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laurakershaw's review against another edition
4.0
Not as strong a showing as the first book in the series, but still very enjoyable and I’ll read however many books follow Lila’s journey.
Starting with the biggest positives: The food descriptions are out of this world. I want to eat everything and it’s so awesome that Filipino food is getting representation in such a popular book series (it’s under-appreciated and has so many unique flavors). Manansala is also great at not giving the mystery away until close to the end of the book and giving lots of potential suspects that make it fun to guess both the who and the why. Multiple motives being suggested really helping with this. Also the addition of the cafe is great because it gives Lila an accomplishment separate from solving the murders, offering some balance and plausible rationale for all the baked good descriptions (which are some of the best parts). I will eat anything Manansala describes.
Some things that could use a little more work: the romance pieces of the book feel like afterthoughts and it’s unclear if that’s by design or not. Would love to see them integrated a bit more into the future novels.
Another good one for Tita Rosie! :)
Starting with the biggest positives: The food descriptions are out of this world. I want to eat everything and it’s so awesome that Filipino food is getting representation in such a popular book series (it’s under-appreciated and has so many unique flavors). Manansala is also great at not giving the mystery away until close to the end of the book and giving lots of potential suspects that make it fun to guess both the who and the why. Multiple motives being suggested really helping with this. Also the addition of the cafe is great because it gives Lila an accomplishment separate from solving the murders, offering some balance and plausible rationale for all the baked good descriptions (which are some of the best parts). I will eat anything Manansala describes.
Some things that could use a little more work: the romance pieces of the book feel like afterthoughts and it’s unclear if that’s by design or not. Would love to see them integrated a bit more into the future novels.
Another good one for Tita Rosie! :)
rapitash's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jess_is_currentlyreading's review against another edition
3.0
a little bit more serious than the first but so comforting in its food descriptions
fatoodles's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not as well interesting or as fun as the first one. But I'll probably keep reading the series. The characters are fun and the author has really brought them to life.
I just don't like the super simple writing style. It feels as though everything is repeated over and over and feels heavy handed. I also feel that all of the over explaining of the different foods is too much. If something sounds appetizing I'll definitely look it up myself. The dictionary style descriptions of the food feel out of place and take me too far from the mystery. I love that food and community is an important aspect of the story the delivery method is a bit annoying as a reader.
I just don't like the super simple writing style. It feels as though everything is repeated over and over and feels heavy handed. I also feel that all of the over explaining of the different foods is too much. If something sounds appetizing I'll definitely look it up myself. The dictionary style descriptions of the food feel out of place and take me too far from the mystery. I love that food and community is an important aspect of the story the delivery method is a bit annoying as a reader.
pdez26's review against another edition
3.0
Cute. Satisfied a craving for a cozy mystery but also it gets to the point where you just want it done if that makes sense
mgs3's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quick and gunread. The plot wasn’t anything groundbreaking but the characters kept the story interesting enough. The interjection of Filipino culture keeps this fresh. I do see Lila evolving and becoming more interesting but the author is going to have to rely on more than that to keep readers interesting.
book_dragon88's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
archetypesandanecdotes's review against another edition
3.0
Full Review on the Blog - Archetypes and Anecdotes
3⭐️
Liked: yummy and inviting food descriptions; Conversations of mental health, including within cultures; representation is strong; Adorable cover with Longanissa (the dog!)
Disliked: Too many food descriptions and unrelated, random dialogue; not enough action; Cozy mystery elements feel like they lack substance for me; Needed stronger secondary characters
For more in-depth details on the positives/negatives, synopsis, and a full review, check out my blog - linked above!
3⭐️
Liked: yummy and inviting food descriptions; Conversations of mental health, including within cultures; representation is strong; Adorable cover with Longanissa (the dog!)
Disliked: Too many food descriptions and unrelated, random dialogue; not enough action; Cozy mystery elements feel like they lack substance for me; Needed stronger secondary characters
For more in-depth details on the positives/negatives, synopsis, and a full review, check out my blog - linked above!
pennsnape's review against another edition
4.0
I read this all in one sitting. I adore the characters and all the different cultures represented. As always, the mentions of all the delicious food made me hungry, unfortunately I don't have a Filipino restaurant nearby, I may try my hand at some of the included recipes though.