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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated Arsenic and Adobo in Books

May 5, 2021  
Arsenic and Adobo
Arsenic and Adobo
Mia P. Manansala | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder of an Ex
After a disastrous breakup with her fiancé, Lila Macapagal has moved back to Shady Palms, Illinois, and is trying to help her aunt save her Filipino restaurant. One issue the restaurant is having is Derek Winter, Lila’s high school sweetheart who has becoming the local food critic and has written several nasty reviews of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. When he comes back for yet another meal, he winds up dropping dead in his meal. Now the police are looking at Lila as a murderer, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen is closed until further notice, and Lila feels like the only hope of a happy ending is figuring out what is going on herself. Can she keep herself out of jail?

This is a solid debut. The mystery starts off quickly, and Lila learns plenty of secrets on her way to uncovering what really happened. The climax is suspenseful and creative. The characters are all strong. We even learn a bit more about Derek that makes him a little sympathetic although not completely likable. The rest of the cast is strong. A few supporting players blend together, but that is done on purpose, and we see glimpses of their individual personalities. We do have the beginnings of a love triangle here. Some of Lila’s friendships are so strong already, they help make those characters more real for us. I did feel a few of the themes of the book weren’t quite as well developed as I would have liked. Hopefully they will be explored more in further books. If the descriptions of food make you as hungry as they made me, you’ll be happy to see the four recipes at the end of the book. This is a strong debut, and I already can’t wait to find out what happens next to the characters.
  
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SummerLGrant (185 KP) rated The Hate u Give in Books

Aug 20, 2017  
The Hate u Give
The Hate u Give
Angie Thomas | 2017 | Children
10
8.4 (54 Ratings)
Book Rating
The writing (3 more)
The sincerity
The understanding
Everything
Powerful, truthful, emotional
I've just finished it and mulling it around my head. The fact that the reactions and the outcome of the story wasn't surprising and is a reflection of what goes on today is awful and heart-rending but Angie Thomas is using her weapon, her voice, to make sure it gets heard.

Starr is an absolutely beautiful character with a beautiful family and is put in an ugly situation when she witnesses her best friend shot and murdered by a police officer. He was unarmed, unaggressive and terrified of what the officer eventually does do.


 An astoundingly well written debut novel that explores a lot of important topics offset by the support and love of family. It's relevant today and will be for a very long time.