THE GOLDEN SPOON | Jessa Maxwell
03.07.2023 | Atria Books
Rating: 4/5 stars
Production for the tenth season of Bake Week is ready to begin at the gothic estate of host and celebrity chef Betsy Martin, and everything seems perfect. The tent is up, the top-tier ingredients are aligned, and the crew has their cameras at the ready. The six contestants work to prove their culinary talents over the course of five days, while Betsy is less than thrilled to share the spotlight with a new co-host—the brash and unpredictable Archie Morris. But as the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage, but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.
Jessa Maxwell’s debut, The Golden Spoon, is a fun cozy mystery that makes for an enjoyable escapist read. I absolutely adore the premise for this book and the execution made me feel like I was right in the middle of all the drama. There are seven points of view for this story, which may sound overwhelming, but each voice feels distinct. There aren’t huge plot holes between the flow from each narrator that you can’t track the progress of the story. While I would have enjoyed getting to know each of the narrators a bit more, there’s still ample amount of backstory provided for the main contenders.
I think it’s important for readers to understand going into this book that the pacing is a bit on the slower side. There are several twists thrown in as the story progresses, but this is very much not a thriller in my opinion. The Golden Spoon is perfect for fans of shows like Only Murders in the Building where quirky characters take center stage while a mystery plays out.
Maxwell has won me over with her writing and I’ll be on the lookout for more books from her in the future!
A huge thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy!
What Jess Reads 