Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

52 reviews

lindsloveslit's review against another edition

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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. 😋) 

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. 🫶🏽 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.
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ukponge's review against another edition

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funny mysterious fast-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

3.75

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review

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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

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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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halebugs'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? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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chelseylb1988's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

5.0

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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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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

3.75

I appreciated the tiny recaps the author sprinkled here and there because it has been a while since I read the first book in this series. I also liked the content warning that Mia wrote as well because this definitely took on a different tone and vibe compared to the first book. It’s still a cozy mystery but the characters seem to be more comfortable calling out Lila when she is on her bs as well as Lila acknowledging that she isn’t the same person she was during the spring time. It’s summer now and someone is no longer around Shady Palms. Lila & her family find herself in the midst of things again as well as some old and new faces. It was a little bit predictable (to me) at which type of person that committed the crime but as to the actual person, I guessed wrong so that was cool for me. The recipes are still at the back of the book which I loved. I am also glad the characters sort of call out Lila when it came to her love life because even though she owes no one an explanation, it was getting annoying when Amir or Jae were around & she tried to play at then being friends. I also had a feeling that Lila was going to pick a certain someone because the other person seemed to have a weird personality change and conveniently like someone else. Looking forward to book three in October. 
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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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bookishandlegal's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-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

3.0

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