Savvy Summers owns and operates a soul food cafe. She is known for her sweet potato pie and when a regular dies at table 2 she now has more than cooking to do. When the police don't investigate the death as murder, she takes it upon herself to find the killer. Fun read that has interesting characters.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a cozy mystery for those who love good food and a feisty, bold female protagonist. Savvy Summers opens a soul food cafe in honor of her aunt Essie. When one of her geriatric patrons drops dead in her restaurant, Savvy is motivated to find out what happened for the sake of justice and the reputation of her cooking. Although Aunt Essie is long departed, her voice accompanies Savvy throughout the novel and offers wisdom and comedy throughout. This book would set a great foundation for a series if Sandra Jackson-Opoku is interested!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a good listen.

Savvy and Fanon need to get the water from under the bridge. There is still something there.

Shystein is a trip. She “likeded” what Grandy was doing, despite him having a whole wife. And her getting in trouble at work, I believe she did exactly what she was accused of. Does she know who the father is of her unborn child? Laquita and Camila gossiping was funny.

Savvy doing sleuth work was honestly better than the actual police. Her impersonating Sgt. Jacob’s had me shaking my head, but also, I don’t like Sgt. Jacobs, so 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Penny is a character herself. She holds nothing back, and she speaks her mind.

Delbert and Grandy were some Rolling Stones, with their old behinds.

Every Ann and Shystein? Should’ve known.

3 ⭐️ Advanced Reader Review!

Essie’s, a soul food cafe in the heart of south side Chicago, is a place where people go to enjoy some quality food made with love, and the proprietor Savvy Summers is a trusted member of the community. But when Grandy Jaspers, the neighborhood ladies man, drops dead at table two, Savvy quickly finds herself at the center of some very bad press.

Even though the police rule Grandy’s death an accident, folks don’t often want to patronize an establishment where someone has died. In order to clear her name and keep her business running, Savvy and her assistant Penny take it upon themselves to find out what actually happened to Grandy. But with investors looking to buy her place, customers avoiding her food, and her ex-husband back in the picture, will Savvy be able to find the truth before everything falls apart?

My thoughts: I really loved the characters in the book. I feel like I know Savvy and Penny so well, as someone who is born and raised in the deep South. However, there were a lot of characters, and sometimes it was hard to remember who was who and how they were all connected.

The pacing of the story also felt off to me. I could never grasp what day it was in relation to when Grandy died until it was explicitly said. So it was hard to be a part of the story when I had no concept of time.

Overall, I love a good cozy mystery, and this one was just okay for me. I felt connected to the characters, but not necessarily invested in the story. 3/5 stars

This is the first book I've read from this author. Sometimes I find cozy mysteries a little boring, but the character and the story both felt fresh and compelling. I would love to read more books with Savvy.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book.

Food, secrets, and murder is the name of the game in Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku. This story has the perfect mix of a murder mystery with a dash of humor. There are some very interesting cast of characters in this book. Readers will root for Savvy as she tries to solve this murder on her own. What makes a good mystery is when the reader tries to figure out whodunnit and is shocked when the true culprit is revealed. Sandra Jackson-Opoku succeeded in doing this and more with Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes. This is a wonderful start to a new series.

This is a great start to a new series. Rounded up from 3.5*.

Savvy Summers is the owner of a soul food cafe but when one of her customers dies after eating a piece of her sweet potato pie Savvy doesn't believe he had a heart attack but was poisoned. There were a lot of characters, and I didn't feel this was really a cozy mystery. There were some rather dark things, other than the murder, that happened taking it out of the cozy category for me. I look forward to knowing more about Savvy, her new venture, her ex-husband, Fanon, and her kids.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku is a deliciously fun debut mystery with heart, humor, and plenty of flavor. Set on the South Side of Chicago, the story follows Savvy Summers, proud owner of Essie’s soul food café, whose famous sweet potato pie suddenly gains unwanted notoriety when a notorious neighborhood womanizer keels over dead at one of her tables. With the police brushing it off as an accident, but her business reputation on the line, Savvy teams up with her loyal (and nosy) assistant manager Penny to sniff out the truth.
What makes this cozy mystery shine is Savvy herself—a witty, determined, and relatable heroine with just the right mix of warmth and sass. The café setting adds richness and community spirit, making it easy to feel invested in both the people and the food (warning: the pie descriptions will make you hungry). The mystery is well-paced, with enough twists to keep things lively without losing its cozy charm.

I especially enjoyed the dynamics with Savvy’s ex-husband, a police sergeant whose reappearance stirs up tension and unresolved feelings, and the subplot with the shady investor adds a layer of real-world stakes beyond the whodunit. Penny, meanwhile, is a delightful partner-in-snooping who brings extra spark to the investigation.

If anything, a few side characters could have been developed more fully, and some of the reveals were slightly predictable. But the joy of this book is less about shocking twists and more about voice, setting, and heart.

Overall, Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is a warm and engaging mystery debut with an unforgettable heroine. Fans of cozy mysteries with culinary flair will definitely want a second helping.

I was excited about this new cozy because it seemed new different, and it was, I just didn’t really feel connected or invested. I wanted to like it, but it ended up not being for me. I’m sure others will enjoy it though.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Pie Murders is the story of Savvy, a woman who owns a soul food restaurant, with her sweet potato pies being the best seller. Until a customer dies eating one and Savvy starts investigating what happened. This book was so much fun. Such a fun group of characters with so many witty one liners. So I was giggling while also trying to solve a murder. I also loved Savvy’s aunt’s adages that were peppered throughout the book as little words of wisdom. Just expect to get hungry while reading it given all of the detailed food descriptions.

While I loved the premise of this book, I thought that the writing wasn't for me. The dialogue was not my cup of tea, at all. It was a cute enough story but I didn't engage with or like the characters.

What a fun cozy mystery!! I absolutely flew through this story and will definitely be dying for another story starring Savvy Summers! This story follows savvy summers the own of a soul food cafe (the descriptions of the food are my favorite part lol) when one day a regular costumer has a heart attack in her restaurant eating her sweet potato pie! Because this happens it affects savvy's business and she will not have it. We follow Savvy as she plays detective around town and questions lots of funny and quirky characters. We are also introduced to penny her coworkers and her ex husband who I absolutely loved. This was such a good story that made me laugh out loud but also had depth and keep me guessing! Highly recommend! Thanks Net Galley!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book copy!

I have been on a DNF run lately and this title was unfortunately added to the list. I found the pacing to be super rushed in this and for a mystery, I like the pace not to be super slow but at least a medium pace so I can get to know the characters and understand what is going on. I think the story has potential but just needed to be paced better. I would still recommend people give it a chance as this may work for someone else.

Soul food can take people back to their roots and reminds them of their heritage. Savvy Summers has developed a loyal clientele over the years and is surprised when a slick operator tries to buy her business, Essie's soul food café. Things get dangerous when a miserly regular dies while enjoying her signature sweet potato pie. If Savvy wants to keep her business afloat, she must find out why her client died and why her business has become so appealing to investors. Sandra Jackson-Opoku presents a well built first volume of her new series.

Savvy Summers runs a successful catering company and small soul food cafe on Chicago’s South Side. Business is good, even if the customers can be a bit of a hot mess. But one morning, breakfast regular Grandy Jasperson walks in looking a bit odd, eats some sweet potato pie, and promo keels over, sending Savvy and her sous chef, Penny, down a rabbit hole to discover could’ve wanted him dead. Because while officially cleared of any wrongdoing, Savvy’s business begins suffering as word begins to spread that her bestselling pie was the last thing Grandy ate. Next thing you know, Savvy has a list of suspects and could be in more trouble than she ever imagined!

This cozy is potentially the start of a new series and I am definitely here for it! The characters are delightful and the story was fresh and interesting. I don’t want yo give away too much any plot details, but let’s just say that there are plenty of details that made me laugh and gasp out loud. Like the “Aunt Essie-isms” sprinkled throughout the book.

The central mystery of the book was also really good and, as stated before, had plenty of suspects to keep things interesting. I didn’t figure out the solution until the big reveal came. And even then, there were some interesting twists that I definitely wouldn’t have figured out without help!

The only thing that was a little frustrating was the scene where Savvy visits a suspect and they are celebrating the first “day” of Hanukkah. I put it in quotations, because when Savvy comes, they light the candles and have a Hanukkah luncheon, and read at least a verse from the Torah, which welcomes her. That’s not at all how we celebrate Hanukkah. We light candles at sundown, say the blessings and that’s it. No verses, readings, etc. We do sing, though; that was correct. So we say we celebrate the Nights of Hanukkah. It’s just something that I wish had been researched a little more.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more in this series. There’s a couple of cliffhangers that I really want to see where play out!

Savvy is a fun main character to follow, and the book started off with a great premise. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me like I had hoped.

The book was rich with details, but those details tended to feel more like a distraction than world building and also made the pacing feel very slow.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

this was such a fun cozy mystery!! in this we follow Savvy Summers who owns a soul food cafe that is famous for her sweet potato pie. one day, after a drama filled night, Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead in the cafe after eating a slice of pie. now with a potential killer on the loose, Savvy decides to take the investigation into her own hands and prove her pie is to die for but not in the literal sense.

I loved this! I genuinely laughed out loud from these very witty characters. Savvy is an older woman who has grown children and a lifetime of knowledge that I really loved learning about. I loved learning about her past as we solved the crime with her. this was the perfect cozy mystery and I didn’t even guess who the killer was!! this is the perfect book to cozy up with in the fall!!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book, but I did not love it. Savvy Summers has her own diner in Chicago. The day after his wedding anniversary Grady Jaspers drops dead in the diner while eating Savvy's sweet potato pie. The police aren't really looking into the death and Savvy is sure it was a murder, so she decides to start detecting. Does Savvy find out if Grady was murdered? There were quite a few surprises throughout the story. I'll give this author another try with the next book and see if it hooks me more.

When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie's reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area.
Even as the police deem Grandy’s death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of an entire city’s worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager, Penny Lopés, take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy.
But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex-husband suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café’s name and solve Grandy’s murder before it all falls apart?
After all, while Savvy always said her sweet potato pie was to die for, she never meant literally.
This first in a new series is a little more slowly paced than I expected from a cozy, but Savvy is an interesting character and her recipes sound delicious.
Recommended.

A murder happens in Savvy’s soul food cafe that takes over her life and threatens her livelihood. In order to save her name, she sets out to solve the murder of a man who wasn’t particularly liked around town, not even by Savvy herself. The story started out slow but the pace picked up and turned into an engaging story leaving me guessing. A cozy mystery that kept me entertained to the end. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.