The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
phan_boy's review
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping and Car accident
allisonplus's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Car accident, and Addiction
salmobina's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny
lulu_canread's review
funny
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? Yes
3.25
Magic Lies and Deadly Pies is a fantastic, cosy mystery about our entrepid magical pie girl, Daisy, who not only runs a pie business, but has a side hustle in murder. The mystery of this story is not how Daisy makes her magic pies infused with emotions, but on who is blackmailing her with information about her customers and the victims they order pie for.
This is a fun, mostly lighthearted story with a great sense of humour and a strong message about empowering domestic abuse victims and not letting 'victim' define who they are. While some of the dialogue is a little awkward at parts, and the ending was a little predictable. This is still a fun read with a great change of the typical cosy, baking mystery tropes.
This is a fun, mostly lighthearted story with a great sense of humour and a strong message about empowering domestic abuse victims and not letting 'victim' define who they are. While some of the dialogue is a little awkward at parts, and the ending was a little predictable. This is still a fun read with a great change of the typical cosy, baking mystery tropes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Minor: Murder and Sexual harassment
This book does contain mentions of domestic abuse (central to the plot of the story), along with some misogyny and mentions of addiction/alcoholism.mamawantsbooks's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Car accident, Infidelity, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
bookishjaybird's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent
emmylamptey's review
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
3.75
Daisy Ellery and her homemade pie business are more than meets the eye. From a glance, Daisy looks like a sweet, 1950s style housewife who bakes pies for a local diner, farmers markets, support group meetings, and college campuses. Her pies are sweet, delicious and customers swear they feel happier, stronger, or more focused. These customers are right.
Daisy comes from a long line of Ellery women who are all witches. These women’s magic is channeled through traditionally feminine skills like sewing, hair styling, and in Daisy’s case, baking pies. Daisy bakes magic into all her pies to help her customers improve their lives.
However, Daisy also possesses a power her ancestors did not: she is able to kill bad men without a trace with her magical pies (or so she believes). Daisy is a vigilante and passionate about social justice; creating pies to help local women who have been wronged by violent partners, abusers, and rapists. When someone finds out what Daisy is doing and contracts her to bake pies as blackmail, she is put into a compromising position.
While this mystery is not cozy in the traditional sense, the small town, farmers markets, and pie baking certainly are all very cozy plot devices. The book’s themes are likely darker than anticipated due to the nature of the crimes the men have committed and also that the protagonist is a murderer herself.
The writing was quirky and fun and I loved the diversity and inclusion present in the book. The authors politics are quite apparent in the book, which could be a turn off for some but not for me. This book is totally “Witches vs. The Patriarchy” baked up into a pie.
Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Daisy comes from a long line of Ellery women who are all witches. These women’s magic is channeled through traditionally feminine skills like sewing, hair styling, and in Daisy’s case, baking pies. Daisy bakes magic into all her pies to help her customers improve their lives.
However, Daisy also possesses a power her ancestors did not: she is able to kill bad men without a trace with her magical pies (or so she believes). Daisy is a vigilante and passionate about social justice; creating pies to help local women who have been wronged by violent partners, abusers, and rapists. When someone finds out what Daisy is doing and contracts her to bake pies as blackmail, she is put into a compromising position.
While this mystery is not cozy in the traditional sense, the small town, farmers markets, and pie baking certainly are all very cozy plot devices. The book’s themes are likely darker than anticipated due to the nature of the crimes the men have committed and also that the protagonist is a murderer herself.
The writing was quirky and fun and I loved the diversity and inclusion present in the book. The authors politics are quite apparent in the book, which could be a turn off for some but not for me. This book is totally “Witches vs. The Patriarchy” baked up into a pie.
Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Murder
Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, Cancer, and Trafficking
leandrathetbrzero's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Magic, Murder, and So Much Sugar #PiesBeforeGuys
↓ Similar Reading Experiences ↓
1. Baking Bad (on my TBR!)
2. A Study in Scarlet Women
3. Still Lives
Daisy Ellery’s magical pies have the ability to make one tell the truth, feel confident or hopeful or calm…and for a particular few, one slice can kill. Unlike the Ellery women before her, Daisy uses her magic to free women from their abusive partners by making and delivering murder pies. She has lived a nomadic lifestyle with her pitbull, Zoe, for most of her adult life, but she finally begins to settle in Turnbridge, MA. There, she has loyal customers, a found family, and love in the air. One thing she also has, however, is a blackmailer. This person knows about Daisy’s murder pies and, in exchange for silence, she might be forced to serve up murder pies to three innocent women. Can Daisy unmask her blackmailer before she has to use her magic for true evil?
I am obsessed with this new cozy mystery series! And I cannot wait for a Pies Before Guys sequel. Listening to this title on audiobook through Hoopla, I instantly fell in love with Daisy as a vigilante badass with a 1950s wardrobe. I have purchased a physical copy since completing this gem. The cast of characters surrounding our heroine is just as vivid and endearing. I felt emotionally invested in their growing and fluctuating relationships. This is a fascinating mystery because it focuses on uncovering a blackmailer in order to prevent the death of innocents. Daisy has killed many abusive, violent men before, but she has protocols and rules that must be strictly adhered to before any of this takes place. I appreciated the system, and I honestly found it to be a sound one. She was a gray character with sense no matter where your own morals stand, and I believe that’s what a true gray character should be. This was a cozy with crucial messages and themes I 100% could get behind: domestic violence awareness, feminism, and women supporting women. Popp balances these important topics with some subplotted romance, an adorable dog and community, and a most captivating mystery.
As the series moves forward – hopefully to many, MANY more books – I hope Popp delves deeper into examples beyond domestic violence performed by straight cis men toward straight cis women. With the amount of diversity and care she has put into this first book, I have full faith in her and her characters to face these challenges head-on.
↓ Similar Reading Experiences ↓
1. Baking Bad (on my TBR!)
2. A Study in Scarlet Women
3. Still Lives
Daisy Ellery’s magical pies have the ability to make one tell the truth, feel confident or hopeful or calm…and for a particular few, one slice can kill. Unlike the Ellery women before her, Daisy uses her magic to free women from their abusive partners by making and delivering murder pies. She has lived a nomadic lifestyle with her pitbull, Zoe, for most of her adult life, but she finally begins to settle in Turnbridge, MA. There, she has loyal customers, a found family, and love in the air. One thing she also has, however, is a blackmailer. This person knows about Daisy’s murder pies and, in exchange for silence, she might be forced to serve up murder pies to three innocent women. Can Daisy unmask her blackmailer before she has to use her magic for true evil?
I am obsessed with this new cozy mystery series! And I cannot wait for a Pies Before Guys sequel. Listening to this title on audiobook through Hoopla, I instantly fell in love with Daisy as a vigilante badass with a 1950s wardrobe. I have purchased a physical copy since completing this gem. The cast of characters surrounding our heroine is just as vivid and endearing. I felt emotionally invested in their growing and fluctuating relationships. This is a fascinating mystery because it focuses on uncovering a blackmailer in order to prevent the death of innocents. Daisy has killed many abusive, violent men before, but she has protocols and rules that must be strictly adhered to before any of this takes place. I appreciated the system, and I honestly found it to be a sound one. She was a gray character with sense no matter where your own morals stand, and I believe that’s what a true gray character should be. This was a cozy with crucial messages and themes I 100% could get behind: domestic violence awareness, feminism, and women supporting women. Popp balances these important topics with some subplotted romance, an adorable dog and community, and a most captivating mystery.
As the series moves forward – hopefully to many, MANY more books – I hope Popp delves deeper into examples beyond domestic violence performed by straight cis men toward straight cis women. With the amount of diversity and care she has put into this first book, I have full faith in her and her characters to face these challenges head-on.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Stalking, and Misogyny
idun_aurora's review
emotional
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
5.0
This book ticked many of my boxes. Cozy murder, mystery, HBTIQ+ and feminist themes, some romance, a sprinkle of magic, mouthwatering descriptions of pastries, and a cute dog. There are even recipes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
The book is quite lighthearted, but deals with the listed CW's seriously, skilfully balancing the heavy content with, well, really cozy baking.
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