Reviews

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

orangewitchling's review against another edition

emotional funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a very interesting and refreshing cozy murder mystery. It revolved around family and friendship, with a very light touch of romance. It showed in the background the issues that took place during the historical time the story took place. I enjoyed reading it and the plot was predictable, but still nice to read. It’s not a head banger or mysterious, but I found it it entertaining.

mccntattoo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

reddhead16's review against another edition

slow-paced

5.0

From the cover, which is a glamourous shot of the beautiful actress Lulu Wong and drew me right in, to the spunk and creativity and daring that May, Gemma, and a bit Peony, to solve the mystery of Lulu's horrible murder in Hollywood, this was a solid fun story to read. Yes, it was fiction, but it felt nicely real, especially with the hardships Gemma and May and their family were going through in these tumultuous times when Chinese people were looked down on and the places they lived in Chinatown were threatened to be torn down for a railway station. All that made me admire May and Gemma even more because they refused to give up, trying to find the murderer and keep their family and flower business together, making enough to keep a roof over their heads. They faced prejudice, for their race, and also gender which caused conflicts, but it was nicely balanced by good people who also wanted justice for Lulu. The looks into making movies of that time were interesting too. It was a nice and fun book to read! 

morgan_powers's review against another edition

adventurous slow-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

3.0

lilocat's review

adventurous inspiring mysterious tense 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

snowy_owl_151's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.75

a_birb's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

yapha's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective 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

4.0

This was a fantastic mystery set in 1930s Los Angeles! Gemma & May Chow make the grisly discover of the body of their former friend, Lulu Wong, who has left Chinatown and is a rising Hollywood star. Local police are just looking for someone to pin the murder on, not actually investigating. The sisters take it upon themselves to track down what actually happened to Lulu and who could have done this to her. There are quite a few twists and turns and red herrings in the case. It is a little slow at the start, but definitely worth sticking with as the murder investigation picks up. Highly recommended for grades 9 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley

thenovelmaura's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

5.0

Sending a huge thank you to PenguinTeen for this stunning copy of Stacey Lee's latest book! This was a 5 star read for me. It was so deftly plotted, with a twisty path of clues and an endless list of suspects. Our amateur sleuths, the Chow sisters, took matters into their own hands when their famous friend, Lulu Wong, was murdered in Chinatown and the police tried to pin it on a convenient Chinese scapegoat. This book had excellent pacing, as the sisters interviewed suspects, sought out physical evidence, and debriefed with each other while ironing clothes or hiding from their mother in their sewing room.

I loved the Chow sisters' distinct personalities: May, the dutiful eldest daughter with a passion for acting; Gemma, the firecracker middle child who jumps in headfirst and asks questions later; and Peony, the mystery-enthusiast who's always fighting to be included in the elder sisters' investigation. Though new to detective work, they were a true team who played off of each others' strengths and often split up to cover more ground. I was so emotionally connected to this family, from their playful teasing of each other to their interactions with their (mostly) supportive parents.

As a former resident of Los Angeles, I really enjoyed the 1930's historical setting and how the plot revolved around the real-life demolition of Old Chinatown. Lee loosely based the character of Lulu Wong on Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star. Even though her death kickstarted the events of the story, Lulu still felt larger than life. It was frequently emphasized that she was the pride of Chinatown—someone who worked her way into an industry that was openly hostile to Asian Americans and would employ them as extras, at most. While the mystery elements of the story were what made this book a favorite, the historical aspects added an additional layer of meaning for me during Asian American Heritage Month.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Racism

Moderate: Chronic illness and Gun violence

warlocksarecool21's review

DNF @ ~17% 

I just couldn’t get into it, I was bored and I wasn’t loving the writing style.