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watervixxen's review against another edition
funny
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? No
4.75
kbcollinskai's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - I know it’s cultural for a lot of adults to refer to their parents as mommy and daddy but it is like nails on a chalkboard to me - both irl and in this book. In the last book you could ignore it but in this book they are the main characters so it is said A LOT.
Two murders in two months seems like a really fast timeline. Overall it was entertaining.
Two murders in two months seems like a really fast timeline. Overall it was entertaining.
imissbookit's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.0
Another fun volume in the series. I really enjoyed the locked room mystery aspect of this one and how the MC came out of her shell to stand up for herself and her family.
audiogirl511's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
3.0
chrisjentine's review against another edition
4.0
THE cozy mystery that started it all. Absolutely loved it. Can't say anything other than it turned me on to my new favorite summer genre.
rusereviews's review
3.0
Hard Dough Homicide by Olivia Matthews is a culinary cozy mystery set in Brooklyn, NYC and the second book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries series.
Lyndsay and her family must solve yet another murder tied to their bakery after her mother's former boss Emily Smith, a local high school principal, is apparently poisoned during her retirement party. Lyndsay didn't want to host the party in the first place--their first catering party--and now yet another murder investigation seems to be driving away her customers.
I'm typically a sucker for culinary cozy mysteries. The first book in this series was alright, so I decided to pick up the next in the series. You can probably read this one as a stand-alone even though I do recommend reading them in order if possible.
If you're a fan of tight-knit families, you may enjoy this series. I'm sure it's a cultural thing regarding Lyndsay referring to her parents as "mommy" and "daddy," but it was repeated a lot in this book since they were more featured as characters than in the first book.
Lyndsay still tends to act younger than her stated age, though she has a bit more confidence in this installment. The author continues to be very repetitive with random things, like descriptions of the bakery or reminding us her grandmother doesn't like to wear the store "uniform," which was fairly annoying to me.
In general, the plot moves pretty slow. It was a little hard to believe that a second murder happened within a month from the first murder they tried to solve. Additionally, the police don't seem to research leads that Lyndsay provides to them, which seems like a stretch. Character development here is hit or miss.
As always, there are recipes in the back of the book featuring some of the items mentioned during the story.
I read this one as an ebook, and I had listened to the audiobook version of the first book in the series. I think that if I were to move forward with this series, I would have to listen to them and not read them with my eyes.
Tropes in this book include: cozy mystery, bake shop, locked room mystery, immigrant community
CW: murder, poison
I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
If you want to see more from me, check out my blog and my bookstagram!
Lyndsay and her family must solve yet another murder tied to their bakery after her mother's former boss Emily Smith, a local high school principal, is apparently poisoned during her retirement party. Lyndsay didn't want to host the party in the first place--their first catering party--and now yet another murder investigation seems to be driving away her customers.
I'm typically a sucker for culinary cozy mysteries. The first book in this series was alright, so I decided to pick up the next in the series. You can probably read this one as a stand-alone even though I do recommend reading them in order if possible.
If you're a fan of tight-knit families, you may enjoy this series. I'm sure it's a cultural thing regarding Lyndsay referring to her parents as "mommy" and "daddy," but it was repeated a lot in this book since they were more featured as characters than in the first book.
Lyndsay still tends to act younger than her stated age, though she has a bit more confidence in this installment. The author continues to be very repetitive with random things, like descriptions of the bakery or reminding us her grandmother doesn't like to wear the store "uniform," which was fairly annoying to me.
In general, the plot moves pretty slow. It was a little hard to believe that a second murder happened within a month from the first murder they tried to solve. Additionally, the police don't seem to research leads that Lyndsay provides to them, which seems like a stretch. Character development here is hit or miss.
As always, there are recipes in the back of the book featuring some of the items mentioned during the story.
I read this one as an ebook, and I had listened to the audiobook version of the first book in the series. I think that if I were to move forward with this series, I would have to listen to them and not read them with my eyes.
Tropes in this book include: cozy mystery, bake shop, locked room mystery, immigrant community
CW: murder, poison
I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
If you want to see more from me, check out my blog and my bookstagram!
fdarlene491's review against another edition
2.0
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I couldn't do it, couldn't read the entire story, I jumped around to see if I changed my mind at a different place. I usually love culinary mysteries, but they always walk a fine line between food and killing. I didn't care for the characters and didn't clique with them from the start. It made sense on paper, in theory but never came together.
#HardDoughHomicide #OliviaMatthews #Netgalley #St.Martin'sPaperbacks #Spice Isle Bakery
I couldn't do it, couldn't read the entire story, I jumped around to see if I changed my mind at a different place. I usually love culinary mysteries, but they always walk a fine line between food and killing. I didn't care for the characters and didn't clique with them from the start. It made sense on paper, in theory but never came together.
#HardDoughHomicide #OliviaMatthews #Netgalley #St.Martin'sPaperbacks #Spice Isle Bakery
yfaith's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the first book and enjoy the fact it’s about a close knit family. I think the author needs to limit the amount of times the main characters says mommy daddy and granny. It became too much to keep hearing this over and over. The story was a bit slow and I was annoyed with main characters resentment to Bryce doing his job. The main character made it seem as if he was personally going after family and not doing his job. I do enjoy the description of the food and the shops as well as the customers. But I would have thought she would have gotten the names of the other customers instead of continuing to call them by the nicknames she had given them. I will read the next book in hopes that Lindsay has better outlook toward Bryce.
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In general, I had fun with this cozy mystery. This genre is perfect for summer reading and easy enjoyment for my heat addled brain. That being said, I didn’t love this one as much as Against the Currant. This one was more repetitive and all the characters came off as one note with not as much depth as I was hoping. Will still likely continue on the series though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Violence