

A fantastic set of characters and setting. The plot is interesting and everyone is a little unhinged. Perfect for cozy mystery fans.

Savvy Summers has to solve a man's murder. After dying in her soul food cafe, Grandy Jaspers a womanizer is going to run her business into the ground from the grave. But who did it? A disgruntled wife or the mistress? The sleezy local politician or real estate mogul? Savvy herself or any of the other Chi town locals?

3.75/5

Thank you to #NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Death by Viagra. Grandy was a horn dog all of his days, but his wife of fifty years still loves him and needs help to convince the police that she did not do murder. Lots of family drama, situational humor, and lively characters in this excellent Black Chicago cozy mystery debut.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from the St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley. Pub Date Jul 29 2025
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I love cozy mysteries and while I don't read them enough I do get a kick out of them when I do! This one is a great start to a new series. Solid characters that I can't wait to grow with and a murder mystery that had me stumped!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Savvy Summers as she runs her own cafe and catering company, a man dies in her cafe quickly after eating her sweet potato pie. This draws Savvy into solving the real cause of his death since it affects her business’s reputation.

Unfortunately this story failed to grasp my attention and up until about 50-60% of the story the narration keep jumping timelines to give background to new characters, it made it hard to care about the actual plot of the mystery since it kept pulling us out of the current timeline. It is only about 80% into the story the deaths are officially ruled murder and at that point there were too many characters that it was hard to keep up with who the actual murderer could be and why, then resolution just felt rushed.

I really wanted to love this one—I was excited to try a new-to-me author and the premise sounded fun and fresh. Savy Summers was definitely the highlight for me. I loved her quick wit and no-nonsense attitude, and she really carried the story. That said, I did struggle with the book overall. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and between the nicknames and detailed descriptions, I found myself getting lost at times. The writing felt a bit heavy in places, which made it harder to stay focused. Still, I think there’s a lot of potential here, and I’d be open to giving the author another try. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy.

While Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes was not for me, for the right reader it might be fun. I was drawn to the setting, the South Side of Chicago and I love a culinary focus. I found the vernacular distracting, Snappy repartee can move a story forward but it's not for me. While I liked Savvy there were an awful lot of unlikable characters. I think I like my cozy mysteries a little cozier.

Savvy Summers runs Essie’s Café, a soul food restaurant on Chicago’s southside using her Aunt Essie’s recipes, especially her Sweet Potato Pie. When Grandy Jaspers dies in the café after eating her pie, her reputation, restaurant and her dreams are all in peril. When the police aren’t interested in investigating the death of Grandy, Savvy along with her sous chef, Penny Lopes, become amateur sleuths to solve the death.

This is a delightful cozy mystery, the characters are enjoyable, the mystery has genuine intrigue and I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. The relationship between Savvy and her ex-husband is sweet, the back & forth between Penny and Savvy reminds me of close friendships and even the antics of Grandy are fun to read. Don’t miss this cozy mystery with recipes included for some yummy fun.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes was a whole ride! From the very first chapter, this thriller had me hooked. Savvy is sharp, bold, and just the right amount of nosy, and watching her unravel this twisted mystery was pure entertainment.

The pacing was solid, the plot twists were juicy, and there were moments that genuinely had me gasping. I especially loved how the story balanced suspense with personality—Savvy’s charm and wit made it all the more fun to read.

If you’re into thrillers with clever leads, unexpected turns, and a bit of Southern flair, this one’s definitely worth a spot on your TBR.

This cozy mystery took a bit to get going, but once Savvy dove into the sleuthing, I was hooked. The murder method? Wild. The characters? A mix of fun, frustrating, and shady. Savvy’s dynamic with her ex-husband Fanon was a highlight—I’d read more of them solving crimes together.

Definitly entertaining. A solid pick if you like your mysteries quirky and set in a big city.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a good cozy debut novel. I enjoyed the characters that Sandra Jackson Opoku created for the most part.
Savvy thinks she’s a great detective though she gets herself into situations when I just wondered… really?
I think Penny her friend and go worker was my fave.
I enjoyed the setting of in Chicago for a cozy mystery in a big city.
The story and who the killer was did surprise me to a point but it did take me a while to finish this as at times kept me interested and at other times I had to force myself to pick it back up.

Thank you to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well-written, I really enjoyed this book! Great mystery; also loved how all recipes are included at the end of the book. I might try one of the recipes from the book.

Savvy Summers, proprietor of a soul food café on Chicago’s south side, knows her community well – and they know her cooking. When 75-year-old womanizer Grandy Jaspers dies in her café, she feels compelled to investigate. Not only is her café’s reputation on the line, but she also knows something shady is going on. She and friend/employee Penny Lopes come up with a list of suspects. They also find an ally in Savvy’s ex-husband, Fanon, who is a cop.

The story starts with a flurry of action – Savvy is catering the 50th anniversary party of Grandy Jaspers and his long-suffering wife, Mattie. There’s a cast of characters flying at the reader fast and furious, and it took a minute to get my bearings. But it certainly set the stage for what was to come.
I really loved Savvy. She’s smart and caring, but she doesn’t suffer fools (for the most part). I also liked that she was a little older and had already Her sidekick, Penny, is feisty (like any good sidekick) and maybe into some shady dealings of her own (maybe that will be investigated later in this series). I also liked the conclusion of the story and how it all came together.

I think the book could have used one more edit before, or even just a proofread. A few things seemed a bit repetitious. Despite that, I would definitely read another book in this series.

I finished the book wanting to give it a chance but the victim and everyone's casual cheating ways ruined the story. On the plus side I am excited to try the recipe included in the book.

Great mystery! I'm so glad much of the story revolved around food. The sweet potato pie on the cover is what made me pick up this book and everyone appreciating Savvy's cooking kept me interested. Each time I thought I had the mystery figured out someone else would step in and make me change my mind. Savvy is lucky to have someone like Essie whispering in her ear along with a jazzy musical soundtrack. Fun characters.

Reading this made me feel like it was 90 degrees out and I was sitting on a stoop. The atmosphere was so well done; it would be a great addition to your summer bag. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I didn’t try too hard at it. The important ones come up again and, in a cozy, it’s about the snooping not the ultimate solution!

Savvy, her assistant, Penny, her ex-husband, Fanon, and some other characters have extensive backstories, so I think this was the exposition-heavy start to a series and future novels can build on it with brisker plots.

Thank you so much to Sandra Jackson- Opoku and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the eARC of this. It is a good debut novel that took me a little longer to get through. It's worth a read if you love food and mysteries.

Thank you to Minitaur Books and the author for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I picked up *Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes*, I was expecting a lighthearted mystery with just the right dash of Southern charm—and Sandra Jackson-Opoku delivered! The book feels like sitting down with an old friend who’s full of secrets, quirks, and irresistible humor.

Savvy Summers is a protagonist you can’t help but root for. She’s witty, resourceful, and just the right amount of nosy—qualities you need when you’re knee-deep in solving peculiar crimes involving sweet potatoes. I loved following her journey as she uncovered secrets that were equal parts intriguing and deliciously absurd.

The atmosphere of the story is where Jackson-Opoku truly shines. She has an uncanny ability to transport you to a town that’s alive with vibrant personalities, rich traditions, and a dose of hilarity. While the mystery itself doesn’t reinvent the genre, it’s engaging enough to keep the pages turning—and let’s be real, who doesn’t love a sweet potato twist?

If I have one critique, it’s that some of the subplots seemed to fizzle out without resolution. But that didn’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment. With its warmth, humor, and endearing characters, *Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes* is a delightful addition to the cozy mystery genre. Solid 4 stars—definitely worth reading with a side of sweet potato pie!

I actually really enjoyed this book and probably wouldn't have come across it otherwise. Good story and really well written