This was a highlight of the year so far for me, a delicious debut of food, ghosts, grief, memory and longing.

Kostya, our MC, is grieving the death of his father and is tortured by the last conversation they had before he died, which leads him to embark on a culinary and spiritual adventure across New York when he realises he can taste the meal a spirit wants to re-live and by cooking it perfectly can resurrect them from the dead for a final goodbye. Cue, transforming himself into a world class chef and opening a restaurant that connects diners with their deceased. Think The Bear but with a supernatural twist!

Kostya thinks he’s serving closure, a chance for the living and the dead to finally move on, only the spirits he brings back don’t always return to the afterlife (which for restless spirits is a gigantic, elaborate Food Hall that tries to quell their insatiable hunger), and Kostya ends up haunted by a multitude of hangry ghosts (as well as his own demons).

The plot is imaginative, well executed and there are a dizzying amount of twists and turns. The literary fiction aspect of the book really nailed it for me though. It’s rare to find a book with such an interesting plot, well drawn characters and incredible writing. It’s also deep and philosophical whilst being sexy and fun, which I loved. Reading an interview with the author she described how she wanted the novel to “not only be a story with ghosts and death and grief, but for it to also be laugh-out-loud funny and entertaining and sexy and have a lot of life in it. I wanted to make sure that it had as much joy in it as it had more thoughtful and introverted and sad moments.” 👏🏼

If you like literary fiction, supernatural thrillers, mouthwatering descriptions of food and innovative plots then I highly recommend checking out Aftertaste. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc for an honest review.

Kostya has a unique gift, which makes him taste ghosts’ favourite foods.
He decides to use this talent.
It all turns into a thriller with romance and grief sprinkled inbetween.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Plot 3.5
Characterisation 3
Writing 3.5
Concept 4
Themes 3.5

The descriptions of the food and the opening were excellent - 5/5 stars for those.

Wow, what a book.
I feel like this was so many stories wrapped into one, beautifully.
Tying together themes of death with the power of food, Aftertaste transports through its words.

More in depth review on my instagram, linked below

Supplied by NetGalley as an ARC

What I expected: a deliberate exploration through different dishes tied in with varying forms of grief while having to balance working in a New York kitchen and falling in love.

What I got: the immediate and unsurprising commerialisation of ghosts and a harsh message on how grief should be approached.

Aftertaste's main character Konstantin “Kostya” Duhhovny has never been able to move on from the death of his father when he was a young boy. Later in his life, hopping from dead-end job to ended relationship with his friendship with sous-chef Frankie as the one bright constant, he discovers the strange phantom tastes of food he has been experiencing his entire life can summon back the dead for a moment.

My main gripe with this book was Kostya. He is in a word, unlikeable. He ignores the valid advice of the women in his life (his mother and his eventual girlfriend) and proceeds with his barely thought through plans causing disaster in his wake. For all this book is titled as Aftertaste, the food features only in singular bright and shining moments of pure love and exploration that I would have liked to see more of. Instead, the plot mostly focuses on Kostya's endeavours. Frankie was, to no-one's surprise, my favourite character out of the bunch. I enjoyed his optimistic attitude throughout the book and the sharp reminder that people cannot be truly known by those that only see part of them.

The Ghost World was a fun take on the situation which put me in mind of Beetlejuice more than anything else.

However, I did not agree with the book's take on grief and that the living can cause the ruination of their lost beloveds purely by not moving on. Blaming people for going through a natural process felt like a rough take for a book about ghosts and grieving to take and did take me out of the enjoyment of the story.

The romance was unsurprisingly, had notes of insta-love and fell into a kind of obssession with them both? Some time to flesh it out would have soldified the romance properly as feeling real, however I did adore the "I love you like salt" section, that was the most memorable and sweet part of the entire book for me.

I absolutely loved this book. Such an original idea, so brilliantly written. It was well paced and I just could not put it down.

Through the taste of our favourite food, the main character can bring ghosts of our loved ones back to life. The descriptions of food and recipes were truly mouthwatering at times and I couldn’t help but remember the taste of the cakes my grandmother used to bake.

Delightful, at times heartbreaking, a wonderful debut book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.

What an unusual concept I was immediately drawn in by the premise here. A character who gets ‘aftertastes’ from the spirits around him, and if he makes their meal, their loved on gets one last meal of closure with those who've passed. A excellent concept and so well orchestrated, and deals with the overarching theme of grief really well and in a sensitive manner but not underplaying its severe significance and effect on peoples lives.
I loved the inclusion of Maura and her dynamic with the main character, they really gelled well and I’d have to like to have seen more of her really to see how their relationship progresses.
I feel things got a bit wayward toward the 3rd quarter and I wasn’t quite sure where we going but it soon resumed its normal temperament and pacing and overall I really enjoyed.

After the death of his father Kostya started getting the taste of of his father’s favourite food in his mouth without eating it. As he grew older this kept happening.
He found that he was getting tastes from ghosts in the afterlife.
A story unlike anything I have read before.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm definitely in the minority here: this one didn't work for me.

I mean, 10/10 for originality. But I feel like I was tricked into reading a romance when I was promised a speculative culinary novel.

The first few scenes in the book are beautiful. The prose is written in these sharp, staccato beats that would feel at home in the literary fiction genre. And the images of Kyiv (and its food) were brilliant. But this is quickly replaced with stilted dialog and explanatory prose that often comes too late in the story. I mean, when the rules of the book's universe have to be laid out during the climax, something wasn't crafted right.

I genuinely think anyone who's looking for a spooky romance set in NYC will enjoy this. But that's not what I thought I was getting, and it's not what I would have ordered.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc.

The concept of this book is so unique. It follows a chef who gets tastes from the afterlife. If he cools the food, he's tasting he can bring someone back from the afterlife to reunite with a loved one for one last meal.

This is not a book to read if you're hungry 😂 I was starving the whole way through reading about so many amazing foods. It also stirred so many emotions. I just couldn't put it down.

This book is special, for me a kind of therapy but in an amazing, incredible story. So well crafted and imaginative its journey is intoxicating. This had me hooked i just cant praise it enough. Fabulous

4.5/5 stars

Aftertaste is a book that gets under your skin. Daria Lavelle’s writing is lush and unsettling, pulling you into a world where food, power, and obsession blur in the most intoxicating way.

The unnamed narrator is drawn into the orbit of an enigmatic chef, and what starts as fascination quickly turns into something far darker. The sensory detail is incredible, every taste, scent, and texture is described so vividly it feels almost tangible. It reminded me of Tender is the Flesh and A Certain Hunger, but with its own feverish, dreamlike quality.

If you love dark, atmospheric stories that seduce and disturb in equal measure, this one is unforgettable.

This darkly comedic novel was a fascinating read, totally unlike anything I’ve read before. The humour and warmth shone throughout the novel. I would highly recommend it.

A thought-provoking debut set against the vibrant bustle of New York’s culinary scene. The Aftertaste is nothing short of a delicious, exciting and succulent read. Lavelle tackles many themes including loss, grief and love as well as the shadowy darkness of the supernatural.

Kostya is the protagonist who loses his father at the age of 10. Having never been able to reconcile the suddenness of it all, one thing stands out is the aftertaste of his father’s favourite meal. Soon he realises that through his gift he can reunite the living with their lost ones through creative dishes. Finally, he has a calling and begins to hone his skills producing mouthwatering dishes. While this quest brings about joy and happiness and explores the power of memory it also has the potential to cause misery as he delves deeper into the depths of the supernatural.

Maura, his love interest provides a momentary distraction as the two enter a relationship, she knows his secret, but will it be enough to save him.

The beauty of the book for me is the exquisite detailing of each course as well as the descriptive prose which simply drags you into each scene. There were moments of imagining if you could spend that last hour/minute with your loved one how would it be, what would you say.

A well-executed debut and I look forward to reading more from this writer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

I loved this book, I was instantly intrigued by Kostya and really felt for him as we were finding out about his childhood which seemed so sad. But there was something about the current story that just gripped me and I was engrossed in the 'aftertastes' although some of the time they were making me hungry they were so well described! I just loved how the story grew with Frankie helping Kostya find his way into a job in a kitchen where he was able to learn the skills to create the tastes.

I also liked the love story that was blossoming between Kostya and Maura which was unexpected but thought that they were actually really well suited as they really seemed to understand each other. As we got nearer towards the end though some things were revealed which could have gone two ways but I was glad they went the way that they did.

The ending though, I honestly did not see it coming - at all. And I think because I had no idea about it I honestly felt broken by it. I was that invested with the characters and the situation it just swooped in and surprised me, it was however brilliant. I loved the writing style of this and the way it just flowed so well.

Is a very emotional book. I felt like I was in a journey with Konstantin, discovering the power of food and how the senses can help you during difficult times. Is written very well, easy to follow but so deep in his mesning. It's abiut grief and family. A very good book! I really liked it

This was an addictive read that I devoured in one day. It is full of love, loss, and grief and really shows us how food can evoke so many emotions and memories.

Just a little warning - don’t read on an empty stomach! The delicious descriptions had me practically salivating.

Aftertaste is such a uniquely written book that absolutely should be on everyone’s 2025 tbr

Aftertaste - Daria - An Hungry Man’s Review

People, this book is succulent. The language and descriptions evoke connotations of culinary exquisiteness - do not read this book hungry.

Aftertaste will leave you craving more, like a sweating, glistening glass of iced tea on a hot summer day, but when you take it sip it reminds you of the someone that first made it for you, when you were young and hot from running in the garden. The one that sang you to sleep, cooked for you when you were sick, helped you when you were stuck and then passed when you weren’t ready. It’s a book about love, loss, grief and how food can keep people alive through memory.

It’s not a sad book, I laughed and swooned and ate while reading Aftertaste (obviously I cried a little too) but I also realised the power food has, I thought about the favourite meals of my friends and family, what flavours remind me of, the food my mother cooked for me as a child, the food I make to tell my wife and Son that I love them, what meal will they remember me by? will Jasper cook ‘Dads famous …..’ for his children?

Art makes you feel something, it may be happy, it may be sad but this book is definitely art and it’s the best book I’ve read this year.

This was definitely very different to other books I've read.

It follows the story of a grieving boy who misses his father, who starts to connect with spirits through tasting dishes. This book takes the concept of food as a memory, and Konstantin brings spirits back for one last meal to give them closure.
It's definitely darker than I expected from a cover that looks rather cutesy, but I don't mind that. There are a number of heavy topics throughout - as can be expected from a book looking at grief.

The concept of this book is truly unique and unlike anything I've ever read before

“But letting go doesn’t mean that you forget me. Just that you don’t let the memories hurt you anymore.”
This is a book that will make you hungry and then feed you, but the void it leaves won’t be easy to fill. It’s a full-course meal of emotions—happiness, grief, sadness, joy, anger, disgust—the entire cast of Inside Out. And every emotion is perfectly timed to be effective, making you weep or cheer. And weep you will—like, a lot.
Kostya is an incredibly well-written character because he feels real. He makes mistakes, he’s angry and stubborn, and sometimes, you just want to grab him and shake him to wake him up.
The entire cast of characters is amazing. Even the smallest roles are more than just background noise—every single person who appears in the book has a purpose.
This book is so much more than I could ever express here. I’d need an entire book just to write about this book.
If you want to give yourself a gift, read this book.
“They marked their lives in food. In birthday cakes, and champagne toasts. In bowls of ketchup soup and Michelin-starred menus. In cups of coffee. In Happy Meals. In sides of fries. In Sunday dinners with Gigi or Yaya or Nǎi Nai or Ba. To eat was to celebrate. Food was living, after all; food was love. It was how the Living coped. How they kept going. Shorthand for their entire lives.”