Even though this got rave reviews, I didn’t love it. I liked the concept with the magical realism, but it became too much for me and not as realistic.

This was so unique and had the potential to be a 5 star for me. I enjoyed the first half of this book way more than the second. It got a bit too crazy for me but the story is still different to anything I‘ve read before which I loved! I loved the way it was told, with the different parts, the tour guide in between (iykyk), loved Kostya and his connection to his father and Frankie. The way food was used to build a connection between living and dead was so interesting and I loved that he was able to let people see their loved ones one more time. It got crazy and weird in the end but it was still a great story! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

I could not get into this book. I tired to approach it at different times but I found the subject matter just hard if you have been grieving a death recently. It felt like it had a hopeful message but it was hard to keep picking up. It was written well but the subject matter wasn’t for me.

I loved the organization of the book… telling the story through food and organizing the chapters by dishes of a meal. I am newer to fantasy/ghost type books so I might be a bit picky, but the story itself wasn’t my favorite. I also really didn’t like the main character.

I would totally check out something else by this author though, she is a talented writer.

Konstantin (Kostya) Duhovny lost his father when he was a young boy and shortly afterwards he began tasting foods he had never eaten. He calls these aftertastes. Kostya kept them secret for most of his life but one night he acts on an aftertaste and everything changes. It turns out he can reunite people with their loved ones for as long as the person is eating. To do this, Kostya sets out to learn everything he can in the culinary world, but he doesn't see the repercussions happening in the Afterlife. The one person who knows that Kostya must be stopped is falling in love with him.

This book is part ghost story and part love story that focuses on food and the emotions involved when eating. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest, unbiased review. This book was unique and well-written with characters who were well-developed. I was drawn into this captivating story and kept hooked from beginning to end. This book was both evocative and thought-provoking as it deals with grief and love. It was a beautiful story and one that will stick with you long after you finish reading.

Aftertaste follows Konstantin “Kostya” Duhhovny, a man haunted by tastes of the deceased. Since he was a child, Kostya would get aftertastes, and when he tasted his late father’s favorite dish, he realized what these tastes mean. After recreating one of these aftertastes, he realizes just how connected to the dead they really are. This book captures grief and the things we do to connect with our passed loved ones beautifully. Food is such a powerful tool for memory and connection, and this proves true for the dead as well. The novel interrogates the cycle of life and death and the dangers that can arrive when it is disrupted. Aftertaste is a beautiful debut from Lavelle and I look forward to their future work. Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Three months, almost to the day! No mas! 63% and out. One last meal with those you loved? Who wouldn’t sign up for that? That chance you missed to say how much you loved them? Think back to what meal epitomizes that feeling. The premise is cool, the writing about food and cooking, exciting, but then comes the slog. And the ghosts. The not as pleasant ones, a la Edvard Munch. Life is short, I have to move on. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I try so hard to make sure I pick books I will definitely like, but I missed it this time, sorry!

I liked this: the world-building was excellent, and the writing was good. The story propelled forward: I always wanted to pick it back up to find out what would happen next.

Four rather than five stars because, while I found the characters compelling, I didn’t find them compelling together. I was rooting for them to solve problems together, but I wasn’t really rooting for them to be together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster!

This book was everything i hoped it would be, moving, poignant, and amazingly deep in reference to grief.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle is a strange book about Constantine who as he grows up he learns he has a very strange psychic connection whatever the ghost ate at their most memorable meal he can taste when they’re nearby. and it was just strange it was just a weird book that in the beginning and in the middle I was all in And despite it getting confusing for the most part I still enjoyed it I just found it very hard to root for Constantine as he wasn’t that likable and he was also very judgmental. I did like the fact that his Constantine story goes on it felt as if you could really be reading about a real person because Lavelle lays Constantin out the good the bad and the ugly but again I just found it hard to like him. I get he lost his dad and all that came after I just wished there was something more redeemable about him. Having said that if you love Food ghost and want a new original story then you definitely should check out After Taste.#NetGalley, #MyHonestReview, #TheBlindReviewer, #DariaLavell, #Aftertaste,

Blurb: “What if you could have one last meal with someone you've loved, someone you've lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief. Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around Kostya ever since. Kostya can't exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he's never eaten will flood his mouth, a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these aftertastes a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he's tasting. And everything changes. Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones-at least for the length of time it takes for them to eat a dish that he's prepared. He thinks his life's purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene.“

This is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. Food and ghosts is something I never thought would come together in a novel but it was done so well. Very beautiful and moving as the novel is focuses on grief of loved ones. The ending truly got me, I was shattered !!

Daria Lavelle's AFTERTASTE plunged me into an entirely fresh and yet eerily familiar story of a man surrounded by ghosts who discovers he may be a channel for closure between the living and the dead through the medium of a meal he has prepared. It's convincing, rollicking fun and a serious straddle between the New York City restaurant scene and the well-developed world of the afterlife. I enjoyed it thoroughly -- the highs and lows, the parallels to other stories about magical restaurants, and how the stakes rise higher as Kostya gains skills and experience. This is a wonderful story, one where I totally ceded my typical cynicism to enjoy a wonderfully told tale. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Aftertaste is a book with a very strong premise that I ultimately very strongly disliked. :( I love food and I love ghosts, but the characters fell flat for me and the magic system/world building was confusing and kind of cheesy. If I had to read one more food idiom like “spill the chai” in a book that’s supposed to be serious? Idk this just was not for me even though on paper it should have been.

I loved this book. It was such a unique premise that really paid off for me. I enjoyed all the characters that we met and thought the execution of the story was very well done. Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review.

Aftertaste is one of those rare books that sneaks up on you. What begins as an odd little ghost story about food and grief quietly transforms into a moving exploration of love, purpose, and the things we carry even after death.

Konstantin Duhovny has been haunted since he was ten. Not in the traditional sense. He doesn’t see ghosts but he tastes them. The favorite meals of the dead flood his mouth at random, uninvited and unexplained. It’s only when he acts on one of these phantom flavors that he realizes he can use this bizarre gift to bring the dead back for a final meal with the living.

From there, the story unfolds like a carefully plated tasting menu: each chapter another course in Konstantin’s transformation from grief-stricken child to ambitious New York chef, determined to offer closure to strangers through the magic of food. The book is deeply rooted in the chaotic, high-stakes world of fine dining, and Lavelle’s food writing is top-tier—rich, detailed, and absolutely mouthwatering.

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, and the full cast performance added depth and warmth to the narrative. It really brought the characters to life, especially the standouts: Frankie and Maura. I wasn’t sold on the romance at first (there’s a whiff of insta-love) but as Maura’s backstory developed, I found myself more invested in her than in Kostya himself, who always remained a bit emotionally opaque.

The beginning stumbles slightly with fast-forwarded timelines and some disjointed pacing, but once it finds its rhythm, Aftertaste becomes something truly special. It’s part culinary coming-of-age, part supernatural meditation on grief, and part love story with an apocalyptic edge.

The final chapters surprised me with how much they moved me. The emotional payoff was subtle but powerful. Bittersweet, like the lingering taste of something you didn’t know you were hungry for.

A fantastic debut. Rich, inventive, and full of heart. Just maybe don’t read it on an empty stomach.

Thank you @simonbooks for the ARC! ♡

·..·˙✧˖°⋆⊹ This one is for the foodies. ⊹⋆..·˙✧˖°·∘
↳ What if you could bring someone back from the dead for one last meal?
↳ That’s Kostya’s special ability: combining cooking with resurrection.
↳ However nothing this powerful comes without a cost…

I spent more than half of these pages feeling like a hungry ghost, salivating over the mouth-watering smells, tastes, flavors.

Food connects us to people and memories, culture and community, which is where this book shines. Evoking Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and other cozy translated food fiction, this one is meta without a linear plot.

There’s also a love story going on. Kostya and Maura are both guarding their hearts and their secrets, behind walls of loss and layers of past trauma.

The romance was heavy on miscommunication, however the droolworthy meals and life lessons kept me turning the pages.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။‌‌‌‌‌|• 🎧 I listened to some of this on audio using Spotify hours, and full cast narration was really nice with Ukrainian and Russian accents.

The descriptions of food in this book lead me to believe that the author must either be a chef or a foodie, because wow, please write a culinary cookbook next lol! I was never not thinking about food when reading this book.

The premise of this story was what lured me in. I loved the concept of food being linked in with memories and the connection that keeps souls tethered to the world. When the MC began his journey of bringing ghosts back to speak to their loved ones, I was so intrigued and loved the conversations. What I wasn’t expecting was for the story to take a twist around the halfway mark into a horror/mystery-esque story. I wish the story could have stayed on its original track, but I still enjoyed the book over-all.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

What an interesting supernatural concept. If you had a superpower, you wouldn’t necessarily think being able to taste a drink or a dish associated with favorite memories of a deceased love one would top the list. However, for this story, it’s an amazing and sometimes vexing ability of our main character Konstantin. He’s struggling to find his way as an adult and continues to grapple with the childhood loss of his father who he loved deeply. One night he takes a chance at making the cocktail he’s tasting and he reunites a loved one for a customer. He believes he’s found his purpose in life, what could go wrong. The story is told in alternating perspectives from what appears to be a tour guide and Konstantin. I throughly enjoyed the book.

What a fascinating read! I really appreciated the concept and enjoyed watching the main characters evolve throughout the story. Some parts felt a bit slow, especially the extended descriptions of menus and various dishes—but if you're a food enthusiast who loves cooking, you might find those sections especially appealing. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book.

The concept of this book is incredible. Being able to make a meal for someone so they can see their loved one back from the dead for one last time is so much fun and has a lot of range. Where the book lost me was in the last 1/3 and the ending. It makes sense given what we know about Kostya and his feelings/attitude, but I wanted more for him.