Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Homicide and Halo-Halo, by Mia P. Manansala

15 reviews

janelleg9014's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Suicide

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

lindsloveslit's review

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

3.5

Homicide and Halo-Halo was a cute and cozy, food-filled mystery. Reading it made me SO HUNGRY! (Fortunately, since I was borrowing it from the library via the Libby app, I was able to snack the entire time. 😋) 

If you read & enjoyed the first book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series (I've got a more personal review of that one up), you'll like this one, too. It had heavier content, but the author included those warnings in the author note at the beginning of the book. 🫶🏽 You can tell through her writing that she has put in work towards her mental health, and I always like seeing that reflected on the pages.

One of my qualms with the first book was the sheer amount of characters. We learn more about the main character in this second book, but it is DEFINITELY story driven, not character driven.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Fatphobia, and Grief

kefowler's review

adventurous 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder and Suicide

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

halebugs's review against another edition

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

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

jennneely82's review against another edition

challenging funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

A deliciously cozy mystery! I love books like this. A light-hearted read that focuses on food, family, and friendships. The recipes at the end are an extra bonus. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide 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