blackcatkai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
here are my ramblings: the first 25% was awful and packed full of horrid diabetes rep, the MCs talk about said diabetic character with the most fatphobic, body/food shaming words. for people who are supposed to be very positive towards food, especially their own, it's gross how they talk about a dead man who enjoyed the food they made just because he was a diabetic. the ableism is rampant and it did nothing but piss me off.
now, AFTER that nonsense passes, the last 75% is more enjoyable & less irritating. though honestly it feels like nothing really happened overall. just a lot of back and forth conversations of personal issues & dramas that I honestly would've enjoyed more in a different book, personally. I liked the way characters interacted with each other overall and they felt like real friends/family. I liked the hint of potential romance, it was cute. I could read just a slice of life style novella of those two characters getting to know each other and being cute if it were to be written, but I don't think I'll continue the actual series itself.
it just didn't feel much like a cozy mystery to me, but that mightve just been a me thing especially with how much the first quarter of the book grated on my being. I'm too deep into my anti-diet, pro body liberation, era to not notice when things are just really shitty in that way.
nobody owes anyone health of any kind, you don't get to make health assumptions about anyone based on their looks, diets, or disorders of any kind. you are not their doctor. you are not them. I don't care if they wronged you or you had a past or their an asshole jerk. YOU DONT KNOW A THING ABOUT THEIR HEALTH BASED ON LOOKS, DIET, ANYTHING. AGAIN, YOURE NOT THEIR DOCTOR. ITS NOT YOUR BUSINESS. WHETHER YOUR FICTIONAL OR NOT. THANK YOU.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Ableism
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Homophobia, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
ninuona's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
I am so glad to see representation—it’s a huge part of what I liked about this book—but there was too much focus on ‘explaining’ things such that it ended up feeling unnatural. e.g. there’s a vegetarian character and a couple paragraphs are spent when the MC makes sure her aunt is not using meat, aunt explains how she’s using a substitute, and after the meal someone exclaims, “Wow, that was meatless?” and the moment really did not have to be that long; pointing it out this much feels ‘othering,’ which is opposite the point of normalizing diversity.
the mystery was lacking and dragged on for too long. this book also paints moving away from your small hometown to a (nearby) big city as selfish, and tries to humanize some people who have done horrible things (
Spoiler
machinate a drug ring & defraud peopleanyway the descriptions of food were mouthwatering, I learned of so many new things I wanna try—esp those ube crinkles and ginataang bilo-bilo so good it killed a man—and helpfully there are recipes in the back of the book!
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Infidelity
Minor: Domestic abuse
emily_mh's review
- 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
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 onebubblegirl858's review
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Addiction, Drug abuse, Bullying, Drug use, and Death of parent
meagangrace's review
- 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
2.5
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Infidelity, Addiction, Death, Alcohol, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Violence, Stalking, and Drug use
katesio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The author has a disclaimer at the beginning that sets the tone for light hearted crime novel.
I think the plot is… not great. There are a lot of holes and parts that just don’t make sense for the main character to be doing or the process of a criminal investigation.
In saying all that, the crime part I believe is secondary to the wonderful culture of the main characters family. It brings a warm, wholesome Filipino-American hug with descriptive writings of food, a drizzle of family guilt and a pinch of body shaming.
It’s an easy read, don’t take it too seriously and enjoy the Tita Rosie family.
But I did have flashbacks of family members criticising you.
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
maggies's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Murder, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Grief, Drug abuse, Death, and Blood
gabyhat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Fatphobia, Death, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Medical content
fivecatsinacoat's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Grief, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Blood and Confinement
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Bullying, Drug use, Grief, Addiction, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity and Lesbophobia