For me it was a slow start, however it picked up and I thought I’d guessed who the murderer was, but I was wrong! The story took unexpected turn.
Vera is a tenacious woman and her new friends can’t help but love her even though they all have secrets that she is trying to expose.

"Tilly, I notice that girl @NotChloeBennet has liked TWO of your videos on the Tik Tok! I think this means she likes you. I look at her profile and she pout a lot, but I think she will make good wife. Perhaps you should slip and slide into her DM. Kind regards, Mama"

Oh my God, I bloody love Vera Wong. She's hilarious. She goes downstairs one morning to find a body in her teashop. Feeling less than impressed with the police teams handling of the incident, she goes on a mission to find out who the murderer is.

I laughed out loud so much during this book. It's hilarious. I loved all the characters, their different personalities and how they all changed just for having Vera in their life. There is no obvious killer, although several obvious suspects and it had me guessing right to the end. An absolute gem.

The food descriptions were so vivid they had me salivating!

I've not read any of Jesse Sutanto's books before but you can bet your life I will now.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. It came across as too far-fetched and silly, in my opinion. However, I'm sure others will love it.

Thank you for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

"Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?"

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a really great cozy mystery. I found reading about all the different tea's that Vera made were so comforting and felt like a warm hug. It's such a heartwarming story and although it centres around a murder, this story definetly more about family and friendship.
I found the mystery of this story kept me guessing right up until the end. I loved how the reveal at the end fit everything together really nicely without beig too obvious.

I definetly reccomend you settle in with a nice cup of tea and dive into this book.

Thanks @NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Oh this book is an absolute delight! If you enjoy a cosy crime story, then Sutanto’s tale of Vera Wong, Chinese San Fransiscan tea shop owner-slash-amateur sleuth is not to be missed. Sutanto’s humour blooms out of every brilliantly turned line and I defy anyone not to fall in love with determined Vera, who knows how murders should be solved having studiously watched CSI. It’s funny, touching and poignant. Don’t let this book get away.

How can you fail not to adore Vera Wong! She is the most annoying, insightful, funny and engaging woman who runs her World Famous Tea Shop in San Francisco. Unfortunately it mostly has one customer a day, until she wakes up to find a dead body in the middle of the tea shop and suddenly four strangers (and a little girl) come into her life - all of whom she suspects of killing the dead man. So despite the Police ruling the man’s death an accident, Vera sets out to solve his murder.
This fabulous cozy crime drama is filled with wonderful and likeable characters - Sana, Riki, Tilly, Oliver, Julia ,little Emma and of course, Vera. Tha story twists and turns, although I did figure out who the murderer was quite early on, I didn’t know why. Will keep you guessing until the end - and longing for Chinese food!

I really enjoyed it in the end though I nearly gave up after 25%. Vera finds a dead body in her teashop. Four people turn up at her shop so Vera suspects one of them is the murderer on the grounds that the murderer always returns to the scene of the crime. She decides to investigate herself. The book is, however, more about friendship and self esteem. Vera is very much a stereotype Asian mother bossing everyone about though always with the best intentions. Mildly amusing in places, it is definitely worth reading to the end.

This was a humorous and quirky read where the characters were almost more important than the murder mystery itself!
Vera Wong owns an old tea house in San Francisco. She lives alone and has few customers. Her son, Tilly is rarely in contact and the only person she regularly sees is Alex who pops in for his tea each morning.
One day Vera comes down from her apartment to her cafe and finds a dead body on the floor. The police are called but seem fairly uninterested in investigating the dead body so Vera vows to solve the mystery herself. Along the way she meets a cast of millennials who are all suspects but gradually she gets to know them and cannot fathom how any of them could be a murderer. However she persists in her quest and realises she has not felt so alive in years.
I really liked the characters in this book, particularly Vera who was so funny but had an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of the matter and discerning the truth. She is really very lonely, widowed with a son who has his own life she is keen to have a purpose apart from running an empty tea house.
Marshall who is found dead in her shop turns out to be a nasty person and it is quite clear all the suspects have a reason for wanting him out of the way. His brother, Oliver has always lived in his shadow and his widow, Julia and their young daughter lived in fear of him. Sana and Ricki, the other suspects are also hiding something.
The way Vera goes about her investigation is very amusing but she certainly seems to solve a lot of problems for the young people, even if the murderer proves elusive.
My only criticism would be that Vera is described as an “old woman” throughout the book and I am the same age as her- I certainly don’t consider myself a “helpless old lady”!
This is a fun read that both entertained me and made me laugh in equal measure so I definitely recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my advance copy.

This was a different read and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Loved the characters and the story was well done.

Vera Wong is a typical Chinese Mother, in that she knows best. When she arrives in her tea shop one morning and finds the body of a dead man, she sets in place a series of events that will not only change her life, but also those of five other people. Firstly, though she feels compelled to investigate the murder as the Police are not treating it as foul play. The problem is that Vera found something she didn't tell the Police about and now doesn't know how to bring it up without incrimating herself.

Vera Wong speaks to the very bones of my heart, and in that I am no different than the colorful cast of wistful millenials from the book. I too wish to be adopted by an Asian auntie who will bring comfort food to my doorstep in the moment of need, dispense unsolicited advice on my affairs sprinked with a generous helping of modern terms she scrupulously checks on the internet, and give me the right stick to beat my demons -- with the bonus side effect of creating a solid of circle of friends. A murder seems like a small price to pay for that!

Jokes aside, this book has a big heart, and it shows. I was both looking forward to this novel but also hesitating if I'd enjoy it as much as I wanted to, because Sutanto's Aunties books, while full of laughs, often veered too much into cringe territory, or had too much attention on rather boring romance subplots, Vera Wong avoids these pitfalls smoothly. I am truly happy to see how much Jesse Sutanto's writing grew with Vera: the comedic voice is much more balanced, while still rooted in the same kind of humor that arises from a place of love for assertive, meddlesome Chinese matriarchs, and the cast of characters around Vera form a very good -- and very millenial, and I mean it as a compliment to its authenticity -- support cast.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an advance copy of #VeraWongsUnsolicitedAdviceforMurderers. I had an absolute blast and read it one go.

What a delightful story!

We have the charm and wit of a cozy mystery, which despite me working out the who, was still intriguing because I didn't work out the why. However while this is the backbone of the plot, what we really have is a wonderful found family story.

The star of the book really is the characters. Our main character Vera is formidable force. She is both stubbornly overbearing and endearingly caring, who brings together a fabulous cast of characters that I was invested in.

I also really loved all the food and tea descriptions. It really is a top-notch Cozy Mystery that I highly recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, a stand-alone novel set in San Francisco.

Vera wakes up one day to find a dead man in her tea house. The police don’t seem very interested, putting it down to natural causes, so Vera decides that she will do a better job of investigating the murder she knows it to be, after all she is a Chinese mother who is inherently suspicious.

I thoroughly enjoyed Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, which is a fun read with a bit of soppiness thrown in. There is a bit of crime, but mostly it’s about love and friendship. The victim was the unpleasant Marshall Chen, so Vera gathers up the victims of his behaviour who visit her tea house and gleefully informs them that they are her suspects. Along the way they become her substitute family, in place of her neglectful son.

The novel is told from all five points of view, Vera, Julia the wife, Oliver the twin brother, Riki who was owed money and Sana who was swindled. Slowly Vera in her own inimitable style teases out motives and their last contacts with Marshall but she also builds an unbreakable bond between the characters, a few hiccups excepted. It is a warm and cosy read with Vera providing the humour. It’s perhaps not as laugh out loud funny as the author’s previous novels, but it is more emotional.

The novel revolves around Vera. She is lonely and bored, not that she would admit it, and has a managing personality. She bosses her suspects and brings them back to life and, at the same time, finds new meaning in her own.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a good read that I can recommend.

Oh My Goodness! Vera Wong is now officially one of my all time favourite characters. So hilariously honest and refreshing to read. I definitely want Vera to become part of a series. The storyline is simple yet full of detail. Written in a way that keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens. I didn’t guess the ending and was surprised! It’s five stars from me.

I loved Dial A for Aunties, so I was keen to read this new release by the author. Just like DAFA, it was easy to read and entertaining. Loved Vera! She is such a unique character. There are good side characters, Vera definitely stands out as the heroine. The murder mystery bit was fun too and I enjoyed Vera’s being a secret detective. Not as hilariois as DAFA in my opinion, but just as entertaining! A great read for when you are busy or don’t want to read anything serious!

I absolutely loved Jesse Sutanto’s earlier books so I was thrilled to get a chance to read this early and it did not disappoint. So funny, totally charming and a mystery that keeps you turning the pages.

DNF. I really tried to get into this book but after a few chapters, had to give up. The storyline of an aging asian woman doing things like removing evidence from a murder scene in order to solve the crime herself, just didn’t work for me but I’m sure lots of readers will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

This book is wonderfully life affirming and full of heart.

This is the story of the relationships that grow around a death that occurs in Vera Wong’s World Famous Tea House, which she insists is murder.

This book is fantastically memorable, funny and will leave you with a huge smile on your face.

Like the characters in this book, you will always remember the day you first met Vera Wong!

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto was a slow burn. But it was gently amusing and became more engaging as the book went on.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of 'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers' by Jesse Q. Sutanto.

'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers' is a fascinating and compelling read. Jesse Q. Sutanto's writing style has always been one of my favourites and her heart is present throughout this. I loved Vera Wong, I must admit. She was different from the usual protagonist of a story such as this but at times I laughed and at times I was sat there sighing at her.

This story was definitely worth the read.