Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Homicide and Halo-Halo, by Mia P. Manansala

17 reviews

genny's review

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Lila was quite annoying for a good part of this book. I know she has trauma, but that doesn't excuse her being overdramatic and selfish...it's a good thing that the other characters call her out, because it'd be unbearable if the narration made her out to be correct all the time. Manansala also tends to over-explain things, like...Lila gave Jae a "Yoda Best Dentist" mug, and the author just HAD to clarify that this was a play on words because Jae was a dentist and a Star Wars fan. We get it. Absolutely no chemistry between Lila and Amir, by the way. I forgot there was supposed to be a love triangle.

The good thing is that the mystery here was much better than the one in the first book! Enough crumbs were sprinkled throughout the story for the reveal to make sense without being too predictable. Despite my criticisms, I genuinely had a fun time and I'm still continuing with the series, if only to support the idea of Filipino-centered mysteries.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Suicide and Car accident

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Injury/injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Mental illness

Moderate: Gun violence, Body shaming, and Murder

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Classism, Death, Infidelity, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide, Infertility, and Body shaming

thebougiebookworm's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I’ll say it — I love cozy mysteries! This series is great for so many reasons; the characters, the dialogue, the pacing, but what I love about this - and what makes it so unique - is all of the vivid descriptions of food. And not just because my inner chubby girl likes to eat! Food is such an important staple in so many cultures and I love getting to see Filipino, Mexican, Korean, and Middle Eastern staples represented in this book! 

The plot drives forward pretty quickly, and in true “whodoneit” fashion, everyone is a suspect at one time or another. I love how Manansala uses misdirection to keep you guessing. I’m usually pretty good at figuring these out early on, but I didn’t get it until the last 50 or so pages!

While this is a fun read for the sleuths out there, this book is a bit darker and explores some potentially triggering content, which I feel the author did a good job calling out in her author’s note. Please check these warnings before diving in!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Stalking, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

kimveach's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this even more than the first book, which is often the case with cozy mysteries.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual content, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment

amandalorianxo's review

funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I appreciated the tiny recaps the author sprinkled here and there because it has been a while since I read the first book in this series. I also liked the content warning that Mia wrote as well because this definitely took on a different tone and vibe compared to the first book. It’s still a cozy mystery but the characters seem to be more comfortable calling out Lila when she is on her bs as well as Lila acknowledging that she isn’t the same person she was during the spring time. It’s summer now and someone is no longer around Shady Palms. Lila & her family find herself in the midst of things again as well as some old and new faces. It was a little bit predictable (to me) at which type of person that committed the crime but as to the actual person, I guessed wrong so that was cool for me. The recipes are still at the back of the book which I loved. I am also glad the characters sort of call out Lila when it came to her love life because even though she owes no one an explanation, it was getting annoying when Amir or Jae were around & she tried to play at then being friends. I also had a feeling that Lila was going to pick a certain someone because the other person seemed to have a weird personality change and conveniently like someone else. Looking forward to book three in October. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment and Infidelity

Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Murder

caseythereader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Misogyny

uranaishi's review

emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Injury/injury detail, Cursing, Death, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Medical content, Self harm, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Incest, Violence, and Racism

alisonreadsitall's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I absolutely LOVED this cozy mystery. 4.5 stars! One of the best parts is the descriptions of all the amazing Filipino dishes! 🤤😋 (unfortunately, where I live is severely lacking Filipino restaurants so I’m going to attempt some of the recipes in the back. 🙃)

I also appreciate when a book is encouraging towards therapy- there’s no shame in seeing someone!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder

thereaderfriend's review

funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Much heavier than the first one but heavily enjoyed! :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Sexism, Vomit, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Medical content, and Misogyny