Reviews with content warning for Murder - Now You See Us

The main themes of this book - a look at the treatment of Filipina maids in Singapore, class distinction, the use of immigrant workers as scapegoats, etc. are great. However, I felt that the story that Jaswal built around these themes just wasn't as strong. The plot was a very slow burn and it sometimes felt like the story was focused on the less interesting characters or plot points. This led to the mystery feeling a but underdeveloped, to the point that when it was solved it felt like the solution had just come out of nowhere.

That all being said, Jaswal's commentary on real-world issues, including where she drew inspiration for the book was fascinating and I would have loved to know more about that. As always, I look forward to reading more from there in the future.

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mysterymom40's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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sleepybears4237's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny 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? No

5.0

I couldn't put this book down. Balli Kaur Jaswal is a genius.

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bookdragon217's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

"People are capable of anything when they're desperate."

Thanks to @williammorrowbooks and @bibliolifestyle for the gifted copy.

Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal was a lighthearted and captivating read that I really enjoyed. It's the story of 3 Filipina domestic workers who go to Singapore for better work opportunities and end up trying to find justice for another domestic worker, Flor, who has been falsely accused of murder. Jaswal introduces us to Cora, Donita and Angel, their lives before Singapore and the plight of Filipina domestic workers. I couldn't help but fall in love with them, their humor and their love of their culture. Jaswal's wittiness and sharp writing kept me invested in their unique story arcs above the mystery.

Visibility is a strong theme in this one. On the one hand, the Filipinas yearn to be seen in their full humanity, but the classist society in Singapore relegates them to permanent outsider status and poor treatment. On the flip side, they have to try to be invisible because they are immigrants and stereotyped negatively. Jaswar really does a nice job of showing how invisible service workers are to the rich. They only notice them when they want something done.

Feminism, religious intolerance, trans and homophobia, and xenophobia are other important themes explored. Jaswal illuminates the struggles of women as a global issue and shows how religion continues to promote anti-LGBTQIA sentiment and eliminates body autonomy for women. I loved to see how poetry and arts movements are always at the forefront of civil rights movements. Filipino politics and history were also woven into the story but never felt loaded or distracting. The star of the show was Jaswal's storytelling and the character driven angle of the story.

Overall this was an engrossing contemporary tale with mass appeal. The character voices were so rich and lush that solving the murder took a back seat.
If you love female driven stories, Filipino culture, humor mixed with mystery and a little bit of history with social commentary, then pick this one up. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read the author's previous work.

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nini23's review

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tense

3.75

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ninjamuse's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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