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agnesjlopez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Infertility, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship
kevi_wan's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Suicide
kelly_e's review
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? It's complicated
3.75
Title: Homicide and Halo-Halo
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Series: Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: February 8, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Entertaining β’ Feisty β’ Delicious
π S Y N O P S I S
Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent. Or her professional life, since she can't bring herself to open her new cafΓ©. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.
To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago--a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case--because it looks like one of them might be next.
π T H O U G H T S
Cozy mysteries are not a genre I pick up often, but every once in awhile the mood for one hits. I enjoyed Arsenic and Adobo, the first installment in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series, so continuing the series seemed the most logical thing to do.
Similar to the first book, this one is packed with smart dialogue, delicious food, a meddling family, and a touch of romance. I appreciated getting to know Lila more - including details about her past and her relationship with her mother, which allowed me to understand her insecurities more. There is a pretty strong mental health aspect to this one as well, and that suited me just fine.
The thing that makes this series stand out for me is the depth. There is so much going on here than the typical whodunit plot line. The second installment delves deep into how the past and our relationships shape our lives. While this is definitely a plus, unfortunately, in this one the mystery took a back seat, and honestly didn't really interest me all that much.
Homicide and Halo-Halo was a nice palette cleanser from my recent more emotional reads. Although the mystery didn't piqued my interest this time around, I do look forward to continuing this series, and seeing what happens next.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ readers looking for a cozy with depth
β’ fans of the Dial A for Aunties series
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"I wondered at what age you stopped caring what other people thought about you and just spoke your mind."
"You're more than your work... More than whatever contributions you think you're supposed to be making. More than whoever people think you're supposed to be."
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Series: Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: February 8, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Entertaining β’ Feisty β’ Delicious
π S Y N O P S I S
Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent. Or her professional life, since she can't bring herself to open her new cafΓ©. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.
To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago--a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case--because it looks like one of them might be next.
π T H O U G H T S
Cozy mysteries are not a genre I pick up often, but every once in awhile the mood for one hits. I enjoyed Arsenic and Adobo, the first installment in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series, so continuing the series seemed the most logical thing to do.
Similar to the first book, this one is packed with smart dialogue, delicious food, a meddling family, and a touch of romance. I appreciated getting to know Lila more - including details about her past and her relationship with her mother, which allowed me to understand her insecurities more. There is a pretty strong mental health aspect to this one as well, and that suited me just fine.
The thing that makes this series stand out for me is the depth. There is so much going on here than the typical whodunit plot line. The second installment delves deep into how the past and our relationships shape our lives. While this is definitely a plus, unfortunately, in this one the mystery took a back seat, and honestly didn't really interest me all that much.
Homicide and Halo-Halo was a nice palette cleanser from my recent more emotional reads. Although the mystery didn't piqued my interest this time around, I do look forward to continuing this series, and seeing what happens next.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ readers looking for a cozy with depth
β’ fans of the Dial A for Aunties series
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"I wondered at what age you stopped caring what other people thought about you and just spoke your mind."
"You're more than your work... More than whatever contributions you think you're supposed to be making. More than whoever people think you're supposed to be."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
PTSD, death of partner, predatory behaviourjanelleg9014's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
genny's review
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
3.75
Lila was quite annoying for a good part of this book. I know she has trauma, but that doesn't excuse her being overdramatic and selfish...it's a good thing that the other characters call her out, because it'd be unbearable if the narration made her out to be correct all the time. Manansala also tends to over-explain things, like...Lila gave Jae a "Yoda Best Dentist" mug, and the author just HAD to clarify that this was a play on words because Jae was a dentist and a Star Wars fan. We get it. Absolutely no chemistry between Lila and Amir, by the way. I forgot there was supposed to be a love triangle.
The good thing is that the mystery here was much better than the one in the first book! Enough crumbs were sprinkled throughout the story for the reveal to make sense without being too predictable. Despite my criticisms, I genuinely had a fun time and I'm still continuing with the series, if only to support the idea of Filipino-centered mysteries.
The good thing is that the mystery here was much better than the one in the first book! Enough crumbs were sprinkled throughout the story for the reveal to make sense without being too predictable. Despite my criticisms, I genuinely had a fun time and I'm still continuing with the series, if only to support the idea of Filipino-centered mysteries.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Suicide and Car accident
lindsloveslit's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
Homicide and Halo-Halo was a cute and cozy, food-filled mystery. Reading it made me SO HUNGRY! (Fortunately, since I was borrowing it from the library via the Libby app, I was able to snack the entire time. π)
If you read & enjoyed the first book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series (I've got a more personal review of that one up), you'll like this one, too. It had heavier content, but the author included those warnings in the author note at the beginning of the book. π«Άπ½ You can tell through her writing that she has put in work towards her mental health, and I always like seeing that reflected on the pages.
One of my qualms with the first book was the sheer amount of characters. We learn more about the main character in this second book, but it is DEFINITELY story driven, not character driven.
If you read & enjoyed the first book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series (I've got a more personal review of that one up), you'll like this one, too. It had heavier content, but the author included those warnings in the author note at the beginning of the book. π«Άπ½ You can tell through her writing that she has put in work towards her mental health, and I always like seeing that reflected on the pages.
One of my qualms with the first book was the sheer amount of characters. We learn more about the main character in this second book, but it is DEFINITELY story driven, not character driven.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Fatphobia, and Grief
kefowler's review
adventurous
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Suicide
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Classism, Death, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Minor: Suicide, Infertility, and Body shaming
halebugs's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
3.5
- It was so lovely to return to Shady Palms with Lila and her family. HOMICIDE AND HALO-HALO is just as full of love, intrigue, and delicious food descriptions as the first book in this series was.
- A bunch of new characters were introduced in this installment, broadening our knowledge of the town and its inhabitants. I adore how effortlessly diverse these books are - small towns don't have to be strictly white and straight.
- This book also begins probing Lila's mental health, particularly PTSD she has around the events of ARSENIC AND ADOBO. I'm looking forward to seeing where this plotline goes.
- A bunch of new characters were introduced in this installment, broadening our knowledge of the town and its inhabitants. I adore how effortlessly diverse these books are - small towns don't have to be strictly white and straight.
- This book also begins probing Lila's mental health, particularly PTSD she has around the events of ARSENIC AND ADOBO. I'm looking forward to seeing where this plotline goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcohol, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Death of parent