Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Homicide and Halo-Halo, by Mia P. Manansala

24 reviews

cheypreston's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Grief, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence

unsuccessfulbookclub's review

funny lighthearted 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Gun violence, Grief, and Death

mamawantsbooks's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Injury/injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage

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

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

bookishandlegal's review

emotional lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Bullying and Body shaming

Minor: Car accident and Death

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

amorales107's review

lighthearted mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Sexual harassment