Savvy Summers has a small soul food cafe in a part of Chicago that is ripe for gentrification. Someone drops dead the day after eating the meal she catered for an anniversary party. This is a cozy mystery, so of course, our chef has to solve the case. It’s not like the police were going to do it.

This book follows the example of Arsenic and Adobo in bringing us a mystery in a rich cultural context, including descriptions of the food and a ton of Black vernacular. (In fact, there’s a glossary at the end with the author’s favorite phrases.) I loved Savvy and was rooting for her all the way. The rest of the cast was colorful and inviting as well, even the villains.

This is a great read for when you don’t want to put much work into remembering all of the characters and their motives, because there is ample repetition of this information throughout. It got a tad redundant after a while for me, but on a different day, it may be the perfect amount of recap.

I hope to see future stories with Savvy Summers and her cafe. Thank you to Minotaur Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Savvy Summers, a successful restaurant business woman, suddenly finds herself deep in the trenches of what may have been an overlooked crime. With many twists and turns, Savvy hopes to clear her name and her sweet potato pie.

I really really wanted to give this book a higher rating. I loved the plot, the characters were fun, and the recipes provided look to be fantastic. The biggest thing stopping me however was some of the writing elements. Too much of this book was Savvy’s internal monologue with multiple paragraphs of rhetorical questions, and weirdly straightforward discussions between characters ( Question, answer, question, answer, question , quip and answer). Every time I was getting into the book I’d find myself with multiple pages of Savvy’s thoughts on background or dialogue that just didn’t feel real (again the Q&A or discussion with cops). I wanted to put down this book so often but am glad to have finished it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

At first, I was very intrigued by this book and the cast of characters, but it dragged in the middle and there was a one person aside from Savvy that I actually liked reading about. Ultimately, the book didn’t stick the landing of who was behind the murders.

What an interesting new cozy! I found it a bit slow to start, but found it a solid culinary mystery. The setting is fresh and a good start to what will probably be a series of if you enjoy culinary cozies, give it a try.

This is a promising start to a new cozy mystery series that I am probably going to follow. The mystery itself was easy to follow and didn't feel SUPER high stakes, and I was entertained by it even if I wasn't incredibly enthralled. But for me a cozy mystery lives and breathes by the characters and the setting, and I enjoyed Savvy as our amateur detective, I liked the cast of supporting characters that came with her, and I really enjoyed the setting of Chicago's Southside community with a centering of a soul food restaurant. Definitely light fun reading and a cute cozy mystery.

Thank you @stmartinspress @minotaur_books @netgalley for the free ebook!

📖 When a man drops dead in Savvy’s soul food cafe after eating her famous sweet potato pie, people start talking and rumors spread about Savvy and her food. Determined to get to the bottom of it, Savvy starts investigating the case.

💭 This was a fun read! It took me a little bit to get into it, but I loved the cast of characters. The whodunnit kept me guessing and I liked how everything unfolded at the end. The book kind of reminded me of the Finlay Donovan series. The more I read, the more I found myself enjoying it. I hope the author makes this a series.

📚 Read this if you like…
Cozy reads
Whodunnit
Slow burn mystery
Foodie reads
Amateur sleuths

This was very cute. I felt bad for poor Essie and found her to be very relatable. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy a cozy mystery.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes pulled me in from the very first page—I just knew it was going to be a book I’d adore.

There’s something about Savvy’s voice, the vibe of her café, and the drama served up with a side of pie that immediately clicked.

Set in Chicago’s South Side, the story blends mystery, food, and community into a cozy crime caper with heart. When a customer drops dead at Savvy’s café, her famous sweet potato pie becomes the prime suspect. But instead of folding, Savvy rolls up her sleeves and digs into the truth—with a little help from her sassy bestie Penny and a colorful cast of locals.
It’s witty, warm, and full of flavor—literally. There’s a pinch of romance, a few delicious twists, and even recipes sprinkled in to keep things extra sweet. If you love a strong female lead and mysteries with charm, this one's a treat.

What a treat to be introduced to Savvy Summers! I adored this soul food chef-turned-sleuth—first, because of her personality, and second, because she is a great cozy sleuth. I love a cozy that pushes the boundaries, and this one has plenty of humor, sass, and juicy gossip that makes it stand out. The characters were wild and charismatic and the mystery was complex and puzzling. Plus, there are recipes at the end.

I did find the conclusion was a smidge drawn-out, and I felt the mystery could have been resolved sooner, but I do love a dramatic climax and Jackson-Opoku delivered. I highly recommend this one for fans of light, humorous cozies. Just don’t read it while hungry!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku is a fun read about a local cafe owner who has multiple patrons die after eating her food. As a result, Savvy gets involved in order to clear her cafe's name as well as find out who killed the two men. This was a fun, fast paced read with a lot of character.

This was a fun mystery read!
It centered around a strong community as cozy mysteries seem to do but with a touch of delicious foods and quirky characters. As usual, the MC beats to the cops to piecing together the mystery lol
I quite enjoyed it though and again, love that it kept me guessing. Some cozy mysteries seem pretty predictable and while I thought I had guessed it, I didnt have all the answers and I like that lol
Not much romance in this one but I find that refreshing. Little bit of action at the end there and then we get receipes!
This does say its book #1 so looking forward to more Savvy Summers mystery books 😊

I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are mine.

This is a delightful and page turning debut cozy mystery . It follows Savvy Summers who runs a soul food cafe that serves a customer favourite sweet potato pie. The fork in the pie happens when Grandy drops at a table. Her reputation is on the line and so goes into action trying to clear her name and solve Grandy’s murder. It was an interesting premise.

📖 Book: Savvy Summers and Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
⭐️ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Perfect Pour
🍸 Cocktail Pairing: Sweet Potato Sidecar – Spiced & Southern with a twist

This book is giving soul food, side-eye, and South Side drama and I was fully here for the mess.

Savvy Summers is the kind of heroine I want in every cozy mystery: funny, nosy, unapologetically Black, and trying to keep her business and her edges intact while solving a murder tied to her sweet potato pie. The plot was just the right kind of wild, and the cultural details from the food to the neighborhood, added real flavor.

It took a few bites to settle into the pace, but once it hit? Delicious.
I’m hoping this is just the first slice in a whole cozy mystery series, because I’d absolutely pull up to Essie’s Café again.

🍸 Sweet Potato Sidecar – Comfort with a Kick
2 oz bourbon or cognac
1 oz sweet potato purée (or pumpkin purée if subbing)
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz maple syrup
Dash of cinnamon + nutmeg
Garnish: cinnamon stick or sweet potato chip
Instructions:
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish.
Warm, comforting, and just enough spice to make you feel like solving a mystery.

⭐️ Rating: Perfect Pour – Smooth, flavorful, and just the right kick.

#CocktailsAndChapters #PerfectPourReads #SavvySummers #SweetPotatoCrimes #SandraJacksonOpoku #CozyMysteryVibes #BooksWithBite #BlackCozyMystery #Bookstagram #SpicedAndSleuthing #SweetPotatoSidecar

When a new cozy mystery series serves up a delicious cast of characters, a strong-willed, brokenhearted burgeoning detective, and enough food descriptions to make your stomach rumble through a storm, you know you have a winning recipe - and Sandra Jackson-Opoku has that in SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES.

Sapphire "Savvy" Summers (formerly Franklin) is newly widowed, maybe not 100% over her earlier divorce, and navigating life with adult children living far away from her. She keeps herself busy with her soul food restaurant, known as Essie's, and she's surrounded herself with familial community, which is to say, people that love her, people that love to rib on her, and people that hate her guts. But when a catering client of hers drops dead (is the *first* to drop dead) from her sweet potato pie, Savvy realizes that, in order to save her business and preserve her sanity, she has to figure out who really would want to murder her client: An enraged wife, a jealous mistress, a slighted manager, a friend in debt, and shady government and business officials are just some of the suspects Savvy must consider, all while still cooking up the best food the South Side of Chicago has to offer.

Sandra Jackson-Opoku is decades deep into a rewarding career in literary fiction, poetry, and prose. That she's found a new chapter as a cozy mystery writer is quite the feat. It's that celebrated history that makes this story light to the tongue but rich in flavor. Savvy is a complex heroine, one who has understood the injustices she has experienced as Black woman business owner, navigating a gentrifying neighborhood and fragmented community. The author gives her plenty of grief to grapple with, elevating a straightforward mystery plot into a fascinating character study. Savvy narrates the novel, and she's a tough-but-fair type with great warmth for her community. The author also demonstrates excellent plotting for a cozy, wrapping the plot elements around the center of the story making it easy for the distracted reader to keep up with this vast cast of characters. The novel is wholly satisfying and accomplishes what many in her genre cannot: It doesn't just serve as a springboard for a whole series - it sticks the landing from the first jump.

This was a fun cozy mystery. It had a great cast of characters. I loved the setting of a soul food restaurant/caterer and soul food as the vessel for murder. There was some interesting family drama. Fun friendships. I loved the addition of Great Aunt Essie's Epithets at the end translating southern phrases. That was pretty comical.
I thought there were a few times throughout where the pacing slowed down in such a way that it was hard to maintain interest. I believe that may have just been because the overall story was a little too long. Overall a really good debut novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I will admit this was an interesting premise however it took me a while to get into this book. The writing and the unlikable characters it was a bit too much at the beginning.
When it took a turn and became interesting and Savvy sleuthing and solving the murder. It did keep me guessing till the end.

What a fun book! I loved reading this mystery centered on a soul food restaurant. I hope this is a series and hope to read more.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is the first book in a new cozy mystery series.
Savvy Summers owns a soul food café in Chicago. It was there that a customer died, and Savvy knows she has to solve this mystery as to what happened. Fingers are pointed at her, and she knows that is not true.
It was a good debut for the author. There were a few bumps to get over but reading to the end was worth it.
Thank you NetGalley, Sandra Jackson-Opoku and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes. This is my personal review.

'Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes' brings an amateur detective investigation to a small town that is both Southern and Chicagoan. The story kicks off with a mix of big personalities—some charismatic, many downright unsavory—plus a healthy dose of local gossip and tension. The result? Practically anyone could be the culprit. This approach made it difficult for me to feel endeared to most of the characters at first, yet I remained genuinely intrigued by who might be responsible for the crimes.

One notable aspect is Savvy’s calm demeanor. She’s not itching to poke her nose where it doesn’t belong—she’s genuinely passionate about her work and is drawn into the mystery out of necessity. Her maturity adds credibility to her actions, keeping them from feeling overly impulsive or naïve.

While the plot and setup are engaging, readers expecting a sweet or whimsical cozy mystery may find this one a bit edgier. There’s some foul language and several vulgar moments from various characters, which could be off-putting if you're looking for something light and charming.

Special thanks to the Publisher, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Sit yourself down with a glass of sweet tea and a slice of sweet potato pie. This murder mystery is full of family drama, a slick mouth, cheap Casanova, and a murder oh my. I laughed, gasped, sighed and teared up. The author captured the essence of a soul food restaurant, catering woes, and Chicago.

I can't wait until the next installment comes out.