Book Talk | Death By Bubble Tea

 Hey Ya'll! I'm back with another book talk. Now is about the time I talk about how I found this book and well, you know those little cozy mystery books that have a little cat or dog or some kind of animal and the title are something along the lines of, "cat bakery murder" or "what the dog saw at the book store." Well I was looking for one of those books at my local library. I find that I like reading those cozy mysteries, but I don't necessarily want to accumulate/add them to my home library, so when I found out that my local library had a whole dedicated section to these types of books, I thought it was perfect! So I was browsing through the books, when the title popped out at me. The title, along with it's interesting synopsis, and  Good Reads reviews, it seemed like a decent cozy read. So here are my thoughts on Death By Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow.

About the Author

Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is the Agatha and Lefty Award-nominated author of the Sassy Cat Mysteries. Her new series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries, and Death by Bubble Tea, which the New York Times called “the first in a fizzy new series,” hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. She currently serves as President on the national board of Sisters in Crime and blogs at chicksonthecase.com.

 

About the Book 

When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide to a relative she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Not only that, but her father thinks it’s a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Yale hasn’t cooked in years, and she hardly considers Celine’s career as a social media influencer as adequate experience, but because she’s just lost her job at her local bookstore, she feels she has no choice.
 
Yale and Celine serve small dishes and refreshing drinks, and while business is slow, it eventually picks up thanks to Celine’s surprisingly useful marketing ideas. They’re quite shocked that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit—literally—when one of their customers turns up dead. Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they’ll be serving is time.

 

Book Talk 

If you are looking for a little cozy mystery to complete your mornings, or evenings, with a hot drink while you're under a warm blanket, then this might be up your ally. I found Death By Bubble Tea to be a delight while reading. It's something you can easily pick up, and sit down and read for a sitting. The mystery part of  the book, does make you try to connect the dots, but it's not overly complicated, nor does it have you taking out a paper and pen to figure out how everything connects to each other. The mystery is just enough.

While we're figuring out who the mysterious killer is, we get to go on this goose chase with Yale and Celine, two cousins that are the complete opposites of the each other, which makes for a fun read. We get the more down-to-earth, living paycheck to paycheck, doesn't do technology, not quite sure what she want to do person paired with the someone who is used to the finer things in life, does things on a whim, and is a force of a character. Together, they keep each other's lives exciting and it makes for a fun dynamic to read.

Our author does a good job at keeping the reader engaged throughout the whole book, by having us wonder how all the puzzle pieces will fit in together. Overall, I enjoyed my time reading Death By Bubble Tea. It's a more chilled read, nothing overly complicated. I'm excited to start a newer series and will be picking up the next book in this series soon. Until then, happy reading!