765 reviews for:

Aftertaste

Daria Lavelle

4.14 AVERAGE

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I crushed Aftertaste in a few sittings, not just because of its quietly compelling story, but because of the way Daria Lavelle writes about food—with such sensuality and precision that I could almost taste each dish. Every bite, aroma, and texture on the page seemed to carry the weight of memory, emotion, and longing. The novel is far more than a food-centric narrative, though. At its heart, it’s a beautifully original meditation on grief, loss, and the messy, tender process of reconciliation. Lavelle doesn’t offer neat resolutions—she lets pain linger and flavor the characters’ choices in believable ways. This is a story that eats quickly, but finishes with a rich and lasting coating on your palate.


adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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: No

Holy cow this was an amazing read! So vivid and compelling, I was hooked and read the last 150 pages in one sitting. Has to be my best read of the year so far!
emotional 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
mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced