Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

I LOVED this book!! Even more than the Aunties!! I’d gladly read more about these characters. I figured out the mystery partway through, but I wasn’t reading it for the murder, I was reading it for the characters who become family. Utterly charming. (This next sentence isn’t a spoiler, since you learn it very quickly.) I do wish Marshall’s abuse had been explicitly named so—he’s not just an asshole but a pretty clear narcissist—but fuck that guy anyway.

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greatestheights's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.0

This was genuinely LOL hilarious in multiple places. I adored Vera and her particular brand of chaotic, insistent love — as well as the whole crew she picked up along the way. What a treat! Now I need some tea.

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kdailyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-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

4.0

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opheliasdaisies's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

This is a lovely little found family story under the guise of a murder mystery. If you're looking for a mystery you may leave disappointed, but if you're hoping for a lovely little cozy story about a group of people who unexpectedly find their lives intertwined, then you've come to the right place.

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sparklefarm's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

This book was very fun and charming. Not exactly my usual style but a fun read nonetheless. Most of all I loved the character of Vera. She made me laugh out loud and I wanted to eat the feasts she prepared!

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious reflective 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 because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless of the lack of stars. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

Omg I need to be best friends with Jesse Q. Sutanto 😭 She is so goddamn funny and I was cracking up reading this, but what’s new?! Vera is such a clever, endearing, and fun character! Reading this was such a treat because she reminded me so much of my paternal Chinese grandma. I couldn’t help but wear the goofiest & cheesiest smile on my face as I read Vera’s curious inner thoughts & heard it in my grandma’s voice. Vera, like my grandma, is a pistol, and catches on more than others think! On the other hand, I was tearing up and in my feels towards the end of the book. JQS is so incredibly talented, and I will read whatever she writes!

We meet Vera’s four potential murder suspects: Sana, Riki, Julia & Oliver, as they stop by Vera’s Tea Shop where the murder victim was found. I absolutely adored every single one of these characters (except for the murder victim, Marshall Chen, who everyone agrees was an abusive, narcissistic, overall garbage human being), and each of their POVs (third-person limited) kept my interest piqued & more importantly, kept me guessing until the very end!

Ageism is something I don’t see talked about a lot on here, and that’s on me — my feed is *mostly* full of gen x-ers and millennials. This is a great call in for me to read more books with older main characters, and this book was a perfect example of how fascinating and hilarious they could be (rather than the master narrative telling us that being old is boring)! I recognize Jesse herself is not in her 60s but if you read Dial A For Aunties, you just *know* that she wrote those aunties and Vera with real-life aunties and moms in mind. She’s pulling this from her lived experience of being loved and cared for by these Chinese-Indonesian aunties and moms, and that dynamic seeps into the page so beautifully!

I loved this book from start to finish, and I was not expecting the ending reveal of who the killer was! I also was not expecting to read a book about finding found family later in life, and how quickly these special connections can form. This book both hurt my abs because I laughed so hard, and hurt my heart because it had me in my feelings by the end as I grew to care for all of these character!

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bloodmaarked's review against another edition

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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 ✧

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katrinarose's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

I loved this book, it was so fun and comforting. The main characters are lovable and the murder mystery isn’t very dark. The found family trope is well done, some of my favorite parts are about how these people’s lives become integrated on a day to day basis. Also the descriptions of the tea and food had my mouth watering. I think my biggest complaint is the believability of the murder motive. Also, while I really liked the side characters, I think I would have preferred Vera learn about who they are through conversations, rather than their additional POVs. Her conversations with them often felt therapeutic which I loved. Overall I would recommend if you like your mysteries more cozy than suspenseful and you love a good found family.

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