“Even now, the thought of staying here forever felt like a hand squeezing me tighter and tighter – this phantom hand molding me into the shape everyone else wanted me to be.”
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Ok, so this was my first cozy mystery… the genre never appealed to me because I generally prefer a grittier story. I choose this however because I adore Filipino culture and the idea of a story wrapped up around food. Those two aspects of this book I really enjoyed.
Lila, to me, was not the most relatable character though. Surrounded by people she has personal relationships dying she didn’t really seem to have deep emotions about any of it. She focused her efforts on finances and food and a seemingly useless search for the killer who was, in my mind, pretty easy to spot.
I was disappointed at the lack of real engagement with her best friend and two love interests which both started out as promising sub-plots but didn’t really get developed in any way. And the connection between her aunt and the detective had promise but we never got clear answers there either.
I did feel the author perfectly encapsulates small town life though. Everyone caught in everyone’s business and having to live up to the expectations of both your family and everyone in town.
I enjoyed the story but felt like it needed a little more development in some areas to reach its full potential. I think it would make a great beach read though.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
What’s your favorite recipe to make?
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