3.75/5.00

In this novel, we follow two sisters, May & Gemma Chow, as they try to solve their friend’s murder in 1930’s Hollywood. I didn’t grow up with sisters, but the banter between these two is something I wish I had when I was younger.

This was a great blend of historical fiction & mystery, even though historical fiction isn’t a genre I’m typically drawn to.

The mystery in this story kept going until the end, but my favorite part was getting to see how the family and community supported each other. I think a smaller cast of characters to focus on would have streamlined the plot more, but overall, I enjoyed this!

Thanks to PRH and NetGalley for the eARC.

This was my first book by Stacey Lee and I am definitely glad that I requested a copy. There’s just something alluring about Hollywood in general but old Hollywood? Sold.

I loved the extreme underdog main characters May and Gemma Chow. Their devotion to their family, culture and community is something that we see less and less of these days it seems. The three “clouds” as their ba endearingly calls them complemented each other quite well once they all started working together instead of just winging it. Surprisingly, I wanted just a little bit more from the romance aspects and I adored “bug boy” – it was comical to see them reconcile each other after so many years. I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid depiction of depression era Hollywood and Chinatown and it was also fun reading about actual actors from that time even if the interactions were obviously fictional.

How many petals can a flower lose before it stops being a flower? Before everything withers away and only the memory remains?

I do feel like the pacing of the book was a little bit slow but it made sense in a way. The girls were operating with huge disadvantages the entirety of the book but their sheer grit and willingness to see this through for one of their own is the only reason why the person responsible was found at all. The identity of Lulu’s killer was quite the twist, I didn’t figure that one out before the reveal.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read this gem of a tale – all opinions are my own. Rounded from 4.5 stars.

I’m so happy to have been given this book to read especially perfect for aapi heritage month. I really enjoyed this beautifully written historical mystery set in 1930 in Chinatown, please watch my full review on Instagram @ariandher.books

I'm a sucker for a good crime and mystery story, and this exceeded every expectation that I had. I was on the edge of my seat, page after page to know what was going to happen next. I really loved the concept of this story, and I was not disappointed at all. I loved this book so much. Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I love a great historical fiction and old Hollywood. Put them together and you have magic. So well researched and written. I was fully invested from the beginning.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

This book transported me right away. I had a long drive ahead of me and I sunk into the audiobook and the Chow sisters’ lives in LA’s 1930s Chinatown during the Great Depression. When they find their childhood friend turned movie star murdered headlines twist the story as another reason to tear down Chinatown for a railway stop. The Chow sisters must solve their friend’s murder and do everything in their power to save their town.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC! This book took me a while to get through, I struggled getting into the story as it is very slow paced. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction and/or mystery. Overall I liked it and thought the ending was satisfying, though there were some storylines I thought could have been more thoroughly finished (the new baby, Ba's potential return, etc).

thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for allowing me access to this book. I really enjoyed the old hollywood aspect of the book. I enjoyed the dual POV

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.

After finishing this book, I noticed it is marketed as Historical Fiction for Teens. I'm not sure this book will appeal to that demographic.

The author really knows how to set a scene and I was immediately transported to 1930s Los Angeles and the Chinatown neighborhood. The story of two sisters searching for the killer of their friend, the movie star Lulu Wong, will suck you in. The writing was beautiful, but the pacing was slow. There were too many suspects and angles in the mystery and a lot of loose ends were left with some of the suspects that turned out to be innocent. The romances (Gemma and Freddie, May and Wallace) fell flat.

I think I would've enjoyed this one more as an audiobook with an upped speed to make the suspense more ...suspenseful.

If you love history and movies and stories of old Hollywood, you’ll quickly get caught up in the story of these two sisters and their hunt for a killer. The setting is fascinating, the characters are likable, and the story will keep you guessing.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery,

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I've read other books by Stacey Lee and adored them but something about this particular book just did not meet my expectations the way I wanted it to.

I hope to come back to this book in the future now that it is fully released and find that I enjoy it more.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

I had really high hopes for this book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. I think Stacey Lee did a fantastic job with the historical details in this book. I loved the relationship between May, Gemma, and Peony, and the lengths they were willing to go to seek justice for Lulu. All of them demonstrated strength and independence which I love to see from female characters. That said, I was never really invested in any of the characters and it didn’t feel like there was much character development.

This had a pretty slow pace, but the writing was well done. There really wasn’t suspense so while it is a mystery, the stakes felt incredibly low. I also think the romance piece was unnecessary. There wasn’t enough romance for it to be a solid side plot, so it felt a bit misplaced. Overall, this was just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC.

𓏲 .𖥔 ݁ ˖ dnf at 31% ⊹

this book didn’t hit the way i wanted it to. actually it didn’t hit, period. i’m bored and whenever i pick it up i can’t concentrate for more than 2 minutes. i wanted to love it but i was having such a hard time getting through it. may and gemma were so… dull? is that even the right word? i just couldn’t establish a connection with them.

It’s the 1930s. The powers that be hope to demolish Los Angeles’ Chinatown, pushing all of its current residents—who, by law, are unable to purchase property—to find housing elsewhere. This is also Hollywood’s Golden Age, and Lulu Wong—based partially on the actress Anna May Wong—is trying to use her influence in Hollywood to affect change in her community, starting by pushing for a role that challenges the harmful stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood’s obsession with Orientalism. When Lulu is killed, two of her childhood friends realize that the police are not interested in finding Lulu’s actual murderer. They’d much rather blame the crime on a Chinatown resident, thereby strengthening the case to raze the community. Obviously, they then set out to investigate on their own.

Now this took me forever to read, but I’m 99% sure that that was me being overwhelmed with work and not the fault of the book. In fact, once I finally got to just sit with the book, I couldn’t read the last 30% fast enough. So I’m going to leave you with Kirkus’ review instead of my own: “This twisty mystery, brought to life by a vibrant cast and abundant historical details, will keep readers in suspense until the very end. Themes of community, representation, and sisterhood add an emotionally satisfying element to the narrative.”

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Available now.

In 1932 Los Angeles Chinatown, on the brink of being demolished to construct a new railroad Union Station, two sisters, May and Gemma Chow seek answers to the death (likely murder) of Lulu Wong, a Chinese American movie starlet and good friend to May. May and Gemma have had to step up and take the reins of their family due to unfortunate circumstances. While the sisters are polar opposites, their strengths complement each other in their search for truth about Lulu’s death while they run their struggling family floral business. Time is running out as the City’s plan to evict them from their community comes to fruition, and the police investigation is prematurely closed, both due to corruption and anti-Asian sentiment in influential circles.

Kill Her Twice is a period mystery full of atmosphere. The Chow sisters are vividly rendered. May is the oldest sister who carefully follows the rules of being a traditional Chinese daughter, but deep inside, she desires to break free to reach for her own dreams, including following in the footsteps of her friend Lulu and becoming an actress. Gemma is a rule-breaker, fiery and impulsive, unafraid to take risks. Peony is the youngest at twelve, always being left behind to watch over their mother. Together, they are stronger. As first generation children, their viewpoint shows the injustice of being American but treated as aliens, with limited ability to protect their own community and denied the same ability to achieve goals that are the bedrock of American values. May’s closeness with Lulu before her death strikes a poignant note as she reflects on the important lessons and encouragement Lulu provided her. The reader gets to know the wonderful woman that Lulu was, making her murder even more tragic and senseless.

An intimate look into the behind the scenes of the growing Hollywood movie industry forms a backdrop to this mystery as the sisters dig deep to find Lulu’s killer. Lee captures the 1930s period very well, immersing the reader into that setting with descriptions and dialogue that feels very authentic. The racism that Asian Americans faced during the period is untenable but it’s the reality, and it's extremely important for light to be shed on factual events of America’s dark past so that zero tolerance is allowed for its repetition in the contemporary time period and future.

The atmosphere and characterization are strong points, along with a tightly plotted mystery that will keep readers guessing. There’s a nice hint of romance as well that fits in very well with the narrative, without overshadowing this story of sisters who find themselves, each other, and the power they have under circumstances that seem to be stacked against them. Kill Her Twice is well worth a read.

Four and 1/2 stars.

I really liked Stacey Lee's earlier historical fiction YA, The Downstairs Girl, and so do my students. I was a bit worried this next one wouldn't compare, but I shouldn't have been. It's totally different, but also just as good! I love the murder mystery, and the alternating perspectives of the chapters help keep the pace up - as do the romantic elements and multiple red herrings. I think my students will really like Kill Her Twice, especially those who've enjoyed other mysteries like The Good Girl's Guide to Murder or Truly Devious, or other historical fiction/thrillers like I Must Betray You. (Nothing gory in this one, which I appreciated!)

I loved the sister relationship in this so much, and I liked getting both May and Gemma's POVs, but I liked that Peony (the younger sister) was still very much present in the story as well. The family and community relationships were so good. I liked learning more about a time in history that I didn't know much about, as well as what befell the Chinese Americans during this time - you know, the things that don't get talked about in American school history books.

I did think the first half of the story was more slow-paced, but once I got to the halfway point it really picked up. At the end, the murderer made sense, but I did feel like some people's roles in it could have been made more clear to better my understanding of how it happened.

my first books of hers and I was pleasantly surprised. I adore the dual pov who are so different than the other. I always love a book that is centered around a murder mystery and this was no difference. I will say the ending was fantastic but it was not bad either.

Love. love. love. Gemma and May are everything I want to be in two different people. Poised and calm, witty and spontaneous. Both wonderful compliments to each and what a lovely story of sisterly affection, fierce loyalty to community, and not backing down. Stacey Lee can do no wrong in my opinion.