Imagine a 1930s Chinatown in LA—glamorous on the surface, but teeming with secrets underneath. When rising star Lulu Wong turns up dead, the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and little Peony—decide the cops won't cut it and take the case into their own hands. It's part historical mystery, part sisterhood story, with real grit, old‑Hollywood flair, and plenty of heart. If you’re into dual-POV sleuthing with family bonds, suspense, and cultural depth, this one’s a solid pick.

Entertaining read! The book has a strong opening and characters that you are immediately invested in. I loved the relationship between the sisters and the noir mystery vibes. Perfect as a YA novel!
I also met the author and she signed my copy at YALLWEST and she was so nice and funny!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read this.

I love a historical mystery. Historical YA mysteries might even be my favorite kind now that I think about it. I feel like historical YA tends to be a little more accessible and easy to understand the context of the time period. KILL HER TWICE was exactly that. It shows 1930s LA in a way that shows the history of the time but focused more heavily on the characters and the story of the murder.

The alternating POVs were great because we got to see two completely different ways of investigating the crime. I did find them a little confusing from time to time as I would forget who was narrating that chapter but overall, I liked that there were two POVs.

I’d love to see more in a series about these characters and solving crimes but feel like it would make the most sense to leave this as a stand alone story. I would also like to read more of Stacey Lee’s books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Appreciate the ARC. The atmosphere was strong and the tension built well. Some pacing issues, but overall a compelling, plot-driven thriller.

Kill Her Twice is out of my usual reading genre but ended up being so good! It’s like a historical fiction who done it that had me guessing right up until the big reveal. Beautifully written with great detail and respect.

I had high hopes for Kill Her Twice given the intriguing premise and historical setting, but unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. The pacing was painfully slow, the characters felt underdeveloped, and the plot, while initially promising, became convoluted and hard to follow. I kept waiting for the story to pick up or for the mystery to truly grip me, but it never delivered. Even the twists felt predictable or forced. I really wanted to like this, but in the end, it was a struggle to finish.

Striking YA historical novel that interrogates xenophobia, the place Asian Americans have within American society, and what is expected of Asian-American women. I loved how the idea of "killing her twice" was used as a theme throughout the novel, and Lee does an excellent job showcasing how racist ideas and stereotyping reduce minority communities to less than human. Another job well done by Stacey Lee; looking forward to her next work.

When people, usually someone famous, die, there's usually two deaths. The first is the death of the famous person and the mystery it brings, if it is murder. The second death is the inevitable defamation of character after somebody dies and they are no longer around to defend themselves. When Lulu Wong was murdered in 1932 Los Angeles, it was hard to even get an investigation to look into her suspicious death. Even famous, the cops were willing to let it go. But two of her friends from Chinatown won't give up. The more they look, the deeper it goes, not just into a murder mystery, but into corruption that threatens the whole city.

Kill Her Twice is the story of how May and Gemma find their friend Lulu's killer and try to save Chinatown at the same time. May and Gemma are left to run the family business and with that means for the time period they have some free time that can be used to talk to people and try and figure out who killed their friend since the LA police aren't going to do anything about it.
Along the way we meet a whole slew of side characters that help them or try and stop them along the way.

The mystery portion of this book is so good!
I kept thinking it was someone, and then that person would be cleared, and I would think it was someone else. Never suspected who it ended up being at all, but it made so much sense! The way she was killed as well truly was the perfect murder and one that I had not even thought of being a possibility.

Overall, this book is good; it keeps you interested and the different pov's between the two sisters showing their personalities and how they dealt with the mystery was interesting as well. Seeing LA during the 1930s is always fun especially when it shows the lesser talked about parts. I'm interested to read more by this author now.

(read a finished copy from the library)

This book was such an interesting read. Between the historical facts and intrigue of the storyline, it made the book hard to put down. For anyone who loves a good mystery, I highly recommend this book.

This was a young adult historical fiction murder mystery. I really liked this tale of sisters trying to find out who murdered their friend who was a rising Hollywood star. I loved how different the sisters were and especially enjoyed Gemma’s POV. I love when historical fiction books can teach you about history. This book made me want to research more about this time in history when LA wiped out Chinatown to build Union Station.

Kill Her Twice is a historical fiction set in the 1930's in Chinatown, not far from Hollywood. Lulu Wong, a rising film star with ties to the Chinatown community, is discovered deceased by her old friends. May, Gemma, and Peony Chow suspect foul play, but the police are barely investigating. When the sisters dig into the untimely death, will they put targets on their own heads?

This novel showed the corruption and racism that was rampant during the time period. Not only this, but there was also political pressure to permit the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station, in the Chinatown area. The mystery surrounding Lulu's death was also bracketed by the Chow family dynamics, the father's illness, the need for relocation, and the desire for the elder Chow sisters to help the family and their community. Simply put, the novel suffered from an identity crisis. It was a little bit mystery, a little bit historical fiction, and a little bit family drama. It dragged along in the middle, with many of side plots serving only as misdirection. Overall, Kill Her Twice was not a novel that I would recommend to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this! I liked the historical aspects and how intriguing it was. I also liked having the two points of view. It was very exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. Very well done!

If you want a good historical mystery, this is an amazing book for it. It’s set in 1930s Chinatown and does a great job of building the mystery, setting everything up, good characters, plot twists, and the historical aspect of what it was like to live in 1930s Chinatown.
I loved this mystery, especially as someone who doesn’t primarily read mystery, I enjoyed figuring it out as the story progressed.

Stacey Lee's latest novel is a noir-style murder mystery meets coming of age story with old Hollywood and Los Angeles's Chinatown in the 1930s as its backdrop. It follows sisters Gemma and May in the aftermath of the murder of their childhood friend Lulu, who was an up-and-coming movie star. Her death is ruled a tragic accident, but as to be expected in a murder mystery, the truth is much more complicated. Lee does a great job poking holes in the "official" story of Lulu's death, from an attributed cause that doesn't make sense for someone in their early 20s, to questions about who was there at the scene of the crime. Gemma and May don't think that the LAPD are doing Lulu justice in their investigation, so they take it upon themselves to figure out what actually happened.

The book alternates between the first-person POVs of both sisters, and I really enjoyed both Gemma and May's personalities. There's also a bit of exploration into the girls' relationship with Lulu, and how they have to come to terms with how they didn't know her as well as they thought they did, which leads to the coming-of-age piece of the story. Lee also weaves in the story of Chinatown as a whole during this time, and how they were impacted by the city's proposal to tear down their neighborhood for a train station. This ends up tying to the murder mystery in a really interesting way.

An engaging reads that bends genres and features some really great characters.

This was such a great suspenseful read! I enjoyed the characters, the mystery, and the writing! It was a delight reading about the Asian culture in it! I can’t say enough good things about this read! Highly suggest reading this one!

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee brings the glamour of 1930s Hollywood to life, all while exploring themes of sisterhood, racism, and justice. The story follows the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—as they take it upon themselves to investigate the murder of Lulu Wong, a Hollywood starlet from their Chinatown neighbourhood.

What stood out most was the dynamic between the sisters, particularly May and Gemma. Their contrasting personalities—May’s dutiful restraint and Gemma’s bold risk-taking—made for compelling dual perspectives. Stacey Lee’s writing captures the era beautifully, immersing the reader in old Hollywood with vivid descriptions and subtle historical details.

While the mystery itself wasn’t particularly thrilling, the characters and their relationships took centre stage, adding depth and heart to the story. The ending felt slightly rushed, leaving some plot threads unresolved, but the journey there was still enjoyable.

Overall, this is an engaging historical mystery with strong female leads and a nostalgic setting. Fans of character-driven stories with a touch of intrigue will find plenty to like here. Four stars!

Having read Stacey Lee's "The Downstairs Girl," which I loved, I was very excited to read her newest novel, mystery set in the '30s and featuring on two Chinese American sisters trying to solve the murder of their friend-turned-famous actress. I really love how well-developed Lee's world-building is. I felt completely immersed in the Chow sisters' Los Angeles world. From the dress to the various locations we see, I really felt like Lee did her homework and painted a clear picture of this period in history.

The other thing that Lee does extremely well is create believable, well-rounded characters. May, Gemma, and Peony were each distinct - I never had a problem telling them apart, and each of them had their own well-established hopes and dreams that came through on the page through their actions as well as what they internally mused upon. I felt most connected to Gemma - I like her spunkiness and her determination to solve this crime, even if it means bending a few rules and stretching the bounds of expectations for women in this time-period. May is still a wonderful character, and I thought her romance with her childhood friend is really sweet and makes a great counterpoint to the dark and tragic central plot.

The mystery itself is crafted well - I was definitely kept guessing until the end, and I felt like the pacing of the story is good. I kept turning pages and never found myself bored or lost. Lee is an excellent storyteller and her writing is good, which makes me happy because that can be a hard thing to find in young adult literature at times.

Overall, I felt this was a solid story, a whole-picture that held my interest throughout. I enjoyed my time reading it and I would recommend to others who enjoy historical and/or mystery or both!

I was fascinated by the historical setting of Los Angeles during the early 1930's when movies were everything, and on top of that when the racial tensions were ramping up again. I figured that this would be a fantastic book to book end my 2024 reading since I started with Siren Queen by Nghi Vo which had a similar setting, but from the perspective of the screen queen, where this is from the perspective of two friends of the dead starlet.

Gemma and May are their father's clouds, capable of doing great things. And when they stumble upon Lulu Wong's body, set out on a mission to find out who killed Lulu.

I admire their intrepidness and gumption in going after clues and searching out the potential suspects even when it runs them into danger. I did start questioning if I knew where the plot was headed early on, but I was partially right, so I consider that a win. This is very much a murder mystery a la Nancy Drew, but with two Chinese sisters.

Highly recommend for mystery lovers who want a historical setting, and a little bit of nostalgia of crime noir stories.

An immersive YA thrilled with lots of pluses:

- Diverse characters: Chinese American, White, Japanese American, and Mexican American
- Real history: the city of Los Angeles' eviction of the citizens of Chinatown to build what is now Union Station
- Witty writing and dialogue
- Successful approach to multiple POVs