This was a good light read with some darker moments. It felt like one of those stories you can be completely immersed in without needing to overthink what was happening. I really enjoyed the way Sadie was so passionate about becoming a chef, and the detail that was included because of this, and didn’t mind that the action took a while to wind up.

The author did a great job of making me sympathetic to Sadie’s situation, but there were a few things she did that had me questioning her judgement. (Which I won’t mention because I don’t want to spoil anything).

The twist in this one was set up well, and I didn’t suspect what it might be when I started reading (I really love when that happens)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review

Who doesn't love a good, fast-paced thriller? One Last Bite was had an engaging plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed the split POV, the build-up and the constant twists. A popcorn thriller for lovers of Freida McFadden

This one just wasn’t for me.

There were some continuity errors that took me out of the story. At one point Sadie says it’s only her second day working as a dishwasher, but a few pages later she says she’s been sleeping in her car since she started the job. Every night after work she’s driving a couple of miles away to find a quiet place to park and sleep and it’s taking a toll on her body. Which is it? Is it her second day there or has she been working there for a while? It happens again when she thinks about how she’s been working at the restaurant for a few weeks. A few pages later she’s talking to Brian and thinks about how just last week she was slinging food at the diner. Again, which is it? Has she been at the restaurant for one week or several weeks? There are a few more instances like this throughout the book. I know this isn’t a big thing for everyone, but I just found it distracting.

Sadie’s character was well fleshed out. We get to know her well and understand who she is and her motivations. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a very likable character which made it hard to root for her. Although her character was well fleshed out, it was harder to understand the other characters and their motivations. There wasn’t as much depth to them and we didn’t get to know them as well. Our knowledge of Devon’s character, especially, seemed very superficial.

A lot of the scenes in the book were also too convenient. Sadie was always in the right place at the right time to see or hear things that piqued her interest and made her suspicious enough to do more investigating. The resolution was also too easy. Everything just fell into place so that it all worked out for Sadie and the others.

The idea for this story was a good one. It just fell flat on the execution.

Thanks NetGally and Inkubator Books for the advanced copy.

This is a fast paced read with a lot of intrigue surrounding what is happening currently at the restaurant as well as the details surrounding various past events that are mentioned.

I was definitely not expecting the twist that happens at the beginning of part II, which is a credit to the author. Cupps does a great job of wording things to either slightly misdirect or mislead the reader so that it’s difficult to suss out the plot twists.

The first half is a tad slow and there is quite a bit of repetition, especially regarding appearances. For example, “sharp green eyes”, “pale green eyes”, “glaring green eyes”, etc. It gets to be a bit much and at one point Devon’s good looks and thick auburn hair are mentioned by the same character just a few paragraphs apart. There’s different ways of describing a person’s appearance and readers don’t need to be constantly reminded of character’s physical traits in that manner. Hopefully Cupps works on that for future books.

I also recommend reading “One Last Bite” either on a full stomach or having snacks on hand, because you will get hungry reading about all the delicious sounding recipes being prepared!

All in all it was a quick & good read. It’s not a super intense thriller but it does keep your interest & has some pretty decent twists.
3 stars

Sadie Jackson finds her dream job of becoming a Chef at Thistle, a Michelin Star restaurant, but she soon finds out she has bit of more than she can chew. Sadie is on parole and soon finds out that Thistle is hiding a dangerous secret that may land her back in prison if her parole officer finds out she is involved. Should she continue ignoring what she has discovered or turn her information over to the police. Sadie soon finds herself at the mercy of her boss, who is holding that decision in his hands.

This book was a fun read. Definitely different from others I’ve read. I enjoyed the food and cooking aspect of it. Can’t wait to check out more from this author

It was a fast-paced book with short chapters that can be read in one sitting. The twist was unpredictable, but the ending felt a bit rushed.

If you like a quick read with strong characters and enjoy books by Freida McFadden, then this book might be for you.

Thank you NetGalley, Inkubator Books, and Leah Cupps for this read!

4⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an arc of this book!

Honestly, I thought it was pretty good. Kinda slow to start off but I liked the characters a lot, especially Sadie. I liked seeing her growth throughout and I didn't see the twist coming at all. I liked how short it was too because it was pretty fast-paced. I'd definitely recommend this one.

Sadie is a chef with a past and when she is offered a job in her ultimate dream kitchen she is elated, but the dream may turn into a nightmare for Sadie......
The books builds the tension well with the mid to end of the story really pacey with plenty of twists.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t completely love it.

The plot is well thought out and it held my interest, but it was just a little too contrived for me and I feel that something has been missed in editing to just pull everything together.

That aside, the characters are well written and Sadie is likeable and relatable. I applauded her determination and grit.

There are some excellent twists and the final one at the end was a jaw dropper!

3.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Leah Cupps and Inkubator for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I liked this book! It was quick and written interestingly enough that I binged it all in one go. It brought together culinary and crime, which is always an indulgent combination. There was a decent amount of suspense and intrigue. My biggest complaint is that the set up for Sadie to take over is very unrealistic. Other than that, I wish there had been more details about the food because that’s like a massive part of the plot. All in all, the story was enjoyable. I would recommend this book to those of you who need a taste breaker if you’ve read too many of the same kind of books and want to shake it up in a small and efficient dose.

Sadie is a talented chef with a troubled past, she is offered a job in her dream kitchen and starts to move up the ranks, but this dream might quickly become a nightmare 👀

the first half of this book is a little slow, builds the tension, but it’s very descriptive- if you’re a foodie then the way the menu and meals are discussed will have your mouth watering!

the second half is duel perspective and really picks up the pace, definitely a page turner with the short chapters holding your attention. just really shows that there is always 2 sides to every story

overall a pretty good read, i definitely enjoyed it (and i would die to taste some of those meals) and if you’re after a quick read i definitely recommend this one

Thankyou Netgalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with this ARC

One Last Bite by Leah Cupps was actually good! It started strong and built my interest straight away. I was so curious, about what would come next. The middle part was more slower and ordinary but still interesting! Was nice to read about restaurant daily life and struggles. The twist comes in unexpected and explains a lot. I definitely wasn't ready for the ending! It took me by surprise!

All that Sadie wanted was to be a chef but some things are not so easy with a criminal record. When she’s offered the chance to work at Thistle, one of the most famous restaurants, she grabs this chance with both hands. Unfortunitelly things turned out so much different than she expected and by some point, her safety was in deep danger. Her biggest dream becomes her biggest nightmare!

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley for this beautiful book!

This started off very slow for me. My attention span is very short and it has to be extremely interesting to keep me locked in. I almost gave up but something told me it was going to get good. So glad I didn't DNF. This book after getting started kept my interest and definitely is worth the read!

I always enjoy a good psychological thriller and I had a lot of fun with this one. It starts off a bit slow, but the pace picks up quickly once Sadie is hired by Thistle, the very exclusive restaurant where nothing is quite what it seems. I got very caught up with Sadie's plight and finished this book in a single day. The plot twist was great and I enjoyed the surprise ending too.
Thank you Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Leah Cupps for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I want to thank NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC review copy of this book. This is my honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoy a great slow-burn plot, and this novel started off with a lot of great promise. Sadie, a young aspiring chef, up and down in her luck, gets an opportunity that seems way too good to be true. However, I found that around the thirty percent mark, it starts to drag a bit, before picking up in pacing at around the two-thirds mark, which then becomes fast-paced, thrilling, with a satisfying final twist. There wasn't much character development or depth, but it was entertaining, and I finished it in one day. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

This one started off way too slowly for me and it lacked depth I unfortunately could not get into it. I had to DNF.

One Last Bite🍴

Read: 04/17-04/21
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 04/28/24

“Norah Winthrop has just hired me for a job. And she doesn’t even know what I’ve done.”

Chef Sadie Jackson is ready to escape a troubled past, so she’s overjoyed when she’s offered the chance to work at Thistle, a new restaurant owned by her culinary heroes the legendary Devon and Norah Winthrop. Even though she’s starting out as a dishwasher, Sadie’s willing to do whatever it takes to impress the golden couple.
But she soon discovers that something is off in the Winthrops’ seemingly perfect world.

I thought this book was very fast paced and the shorter length of each chapter definitely helped with that. It was easy to read a lot of the book in one sitting! Trying to figure out mysteries surrounding Thistle kept my interest throughout. I also think that Leah Cupps did an excellent job at describing some of the Michelin star meals being cooked by the FMC and others in the kitchen. It was greatly appreciated being that this is a culinary thriller. With that being said, when you do read this just have some snacks on standby because if you’re a foodie like me you will get hungry! 😂

Thank you @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

"One Last Bite" starts off with a slow burn, taking its time to build momentum, but it doesn't hit its stride until well past the halfway mark. While I appreciate a gradual unraveling in a thriller, there were moments when it struggled to captivate me, lacking the depth I crave in a novel.

The latter half of the book feels hurried, particularly the conclusion, which left me wanting more. The final twist, while attempting to be surprising, felt somewhat predictable and neatly tied up, almost too conveniently.

However, it's not without its merits. If you're in the mood for a quick, popcorn-worthy thriller akin to Freida McFadden's style, this could be just the ticket.

The story follows Sadie, a young aspiring chef with lofty dreams of culinary success. But her reality is harsh – dropping out of culinary school, living in her car, and scraping by in a greasy diner. When the chance to work at the prestigious Withrops' Michelin-starred restaurant arises, she jumps at it eagerly. Yet, the glamour fades quickly as Sadie uncovers unsettling truths, making her question her decision.

Thanks to NetGalley and Incubator for the chance to read this book. It was part thriller and part mystery with several twists. The story takes place in a restaurant in Maine and the characters are all devious and living lies. It is a quick red and the end had me very surprised. If you like stories about deception, lies and fraud this will delight you.