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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
50 reviews
abicaro17's review
- 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
heini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent and Stalking
Minor: Dementia
mdavis26's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
libreroaming's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Chronic illness and Death of parent
booksandbabble'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: Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit and Violence
fantasycat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
lavaly_1'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
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" is a cozy mystery that follows Vera Wong as she takes solving a murder into her own hands. Vera Wong owns a tea shop, and one morning when she comes downstairs to prepare to open her shop, she finds a man dead. After trying to help the police with their investigation, and their disapproval of her assistance, she decides to solve the murder for herself. Vera quickly falls into a complicated world, with several suspects who all have the motivation to kill this mystery man.
This was such a fun cozy mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it. Vera Wong is a very colorful woman, and I really enjoyed her as a protagonist. She is the stereotypical, headstrong Chinese woman, and her inclination to put herself into every situation was amusing and endearing. It was impressive how much she knew about police investigations, and what needed to be done in order to solve a murder. She is both wise beyond her years and smart as a whip.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters. Everyone in the novel seemed to be struggling with something and I love how Vera seemed to be their guiding light to help them through their tumultuous situations. Vera was also pretty humble with her involvement in the improving of their lives.
I did not love the ultimate reveal of who the murderer was and why they killed this man. Although, I did not anticipate that the story was going to go in this direction, so it came as a shock. I thought the story was going in a different direction, which I think I would have enjoyed slightly more.
I definitely recommend this book, and I will be reading more from Jesse Q. Sutanto in the future!
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
kelly_e'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
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