17 May Review: Aftertaste
Aftertaste
Written by: Daria Lavelle
Simon & Schuster, 2025
ISBN: 9781668061596 (hardcover)
9781668061619 (ebook)
$28.99 CAD (hardcover)
$14.99 CAD (ebook)
400 pages
Ages: 16+
Review by: Hannah Weaver
Beginning with his father’s death as a child, Kostya receives “aftertastes” of meals he’s never had. After accidentally summoning a spirit and meeting Maura, the clairvoyant love interest, Kostya learns that aftertastes are spirits trying to connect with the living and, if he recreates what he tastes, he can bring the spirit back for the duration of the recreated meal. The possibility of bringing his dad back, if only briefly, motivates Kostya as he works his way up through the New York City culinary scene; but, with little knowledge of the paranormal, Kostya unwittingly meddles with affairs in the Afterlife. Rife with food metaphor and description, Aftertaste is a fun paranormal romance read that also thoughtfully addresses grief and demonstrates how food can be a conduit for connection. Recommended for ages 16+.