This book was such an interesting concept. Points for creativity and doing something so very different. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Kostya is haunted by the memory of the last words he said in anger to his father. A haunting memory that manifests on his tastebuds through the flavors of his father’s favorite dish. Kostya soon finds himself capable of raising the dead through the love of food shared between people and their deceased loved ones.

Despite warnings by a psychic that he is messing with a power he doesn’t understand, Kostya decides this is his calling and he is determined to open a restaurant that grants people one last meal with their loved ones - a final grief meal of closure. Little does Kostya realize the cost to the dead in order to participate, and the impact to the already thin veil between life and death.

The kitchen and cooking side of this book is reminiscent of The Bear (the tv show, not the book) with the complicated dynamics of running a restaurant - kitchen, family, and money - wrought with the woes of risk, last minute runs, and the mob. The ghost side is a little more Ghosts (sitcom) turned Ghostbusters. Can’t forget the love story - a bit of the corpse bride? Maybe that’s going too far.

I enjoyed the concept but found myself lacking investment in the characters, and the love story fell flat and too secondary to later become so important. Definitely fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle. This foodie-fiction novel really hit the spot, it was warm, flavorful, and packed with charm. Lavelle’s writing feels fresh and fun, like swapping recipes and life stories with a friend over coffee. I loved how food brought the characters together and how the small-town setting added cozy appeal. The romance felt sweet and believable, and the themes of family and self-discovery gave it heart. If there’s a drawback, it might be that some story beats were a bit predictable, but honestly, I didn’t mind; it’s that comfort read kind of predictable. If you’re craving a light, feel-good story with delicious recipes woven in, Aftertaste is a total treat.

Kostya has been getting “aftertastes” from ghost since the death of his father when he was ten. After accidentally bringing back a ghost with a cocktail, Kostya learns how to cook and sets out to take the culinary world by storm, both here and in the afterlife. He falls in love with a woman, who knows that what he is doing has dangerous repercussions. Will she be able to stop him in time?

This is a beautiful story. The first third is just raw grief and handles grief with care and compassion. As someone who has dealt with unpleasant grief, I found myself sucked in.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Woww I loved this! What a cool book!

Aftertaste is a tender exploration of love and grief, life and death, and human emotion. It is a unique look at how we deal with grief, how we all long to have our late loved ones back, even for just one more conversation, to know they're okay, for one quick meal, one last hug for closure.

The themes are heavy but written with tenderness and grace. There are even several funny moments that made me laugh, and as I was reading on my kobo, I underlined and annotated a simple "LOL" next to some lines.

I was hooked on this story from the first page, and didn't want to put it down until the last. I read it on a plane, and if I wasn't interrupted with a meal, I may have finished it in that one sitting,

Aftertaste is beautiful, sad, intense, thought-provoking, raw, heartbreaking, moving, and unique. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

CW: death, death of parent, grief, disordered eating, suicide, suicide attempt

Beautifully strange, deeply moving, and utterly unforgettable. Right away when I opened the first chapter I was hooked! I've never read a book like this. Aftertaste is a ghost story like no other, equal parts love letter to food, meditation on grief, and darkly funny journey through loss. I devoured every page. The concept is wildly original, and the emotions linger long after the last bite. A must-read for fans of the weird, the tender, and the delicious.

I absolutely adored this novel. Unique, haunting, and endearing, this book will stick with me for years to come. It had me hooked right from the beginning, and I did not want to put it down. I highly recommend having a stash of Reese’s cups on hand before you jump in!

QOTD: Recommend a book you read in June or PT: The ghosts are coming and…

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨

𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚
by Daria Lavelle
400 pages
Out Now!

Thank you to the author and @simonandschuster for this ARC copy.

This definitely lived up to the hype on Bookstagram.

sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs:

Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him 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 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. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him.

Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, Aftertaste is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’d go to find satisfaction.

𝑀𝓎 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈
The writing was excellent and the description of food made my mouth water every time. The use of hunger as a metaphor for the longing and craving for much more than food wove this well done narrative together. I liked ths structure of alternating between the dual points of view from the paranormal to reality and really fell in love with these characters. I’ve already mentioned some readalikes in my update reel but the food and restaurant scenes made me reminisce about the novel Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler, with a dose of the movie Ghost. Overall, a delicious & magical read. #arcreview #books #currentlyreadi̇ng

2.5 out of 5 stars

On paper, this book is a dream come true. As a die-hard foodie and a lover of all things ghostly, the promise of a story that blends gourmet cooking with a supernatural twist had me excited. I expected to be devouring every page, but instead I found myself skimming and waiting for the next good part.

The main character, Konstantin was not someone worthy of this cool power. He came off as kind of a jerk and I just didn’t connect with him.

The writing style was too flowery for me. While I can see how some readers might enjoy it, I didn’t think it matched the story. That said, there were definitely some strong moments that kept me reading. Lavelle’s knowledge of cooking really shines through, and her descriptions of food were the highlights, I could read those all day.

2.5 out of 5 stars

I feel like the odd one out because I do not like this book. The ghosts are the most interesting part of the story, and there are not nearly enough of them. Instead of an exciting tale about ghosts and their connection to food, we follow the unlikeable Konstantin and his ill-advised journey to make dishes that will briefly bring back the dead. It is an interesting take on a person who is connected to the dead. I wanted to say communicate, but he does not really talk to them in any way. The overall idea of the book is fascinating, but I cannot get over how much I do not care for the main character.

Konstantin Duhovny (Kostya) can taste the favorite foods of ghosts. When a new flavor hits his mouth, he knows that a spirit is nearby. He then discovers that he can reunite people with their lost loved ones through those favorite foods. In order to accomplish his goals of making the food of the dead, he has to improve his skills in the heated culinary scene in New York. Along the way, he meets new people (good and bad), falls in love, and completely ignores all the warning about the dangers of inviting the dead back to the land of the living.

I had high hopes for this book, I really did. It has an exciting premise, and I was curious to see how the story played out. I found myself disappointed the whole way through. The characters never interested me, and I did not care about Kostya’s journey in the New York culinary scene. Also, I quickly became irritated with Kostya as he dismissed any warning given to him about his actions. This character did not have any redeeming qualities.

Even though I disliked the main character, some parts of the book entertained me. I enjoyed the spirits themselves, and the interludes between Kostya’s story were fun. However, these small moments could not make up for the rest of the book. I will not deny that the story touched on important subjects and had a meaningful message, but that also could not save the book.

Although the book had decent writing and an interesting plot, the unlikable characters stood out more than the meat of the story. A book can have the most exciting story ever written, but if the characters fall flat, then the book is no good in my opinion. I cannot recommend this book based on my experience reading it, but many others loved it, and it may be worth a try if the subject interests you.

Aftertaste is a genre-bending debut that blends culinary magic, ghostly intrigue, and tender romance. It chronicles Konstantin "Kostya" Duhovny, a dishwasher in NYC who possesses clairgustance-the strange ability to taste the favorite foods of the dead. This gift launches him into the haute dining world and eventually leads him to open a restaurant where patrons experience one last meal with their departed loved ones.

Hmm I have mixed feelings.

I love how this book was incredibly unique. Associating food with life and death is so interesting. I appreciated a lot of what this book had to offer. The descriptions of the food were amazing. There were parts where I was extremely interested but it got a little weird. I think ultimately it was trying to be a lot of different things all at once so it was hard to follow at times. The beginning was great. I loved it. I think the romance and everything after was where it kind of lost me.
I am still so grateful to have read this because it was an interesting concept! Even though it wasn’t entirely for me, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys magical realism and the culinary world.
Now I want to go get some Reese’s cups.

Lush and sensory, this novel explores grief, family, and healing through the lens of food. The emotional beats landed well, though the plot occasionally wandered. Still, Lavelle’s prose was rich and full of heart. A lovely debut.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook arc. I definitely enjoyed this book waaay more than I thought I would at a 4.5. He can taste people’s deceased loved ones in the form a their favorite meal, and when he makes the meal while the person is eating the meal they can commune with the dead. The story follows him as he tries and fails to harness his supernatural gift. After losing his friend in a kitchen fire he decides to go all out and use his gift to help other people heal after losing a loved one. The story is full of twist and turns and love interests

In 'Aftertaste' Daria Lavelle imagines a world where a man can taste the food memories of ghosts and uses this ability to help give people closure after loosing their loved ones. But what is the cost of this gift- both for the living and for the dead? This is a story about how we greave and what we'd do for one last chance to say goodbye. It's a very visceral novel- the descriptions are so strong that you can feel the weight of the ghosts and taste the food on your tongue. This is not a cozy ghost story- it's heavy and haunting and beautiful. If 'Aftertaste' shows us what a feast a debut novel can be, I can't wait to taste the second course.

Wow. As a child of Ukrainian immigrants and as someone who grew up watching The Food Network, this book is a perfect bit of nostalgia. The descriptions of food are enough to make your mouth water and your heart melt. The deep connection characters have to loved ones lost and Lavelle's interpretation of the afterlife is just stunning. The characters are so beautifully written with their reasons for holding on and for doing what they do. There was a moment at the end that I felt was a touch too dramatic, but then the ending wraps it all up so well that I went back to absolutely loving this book.

The description of this book sold me on it - who wouldn’t want to have a last meal with someone they lost? But then as I was reading it turned into much more, a ghost story but also a thriller and a love story along the way and I did not always enjoy it. Tasting meals without eating, spending time and revisiting memories with loved ones all seems nice, but then what happens on “the other side” is just a little too out there for my taste (pun intended!)

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster for the digital ARC.

This was a wild ride. The idea of summoning the afterlife by eating food is out of this world. This story had me hooked from the moment Kostya said he tasted foods that he'd never eaten before. It was riveting and I knew I had to get through the story because I was intrigued. Realizing he had a gift he decided to turn it into a business while tackling the harsh critiques of the New York culinary world. I would absolutely recommend this book to those that love a good paranormal mystery story.

This book is about love and hurt and food. What a different kind of story. I read it very quickly and instantly saw the gift Konstantin had for Aftertastes. He just wants to help people. But helping in a universe you know nothing about can be harmful. Maura is broken from her sister's death and Stan helps her let go. I hope this book finds every reader who needs to be heard to help themselves heal.

I love a foodie novel, suspensions of belief not so much. Regardless I took a chance on requesting a copy of Aftertaste through NetGalley - an this book was so much fun. Yes emotional, but the author made the aftertastes seem possible! I did enjoy the front half more than the second, and enjoyed the description of the food most of all. I think other foodie fiction readers will joy this novel.

I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK. I started it and I found myself absolutely hooked and tearing up and crying at parts because there's something so visceral about the grief and being cursed to deal with aftertaste of plates that the dead really loved or cherished and seeing how Kostya comes to uncover this power of sorts, I am loving the development though and I NEED MORE from this author because I will for sure be reading more of their work!!