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Reviews tagging 'Bullying'
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
42 reviews
bearybooky's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Infertility, and Dementia
abicaro17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
- 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
The audiobook for this is great, Eunice Wong has a great voice and did all of the impressions so well. It really takes another level of skill to sound like a 3 year old child, an old Chinese grandmother, a 23 year old woman, and more and be just 1 person doing all of these voices. My fiancee and I have started saying "AYAHHH" whenever we are upset about a small inconvenience now because Eunice's portrayal of Vera et al is ICONIC. I also now wish to name my firstborn Tilbert.
We mainly listened to this book during car rides and it was something we dearly looked forward to. It is actually laugh out loud funny, which rarely happens for me with books. This was a very cute story, but is also filled with some dark topics when more is revealed about the characters and their relationship to the victim.
If you like murder mysteries with a Miss Marple-esque character, you need to read this immediately!!
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Murder and Gaslighting
mdavis26's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, and Racism
kelly_e's review
- 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
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: March 14, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Cozy • Quirky • Wholesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I had previously read Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A for Aunties and absolutely adored it, so I was looking forward to jumping into a different world with many similarities to that book. And I must say I was not disappointed.
The characters are what really make this book different from other cozy mysteries. In a typical cozy, the characters can be surface level, yet here there is depth and we get to know each of their stories. Vera herself is absolutely hilarious and endearing woman. I found myself laughing at her stream of conscious thought and at all of the meddling (especially with her son's love life) she does. Although she first appears like an incredibly strong and confident person (with quirks, of course), there is an underlying loneliness with her. As the story progresses, she connects with a variety of people who quickly become her found family, which just gave off such wholesome vibes.
The food descriptions had be drooling and I always enjoy a novel where food plays an integral role in connection. Food is Vera's love language and I thought it was incredibly well developed into the storyline. The San Francisco setting also felt refreshing and inviting.
Overall, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a feel-good murder mystery with comedic vibes and a unique cast of characters that I thoroughly enjoyed. I didn't have to think too much, Vera's antics were entertaining and I could really relax with a cozy blanket while reading. It reminded me how much I enjoyed the Aunties series and I look forward to continuing that series sometime soon.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• cozy fans
• readers on vacation
⚠️ CW: violence, murder, death, death of parent, grief, gaslighting, bullying, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, toxic relationship, cursing, misogyny, medical content, abandonment, drug use, panic attacks/disorders, infidelity, body shaming
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often."
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death
Minor: Misogyny, Infidelity, Body shaming, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Cursing, and Abandonment
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Bullying, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Grief, and Toxic relationship
tlindhorst's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Violence, Bullying, Death, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder
sakisreads's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, and Bullying
caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was a book club pick. Had I been reading this for my own enjoyment I would have DNF'd it early on. Personally, I would have loved this book written in a more serious tone because I loved its themes - found family, loneliness in old age, ageism, gentrification, etc. Unfortunately, it was all done in a superficial way. I expected cozy mystery but got just an ok new adult/Women's Fiction mash-up. It didn't help that the book really dragged in the middle and the reveal of the murderer was extremely unsatisfying. Thank goodness for audiobooks that you can speed up to get through the boring bits.
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Bullying
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder