Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Okay so I mostly skimmed through this as it is primarily a cookbook, but it made me cryyy. The author collected gravestone recipes and also put not only the recipe, complete with glorious photos of the food, but also short info about the person on whose gravestone it was, with stories about them or the recipe, and sometimes also photos of the person. It made me so happy to read some of these and I can't wait to try the recipes. It made me think about the amount of love that goes into cooking and how special family favorites really are, more for the memories than the taste. I think these people would all be so happy to see their recipes collected in this little book.

I am not one to read things are focused on death, but this cookbook was absolutely the opposite. The celebration of lives and unsung heroes was heartwarming. I also may have picked up a few new recipes to try along the way. I hope there are many more volumes to come of interesting people and a warm meal that unites us all.

Initially, this seemed to be a very morbid type of cookbook. I honestly was here for the campiness of the idea. However, after reading it, it is so wholesome. This cookbook is a series of recipes collected from the tombstones and headstones of the people who loved to make them. This is a way for them to express their legacy, and it is such an almost wholesome idea. Who doesn't want to remember Grandma by her Spritz Cookies recipe? The author did her research to find the families of these timeless recipies - and chefs- and the blend of cooking and life stories is heartwarming.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book for spooky season (which starts July 5th). I was thinking it would be slightly haunted, a little spooky, with some ghost stories. But this cookbook is so heartwarming and wonderful.

I love the recipes and the personal stories of the people behind them. It's a really meaningful book about the love we pass on through our cooking and the legacies we leave behind.

To Die For is more than a cookbook—it’s a tender, heartfelt celebration of memory, legacy, and the love passed down through food. Rosie Grant brings together gravestone recipes with touching stories that honor the people behind them. Each recipe becomes a tribute, and each page invites the reader to reflect on how food connects us across generations. Beautifully curated and deeply human, this book is a nourishing read in every sense. (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own,)

This made me smile, and not a happy smile, but a comforting smile. How lovely is it that they get to continue to live on.

The beautiful tradition of sharing a oved one's famous recipe on their tombstone is more common than one would think. I read a story about a woman who liked to search for these gravestones and bake the dishes, but I'm so glad these have been collected in a cookbook that more can enjoy. As I read about the women who inspired these recipes, it brought to mind the way they must have shown love through cooking, and how cozy it would be to enjoy these desserts and entrees. I also thought of my mother-in-law, who bakes with love in all she makes. I would love to create a recipe tombstone in tribute to her in the future, and hopefully a new edition of this cookbook could include her meals.

I found this creator on TikTok/Instagram a few years ago and fell in love with the idea. I was so surprised when I saw this book on Netgalley. The idea is simple: she found recipes from tombstones and made them! As simple as the idea is, the execution is immaculate. The pictures are gorgeous, and Rosie got personal stories for every person to include with the recipes themselves. There are family photos, photos of the tombstones themselves, and of course photos of the food that has been made. The book has an introduction and glossary, and each recipe has personal stories from friends and families. You can tell this is a true passion project, and a ton of work and heart went into it. I will definitely will be buying this book when it's published (all of the cookies look delicious).

Who knew that some leaving their legacy include recipes on their gravestones? Rosie Grant has noticed, and compiled a unique and excellent cookbook with recipes from gravestones as well as stories of those people. If you are interested, you’ll want to pick up To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes. Grant is a food lover and creator of @GhostlyArchive on tiktok and Instagram where she researches recipes on gravestones from digital archives.

While the recipes are mostly for sweets, there are a few savory recipes. There are photographs of each of the gravestones and the recipes engraved on them, as well as beautiful, professional photographs of each dish. Grant has taken the recipes and printed them in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, mostly followed by step-by-step instructions; some of the recipes have been shortened and leave out pan sizes and other things, probably to save room on the stone, but are easily understandable and easy to follow.

All told, Grant is a good writer and the prose is well-written and interesting. There is a nice story about each of the people and readers will find that they want to curl up in a corner and read the book cover to cover. This is a fun cookbook that is nice to have on a cookbook shelf.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This is such a cool book! I appreciate the author interviewing the families of those who have passed on to give a little back story, as well as including some photos. As someone who loves baking and family recipes, I think these recipes look great! It was interesting to see that there are a few recipes of similar cookies. The cover reminds me of Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book from the 1950s, giving it a very homey vibe. I will be making some of these recipes.

I first found Rosie on social media and quickly became invested in the recipes and stories behind the recipes. So when I heard that this cookbook was coming out, I couldn't get my preorder in fast enough!

This cookbook satisfies every expectation I had for it. Great photography. Stories of the people who made these recipes with love for their family. Easy to follow directions with hints and tips throughout.

This cookbook will quickly become a treasured part of your cookbook collection. My hope is that it also encourages you to share your recipes with loved ones. We connect and make memories so much over food.

This book is both a wonderful tribute and very sad.

Every family has someone known for the food they always bring to the party. For my mom, it was her potato salad. It wasn't a party without it and it's part of our family lore and an indelible part of our memories.

This book gives us the recipes that were so much a part of family tradition that they were literally put on headstones. More than that, though, the author introduces us to the people behind the recipes as their families share stories, memories and the pictures of the deceased.

And, yes, it made me sad.

I haven't cooked any of these. Instead, I took a tearful walk down memory lane - a walk both grief-filled and wistful as I remembered some of the wonderful people I've lost - and the recipes that were sometimes lost with them.

It's a fabulous and touching book. And I need a tissue.

* ARC via Publisher

Very niche, very well done little cookbook. The premise is recipes found on headstones- the author has done a lot of research to get the story behind the recipe, and the women behind the recipe. Very engaging, very respectful, well laid out and beautifully photographed. I really enjpyed this one, no notes.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

This was not only a wonderful cookbook, but it would be an amazing keepsake for the families. I love the idea of keeping a recipe secret until you die, just to then put it on your gravestone for everyone to see. It is one way to make sure everyone remembers you. Too bad funeral costs are so high (which is ridiculous, by the way), that everyone can't add more things than just their name and dates.

There are not only amazing recipes but stories and photographs of each person. Of course, like every cookbook should, there are gorgeous pictures of the food. Will yours ever look exactly like it? Unless it is as simple as a no- bake cookie, probably not. Then again, there are some people out there that are able to, so?

Loved this cookbook and would definitely recommend it!

This is exactly my cup of tea and what a unique and incredibly meaningful premise for a book!!!

This is a cookbook containing recipes from gravestones along with the stories behind the person each recipe came from. I really loved the introduction where you learn the WHY behind this cookbook and the concept that cemeteries are more than a final burial place for the deceased.

I would have liked if the author had included notes from the recipes as she made them — maybe additional tips/tricks she used or things she found helpful as she made each one.

Either way: I love that this cookbook exists. So very much. What a wonderful way to be remembered. Now I know I’ll forever be keeping an eye out for recipes on gravestones at every cemetery I visit from now on.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the digital ARC for my thoughts!

This was a great cookbook. Very easy-to-follow recipes. I can't wait to try these recipes. I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Genuinely did not think that a cookbook would make me cry, but here we are.

The basis for these recipes is so heartwarming and yet so tragic. To learn about these people and their families, to have the chance to continue their legacies with recipes that they made in life and now share past death.

It gives me so much hope that literally anyone can make an impression on the world. Even if it is a snickerdoodle recipe etched into stone.

It's a must for a library collection and I'm considering it for my personal book collection which is WILD.

This is such an unusual and interesting cookbook. It features a collection of recipes that were carved on people’s gravestones, along with a little life story about each one with interviews with their loved ones, the recipe and a photo of the gravestone, of the dish, and sometimes of the deceased.

The recipes themselves tend to be simple classics— cakes, cookies, meatloaf and such. They are very much the types of recipes your elderly loved ones probably had hand written on index cards that were stained from years of use. They tend to be very standard— ingredients like margarine, ranch dressing mix, cream of mushroom soup, brownie mix and so on— and not really secret ingredient kind of recipes or unusual recipes. The stories of the ordinary, wonderful, well loved people are really the stars of the book.

I read an ARC of this book via netgalley.

This is an incredibly sweetly poignant cookbook. Judging by the description and title, it sounded like something I’d very much enjoy, I’m so glad I read it! The concept of a cookbook honoring folks who passed away and are honored by sharing their signature recipes on their headstones is just lovely—better yet, the execution was flawless.

The author worked in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. and I think this gave her a healthy and gentle outlook on death and cemeteries. I’m one of those people who enjoys visiting cemeteries so the concept of these headstones has been something I’ve loved since I first heard of them. What a nice way to see so many of them all together!

Rosie Grant spent a lot of time speaking to the loved ones and families of the people whose recipes she used and it was wonderful to read these details of their lives, like the adorable old lady who could swear like a trucker, people who shared their food with anyone and everyone, and the memories of joy throughout. The photos she took of the dishes she made from the recipes are gorgeous, it’s truly an original and lovely cookbook from start to finish.

Thank you Rosie Grant, Harvest, and NetGalley for this ARC, it was a truly incredible read.

I remember a few years ago seeing videos of a woman going to cemeteries and making recipes she found on headstones. The second I saw she made a cookbook of those recipes, I gasped and requested immediately.

This book was so heartwarming and emotional. I did not expect there to be blurbs and bios of the people whose recipes were shared within its pages. I loved the idea of sharing the recipes of these kind people, but I am so happy Grant shared the stories of the people as well. I also liked that there was a list of questions to ask your family and loved ones about food. It is definitely making me ask my own family for recipes they love and want to pass along.

On to the actual recipes... Nothing is too hard to make from the looks of it. There are no super weird ingredients and everything looks so comforting and delicious. All the recipes had a picture of the food, which is a huge deal for me (I like to know what my end product should look like). I am excited to try out some of the cookie recipes from this book!

Overall, the cookbook aspect of this is exactly what you want from a cookbook. But, the book itself is more than just a cookbook. I will definitely be buying this for the library and a copy for myself!