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modernhobbitvibes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
2.75
Low-balled the score because this woman WOULD NOT STOP TALKING TO THE COPS and it drove me up the wall. Know your rights, people!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Deportation
redvelveting's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Light, fun little read (especially given that it is a murder mystery) with references to Filipino culture (specifically that of a Filipino American) that I could relate to. I do have to mention, however, that the writing felt juvenile and fanfic-like. It’s a little corny, but overall was entertaining enough that I’d read the next book (not top of the to-read list, but still on there).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Grief, Violence, and Lesbophobia
meaghanslibrary's review against another edition
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
This is a low 3.5. I am rounding up because I loved reading about a fellow Filipino family. I haven’t read a book like this before. I found the portrayal of the Titas and cousins very realistic. Also the food descriptions had my mouth watering and I liked the inclusion of recipes at the back of the book.
The reason for the low-ish rating: The book was a bit predictable and I do wish there was more love triangle drama. I hope to read that in future books.
The reason for the low-ish rating: The book was a bit predictable and I do wish there was more love triangle drama. I hope to read that in future books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Medical trauma, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming and Domestic abuse
merebear87's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Body shaming, Xenophobia, Addiction, Murder, and Drug abuse
ethuiliel's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Confinement
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Blood, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
blackcatkai's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
CW: fatphobia, food shaming, ableism, alcohol, drug use, addiction, death, racism, domestic violence, police intimidation, evidence planting, infidelity, suicide mentioned
here are my ramblings: the first 25% was awful and packed full of horrid diabetes rep, the MCs talk about said diabetic character with the most fatphobic, body/food shaming words. for people who are supposed to be very positive towards food, especially their own, it's gross how they talk about a dead man who enjoyed the food they made just because he was a diabetic. the ableism is rampant and it did nothing but piss me off.
now, AFTER that nonsense passes, the last 75% is more enjoyable & less irritating. though honestly it feels like nothing really happened overall. just a lot of back and forth conversations of personal issues & dramas that I honestly would've enjoyed more in a different book, personally. I liked the way characters interacted with each other overall and they felt like real friends/family. I liked the hint of potential romance, it was cute. I could read just a slice of life style novella of those two characters getting to know each other and being cute if it were to be written, but I don't think I'll continue the actual series itself.
it just didn't feel much like a cozy mystery to me, but that mightve just been a me thing especially with how much the first quarter of the book grated on my being. I'm too deep into my anti-diet, pro body liberation, era to not notice when things are just really shitty in that way.
nobody owes anyone health of any kind, you don't get to make health assumptions about anyone based on their looks, diets, or disorders of any kind. you are not their doctor. you are not them. I don't care if they wronged you or you had a past or their an asshole jerk. YOU DONT KNOW A THING ABOUT THEIR HEALTH BASED ON LOOKS, DIET, ANYTHING. AGAIN, YOURE NOT THEIR DOCTOR. ITS NOT YOUR BUSINESS. WHETHER YOUR FICTIONAL OR NOT. THANK YOU.
here are my ramblings: the first 25% was awful and packed full of horrid diabetes rep, the MCs talk about said diabetic character with the most fatphobic, body/food shaming words. for people who are supposed to be very positive towards food, especially their own, it's gross how they talk about a dead man who enjoyed the food they made just because he was a diabetic. the ableism is rampant and it did nothing but piss me off.
now, AFTER that nonsense passes, the last 75% is more enjoyable & less irritating. though honestly it feels like nothing really happened overall. just a lot of back and forth conversations of personal issues & dramas that I honestly would've enjoyed more in a different book, personally. I liked the way characters interacted with each other overall and they felt like real friends/family. I liked the hint of potential romance, it was cute. I could read just a slice of life style novella of those two characters getting to know each other and being cute if it were to be written, but I don't think I'll continue the actual series itself.
it just didn't feel much like a cozy mystery to me, but that mightve just been a me thing especially with how much the first quarter of the book grated on my being. I'm too deep into my anti-diet, pro body liberation, era to not notice when things are just really shitty in that way.
nobody owes anyone health of any kind, you don't get to make health assumptions about anyone based on their looks, diets, or disorders of any kind. you are not their doctor. you are not them. I don't care if they wronged you or you had a past or their an asshole jerk. YOU DONT KNOW A THING ABOUT THEIR HEALTH BASED ON LOOKS, DIET, ANYTHING. AGAIN, YOURE NOT THEIR DOCTOR. ITS NOT YOUR BUSINESS. WHETHER YOUR FICTIONAL OR NOT. THANK YOU.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Ableism
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Homophobia, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
pookiee's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
this is a cozy mystery, but I’d say the real subject of this book is the food and the large, warm family of Filipina women and the nice community of the town who are there for each other.
I am so glad to see representation—it’s a huge part of what I liked about this book—but there was too much focus on ‘explaining’ things such that it ended up feeling unnatural. e.g. there’s a vegetarian character and a couple paragraphs are spent when the MC makes sure her aunt is not using meat, aunt explains how she’s using a substitute, and after the meal someone exclaims, “Wow, that was meatless?” and the moment really did not have to be that long; pointing it out this much feels ‘othering,’ which is opposite the point of normalizing diversity.
the mystery was lacking and dragged on for too long.
anyway the descriptions of food were mouthwatering, I learned of so many new things I wanna try—esp those ube crinkles and ginataang bilo-bilo so good it killed a man—and helpfully there are recipes in the back of the book!
I am so glad to see representation—it’s a huge part of what I liked about this book—but there was too much focus on ‘explaining’ things such that it ended up feeling unnatural. e.g. there’s a vegetarian character and a couple paragraphs are spent when the MC makes sure her aunt is not using meat, aunt explains how she’s using a substitute, and after the meal someone exclaims, “Wow, that was meatless?” and the moment really did not have to be that long; pointing it out this much feels ‘othering,’ which is opposite the point of normalizing diversity.
the mystery was lacking and dragged on for too long.
anyway the descriptions of food were mouthwatering, I learned of so many new things I wanna try—esp those ube crinkles and ginataang bilo-bilo so good it killed a man—and helpfully there are recipes in the back of the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Grief, and Infidelity
Minor: Domestic abuse
emily_mh's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
4.0
This was enjoyable and entertaining, which is all I really ask of a “cosy mystery”. I was really pleasantly surprised that this one went deeper by bringing in a complicated family dynamic: Lila felt a lot of tension over wanting to support her elders in thanks for their sacrifices, while also wanting to be independent and do her own thing. I also love how much food was centred in the story. It was mouthwatering to read about and themed the narrative well.
The plot itself was investigation-focussed with multiple avenues being explored at once, which was fantastic for me as it drove the story and also meant I could speculate and form different theories. The resolution ended up being well-suited.
The characterisation was excellent. This book has a large cast but each character felt distinct, including Lila the MC who was stubborn, loving, and confused about what she wanted. She was a realistic depiction of a 25 year-old, as someone who is very nearly 25. I do think that her character development could have been better realised, though, as it felt a little quick.
I have two other criticisms. The first is that the romance (in the form of a love triangle) was totally unnecessary, and there was also no chemistry whatsoever with either LI. The second is that Lila was smart enough to have figured out more of the mystery on her own, but instead we got a little villain monologue.
But overall, as I said before, I enjoyed this read. I definitely want to continue with the series!
Rep: Filipina-American MC, Filipino-American SCs, Muslim Pakistani-American LI, biracial white/Korean-American LI, lesbian Muslim Pakistani-American SC, biracial white/Korean-American SC, sapphic Mexican-American SC, Black SC, Japanese-American SC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Violence, and Addiction
Minor: Body shaming, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexism, Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, Deportation, Ableism, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death of parent, Vomit, Drug use, Hate crime, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
Major: medical emergency, false legal accusations Moderate: imprisonment, break-in Minor: loss of a loved one, gambling, police corruption, extortion, disordered eating, blackmail, sick loved onecaramiaculpa's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
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
3.0
Nice fluffy mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse
carolineloveswombats's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Police brutality