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le_mur's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent
brie333's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder
jcstokes95's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Your enjoyment of this book will be at least a bit determined by how much you believe shitty abusive men should be killed for their crimes. Which, okay by me, but I see a few reviewers who didn't read the back flap, so just doing my best to help out.
Daisy Ellery is a charming baker with a secret talent for creating magical murder pies, directed at the abusers in her town. When she received a letter threatening to reveal her side gig as a feminist semi-serial killer, she has to go into detective mode to find out who might be blackmailing her. However, it really doesn't feel like Daisy does a lot of detecting, to be honest. Mostly she avoids the situation brewing with her rival and focuses on a bunch of other distractions. From a romance plot with her farmer's market neighbor...and a romance plot with the passionate (and very annoying imo) Mellie. Also a plot to save an orchard via pie competition. And also to convince a woman to take action against her husband. There is a lot going on at once and it can feel a bit chaotic sometimes.
However, it feels lighthearted throughout, which is a feat, because there is a lot of vague mention of domestic and sexual violence. The author is never graphic or specific, which keeps the tone light and even chipper because of Daisy's personality. I sense your mileage may very on how you feel the tone matches subject matter. Most of the time it felt alright for me, I've been searching for lighter books after a rough reading month. My main issue with this book is the repetitive narration. Not sure how this felt in physical copy, but in the audiobook, it was evident that the novel could have lost some of the padding and been better for it. But all in all, the pace keeps moving and this is easily devoured for those who like something on the border of mystery and small town intrigue.
Daisy Ellery is a charming baker with a secret talent for creating magical murder pies, directed at the abusers in her town. When she received a letter threatening to reveal her side gig as a feminist semi-serial killer, she has to go into detective mode to find out who might be blackmailing her. However, it really doesn't feel like Daisy does a lot of detecting, to be honest. Mostly she avoids the situation brewing with her rival and focuses on a bunch of other distractions. From a romance plot with her farmer's market neighbor...and a romance plot with the passionate (and very annoying imo) Mellie. Also a plot to save an orchard via pie competition. And also to convince a woman to take action against her husband. There is a lot going on at once and it can feel a bit chaotic sometimes.
However, it feels lighthearted throughout, which is a feat, because there is a lot of vague mention of domestic and sexual violence. The author is never graphic or specific, which keeps the tone light and even chipper because of Daisy's personality. I sense your mileage may very on how you feel the tone matches subject matter. Most of the time it felt alright for me, I've been searching for lighter books after a rough reading month. My main issue with this book is the repetitive narration. Not sure how this felt in physical copy, but in the audiobook, it was evident that the novel could have lost some of the padding and been better for it. But all in all, the pace keeps moving and this is easily devoured for those who like something on the border of mystery and small town intrigue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder
idun_aurora's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book ticked many of my boxes. Cozy murder, mystery, HBTIQ+ and feminist themes, some romance, a sprinkle of magic, mouthwatering descriptions of pastries, and a cute dog. There are even recipes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
The book is quite lighthearted, but deals with the listed CW's seriously, skilfully balancing the heavy content with, well, really cozy baking.kirstym25's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“To everyone working to dismantle the pastry-archy in their own way.”
Synopsis: Daisy Ellery is your friendly local vigilante pie lady, on her mission to exact justice on behalf of wronged parties through magical pies.
I actually read this book in mid-April, but I’ve been holding off writing this review forever because I just loved this book so much and wanted to do it justice! This was such a fun read, I loved Daisy with her compassionate energy mixed with a whole lot of snark.
This was such a unique spin on a cozy read, as there were strong feminist threads weaved throughout and an interesting examination of how principles of restorative justice could look (albeit with a magical bent). This book deals with some pretty serious issues though, so be sure to check out the content warnings.
As well, while there are romances in this book, including some queer rep, this definitely takes a back seat to the larger storyline of Daisy’s magical pie business and mysterious blackmailer.
A final tip while reading this book: Don’t read this while you’re hungry! The descriptions of all the pies (yes, I would like a cutie pie) will have your mouth watering, and Misha Popp so graciously offers up some much needed recipes at the end. I can’t wait to see more in the Pies Before Guys series!
Pick this one up if you love:
- the Finlay Donovan series or quirky, murdery leads
- Baking/baking competition shows
- Books that blend genres
Thanks Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment