You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I knew right away after reading the blurb that this would be my 2025 must-read. I felt a little confused at first and took some time to get adjusted to the writing style, but my curiosity about what would happen kept me going and didn't let me down. Even though I'm not hugely fond of ghost stories, I was intrigued by the idea of using food for summoning spirits (specially speaking to your loved ones). I'm really happy that I chose to read this book.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5/5 stars
Aftertaste is a book that gets under your skin. Daria Lavelle’s writing is lush and unsettling, pulling you into a world where food, power, and obsession blur in the most intoxicating way.
The unnamed narrator is drawn into the orbit of an enigmatic chef, and what starts as fascination quickly turns into something far darker. The sensory detail is incredible, every taste, scent, and texture is described so vividly it feels almost tangible. It reminded me of Tender is the Flesh and A Certain Hunger, but with its own feverish, dreamlike quality.
If you love dark, atmospheric stories that seduce and disturb in equal measure, this one is unforgettable.
Aftertaste is a book that gets under your skin. Daria Lavelle’s writing is lush and unsettling, pulling you into a world where food, power, and obsession blur in the most intoxicating way.
The unnamed narrator is drawn into the orbit of an enigmatic chef, and what starts as fascination quickly turns into something far darker. The sensory detail is incredible, every taste, scent, and texture is described so vividly it feels almost tangible. It reminded me of Tender is the Flesh and A Certain Hunger, but with its own feverish, dreamlike quality.
If you love dark, atmospheric stories that seduce and disturb in equal measure, this one is unforgettable.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really solid book, very impressive for a debut. The concept was brilliant and I loved all of the descriptions of the food and cooking. Kostya was a great main character, but I never really quite bought the relationship between him and Maura maybe because it felt like it didn’t have much build up and there wasn’t enough focus on how their relationship was beyond the physical. It just felt a bit teenage-crush to me.
I say this in the best way possible; WHAT DID I JUST READ?! Wow! What an absolutely unique story. I love this book so much! As a foodie and person who loves to cook (and eat), I thoroughly enjoyed all the talk and descriptions of food, flavours and dishes.
I don’t even know what genre this book would be. Fantasy? Sci-fi? Romance? Spooky season? All of the above?! What a thrill and pleasure to consume.
This book also had me craving a peanut butter cup HARD! To be honest, I’m a little worried to eat one! I don’t want any ghosts coming to visit. Or maybe I do…
I don’t even know what genre this book would be. Fantasy? Sci-fi? Romance? Spooky season? All of the above?! What a thrill and pleasure to consume.
This book also had me craving a peanut butter cup HARD! To be honest, I’m a little worried to eat one! I don’t want any ghosts coming to visit. Or maybe I do…
adventurous
dark
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
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you @simonbooks for the ARC! ♡
·..·˙✧˖°⋆⊹ This one is for the foodies. ⊹⋆..·˙✧˖°·∘
↳ What if you could bring someone back from the dead for one last meal?
↳ That’s Kostya’s special ability: combining cooking with resurrection.
↳ However nothing this powerful comes without a cost…
I spent more than half of these pages feeling like a hungry ghost, salivating over the mouth-watering smells, tastes, flavors.
Food connects us to people and memories, culture and community, which is where this book shines. Evoking Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and other cozy translated food fiction, this one is meta without a linear plot.
There’s also a love story going on. Kostya and Maura are both guarding their hearts and their secrets, behind walls of loss and layers of past trauma.
The romance was heavy on miscommunication, however the droolworthy meals and life lessons kept me turning the pages.
▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။|• 🎧 I listened to some of this on audio using Spotify hours, and full cast narration was really nice with Ukrainian and Russian accents.
·..·˙✧˖°⋆⊹ This one is for the foodies. ⊹⋆..·˙✧˖°·∘
↳ What if you could bring someone back from the dead for one last meal?
↳ That’s Kostya’s special ability: combining cooking with resurrection.
↳ However nothing this powerful comes without a cost…
I spent more than half of these pages feeling like a hungry ghost, salivating over the mouth-watering smells, tastes, flavors.
Food connects us to people and memories, culture and community, which is where this book shines. Evoking Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and other cozy translated food fiction, this one is meta without a linear plot.
There’s also a love story going on. Kostya and Maura are both guarding their hearts and their secrets, behind walls of loss and layers of past trauma.
The romance was heavy on miscommunication, however the droolworthy meals and life lessons kept me turning the pages.
▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။|• 🎧 I listened to some of this on audio using Spotify hours, and full cast narration was really nice with Ukrainian and Russian accents.