The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
agnesjlopez's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Violence, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity
Minor: Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
nelesnotes's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- 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? No
3.25
This was a nice enough background noise. What I appreciated was the content warning in the beginning, don't hear that often! Besides that I didn't find the storyline very captivating nor did I find Lila a loveable character. Her caring for other people felt forced, always like an afterthought and I couldn't really identify with her (sure, I haven't been a murder suspect... but I don't know, she just seemed all relaxed and excited about solving the case, when a normal person probably would be freaking out by being falsely accused of murder?! - oh and there's a cute dentist, but the best friends brother is still hot too - so I just found her mostly annoying). Maybe it was the writing style, the narrater or I just couldn't empathize with her...Â
Furthermore I thought most of the story was pretty slow and repetitive and the supposedly cozy food description just felt like straight out of a cookbook to me. After 5 hours when we finally got a bit more to the investigative part, it was already clear who did it and I mostly was waiting to finish.Â
One last major criticism I have: where was the sausage dog I was promised?! Got waaayyy too little presence in this story and would have surely made some things more enjoyable. But I feel it only existed to justify Lila checking her Instagram.Â
So yeah, background noise but not really a recommendation. Don't really feel like listening to the second book.Â
Furthermore I thought most of the story was pretty slow and repetitive and the supposedly cozy food description just felt like straight out of a cookbook to me. After 5 hours when we finally got a bit more to the investigative part, it was already clear who did it and I mostly was waiting to finish.Â
One last major criticism I have: where was the sausage dog I was promised?! Got waaayyy too little presence in this story and would have surely made some things more enjoyable. But I feel it only existed to justify Lila checking her Instagram.Â
So yeah, background noise but not really a recommendation. Don't really feel like listening to the second book.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming
chilivanilli28's review against another edition
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Fatphobia, Murder, Death, and Blood
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennialÂ
Gosh, if you are looking for a silly, goofy, cozy, diverse murder mystery, look no further! I am FilAm so my opinion is a bit biased because I adore the representation of the Filipino American community and family dynamics in this book. I related to Lila a lot, and thought she was hilarious.Â
This book is written in first-person, past-tense POV from Lila’s POV & it was perfect to set the tone of being comedic and still high stakes as Lila tries to unravel the murder so that her family business, Tita Rosie’s kitchen, can reopen. Someone (Lila’s insufferable high school ex) dies while eating at their restaurant and all signs point the detectives to Lila and her family, which does not bode well for their financial security or their future.Â
The dog is named Longanisa, Nisa for short, so honorable mention to that adorable name 😂 All of the food descriptions made me so hungry for my parents’ or grandparents’ home cooking. I think I cook Filipino food well but there’s still nothing like the food you grew up with, made by the people who raised you.Â
Overall, if you love cozy mysteries, give this one a try!!!Â
Gosh, if you are looking for a silly, goofy, cozy, diverse murder mystery, look no further! I am FilAm so my opinion is a bit biased because I adore the representation of the Filipino American community and family dynamics in this book. I related to Lila a lot, and thought she was hilarious.Â
This book is written in first-person, past-tense POV from Lila’s POV & it was perfect to set the tone of being comedic and still high stakes as Lila tries to unravel the murder so that her family business, Tita Rosie’s kitchen, can reopen. Someone (Lila’s insufferable high school ex) dies while eating at their restaurant and all signs point the detectives to Lila and her family, which does not bode well for their financial security or their future.Â
The dog is named Longanisa, Nisa for short, so honorable mention to that adorable name 😂 All of the food descriptions made me so hungry for my parents’ or grandparents’ home cooking. I think I cook Filipino food well but there’s still nothing like the food you grew up with, made by the people who raised you.Â
Overall, if you love cozy mysteries, give this one a try!!!Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Murder
msteinhaus's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The food descriptions and narration of this book are both wonderful, but this story itself is not for me!Â
The narrator is unbelievably self-centered. She has an agenda for every conversation in the book, ignoring or seeking out people only as they fit her investigative needs. She treats friends and family incredibly poorly, making up or seeking them out again only when she needs something else. And all of this happens in ways that, to me at least, go well beyond simple immaturity, especially given that she is supposedly in her mid-20s and has already lived on her own, learned some hard lessons in relationships, etc.Â
The narrator's emotional experience of events is also hard to understand. For example, she forgets finding the victim of a violent assault unconscious in a pool of blood, repeatedly. She also straight up ignores the victim's partner, with whom she was supposedly close, for an extended period of time after this traumatic event. This emotional disconnect combined with her self-centeredness makes her come across as almost narcissistic in her pursuit of her own agenda and ignorance of others' experiences. Â
Finally, whatever source recommended this book to me as a cozy mystery was misleading! There is intense on-page violence, racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation, and the plot centers heavily around drug abuse and related violence/death. Oof.
The narrator is unbelievably self-centered. She has an agenda for every conversation in the book, ignoring or seeking out people only as they fit her investigative needs. She treats friends and family incredibly poorly, making up or seeking them out again only when she needs something else. And all of this happens in ways that, to me at least, go well beyond simple immaturity, especially given that she is supposedly in her mid-20s and has already lived on her own, learned some hard lessons in relationships, etc.Â
The narrator's emotional experience of events is also hard to understand. For example, she forgets finding the victim of a violent assault unconscious in a pool of blood, repeatedly. She also straight up ignores the victim's partner, with whom she was supposedly close, for an extended period of time after this traumatic event. This emotional disconnect combined with her self-centeredness makes her come across as almost narcissistic in her pursuit of her own agenda and ignorance of others' experiences. Â
Finally, whatever source recommended this book to me as a cozy mystery was misleading! There is intense on-page violence, racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation, and the plot centers heavily around drug abuse and related violence/death. Oof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Hate crime, Murder, and Violence
ashwaar's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Fatphobia, Addiction, and Body shaming
things100's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
5.0
A really enjoyed this book and the mystery elements and I can’t wait to read the second book in the series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Murder, Medical content, and Death
Minor: Addiction, Grief, and Drug use
ccrtb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.0
I found it incredibly funny and unrealistic how Lila and her family were already financially struggling and yet Lila kept eating out at restaurants with friends or by herself. Like, girl, where are you getting all that food money??
Anyway, this was a very easy read. It has a medium pace, but really things pick up quickly. There are just a lot of things that happen. Mostly predictable. But if you want to read a murder mystery that isn't complicated, then this one is a good choice.
I found that despite all the crimes that Lila walk into, she doesn't really have a hard time doing her detective work. She gets most of her information with no problem because apparently people in Shady Palms like to talk and aren't wary. She only ever gets in real trouble when confronting Kevin because he becomes violent, but even he just reveals everything all along like a cartoon villain.
Lila's reaction to these deaths are also strange to me. Is it really realistic that just because you had a busy day helping out at your best friend's cafe that you'd completely forget about seeing one of your schoolmates' bloody, assaulted body in her office? She's never really shaken, which I found strange for her character since she's pretty empathetic in other aspects. I don't think her characterization of being a person who makes a habit of running from her problems translates to "completely forgets about gruesome crimes."
Anyway, this was a very easy read. It has a medium pace, but really things pick up quickly. There are just a lot of things that happen. Mostly predictable. But if you want to read a murder mystery that isn't complicated, then this one is a good choice.
Lila's reaction to these deaths are also strange to me. Is it really realistic that just because you had a busy day helping out at your best friend's cafe that you'd completely forget about seeing one of your schoolmates' bloody, assaulted body in her office? She's never really shaken, which I found strange for her character since she's pretty empathetic in other aspects. I don't think her characterization of being a person who makes a habit of running from her problems translates to "completely forgets about gruesome crimes."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
fanique87's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Fatphobia, Racism, Police brutality, Addiction, and Infidelity