ruthiedr89's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Ableism
Minor: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Racism, Classism, and Sexism
bubblegirl858's review
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
maggies's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Perhaps cozy mysteries are not for me. I really wanted to like this book, but it was too slow, too long, with too much reminiscing and not enough action. Loved the yummy-sounding food, but that also took up so much real estate of the book, so a bit of a double edged sword. Never really warmed to Lila, either.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Grief, Drug abuse, Death, and Blood
riverofpages's review
funny
mysterious
sad
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
It’s a little kitschy but very fun. And east beach read, depending on your mindset going in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Murder, Racism, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic relationship
marissasa's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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? No
4.0
This was my first cozy mystery type book and although it was lighthearted and not as tightly focused on the murder as I thought it would be, I enjoyed it and found the characters well-written and likable. The *freeze frame* "yep that's me, you're probably wondering how I got here" style of narration and abundance of explanatory details in the writing were so cheesy, but that honestly made this book feel even more Filipino than it already was with its very realistic depiction of the aunties and lola, its notion of "family = relatives + every family friend in existence", and the mouth-watering traditional foods that seem to be in every chapter, because if Filipinos are anything, its cheesy! The book wasn't perfectly paced and I did predict who the true killer was at around the 2/3 mark so the reveal in the last couple chapters wasn't a shocking one, but it was a fun read and a treat to listen to on the audiobook complete with proper Tagalog pronunciation and Filipino accents. I'll definitely listen to the rest of the books in the series in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Addiction, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship
anntharai's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
Excellent mystery with a phenomenal range of characters who I want to get to know!
I love the depth of each character, the very real way issues aren’t black and white, and the inclusion of so many incredible sounding dishes. I want to eat everything mentioned.
I love the depth of each character, the very real way issues aren’t black and white, and the inclusion of so many incredible sounding dishes. I want to eat everything mentioned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Death, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Racism
agurevitz's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Murder
Minor: Toxic relationship
aguattery's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Cute lil book although I don't think cozy mysteries are for me. I struggled with the beginning - the story setup and character building felt a little cringe. The humor is VERY millennial. BUT the vibes were still immaculate. I had a really fun time following the story and just enjoyed listening.
I also thought the representation was well done. It felt very natural to the story and added to it, rather than just being there
I also thought the representation was well done. It felt very natural to the story and added to it, rather than just being there
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Drug abuse
Moderate: Blood and Toxic relationship
Minor: Fatphobia
beholderess's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
What I liked:
Delicious food
Very diverse rep
The beginning has set a good tone for me
What I didn’t like:
Questionable diabetic rep, with some ableism and fatphobia
Very little actual investigating - the clues just kept falling on the heroine’s lap with other people explaining it to her, she did not put anything together
The second portion is less lighthearted and is more an extended small town drama
Delicious food
Very diverse rep
The beginning has set a good tone for me
What I didn’t like:
Questionable diabetic rep, with some ableism and fatphobia
Very little actual investigating - the clues just kept falling on the heroine’s lap with other people explaining it to her, she did not put anything together
The second portion is less lighthearted and is more an extended small town drama
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Ableism, and Toxic relationship