meaghanpal's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
This is a low 3.5. I am rounding up because I loved reading about a fellow Filipino family. I haven’t read a book like this before. I found the portrayal of the Titas and cousins very realistic. Also the food descriptions had my mouth watering and I liked the inclusion of recipes at the back of the book.
The reason for the low-ish rating: The book was a bit predictable and I do wish there was more love triangle drama. I hope to read that in future books.
The reason for the low-ish rating: The book was a bit predictable and I do wish there was more love triangle drama. I hope to read that in future books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Medical trauma, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming and Domestic abuse
ethuiliel's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Confinement
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Blood, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
naseem's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
This book was such a quick, enjoyable read. The author has described her books as “hallmark but with dead bodies,” and has discussed that she included as many tropes as possible due to what rejections her, which is to say the cast of queer and brown characters don’t belong in cozy mysteries.
Knowing all of that set the tone for me going into the book, and it was such a fun read (or, rather, listen; the narrator is fantastic). I haven’t listened to cozy mysteries in years, and it was such a blast getting into this one. I absolutely loved that i knew things would work out in the end (removing the anxieties related to the trajectory of a story), and I enjoyed following Lila and her family (found and blood). The side characters were fantastic. I love that it was set in Chicagoland, and I hope we see Lila go to the city once or twice (the author grew up there). As for the mystery—I had pieced together some things, but others took me by surprise! I enjoyed that a lot.
I’m impressed, also, at the underlying conversations happening in the book. They’re not dug into (which makes sense), but their presence deepens the story. (Another reason why I liked knowing it would be “okay” in the end is because we’re talking about queer/brown characters.)
(I also love the recipes at the end!! I didn’t find the food stuff tedious at all throughout the book—I absolutely love food and admire when someone can be this evocative about it.)
Looking forward to reading the next books!!
Knowing all of that set the tone for me going into the book, and it was such a fun read (or, rather, listen; the narrator is fantastic). I haven’t listened to cozy mysteries in years, and it was such a blast getting into this one. I absolutely loved that i knew things would work out in the end (removing the anxieties related to the trajectory of a story), and I enjoyed following Lila and her family (found and blood). The side characters were fantastic. I love that it was set in Chicagoland, and I hope we see Lila go to the city once or twice (the author grew up there). As for the mystery—I had pieced together some things, but others took me by surprise! I enjoyed that a lot.
I’m impressed, also, at the underlying conversations happening in the book. They’re not dug into (which makes sense), but their presence deepens the story. (Another reason why I liked knowing it would be “okay” in the end is because we’re talking about queer/brown characters.)
(I also love the recipes at the end!! I didn’t find the food stuff tedious at all throughout the book—I absolutely love food and admire when someone can be this evocative about it.)
Looking forward to reading the next books!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia and Fatphobia
tiakiwi's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a quick fun murder mystery that makes you hungry for tasty food! The killer is and isn't someone you would expect so while you are able to put the prices together it's not the shock that die hard mystery fans are probably looking for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Blood
eemadeeberry's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Medical content, Racism, Addiction, and Blood
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
ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, and Blood
Minor: Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Xenophobia
lenaricharz's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Death
Minor: Addiction
smagzisreading's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, Death of parent, Death, and Drug abuse
Minor: Blood
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 one