MY RATING: Highly Recommended*

REVIEW: In Beth Cato’s Cheddar Luck Next Time, artisanal cheese board creator and event caterer Bird Nichols find herself embroiled in a murder investigation and possibly in danger of her life while trying to meet catering deadlines and establishing her business in a new location: the small Central California Coast town property she’s just inherited from her recently-deceased grandmother.

Her grandmother’s unexpected death is not the one under investigation, although Bird does question how a woman who was such a strong swimmer misread ocean conditions and drowned practically in her backyard. No, the murder investigation revolves around a local town ne’er-do-well whom Bird and her grandmother’s best friend were the last to see alive following an angry confrontation about his trespassing on Bird’s (formerly her grandmother’s) property.

This has all the makings of a cozy mystery: Bird is an accidental detective, the small town setting is almost a character in itself (quaint but with a bit of a dark side), replete with colorful locals including the local power broker, the victim’s family, a detective who brooks no interference from amateurs, and the owner of a local gourmet grilled cheese food truck. There’s also the almost requisite adorable pet (in this case, a chonky cat). I enjoy mysteries that keep me guessing as to whodunnit and whydunit but whose reveals do not come out of left field – and Cato’s mystery fits that bill. It’s entirely fair play; all the hints are there to be recognized after the fact but still managed to surprise me on my first read.

There is also a nice sort of thriller subtext to the book, as we learn more about Bird’s grandmother, who seems to have been the town’s Jessica Fletcher, getting involved in local mysteries (not all of them murders) but perhaps also in political intrigue both in town and out of it. Cato grants us just enough information, gleaned partly through Bird’s memories but more so through the eyes of the locals who knew her (and either loved her or were annoyed by her) for us to understand that she may not have been entirely what she seemed, or what Bird thought she was. Bird’s own recollections also show us how much her grandmother both supported her and influenced her.

Bird’s personality has been shaped by the accidental deaths of her parents and her grandmother (if a grandfather or another set of grandparents were mentioned, I’ve forgotten it) prior to the start of the book. But it is also significant that she, like the author, is autistic. Her autism is portrayed authentically and not at all as a detriment or hindrance to leading a full and productive life. I am a firm believer that representation in fiction matters. Having a main character whose autism is not played for laughs or just to provide a series character with “quirky charm” is so vital, a welcome break from the way autistic characters have been portrayed (especially as the leads on certain recent television shows). Bird is not just a collection of quirks that suddenly make her a great detective; she is a fully realized autistic adult who finds her way as an amateur detective.

She is surrounded by a group of colorful locals who get varying degrees of character development based largely on their roles related to the murder victim and investigation. I found myself wanting to know more about all of them.

And let’s not ignore the cheese! The author is a cheese lover and has infused her main character with that same love. The passages where Bird is just doing her job – creating cheese boards for birthday parties and weddings and baby showers and discussing cheese/wine pairings – are perfectly timed breaks from the on-going mystery and are just enough to make the reader’s mouth water and at the same time illustrate Bird’s hyper-focus.

Fair play mystery with thriller elements, a colorful cast, a cute cat, and delectable food descriptions surrounding a relatable main character … I really hope Cheddar Luck Next Time sells well enough to result in a series that continues for a long time!

Cheddar Luck Next Time may be Beth Cato’s first mystery but it’s not her first novel. I’ve previously reviewed her Chefs of the Five Gods fantasy duology and her Blood of Earth alternate history/fantasy trilogy.

*I have moved away from a star-based rating system here on the blog (I can’t avoid using stars on Goodreads, NetGalley, and the various bookseller sites). Instead I am switching to ranking books as “highly recommended,” “recommended,” “satisfactory” and “not right for me.” I may add other levels as I refine this concept.

I received an electronic advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I read Cheddar Luck Next Time before the release date but have been slow in posting book reviews. The book is now available wherever books are sold. If you’re in northwest New Jersey, Cheddar Luck Next Time will be the August Sparta Books Book Club pick. Join us at the store on Thursday August 21 at 7:00 pm for a lively discussion!

unfortunately this really wasn't for me - until the ending, it was very much so a book where nothing really happened, I was interested or intrigued or connected to any of the characters and even with the ending, I was a little disappointed

A cute, solid, and highly entertaining cozy mystery featuring a neurodivergent FMC, a lot of cheese, and a solid plot
I thoroughly enjoyed it as it kept me guessing, the FMC is well developed and not stereotyped (neurodiv myself) . A lot of fun, a gripping story full of surprises.
Give more please
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is my first ever cosy mystery read, with its expected small town setting, quirky characters, cats, grandmotherly vibe, heavy food refs, romance and one psycho killer.
This novel will make a lot of people happy, with its charming setting, peppering of mysteries, American cheese talk and Autism rep. I'm sure it will fit nicely into the collection of a cosy mystery aficionado.
It's a quick read, perfect for holidays, but I can't say it will stay with me.
This novel wasn't super immersive (we are told a lot of things instead of being shown them) and I like my cheese to have a real punch, a deadly smell and generally more personality than their rind can contain... but those were definitely not the cheeses found in this book. Oh well. I guess more people will like it for that too.

Thank you Datura Books @daturabooks and Beth Cato @catocatsandcheese for this free book!
“Cheddar Luck Next Time ” by ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Cozy Mystery. Location: Foghorn, a fictional town north of Morro Bay on the Central coast of California, USA. NOTE: Neurodivergent accepting.

Bird Nichols is ready for a new start. Last year, her parents died in a car crash, and her beloved grandmother is presumed dead from an ocean drowning. Bird inherited her grandmother’s estate in a quiet, quirky coastal town, and just started her new business: Cheeseboards by Bird. Cheese-obsessed Bird is autistic, and designs cheese boards around her sensory needs. Then a local troublemaker ends up dead on her rural road. Grizz (the closest thing Bird has to family) is the local police detective’s main suspect, but Bird is determined to prove his innocence. She needs to unpack, assemble her cheese boards, handle her new bulldog-shaped orange cat Bowser and, influenced by her late grandmother, move beyond her comfort zone and turn amateur sleuth.

Author Cato has written a cozy mystery full of odd characters, murder, and intrigue. Her main character is a woman living with late-diagnosed autism, who uses endearingly self-accepting, nerdy humor. Cato emphasizes that this is Bird, but everyone considered “on the autism spectrum” today is different. And Cato describes combining, pairing, and eating artisan cheeses in a way that made me want to hit up every cheese shop in town! If you liked “The Maid”, this is the book for you! It’s quirky, it’s fun, and it’s full of twists and turns. As a person who thinks in patterns, counts everything, and talks out loud to calm myself, I give it 4 stars!📚👩🏼‍🦳#cheddarlucknexttime #bethcato

I enjoyed it! The overall story kept me engaged and intrigued, even though I figured one major part of the mystery out pretty quickly. I did not like the way that particular part of the mystery ended up being resolved, though. It seemed anticlimactic and was honestly kind of disappointing. Some of the autism stuff seemed to be over-explained, like the same issue explained in depth multiple times, which was kind of annoying. But there were other parts of the autism stuff that I was really glad was included, because they are things that don’t seem to be well known outside of the autistic community. As someone with autism myself, I appreciated those things being included. But like I said, I really enjoyed the overall story. And I’ll be looking forward to the next one.

Cheddar Luck Next Time by Beth Cato should come with a warning: do not read when hungry! But maybe that warning won’t help, because reading this delicious mystery with all its cheese descriptions made me hungry, no matter if I had just eaten.

Meet our main character Bird Eakles. She has just inherited her grandmother’s estate in a small California coastal town. Bird has had a rough go lately – last year her parents died in a car crash and recently, her grandmother is presumed dead from an ocean drowning. Bird, who is autistic, is determined to make a fresh start of things and focus on her cheese board business. That is, until local troublemaker Chase Perkins ends up dead on Bird’s rural road, and she is the one to find him. Grizz, the closest thing Bird has to family, is the sheriff department’s prime suspect. Bird knows that can’t possibly be the truth, and she turns her focus to making sure the true murderer is revealed.

What a clever story, and I do hope it’s the beginning of a new series. Bird is the best kind of sleuth to root for. She’s honest about herself and clear on what she needs. She has a strong sense of right and wrong and a deep determination that justice prevails. She speaks in a forthright way, and I loved getting to know the characters she meets and the friends she makes in her new town. The cast of characters gives a bit of a found family vibe which I find so comforting in stories. The small town setting added to the charm of the story.

Bird freely admits she is obsessed with cheese, and the cheese facts and descriptions are cleverly woven throughout the book. I honestly did not know there was that much to know about cheese!

While I had a guess to the ending, I did not know how it would all come together and found the twists and turns on the way to the big reveal entertaining. I will happily read more adventures featuring Bird, her giant tabby cat, and all her friends!

I got this as an Netgalley arc from Datura books and it has since come out. I really enjoyed this book and it was very intriguing. An autistic fmc that infodumps on cheese, and media quotes. Yeah love that.

(4.25/5 stars)

Cheddar Luck Next Time is a cheese-filled cozy mystery debut by Beth Cato.

Bird recently inherited her grandmother's estate (after she mysteriously disappeared). Since she ran an artisanal preserves business, the property includes a capital-K Kitchen. This is the perfect location for Bird's new gourmet cheese board business to thrive. But before she could even try to settle into town, the local troublemaker ends up dead on her rural road. Law enforcement seems to be going after the wrong person, and Bird is determined to prove his innocence.

The author is writing from the lived experience of someone with an autism diagnosis, and I felt pretty seen in the autistic main character in a lot of small ways. Bird has a few sensory needs, like wearing ear plugs around loud sirens. She is very blunt and sometimes her emotions appear to be stunted.

While I did figure out who the murderer was pretty early, I still had a lot of fun reading this book. It started a little slow for me, but I still read 24% into the ebook before bed one night, so it held my interest. Then I switched to using the accessibility setting on my Kindle Paperwhite to connect to my Bluetooth speaker and read the rest of the book to me while I was dealing with a migraine the next day.

The publisher blurb noted this book would be good for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and The Maid and that tracks. I also got some vibes for Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, though this one is set in modern time. (The show, not the book series; I still need to read those!)

I definitely would love to read future books featuring Bird and her adorable adopted cat! And also more recipes for cheese-related snacks.

A cosy mystery with a cheesy flavour, that takes a twisty path to a satisfying ending.

“Cheese-obsessed Bird Nichols has just inherited her grandmother’s estate in a quiet, quirky Californian town. But when a body is found on her property, her life begins to get rather loud”

This totally delivered what it said on the tin - a cosy location; some mystery and intrigue, and a lot of cheese.

Bird Nichols has inherited more than just her grandmother’s estate - she’s also inherited her grandmother’s inquisitive nature and predisposition to get involved with investigating crimes, especially when those crimes are close to home and threaten those she loves.

I’m somewhat wary of stories where an amateur sleuth outwits the police in solving a crime, but this book masterfully navigates that. The police are competent and thorough, while Bird has reasons to take her own road in investigations, and to make choices about what to reveal to the police (and what not to) in order to avoid incriminating herself or others.

The way the plot unfolds is very satisfying, with various twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you #NetGalley and Datura Books for the free review copy of #CheddarLuckNextTime without obligation. All opinions are my own.

If any of your special interests involve cheese, gaming, cats, or cozy mysteries, this book is their Venn diagram intersection! When Bird Eakles inherits her grandmother’s home in a small coastal Californian town, she hopes to make a fresh start there with her gourmet cheese board business. Things get complicated when she discovers the body of a local troublemaker, right after having a confrontation with him over trespassing on her land.

I loved Bird’s strong sense of justice and fairness that came along with her adult autism diagnosis, her sympathy toward troubled characters. I very much related to a lot of her idiosyncrasies, especially the need for ear plugs in loud situations. As a fellow cheese lover, the amount of delicious descriptions and advice on serving and pairings were so much fun! I also loved that her potential romantic interest shared similar obsessions and even introduced new possibilities to her.

This was a quick and easy read, lots of action and some shocking twists that made it fun. You will very much be craving something melty and delicious while reading it though!

Thank you so much to Datura Books for the gift of Cheddar Luck Next Time by Beth Cato!

In Cheddar Luck Next Time, Beth Cato has created a cozy mystery with cheese with delightful characters, a dash of murder and tons of intrigue. She’s also written an authentic presentation of a character with autism Bird who uses her skills and her special interests to dig into the truth even when its complicated and messy unlike her cheese boards.
One of the elements that makes this story so unique is the cheese as Beth Cato describes different cheeses and presentations, all in a way that is important to the story and to the character, helping to develop Bird and create a world that we might want to revisit, especially the small town down the road that is full of unusual characters, including one orange cat and other cheese aficionados. I also like how Bird gets others to open up to her with kindness even as she attempts to solve the murder.
The mystery of who killed the victim, when there are many possibilities along with the mystery of what and who Bird’s grandmother was up to adds layers to the intrigue. It is a great mystery with a hard to guess ending and threads that leave room for future mysteries, especially surrounding Bird’s grandmother and her past.
If you like cozy mysteries with authentic and memorable characters, I recommend this one. It is a cozy mystery with cheese, lots of fun and heart, tons of intrigue and a whole lot of using kindness to help others and solve the mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Datura Books for this ARC!

This was such a freaking adorable book. It was the coziest of mysteries and just what I needed!

I absolutely loved the setting, if Foghorn were real I would love to visit.

I loved Bird so much, she was such a fun and refreshing character. Oh and Dale too, he was just lovely and I loved him so much as well! Such wonderful characters, the whole town was really!

This isn't a twisty thriller, it's a fun cozy mystery and the perfect for a break after a lot of thrillers.

I absolutely loved falling in love with the characters and of course, I loved the cheese. Who can't love cheese?

3.5 stars

I was interested in this read because I loved the idea of an autistic lead character and I really loved the way she was written. There is a lot of love and care not only in Bird's character but in those around her who treat her with care. It was a major highlight to see so much love for autism in a cozy, easy to enjoy book.

Overall I think the story was an enjoyable and silly story that's easy to read. I don't think I was particularly wowed by anything other than Bird's character, and some of the sillier aspects were, well... cheesy. I can get by with a little cheese in a cozy mystery but I do think it was a bit overpowering in this circumstance. I don't feel strongly in love or strongly disappointed. The mystery wasn't the most exciting thing I've read but it did have some fresh twists I didn't expect. I'm right in the middle with this one.

Cheddar Luck Next Time is a cozy mystery novel, written by Beth Cato, published by Datura Books. A really enjoyable book following Bird Nichols, a neurodivergent character having to navigate life after lost and in a new town when a corpse appears in her property, a perfect story if you love a cleverly crafted mystery, and cheese, so much cheese that you will end smelling it out of the text.

After her beloved grandmother's death, Bird Nichols inherits her grandma's home in a small village, where she hopes to continue with her cheese board business and live quietly meanwhile; however, a few days after moving, a local tough is found death, just after she and Grizz, an old friend of the family, had an altercation with him, putting Grizz in the eye of the hurricane as the main suspect. As Bird has a well-earned distrust of police, she will take the investigation herself, all while juggling with her own cheese business, adaptation to a new place, and a new obligation as the cat delivery system works its mysteries to give her Bowser.

There are multiple brilliant aspects in this novel, but especially I would like to put the spotlight on how well Cato has captured Bird's voice; not only portraying her neurodivergence and the conflict to adapt to a new place, but also creating a really relatable character, including details such as over-analyzing the conversations, preparing for a thousand scenarios or how important certain sensations are for her. She's quite a cute character, but also we see her inquisitive side that brings her into the middle of the mystery; and particularly, you can't avoid blushing seeing how she gets along Daryl.
The rest of the cast is less developed, but still giving us enough to get an idea of why they are acting as they are (even if some like Grizz are a bit mysterious); all playing along with those small village stereotypes that fit so well into this novel.

The small coastal town is a marvelous setting for this kind of mystery, especially with that closed community feeling that makes you think everybody knows the rest of them. As you could have imagined reading the title, cheese is an important part of this cozy mystery, and Cato manages to make you almost taste and smell each one through her writing, transmitting the passion felt by Bird for her job. It is a bit slow in the pacing, but it also helps with the cozy part of the book, making it a really enjoyable read; and there are enough hints to kinda guess the twists of the plot, but are not too easy to find, in a good balance.

Cheddar Luck Next Time is an excellent cheese scented cozy mystery, a read with a great autism representation, which I recommend if you are looking for a funny but still engaging book. Come for the crime, stay for the cheese and cat(s).

Cheese, cats and a cosy mystery set in a small (very small) coastal town in California.

I really liked the main character, Bird. She inherited her grandmother's estate and is now trying to establish her cheese board catering services in the area. Of course, as with all cosy mysteries, trouble seems to either follow Bird, or she seems to be very adept at finding it. Soon there is a dead body, a person who wasn't much liked by the community, and Bird takes on the busy-body-mantle her grandmother left her and investigates.

Bird is on the autism spectrum. No, not "Rain Man" like, not all autistic people are like that. A lot of research and, I guess, the author's personal experience went into Bird's character and it was well-done. A lot of research also went into the fictional cheese boards and grilled cheese sandwiches. I would love to be able to try them all.

A lovely cosy mystery with a neurodivergent main character and interesting secondary characters. Should there be a sequel, I'd read it.

I hadn't heard of this book when I received an offer for the eARC, but I love cozy mysteries, and I love books with neurodivergent characters, so I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. Plus, the title was just too good to pass on.

Cheddar Luck Next Time is about an autistic woman who has just inherited her grandmother's home. Shortly after settling in, a local troublemaker is murdered, and Bird realizes that she'll have to solve the crime since the police seem to be considering herself and her friend as suspects.

Bird was an instantly likeable character. Her special interest is cheese, and she runs a small business that sells cheese boards. She's empathetic, kind, and so relatable. Grizz was her grandmother's friend, and Bird considers him to be somewhat of a grandfather. He helps her stand up to a local troublemaker and then becomes the prime suspect when that man is murdered shortly afterward. Bird pushes past her anxieties and works to find out who really committed the murder. Along the way, she makes friends, unravels some secrets, and acquires a very chonky cat.

All the supporting characters are delightful, too. A love interest, various townies, old friends, and very frustrated law enforcement officials are included in the quirky cast of characters.

The plot in this is absolutely addictive. I love mysteries, especially cozy mysteries, but I've never had one hook me so quickly and thoroughly. A large part of this was my love for Bird, but the mystery is also plotted and paced really well, with no filler.

This book wasn't on my radar, but I'm so glad it was pointed out to me and that I made time to read it. I highly recommend picking up Cheddar Luck Next Time. It's under 300 pages and can easily be read in a day or two, and you won't want to put it down once you start. It's smart, charming, and has great neurodivergent representation. I genuinely hope that this is the start of a series!

3.5 stars. A decent intro to what I hope will be a series, I liked the characters of Bird, Dale and Bowser the cat, and I hope that romance does find Bird and Dale… I did spot whodunnit (though not why), but I didn’t spot the twist…

I did like that Bird is openly autistic and is treated well by those around her, and she shares her stressors and coping mechanisms in the book. It was mentioned without me feeling like I was being beaten over the head by it, which I appreciated. It felt like the mystery was a little light, maybe the cheese took a bigger slice (sorry) of the book than the mystery did at times.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I'm built different (worse) and that includes not being able to enjoy cozy mysteries. If you enjoy charcuterie boards, neurodivergent rep, and cats, you should absolutely check out this book!

I found myself disappointed with this book. The plot is fun and it does have some good mystery elements. Unfortunately, I found the characters a little flat and the “cheese” motif felt gimmicky and overused to develop Bird as a character. This book relied on its first-person narration to hide the fact that it leans too heavily on directly telling the reader the story. I did not find this book immersive and I struggled to read it.