When you start reading books at the rate that I do, most of the stories start to blend into each other and they start to feel like they all have the same storyline. Then comes a book and knock your socks off with its originality and creativity. Especially when it is set in your city and let you walk around the streets of it, you get a winner. It’s Aftertaste

Kostya would get memories of meals had by the departed and feel those on his tongue. He could tell ingredient by ingredient what those dishes were. His dad was playing the game with him when he was a little boy, allowing him to identify different tastes. Now, that came back to him as a blessing to recreate dishes and bring back the dead to their loved ones and a curse ripping away the reality from him. All Kostya wanted was to see his dad and take back the horrible words he said before his father died. However, the thin veil between the dead and the living was too unstable to give him what he wanted

“His life doesn't flash before his eyes; it skips across his tongue. The things he savored. The moments that soured him. Memories that were sweet. Others that repulsed him. The morsels-places, people, passions— that he wished he could keep tasting. All the flavors that seasoned every thing, in every season, of his brief, delicious life.”

The aftertaste for "Aftertaste" is a bittersweet one for me. An overpowering taste on the first bite, but that just makes the hints of sweetness all the more worth the wait - a full course meal served on a silver platter, rich in flowery prose and culinary metaphors.

I have never consumed a story like this one before and can't praise its plating enough. It's an experience that is sure to leave an aftertaste. A taste I want to experience again right after licking it clean.

Beautifully done.

Aftertaste is an inventive tale. Konstantin Duhovny has the ability to reunite the dead with the living over the course of their favorite meal. This was such an interesting concept and had lyrical writing.

Konstantin Duhovny is the son of Russian immigrants who loves food, cooking and dreams of owning his own restaurant in New York.
Konstantin is also the conduit for aftertaste from dead peoples' favorite meals. Daria Levelle, the author of this book, is gifted at evoking beautiful food descriptions as we progress through each gustatory experience. Maura Struk, Duhovny's love interest, helps him to try and reach his deceased father's spirit, with many surprising twists and turns.

4.25 stars

This book was unexpectedly lovely! It is truly a love letter to food but also to love itself. It explores how food connects us and helps us build memories, and how those memories are tied to our emotions. It’s a very unique premise and an intriguing story.

Kostya can taste the meals that hungry spirits want to eat, and when he cooks them he can bring back that spirit just once, long enough for a grieving loved one to share a last drink or dish or conversation for some needed closure. To share his gift with the world, and to bring back his own father, Kostya hones his cooking skills and becomes a famous chef, opening a restaurant that promises not only a delicious meal but an unforgettable spiritual experience. As he connects more and more hungry spirits through their aftertastes, Kostya discovers the darkness to the spiritual world that he may not be able to control.

The descriptions of food in this story were gorgeous! If you’re a foodie you will definitely enjoy this book. I thought Kostya’s relationships in this book were so interesting - his best friend, his mother, his girlfriend, his deceased father - in how differently he experienced them in his memories. I did find the paranormal aspects a little bit difficult to follow, but they are also outside of my normal reading comfort zone so that could very much be a me problem. Get your tissues ready because the ending of this one will break your heart.

This is an interesting read, but I honestly not sure how I feel about. That said this what makes it a solid read for anyone. In a complex world of food you get outside influences playing with the characters.

Thank you to #SimonSchuster and #NetGalley for the DRC of #Aftertaste. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

1 part loss & sorrow. 1 part love story. 1 part ghost story. 1 part New York food scene. Mix it all together and you get a very interesting, heartbreaking read.

Recent immigrant Kostya is 11 when his dad dies suddenly and he's haunted by their last exchange - a stupid disagreement. He misses his dad so much and just wants to see him one more time. His sorrow and his memory create an aftertaste - he can taste the food his father used to make. As he grows up, he realizes that he can taste the favorite foods of other people who have passed. And by cooking that food, he can give the living closure. But it's not that simple.

This is a story of love and loss, the power of memory and the food that feeds and comforts us. Really enjoyed this story. The food writing is excellent. Looking forward to more from this author.

Aftertaste is the kind of book you must sit with once you finish it and gather your thoughts. It's a book that elicits strong feelings from the reader as it explores love, loss, grief, and how food can be tied to some of our fondest memories.

The story follows Konstantin Duhovny, a young immigrant from Ukraine who loses his father to a tragic accident when he is just a boy. Soon after Konstantin begins to notice that he has developed an interesting yet alarming gift. He can "taste" ghosts. Or rather he can taste the lingering flavors of a spirit's favorite or most memorable meal in life. When he is older and working in the restaurant business he stumbles upon the realization that not only can he taste these meals, but if he recreates them and serves them to the grieving loved one of the ghost that sent them, he can reunite the mourner with their departed loved one. While this seems like it would be a wonderful gift to have, Konstantin soon finds out that blurring the line between the living and the dead isn't without consequences for Konstantin, those he loves, and the world at large.

I found Aftertaste to be unique, engrossing, and beautifully written. The author writes with such lyrical prose and evocative descriptions that I felt the story and emotions. Multiple times throughout the book I found myself moved to tears by the way the author explores grief and the overwhelming bonds we have with our most cherished family and friends. Bonds that can transcend the physical world and reach out across the veil to keep us tethered to those we have loved and lost. Aftertaste is the type of book you savor, enjoy, and dare I say devour. It will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Daria Lavalle for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

Aftertaste is a creative and heartfelt novel with a beautifully unique premise — blending food, grief, and the supernatural into a story about finding closure. Kostya’s gift of summoning spirits through favorite meals is original and touching, and Lavelle’s descriptions of food and memory are vivid and emotional.

That said, the book sometimes struggles under the weight of its ambition. The pacing can feel uneven, especially in the middle where Kostya’s emotional journey starts to stall. Some side characters, like Maura, could have been more fleshed out, and the supernatural consequences Kostya faces feel a little rushed in the final act.

While the novel handles grief thoughtfully, the emotional payoff isn’t as sharp or gut-punching as it could have been. It’s a warm and bittersweet read, but one that might leave some readers wanting a bit more intensity or narrative clarity by the end.

I am speechless, dumbfounded, just- wow.

This book is a work of art. Masterfully crafted, exceptionally written, and absolutely beautiful. This is my favorite of the year. I don’t know if I can even begin to describe this book or how it made me feel, but I’m going to try.

Stan loses his father- and this event begins an avalanche of life that is both gut wrenching and beautiful. His mother abandons him when she finds he can taste the dead, or well, their final meals. He’s put in an institution where he learns to hide this talent until one day he uses it, makes what he tastes, and brings back a ghost- saves the life of a suicidal man, and helps that ghost move on. Now, Stan has found his calling. He learns to cook from the best, opens his own restaurant, and starts helping spirits and their loved ones move on from the grief of death.

Everything is great! He meets a girl, she tells him to stop, he doesn’t listen, he loses her, he finds her, he keeps going, seemingly helping everyone move on, he’s found his purpose- and when he helps her bring back her sister, he realizes something isn’t what he thinks it is.

This story is love, it’s grief, it’s memories, it’s struggle, it’s friendship, it’s EVERYTHING. I cried, I felt, I remembered my own grief, the people who make life worth living and the way I hold them in my memories. The way you can feel tethered to someone who’s gone, the way you can’t move on, the days that never feel good because you lost a part of yourself, the joy, the heartbreak, but again and again, the LOVE.

I’ll read this one again and again. I’ll remember the ones I’ve lost, the ones I have, and the love that makes life so worth living.

Konstantin can taste ghosts favorite foods. His father died when he was young and ever since then he's tasted the food of the dead. One day he figures out he reunite the dead with their living loved ones, as they eat the food. He meets a psychic who warns him that this has a cost, but he ignores her and continues. An interesting read, a bit dark for me.

Konstantin Kostya Duhovny has clairgustance, a paranormal ability to taste favorite or key meals of those who have died and are looking for closure. He first discovers this as a young boy and no one believes him. Years later, he attempts to recreate a cocktail from an aftertaste like this and brings the spirit temporarily into the land of the living while the drink is being consumed. What does it mean to bring the Dead, even temporarily, back?

While less information is better headed into this read, please mind the content warnings as there are significant themes of grief, suicidal ideation, and suicide.This novel surprised me, or at least it felt like it shifted part way into a different novel in terms of plot and tone. Maybe I should have seen that coming as I feel like I usually do. The ending was bittersweet and I'm a bit conflicted on how the whole thing will sit with me. That said, I couldn't put it down once I really got into it

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published on 5/20/25. I will post to Instagram closer to publication.

This was a heartwarming story that is great for lovers of all things culinary and for those who enjoyed <i>Before the Coffee gets Cold</i>. To put it into simple terms, the book is like the icebreaker question “If you could have a meal with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?”

I found it to be extremely sentimental, and drawing on the idea that something simple such a food can provide context to unlocking memories and connecting with others. Overall, I the concept and the heartfelt moments shared between Kostya and the rest of the characters.

The ending had me emo. It was an easy read, but I did have some trouble with the writing style in the beginning.

This is a story about grief and the emotional connection we have with food. There are a lot of detailed descriptions of dishes and ingredients so if that appeals to you then you'll love this story. I found the plot compelling and the characters were well crafted. It did lose me a bit in the latter half but I did enjoy my time!

Thank you to NetGalley, Daria Lavelle, and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Please check the triggers, there are many things mentioned may be too difficult for some.

I did not like the ending lol everything was going great I hit the 85% mark and got a pit in my stomach. I felt Kostya’s pain from the beginning a flawed, struggling, lost character I related to him a bit. It was easy for me to get emotionally attached I wanted him to be happy and successful. Getting the closure he needed from his father, there were so many time I just wanted to hug him.

The author was amazing in painting such a vivid picture of the restaurant scene and the cooking details. It felt as if I was in the kitchen with a person chef having them explain everything. I’ve read a couple of books with characters connecting with the dead but this concept was a first for me. It was creative to see how he dealt with it his whole life and wanting to help others who was dealing with loss. The biggest lesson I got from the story was letting go. Keeping yourself in a state of grief for so long can be unhealthy. Leading you to bad habits and dangerous behaviors. It took me so long to write this review the story made me pretty emotional. I didn’t know how to put everything into words. I hope I’ve given enough for you to pick this book up and give it a chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster publishing I received a ARC for an honest review !

Under The Whispering Door is my forever favourite book, so the second I saw it referenced in the description, this was instantly added to my TBR. After reading this, I do understand the reference to an extent but unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.

I definitely think there’s an audience out there for this book, and I hope that it finds it. For me, the biggest miss was the author’s writing style but that is a very personal thing that of course many others won’t feel the same as me about. There’s a lot going on with the story, and some side stories don’t really seem to add much. I personally was not a fan of Maura at all, and she becomes a very prominent character. Konstantin / Kostya / Stan / Bones (there was so many names for this man, and all used regularly) was fine.

I did not expect for this story to go the way it did later in the book, and it did keep me intrigued as to what was going to happen next. I think foodies have a better chance at loving this - there is a whole lot of food in this, like specific ingredients and dishes, that personally meant very little to me as that’s not an interest of mine but I can see foodies being so into it. So overall, this just wasn’t for me but I am glad to have at least read it since it is a unique story and that’s always fun.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A beautiful story about grief and the way that food connects us to our memories and to each other. I found myself tearing up at several points in the first half of the book as the author described the flavors of the meals and how each component linked to an aspect of the person's connection with their loved one. The third act of the book was where it started to fall flat for me; some of the characters began to feel very "caricature-y" and unrealistic, and a number of the plot points felt contrived and forced in an attempt to hurry up and move the story along. The third act seemed to lose a good amount of the emotional impact that had drawn me in at the start of the book, and at times was almost silly.

Overall I enjoyed the book and found parts of it very touching and impactful, but the third act felt like it slipped into a different category of story altogether, and didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the book leading up to that point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC

When I read the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. Being a huge fan of the supernatural and also a long time service industry worker, this book had my attention from the get-go. It's beautifully written, the premise is one of the most interesting I've encountered in a long time, and it was incredibly hard to put down.

What I loved: The poetic writing, the well-formulated characters, the absolute barrage of adjectives (I felt like I could taste the food too sometimes!)

What I could have done without: While I understand that culture is a huge part of this book, sometimes it was hard to read with all the information about ingredients and dishes thrown at you at once. Maybe a glossary for the less-known food items/dishes? Also, the ending felt a little rushed. With the way the rest of the book was written so beautifully, it felt very anti-climatic at the end.

Overall, it was a super enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Aftertaste is a veritable feast. It will leave you feeling full, having devoured an expertly crafted story about love, grief, and the choices we have to make. But it will also haunt you, subsequent fare feeling paltry and meager by comparison.

This isn’t just a novel that you read and put back on the shelf. The characters, the spirits, the food - they will all become part of the fabric of you. They will haunt you in the best way possible.

When we first meet Konstantin he is a young man, a boy really, spending the summer reflecting on the loss of his father and the impacts it has had on his short life. Suddenly, he can sense his father’s favorite dish on his tongue - Pechonka prepared specifically by Kostya’s mother. As his journey through adulthood continues on, he finds himself washing dishes at a cocktail lounge and, in a moment of uncertainty, crafts a cocktail based on flavors he can taste in the moment. A cocktail that comes accompanied by a spirit! His patron, recognizing the spirit, is able to find closure after one last conversation with his late wife. It dawns on Konstantin that he may be able to replicate this! Clairgustance, this connection is called. Clairgustance is a physic ability in which a medium can taste flavors from beyond the veil. Could Kostya summon his father? Perhaps he could apologize for his outburst before he died? In his pursuit to find out he puts it all on the line: His name, his livelihood, the woman he loves. All of his accomplishments thus far, everything we have silently witnessed, celebrated or mourned, all of it could be lost when we learn that the spirits he has been able to summon back for diners are stuck and unable to move on.

Very rarely will a book leave me speechless but I was utterly broken by the end of Aftertaste. It will ruin you, but you won’t want to put it down.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review a copy of Aftertaste. All opinions are my own and have been shared voluntarily.

Daria Lavelle takes us from the culinary world to the afterlife in a mouthwatering and extraordinarily inventive tale about finding one's path through loss and grief. Food connects us with loved ones, marks momentous occasions and can summon those memories long after we're gone. Konstantin Duhovny harnesses this power of food to reunite grieving people with the ghosts of their deceased loved ones, for one final meal and closure. But when dealing with supernatural forces, what could go wrong? 

Aftertaste is a well-written page turner, with both gut-punching and laugh-out-loud moments. I really enjoyed it and recommend you add it to your TBRs, it's one of the most unique and creative stories you'll ever read.