Reviews with content warning for Murder - Homicide and Halo-Halo

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery involving a Filipina, her extended family and friends, and a pageant. The love and fun was well mixed into the mystery plot, just like the Halo-Halo and other featured foods. There are some dark moments, but they are balanced by the humorous ones.
Although this is the second in a series, I was able to pick up on the backstory and read it as a standalone.

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editorsel's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.25

Another cozy mystery read! Definitely enjoyable, and the twist at the end (albeit expected) was fairly surprising! I do think that the book spent a lot of time “describing” and sometimes certain scenes would feel important and then turn out not to be? I think the driving force of the plot being the pageant felt a bit cliche, and I enjoyed the faster pace of her previous book a bit more.

Another note is that sometimes the conversations about family, mental health, and trauma were too on the nose — while they were relatable in the sense that these conversations often do go unsaid, it felt like they could’ve been a bit more intentional/subtle.

Overall, an enjoyable read and I’ll continue reading her next books!

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aprica's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted mysterious tense 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

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siriface's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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thewellreadlabrador's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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henrismum's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
#2 in series (I started reading this series on and I have been committed to this series since )
Will I read other installments? ~~Probably Not~~ Maybe ~~Definitely~~ I think there are two more in the series, so far. I will probably do the usual and read the third, and then decide from there if I will continue.
Comparison to others in series: Not as good ~~About the same~~ ~~Better~~ This had a low vibe, which the author addresses in the beginning. The action was so-so.
The narrator was Danice Cabanela. Her pace was slow, so I sped this up to 1.25, which complimented the other book I was listening to at the time.
Source: Phoenix Library

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.75

Title: Homicide and Halo-Halo
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Series: Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: February 8, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Entertaining • Feisty • Delicious

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent. Or her professional life, since she can't bring herself to open her new café. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.

To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago--a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case--because it looks like one of them might be next.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Cozy mysteries are not a genre I pick up often, but every once in awhile the mood for one hits. I enjoyed Arsenic and Adobo, the first installment in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series, so continuing the series seemed the most logical thing to do.

Similar to the first book, this one is packed with smart dialogue, delicious food, a meddling family, and a touch of romance. I appreciated getting to know Lila more - including details about her past and her relationship with her mother, which allowed me to understand her insecurities more. There is a pretty strong mental health aspect to this one as well, and that suited me just fine.

The thing that makes this series stand out for me is the depth. There is so much going on here than the typical whodunit plot line. The second installment delves deep into how the past and our relationships shape our lives. While this is definitely a plus, unfortunately, in this one the mystery took a back seat, and honestly didn't really interest me all that much.

Homicide and Halo-Halo was a nice palette cleanser from my recent more emotional reads. Although the mystery didn't piqued my interest this time around, I do look forward to continuing this series, and seeing what happens next.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a cozy with depth
• fans of the Dial A for Aunties series

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"I wondered at what age you stopped caring what other people thought about you and just spoke your mind."

"You're more than your work... More than whatever contributions you think you're supposed to be making. More than whoever people think you're supposed to be."

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kayschwe's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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