msteinhaus's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The food descriptions and narration of this book are both wonderful, but this story itself is not for me!
The narrator is unbelievably self-centered. She has an agenda for every conversation in the book, ignoring or seeking out people only as they fit her investigative needs. She treats friends and family incredibly poorly, making up or seeking them out again only when she needs something else. And all of this happens in ways that, to me at least, go well beyond simple immaturity, especially given that she is supposedly in her mid-20s and has already lived on her own, learned some hard lessons in relationships, etc.
The narrator's emotional experience of events is also hard to understand. For example, she forgets finding the victim of a violent assault unconscious in a pool of blood, repeatedly. She also straight up ignores the victim's partner, with whom she was supposedly close, for an extended period of time after this traumatic event. This emotional disconnect combined with her self-centeredness makes her come across as almost narcissistic in her pursuit of her own agenda and ignorance of others' experiences.
Finally, whatever source recommended this book to me as a cozy mystery was misleading! There is intense on-page violence, racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation, and the plot centers heavily around drug abuse and related violence/death. Oof.
The narrator is unbelievably self-centered. She has an agenda for every conversation in the book, ignoring or seeking out people only as they fit her investigative needs. She treats friends and family incredibly poorly, making up or seeking them out again only when she needs something else. And all of this happens in ways that, to me at least, go well beyond simple immaturity, especially given that she is supposedly in her mid-20s and has already lived on her own, learned some hard lessons in relationships, etc.
The narrator's emotional experience of events is also hard to understand. For example, she forgets finding the victim of a violent assault unconscious in a pool of blood, repeatedly. She also straight up ignores the victim's partner, with whom she was supposedly close, for an extended period of time after this traumatic event. This emotional disconnect combined with her self-centeredness makes her come across as almost narcissistic in her pursuit of her own agenda and ignorance of others' experiences.
Finally, whatever source recommended this book to me as a cozy mystery was misleading! There is intense on-page violence, racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation, and the plot centers heavily around drug abuse and related violence/death. Oof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Hate crime, Murder, and Violence
ashwaar's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Fatphobia, Addiction, and Body shaming
ccrtb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I found it incredibly funny and unrealistic how Lila and her family were already financially struggling and yet Lila kept eating out at restaurants with friends or by herself. Like, girl, where are you getting all that food money??
Anyway, this was a very easy read. It has a medium pace, but really things pick up quickly. There are just a lot of things that happen. Mostly predictable. But if you want to read a murder mystery that isn't complicated, then this one is a good choice.
Lila's reaction to these deaths are also strange to me. Is it really realistic that just because you had a busy day helping out at your best friend's cafe that you'd completely forget about seeing one of your schoolmates' bloody, assaulted body in her office? She's never really shaken, which I found strange for her character since she's pretty empathetic in other aspects. I don't think her characterization of being a person who makes a habit of running from her problems translates to "completely forgets about gruesome crimes."
Anyway, this was a very easy read. It has a medium pace, but really things pick up quickly. There are just a lot of things that happen. Mostly predictable. But if you want to read a murder mystery that isn't complicated, then this one is a good choice.
Spoiler
I found that despite all the crimes that Lila walk into, she doesn't really have a hard time doing her detective work. She gets most of her information with no problem because apparently people in Shady Palms like to talk and aren't wary. She only ever gets in real trouble when confronting Kevin because he becomes violent, but even he just reveals everything all along like a cartoon villain.Lila's reaction to these deaths are also strange to me. Is it really realistic that just because you had a busy day helping out at your best friend's cafe that you'd completely forget about seeing one of your schoolmates' bloody, assaulted body in her office? She's never really shaken, which I found strange for her character since she's pretty empathetic in other aspects. I don't think her characterization of being a person who makes a habit of running from her problems translates to "completely forgets about gruesome crimes."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
eeviereads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
It has recipes at the back :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Deportation, Death of parent, Racism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Suicide, Medical content, Infidelity, and Addiction
kiala's review
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Homophobia
atamano's review against another edition
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? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Drug abuse, and Violence
thewellreadlabrador's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
emily_mh's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was enjoyable and entertaining, which is all I really ask of a “cosy mystery”. I was really pleasantly surprised that this one went deeper by bringing in a complicated family dynamic: Lila felt a lot of tension over wanting to support her elders in thanks for their sacrifices, while also wanting to be independent and do her own thing. I also love how much food was centred in the story. It was mouthwatering to read about and themed the narrative well.
The plot itself was investigation-focussed with multiple avenues being explored at once, which was fantastic for me as it drove the story and also meant I could speculate and form different theories. The resolution ended up being well-suited.
The characterisation was excellent. This book has a large cast but each character felt distinct, including Lila the MC who was stubborn, loving, and confused about what she wanted. She was a realistic depiction of a 25 year-old, as someone who is very nearly 25. I do think that her character development could have been better realised, though, as it felt a little quick.
I have two other criticisms. The first is that the romance (in the form of a love triangle) was totally unnecessary, and there was also no chemistry whatsoever with either LI. The second is that Lila was smart enough to have figured out more of the mystery on her own, but instead we got a little villain monologue.
But overall, as I said before, I enjoyed this read. I definitely want to continue with the series!
Rep: Filipina-American MC, Filipino-American SCs, Muslim Pakistani-American LI, biracial white/Korean-American LI, lesbian Muslim Pakistani-American SC, biracial white/Korean-American SC, sapphic Mexican-American SC, Black SC, Japanese-American SC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Violence, and Addiction
Minor: Body shaming, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexism, Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, Deportation, Ableism, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death of parent, Vomit, Drug use, Hate crime, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
Major: medical emergency, false legal accusations Moderate: imprisonment, break-in Minor: loss of a loved one, gambling, police corruption, extortion, disordered eating, blackmail, sick loved oneauudrey's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Addiction and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Drug use
bubblegirl858's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.0
This book was an absolute delight to read. It was witty, mysterious, and made me soooo hungry! I just wanted to eat everything they talked about in the book. I really enjoyed how the plot unfolded and I cannot wait to read the next books. I need to know which man (if any) she ends up dating! I really enjoy small town mysteries and this one was comfy and family oriented while still being high stakes and being a murder mystery. It was a joy to read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read. Don’t read while you are hungry though! Unless you want to cook the recipes supplied in the back, which was such a great addition as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Addiction, Drug abuse, Bullying, Drug use, and Death of parent