The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell [Book Review]

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell combines baking and betrayal in this fun murder mystery. Read my review!

The Golden Spoon by author Jessa Maxwell is an excellent book for people who enjoy cozy mystery novels and shows like The Great British Bake Off. The book follows the contestants and creators of the made-up reality baking show, “Bake Week,” filmed at a manor house in Vermont. Each character has a lot of backstory, and the plot is filled with fun twists and turns. So, why did I give it only three stars out of five? Because it took so long for the murder to happen!

What’s the story, morning glory?

For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true.

When they arrive at Grafton Manor to compete, they’re ready to do whatever it takes to win the ultimate The Golden Spoon.

But for the show’s famous host, Betsy Martin, Bake Week is more than just a competition. Grafton Manor is her family’s home and legacy – and Bake Week is her life’s work. It’s imperative that both continue to succeed.

But as the competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s small acts of sabotage. Someone switching sugar for salt. A hob turned far too high.

But when a body is discovered, it’s clear that for someone in the competition, The Golden Spoon is a prize worth killing for… [goodreads.com]

My thoughts…

The idea behind The Golden Spoon caught my attention right away, and as soon as I started reading, I became invested in each character. From Betsy, the well-known host, to Hannah, the pretty young girl who wants to be famous – each character resembled the reality stars we see daily on reality cooking programs. Were they a bit too one-sided? Yes. But in this cozy mystery, fully fleshed-out characters weren’t needed, and each one serves their purpose in the story.

The murder isn’t the only mystery in The Golden Spoon, but I still thought it took way too long to get to that part of the story. I believe I was more than two-thirds of the way through the book when the murder happened, and by the time it did, I forgot it was coming. Because of this, the book meandered at times and could sometimes feel very slow. The book’s first half was easy for me to put down, but the last half was filled with plot twists, and I couldn’t stop reading it until I finished it. I wish the book had been more evenly paced. A lot of information at the end could have been spread out throughout the rest of the novel.

Even though I had issues with how the story moved, I would still recommend The Golden Spoon to anyone who wants something light and fun. I think this is Jessa Maxwell’s debut novel, and I enjoyed it enough to want to read more of her work in the future.

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