Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Homicide and Halo-Halo

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

11 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.0

These books are so much fun, and the food always sounds absolutely divine. I'm also such a sucker for a book with recipes included. Shout out to younger me reading Diane Mott Davidson at age like ??? 14??? What a little weirdo. I will definitely keep reading this series and recommend them for a nice cozy mystery.

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genny's review

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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

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.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.5

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saurahsaurus's review against another edition

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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

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kimveach's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this even more than the first book, which is often the case with cozy mysteries.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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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.

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