The story seemed to take forever to get going. I liked the concept of the chef being able to bring back a ghost for someone with a favorite food or food memory. Those parts were really enjoyable and I loved all the food descriptions. Once that was established the storyline wavered a little and the ending was a bit strange, but overall I enjoyed the book.

As a chef and book lover, I devoured this book. I appreciated all the descriptions of the flavors and dishes. It even has inspired me to delve into more recipes and ingredients.
The progression of the story was the perfect amount of mystery and emotion to truly develop the characters. My only big critique is that the book is 5 pages too long, I don’t think that we needed the Frankie or the “souls chef”’s chapters at the end. It felt a little forced and cheesy at the end. I would have been happy with a little mystery and wonder.
I will absolutely recommend this book. And I think this would be a great book club pick with a dinner party serving dishes that were Aftertastes.

Super super interesting concept!! If you are a foodie, you will appreciate the food descriptions. Warning: this book might make you hungry lol. Also if you like ghosts, you’ll be into this! The writing quality / story telling was really good! I liked Kostya a lot.

But there was so much going on! I did feel a bit lost at times. There’s romance, culinary rivalry, mafia, horror, suspense…. And I just felt a little confused at times about what was happening with Maura. And I’m also not sure what even happened at the end? Please DM me if you can shed a little light on that.

👻 “Someone told me once that grief is like having leftovers, with no one to serve them to.”

👻 “When the Living don’t let go, the Dead go Hungry; we can’t move On.”

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

✨✨✨ Bon Appétit mon bien-aimé✨✨✨

I love the idea of Aftertaste. The idea of being able to taste ghosts favorite foods, sharing one last meal with someone you love, etc. There are a lot of memories people have with loved ones that are tied to food. That’s where the heart of this story lies, somewhere in the middle of grief and loss, love and a ghost story, is food and taste.

I really enjoyed the idea of this book, the delicious food writing, and the overall story. I think some of the plot I wanted to be a little bit different and for me it was a little slow in parts in the middle. I like that at its core though it’s a thought provoking book about loss and grieving and it is a unique concept. It wasn’t a perfect read for me, but it is distinctive, bittersweet, and delectable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released May 20, 2025.

The question of, "If you could have dinner with anyone who has already died, who would it be?" Is the primary basis of this one. An incredible ability leads to connecting people with their lost loved ones, giving much needed closure in some cases. Heartwarming and full of excellent culinary experiences!

Usually when I read a book, I feel good about the time and energy I spent on it. Not in this case. The story line just never got me feeling good about reading. And I did finish it but that's all I can say. Not my cup of tea., sorry.

Wow. This is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time. A beautiful story centered around grief, magic, and the memories left behind.

Kostya has been able to get the aftertaste of significant meals of the departed since he was kid. What starts as just another thing that makes him feel like an outcast becomes the thing that makes him special. Kostya realizes he is able to reconnect loved ones with those they lost by recreating the meal that he is tasting.

I just loved this book and think it is smart, interesting, magical, and very well written! Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

I really, really, really wanted to like this one, but it wasn't for me. I found the main character frustrating and I really didn't like what seemed to be the overall message about people who are stuck in grief.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle appealed to me for several reasons. One, it is well-written and draws you in immediately. Two, it is about food and Lavelle knows what she is talking about, the love of food is an almost universal human sensation. And, three, it is about chefs and restaurant work, and having spent a lot of time in restaurant kitchens and dining rooms, it is spot on in that area, also.

To set the metaphorical table, a favorite game of Konstantin and his father was for Konstantin to taste dishes his father had prepared and guess the ingredients in the dish. When Konstantin was ten years old, he begged his father to play the game early in the morning, but his father said later. Konstantin would not give up. He said things he would later regret. Later that day Konstantin's father passed away in an accident. Konstantin was never able to get over that loss and neither could his mother. This made life for young Konstantin very difficult, often facing hunger and needing to take care of himself as well as his mother.

Over the years, he would get flavors in his mouth of things he had not eaten, but he knew what the separate ingredients were and when he became old enough, he wanted to be able to reproduce the dishes. He got work in restaurants and tried to learn about creating foods with the information in his mouth.

At one point, he realized the dishes he was tasting were sent to him by people who had passed away. What he does with that is quite unexpected. I literally devoured this book, I think most readers will, too, since we all have the experience of being eaters.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the prepublication copy to read and review.

You know how people see ghosts of loved ones or dream of them, well, Kostya can taste their favorite food. One night before closing a drunk man comes into the bar and starts a commotion, Kostya can taste a drink so he makes it for him however Kostya has never made or heard of this drink but he finds out it was the man’s wife’s favorite drink and while he was drinking it the man could see and talk to his wife, but she was gone when the drink was gone. Kostya had finally figured out why he would taste very odd dishes out of the blue. Kostya knew exactly what the ingredients were but he was not a chef so he needed to learn how to cook those ingredients. Kostya wanted to be able to do this for other people so they could have closure.
This book has so much more to it than I can say without spoilers. But Kostya is just trying his best to help people, all he ever wanted to do, and see his dad one more time. This all takes place in the world of New York’s kitchens so fast and furious is how things change within a minute or two. This book like the kitchens of New York move fast as well there is suspense and some action but it is the hope that keeps you reading, a hope that this would work and help so many out. I am going to leave that there but I hope you read this book and find the beauty within.

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎
³/⁵ ⭐⭐⭐

What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost?

🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･

This was one of those books that I thought I was really going to love. Culinary? Food? Ghosts? Yes, please. I'm not really sure why I didn't vibe with this book? I overall just felt 'meh' about it. I genuinely have nothing bad to say about it, I just think maybe it wasn't a book for me. I do however think it's a beautiful story with a lot of meaning behind it. I've always connected food with some of my most fond family memories, and this will certainly trigger some emotions.

I do think that if you are a foodie, love a little ghost action and romance, vivid food descriptions and some fantasy sprinkled in, you will enjoy it. I would 100% say give this a shot.

🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review .

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was really cool. The storyline was completely original and very interesting and I loved every second.
Kostya gets tastes from people that have passed on. The first time it happens when he is 10 years old, and the aftertaste in the back of his throat reminds him of his father's favorite dish. As he grows older, he continues to get these "aftertastes" throughout his life, and one day he accidentally finds out that by making the food (or drink) that he tastes, he can bring back a ghost for obe last conversation with their lost loved one.
This book is great for anyone that has ever worked in a restaurant, anyone that has lost someone they love, and anyone that believes in ghosts. Basically it's for everyone. Just read it, you won't regret it!

Aftertaste is one of those books that feel as though you've stepped into someone's life, e.g., Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, The Midnight Library, etc. It's immersive as it spans decades of Kostya's life, transcending traditional genres and form. Author Daria Lavelle moves seamlessly between New York City's very real food scene and the fantastical world of hungry ghosts, crafting both into a love story of its own.

Aftertaste is a haunting exploration of grief, love and the magic of food — quite literally a literary feast. It's a must-read and will likely be one of the best literary fiction books 2025.

✨4.5/5 — Rounded to 5 for review purposes

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

This was a very refreshing read. I didn’t quite connect with Kostya but I felt his pain and the story was enjoyable and was not bogged down with the heaviness of grief. If you like shows like The Bear you’ll like this book. Thank you Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the eARC!

4⭐️ I enjoyed devouring this immersive supernatural story. It’s a tale of life, loss, grief, food, and love.

I know how much food is involved with families and friends, our best memories from the beginning. Who wouldn’t love to eat a favorite meal with a loved one that’s passed on that they can’t seem to let go? Konstatin “Kostya” grieves the loss of his father since age 10. He’s hit with exquisite “aftertastes” of food at random times. Only when the beautiful Maura comes into his life does he realize what a gift he has. Or is it?

Great characters, interesting plot, ghosts, tender love story, and lots of food!!!! I read this one quickly! Heartbreaking ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

The premise of the story is interesting. Kostya starts off as a dishwasher and slowly gets more responsibilities learning to cook at a high-end restaurant. He realizes that he can taste things on his palate and then prepare the item that reunites—briefly—the dead with the living. It’s not always something flavorful that conjures the memory so strong this connection happens, sometimes it’s a food item that’s burned or cheaply sugary. There are glimmers of moments I found interesting, but mostly I was bored. Maybe because there is so much detail about back-of-the-house upscale dining, maybe because I didn’t identify with Kostya, or maybe because I didn’t *feel* anything at anytime for anyone.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MAY 20, 2025.

A GHOST STORY THAT ALSO MOONLIGHTS AS A LOVE STORY THAT SPANS TIME? OKAY.

I left this book on my TBR for so long thinking that I wouldn’t fall in love with it. Guys. this book. This book is something else. We’ve got a pained, brooding main that tastes the dead. I love ghost stories and this one is so well done. The feelings, the pain, the tortured souls we meet in the book are so well written and in a book that completely spins its own world upside down, the ending is something else. This one is for our Garth stein lovers, our fans of the dead, the believers in the veil. oooh. So so good.

What a perfect speculative fiction read!

Konstantin is a 10-year old Ukrainian immigrant living in New York City with his parents, when tragedy strikes and he loses his father. In his grief, he starts experiencing "aftertastes", the ability to taste the favorite meals of the deceased. And not just taste - he can recall every ingredient in detail, even if it's nothing he's every ate before. Once he grows up, he starts experimenting with cooking under the lead of his best friend and roommate. As he correctly recreates an "aftertaste", he finds that he can bring back a spirit from the dead - but only for the length of the meal.

I was very impressed with this debut - it was well paced, the characters felt authentic, the story was moving and original. A definite recommend from me!

This book’s premise had me hooked immediately—a chef that can taste the flavors of a meal he’s never had and help bring back a deceased loved one so you can share one last meal with them—so original, fresh, and unique!

Though this story deals with grief, it never felt heavy-handed. It’s darkly funny, has a unique voice, and the food descriptions were so delectable that they had my mouth watering!

I’ll admit that the last 20% lost me a little bit. It got a bit too campy, and some of the details of the conflict got a bit too convoluted for me.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read—definitely nothing like I’ve ever read before!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this ARC!

If you are a foodie and enjoy the restaurant scene you will love this dark comedy with ghosts, romance and fantasy all mixed in.
Kostya is a man haunted through his life tasting the foods that the dead are hungry for. He loses his father and is obsessed by the desire to recreate a special meal to have one last chance to connect with him.
I loved the way the author uses food to describe his grief, pain and love for his family, and friends. I felt hungry reading this book and was more than satisfied with how everything tied together. I highly recommend this interesting and unique book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.