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A review by alibookedup
Hard Dough Homicide by Olivia Matthews
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to enjoy this one - the synopsis really had me excited to dive into a cozy mystery involving a bakery and I really love the book cover. I usually love low-stake fantasy and mystery type books, but unfortunately, this one was not for me and I am sad to say that I almost didn't finish it.
The key themes surrounding this low-stake and cozy mystery were there, but overall everything else was lacking. The story and characters were extremely repeitive and eventually became unnecessary. The main characters and other surrounding characters were formed, but not fully fleshed out. I regret to tell you that I don't know anything about Lyndsey, our heroine, other than she was bullied in high school (no explicit details ever given), she had a crush on Bryce, she loves her family, and she owns 40% of the bakery. That seems likes a good amount of information, except that it is all you are ever told over multiple occasions.. In other words, this type of information can work and is important if it is expanded on and allows growth for your characters. However, the characters stayed relatively stagnant the entire book and I felt like they were just cardboard cutouts of what could have been interesting characters. Lastly, I felt the mystery was very slow and the reveal for the murder was a bit disappointing.
I will say that I did enjoy the Grenadian culture and food imprinted into the story. It's always good to see different peoples, cultures, and foods represented in books so I feel like that is where a lot of the story went right. It was also really helpful that even though this is the second in a series, you can still read it as a standalone book like me.
Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, but could've been way more interesting if more time was spent on pacing, character development, and diving more into explicit details. Despite it not being my favorite, I think others might still enjoy it if you are looking for an easy, breezy mystery read.
I really wanted to enjoy this one - the synopsis really had me excited to dive into a cozy mystery involving a bakery and I really love the book cover. I usually love low-stake fantasy and mystery type books, but unfortunately, this one was not for me and I am sad to say that I almost didn't finish it.
The key themes surrounding this low-stake and cozy mystery were there, but overall everything else was lacking. The story and characters were extremely repeitive and eventually became unnecessary. The main characters and other surrounding characters were formed, but not fully fleshed out. I regret to tell you that I don't know anything about Lyndsey, our heroine, other than she was bullied in high school (no explicit details ever given), she had a crush on Bryce, she loves her family, and she owns 40% of the bakery. That seems likes a good amount of information, except that it is all you are ever told over multiple occasions.. In other words, this type of information can work and is important if it is expanded on and allows growth for your characters. However, the characters stayed relatively stagnant the entire book and I felt like they were just cardboard cutouts of what could have been interesting characters. Lastly, I felt the mystery was very slow and the reveal for the murder was a bit disappointing.
I will say that I did enjoy the Grenadian culture and food imprinted into the story. It's always good to see different peoples, cultures, and foods represented in books so I feel like that is where a lot of the story went right. It was also really helpful that even though this is the second in a series, you can still read it as a standalone book like me.
Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, but could've been way more interesting if more time was spent on pacing, character development, and diving more into explicit details. Despite it not being my favorite, I think others might still enjoy it if you are looking for an easy, breezy mystery read.