Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

18 reviews

kimveach's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.5

After recently reading some "heavier" books, this book was a delightful change.  I loved this quirky, cozy mystery.  Vera Wong is a delightful character, as were all her suspects.  A bonus was that I felt like I was back in San Francisco.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Murder, Terminal illness, Bullying, Cursing, Medical content, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

amberinpieces's review

funny 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Cursing

Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Grief, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

kappafrog's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

3.5

Vera was so funny! I loved reading the chapters from her perspective. Some of the other POV characters were less developed, especially Riki. The story was at its best in the Vera chapters. I really liked Emma and Julia too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Dementia, Violence, Grief, Vomit, Gaslighting, Blood, Cursing, and Infidelity

tabea1409's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse

emilywemily6's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.0

This book was a fun and quick read, with quirky characters and some humor. I appreciated the wholesome, meaningful moments sprinkled throughout as well as this band of misfits grew individually in their self-esteem and confidence despite the sorry state in which they started at the beginning of the book. However, these characters didn’t really have depth, the mystery was lacking in plot and was predictable (considering there were zero clues) even though the reasoning behind the murder was inconsistent with the characterization throughout the book, and while Vera was funny, I have a hard time not being slightly bothered by silly, willful characters like her who refuse to follow the rules. Also, the two year old acted at least four years old for the majority of the book?? I have a three year old and Emma was adorable yet definitely not only two. Overall, a fun read, though I wouldn’t run to the bookstore to grab another Vera Wong book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Grief and Medical content

Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, and Racism

kelly_e's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

Title: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
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."

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

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Content Warnings

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

shlymiller's review

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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Toxic relationship

bloodmaarked's review against another edition

funny 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

4.25

oh i definitely have a soft spot for vera! and i feel this is definitely going to get me into the cosy mystery subgenre

✧ full review on my tumblr ✧

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Bullying, and Death

Minor: Grief, Vomit, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, and Drug use

katrinarose's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

I loved this book, it was so fun and comforting. The main characters are lovable and the murder mystery isn’t very dark. The found family trope is well done, some of my favorite parts are about how these people’s lives become integrated on a day to day basis. Also the descriptions of the tea and food had my mouth watering. I think my biggest complaint is the believability of the murder motive. Also, while I really liked the side characters, I think I would have preferred Vera learn about who they are through conversations, rather than their additional POVs. Her conversations with them often felt therapeutic which I loved. Overall I would recommend if you like your mysteries more cozy than suspenseful and you love a good found family.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Bullying, and Death