Brie Careful What You Wish For, a Grilled Cheese Mystery, Reviewed

  

This is the first time that I have read anything by this author, having not heard of this culinary mystery series before. I have to be honest with you, what drew me to Brie Careful What You Wish For, aside from the rather charming cover (Yes, I do judge books by their covers.) was the fact that the main character in the book, Carly Hale, operated a grilled cheese restaurant, and recipes were promised at the end of the story. I am an avid fan of grilled cheese sandwiches of all kinds, like books that offer recipes, and am rarely let down. That is until this one, where only two were provided, neither of which, alas, really blew my skirt up, but I digress.

 One thing that I didn’t like about this book, besides the cutesy title, was the repeated mention of the pandemic. First of all, I think in the long run that’s going to date this book. Second, I think that is a time that is best left behind all of us, so mere mention raised my hackles just a bit. I’m also wondering how she manages to stay in business considering she gives away so much food, I know, it’s fiction, but that annoyed me because it seemed as though she gave away more food than she sold, and I found that unbelievable.

 All of that said, the book is nicely paced with largely likable characters in a vibrant setting. The mystery is a good one, and the culprit surprised me, something I always find pleasing. I found the restaurant setting to be a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading about the customers, the goings on in the kitchen, and all of those delicious sounding grilled cheese sandwiches. I would have liked the lesser characters to have been a bit more developed than they were, but that is easily overlooked.

 I would have appreciated (and this is not just limited to this book, but most books in general) a listing of characters at the beginning of the book to refer back to during the course of my reading.

 All in all, I think this is a good, solid, four stars, and I would recommend it.

 You can purchase a copy here.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Beyond the Page publishers for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.