Rosh's Reviews > Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
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In a Nutshell: Great as a dramedy; decent as a mystery. Straddles well the thin line between being comical and being stereotypical. Entertaining but predictable.
Story Synopsis:
Here’s what you need to know about the goods and the not-so-goods of this work:
👉 The title and blurb support the idea that the book will be a murder mystery. It is so, but not primarily. The main genre is more like contemporary drama or women’s fiction, with a strong found-family trope. Going into this expecting a mystery novel, even a cosy mystery, would be disappointing. (It doesn’t help that the ‘mystery’ is fairly guessable at the halfway mark.)
👉 Vera Wong is a force unto herself. Basically, she carries the whole story on her shoulders. She is opinionated and loving, funny and interfering. She considers herself perfect and knowledgeable; whether she is or not is another matter. As such, there are many times when she will get on your nerves. Your enjoyment of the book will depend on how you can accept this bulldozer of a woman who shoves away anything that stands in her path, either with fondness or with force, or sometimes, even with food. I am still trying to decide how I felt about her – she was equal parts adorable and aggravating.
👉 As a Chinese immigrant to the US, Vera’s character includes quite a lot of ’Asian Mom’ tropes. These can be seen as either funny or clichéd, depending on your approach to the representation. (I remember this same issue with Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen; what I took as satirical was taken by some other readers as insulting.) However, this book doesn’t laugh at Vera, but laughs with her. I think the rep was spot on. (I am an Asian mom, so I can say this with some authentic authority. 😉)
👉 The rest of the characters are diverse as well. We have an Indian and an Indonesian too. The Indian rep was spot on. A welcome change. (I think the Indonesian one would also be authentic as the author is an Indonesian.)
👉 There are many humorous scenes in the book when Vera is around. I especially loved Vera’s comments about the Chinese-French patisserie. On entertainment value, the book rates quite high.
👉 All the “suspects” get enough shared space under the spotlight. At the same time, their arcs are mostly predictable, and their personalities are typical goody-goody pushover kinds. A layered portrayal would have added to the mystery factor. (Coming to think of it, there was just one negative character in the whole book, and even that portrayal was one-noted.)
👉 There is a child character who was quite sweet. I felt quite sorry for her as none of the adults in her life, except Vera, seemed to know how to handle her. That said, the child’s behaviour and her speech didn’t seem age-appropriate. I think she was written as a two-year-old just to avoid plot elements about school [thus making it easy to always have her around when needed], but she never sounded like children aged two usually do.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 41 min, is narrated by Eunice Wong. She was outstanding! Right from the emotions to the character voices to the overall vibes, she narrated the audiobook to perfection. I’d definitely recommend the audio version as a great way of experiencing this book. Even with multiple characters, the writing doesn’t make the plot confusing, so it could be a great option for audio newbies too.
Basically, this is a book you read for sheer, straightforward entertainment. The storyline is mostly guessable, so it is the characters, especially Vera, that will make or break your experience. I wish the book could have included some surprises as well, but that wasn’t to be. Still, it's a fun novel, not to be taken seriously.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Story Synopsis:
Vera Wong is a sixty-year-old teashop owner in San Francisco, and like every Asian mom, she is an expert not just in tea brewing. She loves her son Tilly though he doesn’t have time for her, and she stays updated about everything from “the Google.”
When she wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her teashop, Vera knows that she can do a much better job than the police at catching the killer. Within a couple of days, Vera has her list of suspects ready. Now to nab the culprit!
The story comes to us in the third person perspective of Vera and her various “suspects”.
Here’s what you need to know about the goods and the not-so-goods of this work:
👉 The title and blurb support the idea that the book will be a murder mystery. It is so, but not primarily. The main genre is more like contemporary drama or women’s fiction, with a strong found-family trope. Going into this expecting a mystery novel, even a cosy mystery, would be disappointing. (It doesn’t help that the ‘mystery’ is fairly guessable at the halfway mark.)
👉 Vera Wong is a force unto herself. Basically, she carries the whole story on her shoulders. She is opinionated and loving, funny and interfering. She considers herself perfect and knowledgeable; whether she is or not is another matter. As such, there are many times when she will get on your nerves. Your enjoyment of the book will depend on how you can accept this bulldozer of a woman who shoves away anything that stands in her path, either with fondness or with force, or sometimes, even with food. I am still trying to decide how I felt about her – she was equal parts adorable and aggravating.
👉 As a Chinese immigrant to the US, Vera’s character includes quite a lot of ’Asian Mom’ tropes. These can be seen as either funny or clichéd, depending on your approach to the representation. (I remember this same issue with Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen; what I took as satirical was taken by some other readers as insulting.) However, this book doesn’t laugh at Vera, but laughs with her. I think the rep was spot on. (I am an Asian mom, so I can say this with some authentic authority. 😉)
👉 The rest of the characters are diverse as well. We have an Indian and an Indonesian too. The Indian rep was spot on. A welcome change. (I think the Indonesian one would also be authentic as the author is an Indonesian.)
👉 There are many humorous scenes in the book when Vera is around. I especially loved Vera’s comments about the Chinese-French patisserie. On entertainment value, the book rates quite high.
👉 All the “suspects” get enough shared space under the spotlight. At the same time, their arcs are mostly predictable, and their personalities are typical goody-goody pushover kinds. A layered portrayal would have added to the mystery factor. (Coming to think of it, there was just one negative character in the whole book, and even that portrayal was one-noted.)
👉 There is a child character who was quite sweet. I felt quite sorry for her as none of the adults in her life, except Vera, seemed to know how to handle her. That said, the child’s behaviour and her speech didn’t seem age-appropriate. I think she was written as a two-year-old just to avoid plot elements about school [thus making it easy to always have her around when needed], but she never sounded like children aged two usually do.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 41 min, is narrated by Eunice Wong. She was outstanding! Right from the emotions to the character voices to the overall vibes, she narrated the audiobook to perfection. I’d definitely recommend the audio version as a great way of experiencing this book. Even with multiple characters, the writing doesn’t make the plot confusing, so it could be a great option for audio newbies too.
Basically, this is a book you read for sheer, straightforward entertainment. The storyline is mostly guessable, so it is the characters, especially Vera, that will make or break your experience. I wish the book could have included some surprises as well, but that wasn’t to be. Still, it's a fun novel, not to be taken seriously.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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Reading Progress
March 20, 2023
– Shelved
March 20, 2023
– Shelved as:
arcs-not-started
April 18, 2023
–
Started Reading
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
3-75-stars
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
audiobook
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
netgalley
April 26, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 59 (59 new)
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Suja
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Apr 19, 2023 08:14AM
Title sounds intriguing. Waiting to hear your take on this
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Suja wrote: "Title sounds intriguing. Waiting to hear your take on this"
Quite decent so far, Suj. I am still deciding if it is comical or stereotypical. :D
Quite decent so far, Suj. I am still deciding if it is comical or stereotypical. :D
Lovely review Rosh 💕. I am glad the diverse representations are presented well. Most of the times authors end up stereotyping the representations. I have a read Dial A for Aunties by this author and I read that with the same intent of pure entertainment. I will go for this
Great review Rosh! I approve that if its labeled as a murder mystery it shouldnt be predictable, its nice to have you rectifying that in your review. I think its quite hard to make a child character sound like its age, I often see some authors not doing such a good job at it.
This sounds like a decent one if not groundbreaking. It's always lovely to find good rep in books, and seems like the author mostly hit the mark with this one. Wonderful review, Rosh!
Aye, right ho! How much readers like the book will depend on how much they like Vera. Cool review, Rosh. Change of format?
Great review Rosh! Glad it was entertaining and fun, and that the rep was spot on! Ah one of my things is children who written too old for their age!
Just from a glance, I’d assume this was a pure cozy mystery. Weird that the mystery is so predictable. Great that you still managed to enjoy it so much. Good review, Rosh.
Having seen this series in a Best Cozy Mystery Newslatter from Goodreads, I was curious how good in that regard it would be. Apparently it was for pure promotion only 🤡 Thanks for the review, Rosh!
As long as it's fun a little predictability never hurt anyone :) . Great review Rosh! Glad you enjoyed!
Great review Rosh. I was thrilled to see your comments about Vera as an Asian mom. If anything, I thought she helped softened the cliche.
Suja wrote: "Lovely review Rosh 💕. I am glad the diverse representations are presented well. Most of the times authors end up stereotyping the representations. I have a read Dial A for Aunties by this author an..."
Thanks, Suj! Dial A is in my nevers list. TBH, I took this only because of the title. :D But it's a good entertainer. I hope you love it too. 💚
Thanks, Suj! Dial A is in my nevers list. TBH, I took this only because of the title. :D But it's a good entertainer. I hope you love it too. 💚
Karly wrote: "Great review Rosh 💗 glad to see a four star for you."
Thanks, Karly! It was good fun. 💚
Thanks, Karly! It was good fun. 💚
Southern Lady Reads wrote: "Oh my gosh I’m so excited to read this one!! Great review"
I hope you enjoy it too, SLR!! Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it too, SLR!! Thanks!
Jenny wrote: "Great review Rosh! I approve that if its labeled as a murder mystery it shouldnt be predictable, its nice to have you rectifying that in your review. I think its quite hard to make a child characte..."
Thanks, Jenny! Right about the child characters - very few books get the age rep right.
Thanks, Jenny! Right about the child characters - very few books get the age rep right.
A wrote: "This sounds like a decent one if not groundbreaking. It's always lovely to find good rep in books, and seems like the author mostly hit the mark with this one. Wonderful review, Rosh!"
Thanks, A! True - it was mostly good. If some parts hadn't felt too forced in, I might have rated it higher. :)
Thanks, A! True - it was mostly good. If some parts hadn't felt too forced in, I might have rated it higher. :)
Catherine wrote: "Fantastic review Rosh! 💖 so glad the author allowed for some accurate rep, humor, and fun! 😊"
Thanks, Catherine! 💚 Aye - a rare hit combo. :D
Thanks, Catherine! 💚 Aye - a rare hit combo. :D
Jayme wrote: "Love the review! I plan on listening soon! ❤️"
Thanks, Jayme! Will look forward to your thoughts! 💚
Thanks, Jayme! Will look forward to your thoughts! 💚
Marquise wrote: "So, what did the unsolicited advice say? :D"
Haha, don't you want to get it from the horse's mouth by reading the book? :P
Haha, don't you want to get it from the horse's mouth by reading the book? :P
Heidi wrote: "Fun is good but predictable can be a deal breaker… appreciate the well-written honest review!!"
Thanks, Heidi! It was predictable for me, but I hope at least a few readers find surprises herein. :D
Thanks, Heidi! It was predictable for me, but I hope at least a few readers find surprises herein. :D
Srivalli wrote: "Aye, right ho! How much readers like the book will depend on how much they like Vera. Cool review, Rosh. Change of format?"
Exactly, Sri. She makes or breaks the book.
No re... Couldn't segregate my points into pros and cons - most were mixed and I was sleepy. :D
Exactly, Sri. She makes or breaks the book.
No re... Couldn't segregate my points into pros and cons - most were mixed and I was sleepy. :D
preoccupiedbybooks wrote: "Great review Rosh! Glad it was entertaining and fun, and that the rep was spot on! Ah one of my things is children who written too old for their age!"
Thanks, Fran! Same here. I love it when authors get children's ages and behaviour right.
Thanks, Fran! Same here. I love it when authors get children's ages and behaviour right.
Thibault wrote: "Just from a glance, I’d assume this was a pure cozy mystery. Weird that the mystery is so predictable. Great that you still managed to enjoy it so much. Good review, Rosh."
It is supposed to be a cosy mystery, Thibault. I don't know how it lost its way into women's fiction. Reading it with the right genre expectations can change one's experience. But I guess mysteries sell more than women's fiction! :)
It is supposed to be a cosy mystery, Thibault. I don't know how it lost its way into women's fiction. Reading it with the right genre expectations can change one's experience. But I guess mysteries sell more than women's fiction! :)
Feli_H wrote: "Having seen this series in a Best Cozy Mystery Newslatter from Goodreads, I was curious how good in that regard it would be. Apparently it was for pure promotion only 🤡 Thanks for the review, Rosh!"
Thanks, Feli! Business, after all. Mysteries are more popular. It does have a mystery component, but it is more like a side dish than the main ingredients. :D
Thanks, Feli! Business, after all. Mysteries are more popular. It does have a mystery component, but it is more like a side dish than the main ingredients. :D
Jasmine wrote: "Fantastic review, Rosh! I’m glad you had fun with it! I love that title lol"
Thanks, Jasmine! Why do you think I grabbed it? :P
Thanks, Jasmine! Why do you think I grabbed it? :P
Federico wrote: "As long as it's fun a little predictability never hurt anyone :) . Great review Rosh! Glad you enjoyed!"
Completely agree, Feddie. Even if things get predictable, what matters is how the predictability is handled. :)
Completely agree, Feddie. Even if things get predictable, what matters is how the predictability is handled. :)
Koistyfishy wrote: "Great review Rosh! There is nothing wrong with predictability when you are still enjoying it! ♥️"
Thanks, Koisty! Completely agree with your words.💚
Thanks, Koisty! Completely agree with your words.💚
Liz wrote: "Great review Rosh. I was thrilled to see your comments about Vera as an Asian mom. If anything, I thought she helped softened the cliche."
Thanks, Liz. I agree - though she did have her clichéd moments, it wasn't the stereotypical portrayal I usually see.
Thanks, Liz. I agree - though she did have her clichéd moments, it wasn't the stereotypical portrayal I usually see.
Rosh [busy month; will catch up soon!] wrote: "most were mixed and I was sleepy. :D"
I know this feeling! :)
I know this feeling! :)
Sujoya wrote: "Glad you enjoyed this one, Rosh! I appreciated the humor more than the myster angle! Nice review!"
Ditto, Sujoya! The mystery was quite so-so. :)
Ditto, Sujoya! The mystery was quite so-so. :)
Gali wrote: "Great review! The book is on my reading list."
Thanks, Gali! I hope you enjoy it too. :)
Thanks, Gali! I hope you enjoy it too. :)
Intriguing review, Rosh! Vera sounds entertaining, so I might have to give this a look. I appreciate the heads up not to expect much of a mystery! 💜
Kat wrote: "Intriguing review, Rosh! Vera sounds entertaining, so I might have to give this a look. I appreciate the heads up not to expect much of a mystery! 💜"
Thanks, Kat! 💕 I hope you enjoy it too.
Thanks, Kat! 💕 I hope you enjoy it too.
Melissa (Hiatus for Work-Will Pop In When I Can)) wrote: "Excellent review Rosh! This series does have many fans."
Thanks Melissa! I don't think this is a series yet, though I don't mind it turning into one. :)
Thanks Melissa! I don't think this is a series yet, though I don't mind it turning into one. :)
The audiobook is the way to go! Vera is something else, I'd eat all her food and drink all her tea 🥰