I have been reading this book since the beginning and this one did not disappoint. It is Christmas time in Balsam Dell. When a dead body is found during rehearsals of A Christmas Carol Carly sets out to solve the crime. I really enjoy the small town setting and the grilled cheese restaurant. The characters are a lot of fun and some favorites are back for the Holidays. The mystery was good and I was able to solve it. Enjoy

Love me some Carly and the Grilled Cheese Mystery series! I love that Carly is so likeable and all of her employees are just like family to her. This series makes you want to visit Balsam Dell and taste all of the amazing sandwiches Carlee serves up! And of course she is always solving a murder and thankfully she is always up for the challenge! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

My last Christmas stop was Balsam Dell, Vermont, guaranteed to be snowy and sinister. Carly Hale and her sister Norah visit Carla's best friend Gina, who is delighted to be part of the local playhouse's production of A Christmas Carol. But things go terribly wrong when a leading cast member is killed, and Gina is one of the suspects, prompting Carly to determine that she will find the killer before the police arrest her best friend. While I can sympathize with Carly's intentions, it didn't seem to me that Gina was ever really a suspect, so the reason for her involvement fell flat. The success of Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery also flummoxed me. I love a grilled cheese, but an entire diner of nothing but different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches? Why not, I guess. I did appreciate Ms. Reilly having Carly go through some anguish after she tracks down and confronts someone for information on a suspect, causing real anguish for that person. Usually the amateur detective bungles around, causing pain and chaos, and never having the face the ramifications of their unprofessional snooping. I'm glad Carly did. The supporting cast is adequately fleshed out, and Carly and Norah's relationship rang true. An easy, quick read for the season.

You Feta Watch Out
Author: Linda Reilly
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a good cozy mystery and this one did not disappoint! This book takes place at Christmastime and is centered around a murder that takes place at a production of "A Christmas Carol". With an unlikable victim, suspects abound and Carly jumps in to help clear her best friend from suspicion. I love the setting, intertwined relationships and the grilled cheese shop. This was such a fun read and had everything I want from a cozy mystery! Can't wait to read more books from the Grilled Cheese Mystery Series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Beyond the Page Publishing and Linda Reilly for an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I always love a good holiday cozy mystery, and this one didn’t disappoint. Carly is a great MC- bright, charming, and funny. While this is the fifth book in this series, I didn’t have a problem picking up and jumping in. I’ll be going back and reading the rest!

Book five of the Grilled Cheese Mystery series takes place at Christmas time and the Flinthead Opera House is hosting a production of Dickins’ ”A Christmas Carol.” The actor, Prescott Lennon, who was playing Marley is more of a Scrooge than Scrooge making it no surprise when he doesn’t make it to opening night. No one is really sure why Hannah Collier, the director, gave him the part since he wasn’t that good as an actor and he was a menace as a person.
There are plenty of suspects to choose from, starting with the widow, Honey, who was referred to as Honey Lemon by various cast members because of her sour personality. The understudy, Malachy Foster, has so much more talent than Lennon and he has big time acting aspirations. The makeup girl, Ashley Blanchard, may have been hit on by Lennon or just treated very poorly, and Jess aka Mrs. Fezziwig was definitely deflecting unwanted and outrageous overtures from Lennon. Lennon was a bit of a leach and a lot of a hack.
Carly doesn’t take sleuthing lightly and is bound and determined to find out the facts but sometimes she oversteps or asks questions of the wrong people which can have negative results. It is refreshing to see a character who stops for a moment to think about what asking those pesky personal questions might mean for the person being asked.
In addition to suspects and holiday splendor, there are some amazing sandwiches that pair well with tomato soup. While I can’t imagine what a Fruitcake Brie cheese sandwich aka Scrooge’s Redemption would taste like, I enjoy making and trying Grant’s Festive Feta Appetizers.

Christmas season wouldn't be same if Carly didn't get involved trying to solve a murder, but when her friend Gina was a main suspect, she wasn't about to let her be accused. I got a kick outta Don and how he was always on the trail of information for Carly. Who would've known she'd babysat the little twerp when he was a kid lol.

I was completely wrong about whodunit and enjoyed the lower-key showdown and how Carly handled it. She's definitely learned a thing or two in all the cases she's helped with. I loved the friends’ Christmas party at the end, everything a great Christmas needs was right in one room.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Beyond the Page via NetGalley m and my opinions are my own.

I truly do appreciate a heroine who can have exciting adventures, solve mysteries but not act like a nominee for the Darwin Award. That is why I like Carly. She not only runs a cheese sandwich shop that makes me drool but she works with the local police and does not rush blindly into situations. She also has the good sense to recognize when she may have tread on toes or made the situation worse.

Jacob Marley is dead. No, this is not the start of a Christmas Carol but what happens at the dress rehearsal for the play at the Opera House. He is a thoroughly despicable man who has been the bane of countless people throughout his life. Any number of them might have wished him harm but Carly gets involved when her best friend, Gina, is dragged in as a suspect because she discovered the body and, like so many others, had grievances with the deceased.

As Carly discovers some of the horrible things the man has done, more and more suspects come to the forefront. The actual killer has such a sad story that the reader can only empathize. This is not a villain and when Carly realizes the situation, she acts in a very logical and steady manner. It did not detract from the story. If anything it added pathos to it. Five purrs and two paws up.

I have been enjoying author Linda Reilly’s Grilled Cheese Mysteries series, so when I saw a new Christmas installment, You Feta Watch Out, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And I was not disappointed.

Carly is invited to a dress rehearsal performance of The Christmas Carol when one of the actors is found dead shortly after storming off stage. When her best friend is the prime suspect, Carly can’t help but investigate. Then, to add chaos to the mix, it’s the Christmas season, and Carly’s restaurant is insanely busy. The question is how Carly will juggle everything, clear Gina’s name, and find the real killer.

I really like Carly and all the people in her circle. In this book, her relationship with Ari progresses nicely, and they’re planning a wedding and celebrating their first Christmas in their new house. The reader also gets more insight into her relationship with her sister, Norah, who is finally back in Balsam Dell after traveling the world with her boyfriend. Also, Carly’s employees and friends make for a diverse and colorful bunch of secondary characters.

I found the whole plot revolving around The Christmas Carol quite interesting. The author was very descriptive when setting the scene for the play and introducing the reader to the suspects, which included actors, the producers, and even support staff and stagehands. The victim was quite mean and unlikable, so there were a lot of potential killers with quite a variety of motives.

I was along for the ride, completely drawn into the story, and couldn’t wait for the reveal. The mystery was very well-developed and kept me guessing. The only ding I had was that, once again, the mystery isn’t so much solved by Carly, but she basically stumbles on the solution with a gun pointed at her. But I’ll forgive that since the rest of the sleuthing and story was so strong and interesting.

I truly enjoyed You Feta Watch Out and can’t wait for the next book in this series. I got strong Christmas vibes along with a great mystery and had fun revisiting Balsam Dell and Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery. I highly recommend this series to fans of cozy culinary mysteries.

Christmas in a beautiful Vermont town, where a theatre company has come to town and is putting on a showing of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Turns out that the lead actor playing Scrooge has a bit of a temper. His temper must rubs someone the wrong way and he is murdered and his body is found by Gina. Gina is framed for the murder and her best friend Carly works to clear her friends name.

YOU FETA WATCH OUT is number 5 in a series with Carly and Ari as the main characters called THE GRILLED CHEESE MYSTERIES. I read this one first, but now cannot wait to start with number 1 to revisit the antics of Carly and Ari.

YOU FETA WATCH OUT is a fun cozy holiday mystery set in the small community Balsam Dell, Vermont. The characters are just delightful and the reader finds that they want to know so much more about them. The description of the food being served at Carly's restaurant will make your mouth water. Overall, a very well written cozy mystery!

I do recommend starting at the beginning of the series because so that you are familiar with the cast members. I plan to go back and read the others in order.

Thank you to the publisher, Beyond the Page, and NetGally for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

A theater company will be performing A Christmas Carol at the Flinthead Opera House in Balsam Dell this holiday season. Prescott Lennon appears to have been cast for the wrong part, instead of Marley, he should be playing Scooge although the man is even worse than Scrooge. He rebukes nearly every member of the cast and crew and basically everyone he meets. He must have pushed somebody too far because the man was found dead in his dressing room. Sadly the evidence points to Carly’s friend Gina as the killer but Carly knows she is being set up. With a theater full of suspects Carly has plenty of people to grill. Then she learns that it may be someone from the victim’s past that did him in. Carly is going to hold everyone’s feet to the fire to prove Gina’s innocence but she may die trying.

I really enjoy the characters Ms. Reilly has created for this series, they feel like old friends. Carly has a huge heart and loves serving up grilled cheese to the masses. Ari and Carly are getting their new home all decked out for the holiday but aren’t getting too much wedding planning done. Hopefully, after the holidays, they will start to firm things up. Carly is surrounded by a great staff who are also friends. Her former assistant manager and new grill cook, Valerie recently married the chief of police, Fred Holloway. Her new assistant manager Nina is getting comfortable in her new job. Server Suzanne, the proud mom of nine-year-old Josh, rounds out the crew and isn’t afraid to throw her two cents in on any topic. Carly’s BFF Gina was in hot water after being cast as a caroler in the A Christmas Carol production but her stationary store has a huge order of invitations for a “fancy-schmancy” New Year’s Eve party to keep her busy and her boyfriend Zach to lean on. Carly’s sister Norah even lent a hand in Carly’s investigation. A big treat in this story was that former grill cook and friend Grant was home for the holidays and asked to work and he was definitely needed. All the characters feel true to life and grow in realistic ways.

The “magnificent” Flinthead Opera House had been a dilapidated farmhouse when Nate Carpenter’s family undertook its huge renovation. It is an interesting location for a murder with its massive and confusing layout of rooms, hallways, the stage, and many exits. How did the killer do what they did and get away unseen? Did they blend in? or did they sneak out in the chaos? Carly did her best to follow each clue and get answers to her questions. Her observation skills are excellent but putting what she has seen into context took a bit. Eatery regular and publisher of the town’s free paper, Don Frasco is always a good source for information. A piece of evidence by Norah moved the case along but it didn’t reveal the murderer. That came later and both Carly and I were surprised. Nicely plotted Ms. Reilly.

As always the offerings at the Grilled Cheese Eatery make my mouth water. This time there was an unusual sandwich that was very fitting for the Christmas season. In Scrooge’s Redemption Nina has found the perfect way to use a typically scorned Christmas classic and transformed it into something so yummy. Grant shows off what he is learning in culinary school too with some festive appetizers. Recipes for both are included at the end of the book.

You Feta Watch Out, which I think should be followed by You Cheddar Not Cry, was a wonderfully entertaining Christmas cozy that I just had to squeeze in before moving on to non-holiday reads. Everything about it is cozy, from the small town of Balsam Dell to the close-knit cast of characters and the mystery that will make you think. It is all entangled with enough Christmas spirit to get you into the holiday mood whether you read it in December or July. I am very excited for this series to continue.

This was a lovely little cozy mystery that would appeal to a wide range of mystery lovers
The characters were well developed and believable. The plot was very interesting and I wanted to find out how it would eventually all work out. I did not guess who the murderer was and I didn't suspect who it eventually turned out to be. So overall a good mystery.

“You Feta Watch Out” is the nicely done fifth book in Linda Reilly’s Grilled Cheese cozy mystery series. I love the world that Reilly has created in Balsam Dell including Carly Hale’s Grilled Cheese Diner (I’m not a big fan of grilled cheese but by the end of the book I was wishing I could taste the fruitcake grilled cheese sandwich!). I especially love the relationship between Carly and her coworkers who are like family to her. This book is set at Christmas – I love Christmas mysteries and this is a good one and drives the plot for the mystery. Carly’s best friend Gina is thrilled to have a small role in the play A Christmas Carol – until one of the actors is murdered and Gina is the prime suspect. As Carly works to clear Gina's name, she realizes plenty of people wanted the victim dead – readers will feel like they are working alongside Carly to unravel the clues and find the killer. The part where the killer was revealed was well done although I found it quite sad. Well done by Reilly.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

The latest Grilled Cheese mystery finds Carly investigating when a much disliked actor is murdered in his dressing room of the theater. Many people seemed to dislike him, but it is her best friend Gina who is the prime suspect at first. She becomes determined to clear Gina's name before Christmas.

Another good entry in this series! Reilly did a good job with this in terms of layering the clues to make the reader think an event was not as relevant as it ended up being. It seems like we are building up to Carly and Ari's wedding, so I am intrigued to see if the next book is right before it and ends with the wedding, or if there will be a few more before the wedding. Can't wait to see where the mysteries take Carly next!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carly Hale takes you on a culinary adventure as she delves into the mysterious death of a local theater actor. Her best friend has become the main suspect and she can't let her unfairly end up in jail. With a suspect list a mile long finding the killer won't be an easy task. She knows she must sort through pieces of the mystery and connect those that fit together. Will she unmask a killer before her friend ends up in jail?

You Feta Watch Out is a well written cozy mystery.. The plot is fast paced and a real page turner. I recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

This was another fun addition to the Grilled Cheese shop series. I always enjoy the characters and hearing about new grilled cheeses, and this time, I enjoyed the theatre setting. I did clock the murderer fairly early on, but I didn’t work out all the details of how and why. Overall, a fun, light, and quick read.

It's Christmastime in Balsam Dell, Vermont, where Carly Hale is the owner of the well-loved Grilled Cheese Eatery. To celebrate the season, she is excited to enjoy a production of A Christmas Carol...until tragedy strikes. When one of the actors is murdered and Carly's best friend is framed, she is determined to find out who the real killer is.

You Feta Watch Out may just be my favorite installment in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series, by Linda Reilly, thus far. All of the ingredients come together to form the perfect Christmas cozy. What really keeps me coming back to a series is the cast of characters and this one is certainly no exception. I enjoyed spending time with Carly and her team at the Grilled Cheese Eatery. They have such great rapport and it's obvious that they truly care about one another.

Specific to this installment, I especially enjoyed spending more time with a character I wasn't sure would be there after the previous book. When this character appeared in You Feta Watch Out, you may have actually heard me shout out with glee. I felt like I was seeing one of my friends again for the first time in a while. I'm hoping this isn't the last we'll see of this character. There is another character from previous installments that was mentioned as well. I like that these characters have not been forgotten. There are also some new characters I enjoyed meeting.

Every solid cozy has a strong mystery and that is the case in You Feta Watch Out. Carly's sleuthing in this installment, at times, reminded me of Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. There are plenty of suspects to consider, but not too many to overwhelm the reader. There were also lots of twists and turns. I thought I had the culprit narrowed down to two possible suspects, both of which turned out to be wrong. I was surprised when the killer was revealed, but it all made sense. I also really enjoyed the way in which the killer was revealed and I thought Carly's feelings about this character being the culprit were perfect.

This cozy is well-balanced with some light, witty humor sprinkled throughout the book. It was just the right amount of comic relief in the midst of the mystery. I found myself chuckling at some of the metaphors several times

For fans of culinary cozies, there are two at the end of the book. One of them has a strong holiday twist, that I likely won't try, but I'm certain there are readers out there who will enjoy it. I like the sound of the second one, so I will have to try that one.

I continue to enjoy this series and I'm hoping there will be more. I'm very excited to see how relationships progress, which new grilled cheese recipe will be served at the eatery next, and what Carly's next sleuthing adventure will be.

Thanks to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series and always look forward to the next installment. You Feta Watch Out is the 5th book in the Grilled Cheese cozy mystery series and it didn't disappoint. The story takes place at Christmastime in Balsam Dell, Vermont. It's full of great characters who seem to grow with each story. You Feta Watch Out is a great read at Christmastime or any time of year. Thank you #NetGalley and Beyond the Page for the opportunity to read this book.

Another solid addition to the series. There is more growth for the characters, which is nice, and I enjoyed the setting of the Christmas Carol production. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing. This was a good way to pass a rainy afternoon, especially considering all the wonderful treats that I considered making while reading this.