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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo after reading this I really wanted Strawberry Shortcake. Heck, I wanted to eat some while reading it. Even now I would go for some. Ugh, I love Strawberry Shortcake. Which is weird because I am not a sweets person anymore - the bakery life has killed my love of it.
While diving into this delicious murder mystery, we meet Hannah who is judging a bake-off contest. Yum! Along the way, we meet Boyd and honestly I wasn't a big fan of his. He was just really rude and I'm all for not sugarcoating things to people when needed but dang - he was harsh. So I wasn't surprise by what happened to him one bit.
Now this was pretty entertaining but some of it was a bit unbelievable. Does this mean I'm going to stop reading this series? Heck no. I want more delicious murders coming my way and maybe some more dessert ideas. Summer holidays are coming and I need some yummy treats.
While diving into this delicious murder mystery, we meet Hannah who is judging a bake-off contest. Yum! Along the way, we meet Boyd and honestly I wasn't a big fan of his. He was just really rude and I'm all for not sugarcoating things to people when needed but dang - he was harsh. So I wasn't surprise by what happened to him one bit.
Now this was pretty entertaining but some of it was a bit unbelievable. Does this mean I'm going to stop reading this series? Heck no. I want more delicious murders coming my way and maybe some more dessert ideas. Summer holidays are coming and I need some yummy treats.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Important caveat for my review: while this is the 2nd book in the series, it’s the 7th or so I’ve read.
It’s clear to me that my gripes with the series as a whole have been present from the start. I half thought the thinness of the plot was due to an obvious reliance on ghostwriters for later books, but no. From a mystery perspective, there are absolutely no red herrings or obfuscation of any kind. The murderers are extremely easy to spot. Hannah’s inner monologue dies down quite a bit in later books, thankfully, given she’s not particularly funny.
Normally I read these books, with all their shortcomings, for a simple reason: I like the descriptions of food and baking, and whatever its other faults, the story does feel very rooted in place. As the child of a Minnesotan who frequently goes there to visit family, I like reading about people who feel like they could be my aunt, uncle, or cousin. I rated this book lower than the others for two reasons:
1. There is an odd paragraph where Hannah (but no doubt actually Joanne Fluke) defensively reflects about how “Indian” is not actually a slur (some contemporary scholars as of this writing have stated they prefer the term “American Indian” but I don’t think their reasoning aligns with Joanne’s). If I were her editor I’d take it out of online editions.
2. She refers to the physical abuse Danielle suffers as a “shameful secret,” and that it would sully Boyd’s reputation with his students. While I ultimately agree with Hannah’s conclusion that it’s up to Danielle whether or not she discloses the abuse to others, her reasoning frankly makes my blood boil. This book is over 20 years old as if this writing, but frankly I don’t think that’s enough justification for calling a victim of abuse “shameful.”
Finally, I realized I have trouble keeping most of the characters straight because everyone’s name is either an old person name, or ageless in a way that makes their age hard to determine (like Carrie). A guy in his 20s named HERB?! Come on now, Joanne, that was an old man name in 2001, and you know it.
It’s clear to me that my gripes with the series as a whole have been present from the start. I half thought the thinness of the plot was due to an obvious reliance on ghostwriters for later books, but no. From a mystery perspective, there are absolutely no red herrings or obfuscation of any kind. The murderers are extremely easy to spot. Hannah’s inner monologue dies down quite a bit in later books, thankfully, given she’s not particularly funny.
Normally I read these books, with all their shortcomings, for a simple reason: I like the descriptions of food and baking, and whatever its other faults, the story does feel very rooted in place. As the child of a Minnesotan who frequently goes there to visit family, I like reading about people who feel like they could be my aunt, uncle, or cousin. I rated this book lower than the others for two reasons:
1. There is an odd paragraph where Hannah (but no doubt actually Joanne Fluke) defensively reflects about how “Indian” is not actually a slur (some contemporary scholars as of this writing have stated they prefer the term “American Indian” but I don’t think their reasoning aligns with Joanne’s). If I were her editor I’d take it out of online editions.
2. She refers to the physical abuse Danielle suffers as a “shameful secret,” and that it would sully Boyd’s reputation with his students. While I ultimately agree with Hannah’s conclusion that it’s up to Danielle whether or not she discloses the abuse to others, her reasoning frankly makes my blood boil. This book is over 20 years old as if this writing, but frankly I don’t think that’s enough justification for calling a victim of abuse “shameful.”
Finally, I realized I have trouble keeping most of the characters straight because everyone’s name is either an old person name, or ageless in a way that makes their age hard to determine (like Carrie). A guy in his 20s named HERB?! Come on now, Joanne, that was an old man name in 2001, and you know it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse
I’m really enjoying this series so far, it always seems a bit slow getting started but once things get rolling I find myself at the end before I know it! I’ll be reading the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
A delightful cozy mystery. The TV set baking competition was a nice way of introducing more of the town or Lake Eden.