When two former classmates walk into Carly’s restaurant, she finds herself roped into catering a bridal shower by the time they leave. On the day of the party, Carly’s food is a major hit, but the mood turns sinister when the groom is discovered dead after tumbling down the stairs.

This cozy mystery features many traditional tropes and themes for which the cozy subgenre is known: a hobby or career that is heavily infused into the storyline, small-town setting, amateur sleuth as opposed to a professional detective, and very clean dialogue and conflicts (without strong language, sexual content, or topical society issues). This book is certainly aimed at those who like their mysteries to match the vibes of afterschool specials. It was cutesy, and I was vaguely interested in the world in which Carly navigates. A very easy to read cozy, for sure.

With that said, I felt that there was a missed opportunity for the author to provide a Sapphic coupling between characters Gretel and Megan. I was especially disappointed with Megan’s characterization as the sad, lonely older woman who must live vicariously through her sister, who did get married and have a child that Megan dotes upon. This “sad” lifestyle seems to lead Megan to mental instability which is a bit insulting for me to read as someone who is a part of the happily child-free and single community. This reminded me of the archaic depiction of the lonely, spinster woman.