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Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
8 reviews
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.25
I truly enjoyed this book! While I didn't enjoy the author book I tried to read by this author, that may have been because I didn't realize it was book two in a series.
Vera was a great protagonist, her and her newfound family's fumbling was humorous but the book still had serious undertones. It was a good mix of lighthearted & emotional. I laughed and I cried.
I didn't guess the murderer until Vera figured it out, the author did a good job of disguising them with misdirection.
My biggest complaint was that the book was a bit longer than I thought it needed. I can't wait for their next adventure!
Narrator Rating: 4.75 stars
The narrator did an amazing job, I wish they'd done a full cast for this since it was told from many points of view.
Vera was a great protagonist, her and her newfound family's fumbling was humorous but the book still had serious undertones. It was a good mix of lighthearted & emotional. I laughed and I cried.
I didn't guess the murderer until Vera figured it out, the author did a good job of disguising them with misdirection.
My biggest complaint was that the book was a bit longer than I thought it needed. I can't wait for their next adventure!
Narrator Rating: 4.75 stars
The narrator did an amazing job, I wish they'd done a full cast for this since it was told from many points of view.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
The instances of child abuse were emotional abuse of a toddler. Nothing physically or sexually abusive towards a child is mentioned.kappafrog's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
Vera was so funny! I loved reading the chapters from her perspective. Some of the other POV characters were less developed, especially Riki. The story was at its best in the Vera chapters. I really liked Emma and Julia too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I picked up this book because it was the Literally Dead Book Club pick for March 2024.
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" is a cozy mystery that follows Vera Wong as she takes solving a murder into her own hands. Vera Wong owns a tea shop, and one morning when she comes downstairs to prepare to open her shop, she finds a man dead. After trying to help the police with their investigation, and their disapproval of her assistance, she decides to solve the murder for herself. Vera quickly falls into a complicated world, with several suspects who all have the motivation to kill this mystery man.
This was such a fun cozy mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it. Vera Wong is a very colorful woman, and I really enjoyed her as a protagonist. She is the stereotypical, headstrong Chinese woman, and her inclination to put herself into every situation was amusing and endearing. It was impressive how much she knew about police investigations, and what needed to be done in order to solve a murder. She is both wise beyond her years and smart as a whip.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters. Everyone in the novel seemed to be struggling with something and I love how Vera seemed to be their guiding light to help them through their tumultuous situations. Vera was also pretty humble with her involvement in the improving of their lives.
I did not love the ultimate reveal of who the murderer was and why they killed this man. Although, I did not anticipate that the story was going to go in this direction, so it came as a shock. I thought the story was going in a different direction, which I think I would have enjoyed slightly more.
I definitely recommend this book, and I will be reading more from Jesse Q. Sutanto in the future!
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" is a cozy mystery that follows Vera Wong as she takes solving a murder into her own hands. Vera Wong owns a tea shop, and one morning when she comes downstairs to prepare to open her shop, she finds a man dead. After trying to help the police with their investigation, and their disapproval of her assistance, she decides to solve the murder for herself. Vera quickly falls into a complicated world, with several suspects who all have the motivation to kill this mystery man.
This was such a fun cozy mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it. Vera Wong is a very colorful woman, and I really enjoyed her as a protagonist. She is the stereotypical, headstrong Chinese woman, and her inclination to put herself into every situation was amusing and endearing. It was impressive how much she knew about police investigations, and what needed to be done in order to solve a murder. She is both wise beyond her years and smart as a whip.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters. Everyone in the novel seemed to be struggling with something and I love how Vera seemed to be their guiding light to help them through their tumultuous situations. Vera was also pretty humble with her involvement in the improving of their lives.
I did not love the ultimate reveal of who the murderer was and why they killed this man. Although, I did not anticipate that the story was going to go in this direction, so it came as a shock. I thought the story was going in a different direction, which I think I would have enjoyed slightly more.
I definitely recommend this book, and I will be reading more from Jesse Q. Sutanto in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Title: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: March 14, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Cozy • Quirky • Wholesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I had previously read Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A for Aunties and absolutely adored it, so I was looking forward to jumping into a different world with many similarities to that book. And I must say I was not disappointed.
The characters are what really make this book different from other cozy mysteries. In a typical cozy, the characters can be surface level, yet here there is depth and we get to know each of their stories. Vera herself is absolutely hilarious and endearing woman. I found myself laughing at her stream of conscious thought and at all of the meddling (especially with her son's love life) she does. Although she first appears like an incredibly strong and confident person (with quirks, of course), there is an underlying loneliness with her. As the story progresses, she connects with a variety of people who quickly become her found family, which just gave off such wholesome vibes.
The food descriptions had be drooling and I always enjoy a novel where food plays an integral role in connection. Food is Vera's love language and I thought it was incredibly well developed into the storyline. The San Francisco setting also felt refreshing and inviting.
Overall, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a feel-good murder mystery with comedic vibes and a unique cast of characters that I thoroughly enjoyed. I didn't have to think too much, Vera's antics were entertaining and I could really relax with a cozy blanket while reading. It reminded me how much I enjoyed the Aunties series and I look forward to continuing that series sometime soon.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• cozy fans
• readers on vacation
⚠️ CW: violence, murder, death, death of parent, grief, gaslighting, bullying, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, toxic relationship, cursing, misogyny, medical content, abandonment, drug use, panic attacks/disorders, infidelity, body shaming
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often."
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: March 14, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Cozy • Quirky • Wholesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I had previously read Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A for Aunties and absolutely adored it, so I was looking forward to jumping into a different world with many similarities to that book. And I must say I was not disappointed.
The characters are what really make this book different from other cozy mysteries. In a typical cozy, the characters can be surface level, yet here there is depth and we get to know each of their stories. Vera herself is absolutely hilarious and endearing woman. I found myself laughing at her stream of conscious thought and at all of the meddling (especially with her son's love life) she does. Although she first appears like an incredibly strong and confident person (with quirks, of course), there is an underlying loneliness with her. As the story progresses, she connects with a variety of people who quickly become her found family, which just gave off such wholesome vibes.
The food descriptions had be drooling and I always enjoy a novel where food plays an integral role in connection. Food is Vera's love language and I thought it was incredibly well developed into the storyline. The San Francisco setting also felt refreshing and inviting.
Overall, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a feel-good murder mystery with comedic vibes and a unique cast of characters that I thoroughly enjoyed. I didn't have to think too much, Vera's antics were entertaining and I could really relax with a cozy blanket while reading. It reminded me how much I enjoyed the Aunties series and I look forward to continuing that series sometime soon.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• cozy fans
• readers on vacation
⚠️ CW: violence, murder, death, death of parent, grief, gaslighting, bullying, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, toxic relationship, cursing, misogyny, medical content, abandonment, drug use, panic attacks/disorders, infidelity, body shaming
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Abandonment
ebp's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Drug use and Infidelity
atamano's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Alcohol
bloodmaarked'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
4.25
oh i definitely have a soft spot for vera! and i feel this is definitely going to get me into the cosy mystery subgenre
✧ full review on my tumblr ✧
✧ full review on my tumblr ✧
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
heapofashes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting