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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NetGalley and Datura Books for this ARC!
This was such a freaking adorable book. It was the coziest of mysteries and just what I needed!
I absolutely loved the setting, if Foghorn were real I would love to visit.
I loved Bird so much, she was such a fun and refreshing character. Oh and Dale too, he was just lovely and I loved him so much as well! Such wonderful characters, the whole town was really!
This isn't a twisty thriller, it's a fun cozy mystery and the perfect for a break after a lot of thrillers.
I absolutely loved falling in love with the characters and of course, I loved the cheese. Who can't love cheese?
This was such a freaking adorable book. It was the coziest of mysteries and just what I needed!
I absolutely loved the setting, if Foghorn were real I would love to visit.
I loved Bird so much, she was such a fun and refreshing character. Oh and Dale too, he was just lovely and I loved him so much as well! Such wonderful characters, the whole town was really!
This isn't a twisty thriller, it's a fun cozy mystery and the perfect for a break after a lot of thrillers.
I absolutely loved falling in love with the characters and of course, I loved the cheese. Who can't love cheese?
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Cheese, cats and a cosy mystery set in a small (very small) coastal town in California.
I really liked the main character, Bird. She inherited her grandmother's estate and is now trying to establish her cheese board catering services in the area. Of course, as with all cosy mysteries, trouble seems to either follow Bird, or she seems to be very adept at finding it. Soon there is a dead body, a person who wasn't much liked by the community, and Bird takes on the busy-body-mantle her grandmother left her and investigates.
Bird is on the autism spectrum. No, not "Rain Man" like, not all autistic people are like that. A lot of research and, I guess, the author's personal experience went into Bird's character and it was well-done. A lot of research also went into the fictional cheese boards and grilled cheese sandwiches. I would love to be able to try them all.
A lovely cosy mystery with a neurodivergent main character and interesting secondary characters. Should there be a sequel, I'd read it.
I really liked the main character, Bird. She inherited her grandmother's estate and is now trying to establish her cheese board catering services in the area. Of course, as with all cosy mysteries, trouble seems to either follow Bird, or she seems to be very adept at finding it. Soon there is a dead body, a person who wasn't much liked by the community, and Bird takes on the busy-body-mantle her grandmother left her and investigates.
Bird is on the autism spectrum. No, not "Rain Man" like, not all autistic people are like that. A lot of research and, I guess, the author's personal experience went into Bird's character and it was well-done. A lot of research also went into the fictional cheese boards and grilled cheese sandwiches. I would love to be able to try them all.
A lovely cosy mystery with a neurodivergent main character and interesting secondary characters. Should there be a sequel, I'd read it.
I loved this book! More autistic and neurodivergent cozy sleuths PLEASE! Bird was such a fun character who I instantly connected with. I love her passion for cheese and all the research done for this story. I also love cheese and this book made me so hungry. The mystery was so intriguing. I never knew who to suspect and there were lots of great characters and twists and turns. The ending was SO good and I can’t wait to read more (hopefully) in this series!
Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was so well done!
Thanks to the publishers for a review copy; my thoughts and review are my own.
Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was so well done!
Thanks to the publishers for a review copy; my thoughts and review are my own.
adventurous
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
I hadn't heard of this book when I received an offer for the eARC, but I love cozy mysteries and I love books with neurodivergent characters so I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. Plus, the title was just too good to pass on.
Cheddar Luck Next Time is about an autistic woman who has just inherited her grandmother's home. Shortly after settling in, a local troublemaker is murdered, and Bird realizes that she'll have to solve the crime since the police seem to be considering herself and her friend as suspects.
Bird was an instantly likeable character. Her special interest is cheese, and she runs a small business that sells cheese boards. She's empathetic, kind, and so relatable. Grizz was her grandmother's friend, and Bird considers him to be somewhat of a grandfather. He helps her stand up to a local troublemaker and then becomes the prime suspect when that man is murdered shortly afterward. Bird pushes past her anxieties and works to find out who really committed the murder. Along the way, she makes friends, unravels some secrets, and acquires a very chonky cat.
All the supporting characters are delightful, too. A love interest, various townies, old friends, and very frustrated law enforcement officials are included in the quirky cast of characters.
The plot in this is absolutely addictive. I love mysteries, especially cozy mysteries, but I've never had one hook me so quickly and thoroughly. A large part of this was my love for Bird, but the mystery is also plotted and paced really well, with no filler.
This book wasn't on my radar, but I'm so glad it was pointed out to me and that I made time to read it. I highly recommend picking up Cheddar Luck Next Time. It's under 300 pages and can easily be read in a day or two, and you won't want to put it down once you start. It's smart, charming, and has great neurodivergent representation. I genuinely hope that this is the start of a series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
Complicated
Publishes April 8, 2025
Written by Beth Cato
Narrated by Dominique Salvacion
This book was written for me, cheese, cats, mystery what more could a girl want. I really loved the main character Bird who has an adult diagnosis of autism and how she was working her way through life after loss. Bird knew so much about cheese, and her cheese business. After her parents loss and a year later loosing her grandmother it was really hard on her and cheese seemed to get her through it. Bird inherited her grandmothers home after her death and the first day she is there she kicks Chase the town nuisance off her property. But little did she know he would be found dead soon after. This put her right in the middle of the murder investigation, so much motive and no alibis, even for Bird.
This was such a cozy murder mystery book. Every character had something that just made me smile. i was really surprised at the end to find out who the killer was. I didn’t see it coming and I was shocked. I really hope that Beth Coto writes a sequel or another book with Bird, her cheese and her cats in it. Last the name had me immediately I knew I needed to read it.
Thank you Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for this ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.
Written by Beth Cato
Narrated by Dominique Salvacion
This book was written for me, cheese, cats, mystery what more could a girl want. I really loved the main character Bird who has an adult diagnosis of autism and how she was working her way through life after loss. Bird knew so much about cheese, and her cheese business. After her parents loss and a year later loosing her grandmother it was really hard on her and cheese seemed to get her through it. Bird inherited her grandmothers home after her death and the first day she is there she kicks Chase the town nuisance off her property. But little did she know he would be found dead soon after. This put her right in the middle of the murder investigation, so much motive and no alibis, even for Bird.
This was such a cozy murder mystery book. Every character had something that just made me smile. i was really surprised at the end to find out who the killer was. I didn’t see it coming and I was shocked. I really hope that Beth Coto writes a sequel or another book with Bird, her cheese and her cats in it. Last the name had me immediately I knew I needed to read it.
Thank you Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for this ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
I’ve never read a cozy mystery before, so maybe it’s part of the point… but I found this book to be very predictable. I knew the plot twists that were coming pretty early on. I did generally enjoy my listen though, and Bird was an interesting main character to follow!
I received an ARC of this audiobook from NetGalley.
Purely picked this book up for the cheesy title and ended up absolutely loving it. After not reading much mystery lately, I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Fun characters, great autism representation, plenty of cheesy fun, and plot twists to keep you engaged. I really liked the relationship between Bird and Dale, and of course, Bowser was an absolute star. Would love to see more adventures starring Bird.
Purely picked this book up for the cheesy title and ended up absolutely loving it. After not reading much mystery lately, I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Fun characters, great autism representation, plenty of cheesy fun, and plot twists to keep you engaged. I really liked the relationship between Bird and Dale, and of course, Bowser was an absolute star. Would love to see more adventures starring Bird.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This book felt like it was written for me - cheese, video games, a cat and a mystery!
I loved the main character, Bird, navigating her way through life after loss and with an adult diagnosis of autism, moving to a town by herself with only one really familiar person nearby. I loved her fondness for cheese, and how the author has clearly put some of herself into that character.
With so many small town cozy mysteries, the connection of the main character to the murder investigation really makes no sense, but this one did it well!
This was an easy read, cozy and twisty - a perfect example of a cozy mystery. Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher and author for the proof.
I loved the main character, Bird, navigating her way through life after loss and with an adult diagnosis of autism, moving to a town by herself with only one really familiar person nearby. I loved her fondness for cheese, and how the author has clearly put some of herself into that character.
With so many small town cozy mysteries, the connection of the main character to the murder investigation really makes no sense, but this one did it well!
This was an easy read, cozy and twisty - a perfect example of a cozy mystery. Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher and author for the proof.