Source: Publisher
Description: Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is proving that sweet dreams are made of cheese. She’s opened her very own French-inspired cheese shop, Curds & Whey, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The small town of Yarrow Glen is Willa's fresh start, and she's determined to make it a success – starting with a visit from the local food critic. What Willa didn’t know is that this guy never gives a good review, and when he shows up nothing goes according to plan. She doesn’t think the night can get any worse... until she finds the critic’s dead body, stabbed with one of her shop’s cheese knives. Now a prime suspect, Willa has always believed life’s problems can be solved with cheese, but she’s never tried to apply it to murder…
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: I love cozy mysteries, I love cheese, and I can never resist the first in a cozy series.
My Impression: This is a tough review to write because this is one of those books where I just don't have much to say about it. I think the big reason for that is because the main character, Willa, just doesn't seem to have much personality. She knows a lot about cheese and a few facts about her past are mentioned throughout the book but she never really comes to life on the page and I had a hard time connecting with her. As well, the pacing felt a bit jumpy and never fully pulled me in.
What bumped this up to three stars for me were the side characters. I do love a good team and Mrs. Schultz, Archie, and Baz are a fantastic team. The town of Yarrow Glen has the potential to be a great cozy mystery town with a variety of characters with a range of personalities. I will most likely read the next book in the series and I'm hoping I'll be able to connect more to Willa in that book.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I will. This won't be an auto-buy for me but I do feel like the series has potential.
Would I Recommend this Book? Right now probably not. I think I'll wait to see how the next book is before I recommend this series or book.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Recommend this Book? Right now probably not. I think I'll wait to see how the next book is before I recommend this series or book.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I hope the next book in the series is better! Nice review.
ReplyDeleteI entered to win this on goodreads!!
ReplyDeletehttps://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2022/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading_28.html
Well that title made me giggle. I will be curious to see what your thoughts are on the next in series.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, yes reading the second book will give you more of an idea how things will go. The fact the secondary characters are appealing gives hope.
ReplyDeleteI have this one too. It really looks good.
ReplyDeleteToo bad this one fell a little flat but it does have a great title!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had a pretty ho-hum reaction to this one as well. There are things I like about it, but there are plenty of other parts that just bugged. I've already been promised an ARC of the second book from the publisher, so I'm planning to give it a whirl. Like you, I'm hoping it's a tighter, more engaging story than this one.
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