Good Morning Bookish Lovelies :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you chose to stop by The Preppy Book Princess for another book review here today.
I'm a huge fan of cozy mysteries, but I prefer the ones that keep it fairly clean and cozy, and I'm thankful there's quite a few within that guideline to choose from.
Last year, I stumbled upon The Grilled Cheese Mystery series by Linda Reilly, and I ended up loving getting to advance read the second and third titles in the series.
You can check out those reviews using the links below:
I'd always wanted to go back and read the first title in the series, and I finally got the time to do so.
I hope you'll all keep reading down below to find out what I ended up thinking about it.
Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly:
Source: Library
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: January 25th, 2022
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Grilled Cheese Mystery
Synopsis:
The first in a delicious new culinary cozy series featuring a grilled cheese eatery owner who must solve murders in her small town before she is put under lock and brie
Back in Balsam Dell to heal after the death of her husband, Carly Hale is finally pursuing her lifelong dream—opening Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery. After only five months, business is booming as Vermont vacationers and townspeople alike flock to lunch on her Party Havartis and other grilled cheese concoctions. All but Lyle Bagley, Carly's one-time high school boyfriend and now town bully who just bought the building that houses her eatery and wants Carly out. After a muenster of a fight, Carly's forced to put her nose to the rind and find a solution to keep her business afloat.
That is...until Lyle is discovered dead behind the dumpster of Carly's shop, and one of her employees becomes the prime suspect. In order to save her eatery and prove her friend's innocence, Carly must sleuth out the killer before she's the one who gets grilled.
With a delightful cast of characters, an inventive amateur sleuth, and a whole host of cheesy hijinks, Up to No Gouda is the perfect cozy murder mystery to melt into.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I came at The Grilled Cheese Mystery series a little backwards, as I ended up reading book two and three before finally deciding to go back and try it from the beginning. Since I'd loved the other two titles in the series, I was expecting to enjoy this one as well. It was interesting getting to hear the backstories as to why Carly Hale chose to move back home and start her grilled cheese eatery, and also getting an earlier introduction to many of the beloved characters that continue to pop up in the later books.
I will say this one for many reasons was a delightful cozy read, and as someone who loves when cozy mysteries are themed around food, the grilled cheese restaurant made for a wonderful setting, and I loved how the small town of Balsam Dell gave off many Stars Hollow vibes.
The characters were great, the setting was perfection, and I do enjoy Linda Reilly's writing style for the most part. However, I'd definitely say this one was not quite as good as the next two in the series, and that's mainly because I thought too many hints were given quite obviously as to who the culprit was, and their reason for doing what they did.
I prefer when my cozies keep me guessing, and that didn't end up being the case for this one. I also have to say that as a personal preference, I usually enjoy cozies more that are set during the fall and winter seasons, so that could have also played a part in why I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I did books two and three.
Overall though, it was still a pretty well rounded cozy, and I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys their mysteries cleanish and sweet.
Final Rating: 3/5.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
Comments
Post a Comment