Book club review!

Deciding on our May book was fun, and lucky enough, the book itself was also just as fun!

The story follows Vera Wong, a widowed owner of a tea shop in San Francisco Chinatown. Business has been slow, she doesn’t have the closest relationship with her only son, Tilly (her motherly nagging seems to bother Tilly), and has a lonely routine she seems to stick to each day. However, things suddenly change once a body is discovered in her shop and she takes it upon herself to deduce what happened since the police aren’t taking the investigation seriously. What transpires are new friends, sneaky suspicions, a whole lot of laughs, and delicious food.

The most common words used to describe this book by the group would probably be adorable and heartwarming. Firstly, Vera is a force to be reckoned with, but such a great character. She embodied big grandma energy and was just a hoot! Some of us found ourselves doing things in our regular lives and wondering “what would Vera say if she knew I was doing this?”.

As for the mystery itself, it was done well enough to where it did have people guessing and wondering who committed the crime and how it was all going to play out. Although, some wished there for a bit more suspense throughout the entire story instead of just revealing a bulk of it towards the end. While mystery and detective work done by Vera was fun to follow along, like with a lot of cozy mysteries, it definitely had its far fetched moments and you have to suspend disbelief. But when you learned who the killer was, it all made so much sense!

One thing though that everyone loved about this book was the found family aspect. What was once a bunch of strangers at the story of this adventures turned into such a wonderful group of people— even when a handful may have been suspects. It was especially sweet seeing Vera have these people to dote on because she genuinely seemed like such a great and caring person, constantly spoiling everyone with delicious food!

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and if cozy mysteries are your thing, you’ll probably like this one!

There is so much heart in this novel. This is more than a cozy murder mystery as Vera slowly wins over the hearts of the suspects and they become friends. Each of them is struggling in some way and Vera has a way of getting people to open up. She even wins the heart of Julia’s demanding 2 y/o daughter Emma, who has never warmed to anyone before! I loved watching Vera interact with all of the characters who were all very well described.

A delightful murder mystery full of colorful characters and found family feels. I absolutely adored Vera, our tea shop owning heroine who is determined to solve the murder of the dead body found in her store even though the police declared it an accident. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this is a must-read.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery! It's full of humour and quirky characters — Vera is a perfect amateur sleuth that kept me laughing the whole way through. Jesse Q Sutanto has a way with creating stories and this book is no different!

I absolutely loved this story, the quirky cast of characters, and the heartwarming feels that a cozy mystery brings.

From the delicious food descriptions, to the characters that brought the laughs, VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS was so good, and I really enjoyed the audio.

*many thanks to Berkley, PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The quirky group of characters especially Vera, made this mystery so much fun. Just when I thought I had figured out the murder I was surprised. There were many laugh out loud moments and I so look forward to more Vera adventures.

Vera Wong, teashop owner and protagonist of a new humorous mystery from Dial A for Aunties author Jesse Q. Sutanto, loves nothing more than making personalized brews, sensing just what they need to feel better. It’s one of the many things that makes her friends wonder if she might just be a little magic.

When Vera finds a body on the floor of her teashop, she expects the police will want her help in solving the case. Instead, they largely ignore her and even seem annoyed that she assisted by drawing a Sharpie outline around the man’s corpse before they arrived. When the authorities declare the man died of an allergic reaction, Vera sets out to conduct her own investigation. She has an ace up her sleeve — a flash drive she stole off the body she’s sure the killer will want back. As new customers come into the tea shop, Vera brews them a cuppa, attempts to suss out their possible motives and, in a complicated move, comes to befriend the people she expects committed a murder.

I wrote a few weeks back about how much I love books that feature quirky groups of people coming together to form unlikely communities, and Vera Wong fits that bill. (In fact Nancy Reddy suggested it in the comments that week!). It’s charming — and despite the subject matter — cozy. Vera is an unforgettable, loveable, yet deeply flawed character who I hope we’ll see more of.

Couldn't get enough of this mystery! Vivacious and acerbic, Vera Wong is not to be trifled with as she takes it upon herself to investigate a murder in her tea shop. She may have just become my new favorite amateur sleuth.

After listening to Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murders by Jesse Q. Sutano, it is official. I love Sutano's books. Similar to Well, That Was Unexpected, I laughed so much while listening to this book. If you are looking for a book that is about murder, lonely old women, found family and a tea shop, PICK THIS ONE UP. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers is about what happens when Vera, owner of the tea shop called Vera Wang's Famous Tea Shop, comes into work only to find a dead body. The police are basically useless. And so, she takes it upon herself to investigate the murderer. Along the way she has possible suspects who are people that she's also been giving advice to.

I genuinely loved this book. It felt so cozy even though it was about a murder. Vera is such an interpreid character -- she has strong opinions and honestly, she's not wrong most of the time. I loved her. I loved the side characters. The found family and Vera's knack for people really got me in my emotions. The audiobook of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers is narrated by Eunice Wong. Eunice Wong is a masterful narrator -- I was so invested in this audiobook and cannot recommend it highly enough - particularly for the narration. It's warm -- if that makes sense? It is 10 hours and 41 minutes long -- and a wonderful listen.

3.5⭐️

I had a great time with this book. I can't believe I loved a nosy 60 year old character so much but it's impossible not to adore Vera.

It's a mystery, yes, but it's also very humorous and reads like a cozy read.

It was hard for me to get into the story at first but I really liked the tone of the story as the pages turned. My only problem was that the mystery left me a bit indifferent. What I ended up liking the most was the development of the characters and how they were establishing bonds between them.

Overall, a fun story and a quick read. I recommend.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vera Wong is a widow with one son who is not terribly filial. When a man dies under mysterious circumstances in her decrepit tea shop, it changes her life!

This book was very cute. Not very realistic, but very cute. It was a nice treatise on found family and the power of good food and tender loving care. Vera is a bit of a hot mess in terms of her meddling nature in the lives of her new acquaintances, but since this is a book, it all works out. I expect big things from this book, a la "Where'd You Go, Bernadette." This is like a quirky one of those books but with a sweet Chinese grandmother-type who holds everyone together instead of falling apart herself. Very enjoyable.

I hope this is the beginning of a series, Vera is 60 years old and runs her old run down tea shop in Chinatown. When she goes downstairs one morning she finds a dead body in her shop. The police think it was an accident and aren’t investigating very vigorously. Vera decides to investigates and makes some new friends in doing so. A sweet story of friendship and family. Also lots of good information of teas and Chinese customs.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is about a lonely elderly tea shop owner who didn't have many customers who discovers a body in her shop one morning. Of course she thinks the police can't do their job correctly, so she sets out to solve the murder herself. She befriends a cast of characters, including some police officers who become like family to her. This is a sweet, modern cozy mystery that will definitely make you want to read with your favorite cup of tea.

Jesse Q. Sutanto is able to perfectly balance humor, wit, charm, and community into an entertaining, heartfelt, wild ride of a book with Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, The tea ship setting is quaint and full of personality, much like Vera herself and I loved the amateur sleuth hijinks she got up to.

Vera Wong wishes her Chinese tea house had more customers, but finding a dead body in the store wasn't how she expected to get the word out. When Vera decides the police aren't taking the potential murder seriously enough, she decides it's up to her to find out what happened, and she'll start by investigating every new customer who shows up to her shop as a suspect returning to the scene of the crime. That plan is complicated by the fact that she grows attached to her visitors far too quickly.

Jesse Q. Sutanto's sense of humor is so incredibly delightful. Vera won me over right from the start, and I too found myself emotionally attached to all her murder suspects. I laughed out loud so many times reading this book, and although I thought I had the mystery all figured out, it surprised me in the end! It's everything I want in a cozy mystery and more. Berkley, if you're listening, please make this a series!

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Guide for Murder

Found family
Delightful curmudgeon solving crimes
Tea

Finlay Donovan series
Only Murderers in the Building
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

This was off-the-wall unexpected, but not in a way that is absurdist, and I loved it. So far, it’s my patrons are living it, too!

I was really drawn in by the cover of the book because it took me back to reruns of the '60s show Bewitched where Mrs. Kravitz was always sneaking through the blinds to see what was going on.

Our protagonist, Vera Wong, is a peculiar funny lady who is comfortable with who she is and she sure isn't afraid to tell things the way they are. Unfortunately for her son, she likes to micromanage every aspect of his life and she sticks her nose where it really doesn't belong, however for those of us that are readers of this book, it's a good thing she does, as it makes for a good and funny read. Honestly, I found this book to not be so much of a mystery but it was more of a way of Vera connecting with all of the suspects. It was actually quite a funny book.

Jesse Q. Sutanto's writing never fails to be a delight. while this one didn't capture my attention off the bat the way Dial A did, it still ended up being a "I'm not going to bed until I finish this" type of read. I LOVED the found family, especially when it came to Julia regaining some independence and Emma becoming more comfortable. while I figured out the murderer about halfway through, I didn't make all the connections which still left some fun twists at the end of the book. overall, an excellent cozy mystery that I no doubt will be recommending!

3.5 stars

This book was a good time. Light and fun, with a tender emotional core, Vera shoves her way into your heart, and you find yourself rooting for this capricious old woman. Al of the characters were great, and this was a fun, engaging mystery that got me excited to read more from
the author!