I just finished reading VWUAFM, and it was a good cozy mystery! I must say, I enjoyed it largely because of the audio book narrator, who did an awesome job! The book had some heart warming moments, a few good laughs and some wholesome relationships. However, the writing was borderline childish in some places. Some phrases such as, “cooking up a storm”, “gaping like a fish”, etc were repeated too many times in my opinion. Some of the background story around a few characters was poorly written and just too convenient/generic.
What were some of your thought?
by Background_Silver702
11 Comments
I liked it! I didn’t appreciate the ending. It didn’t seem to have much to do with the rest of the story! But until I got to that point, I enjoyed the book. 😀
It was an entertaining read
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I’m glad that I listened to it. The audio really helped me visualize the story. I enjoyed it a lot.
There were aspects I really liked. It reminded me of an episode of like Monk or Psyche, just a fun mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But, it rubbed me the wrong way. I thought it was going to be about a widow who finds purpose outside of being just a mom and a wife. Her actually solving the mystery was secondary to her being a mom to her found family, more focus on making sure everyone was happy and well fed than actually finding the murderer. >!And the end when she almost dies when she couldn’t be a mom/grandma anymore because her new family rejected her…!< I rolled my eyes.
I think it just struck too close to home with me because I know so many women in my family who are just completely lost after their kids grow up and move out because their whole identity was being a wife and mom. I didn’t find Vera’s attachment to her son funny or cute (which is how I think it was intended). It brought back memories of unpleasant conversations around boundary setting. I was hoping for something like the Thursday Murder Club where it’s a group of retired people who still have a strong definition of who they are outside of a family dynamic.
Loved the food descriptions though!
My thoughts are I gave up on it after a few chapters and I have not been motivated to go back and try again. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be cute.
I did this on audiobook as well and really enjoyed it. Would recommend to others.
I laughed out loud whilst reading this book. Some parts as stated were a bit like chewing overcooked meat but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the overall story
I had never read a cozy mystery before and didn’t really understand what it meant. But as I was reading this I said “ohhhh! this is what people mean by a cozy mystery!”
I really enjoyed the main character. It made me laugh out loud a few times. I agree it would make a great, pleasant movie to stream.
Having said that, I kinda skimmed the last 100 pages, as it was pretty predictable and I was impatient to move past the drama (the artist being mad at the computer guy, etc) when we know inevitably how it will work out.
I was also a little put off by the idea that this woman could find so much fulfillment in caretaking and doing free labor for all the people around her. (Cooking all that food, EXPENSIVE. All that endless childcare that she somehow could never get enough of? Give me a break.) Particularly in the trad-wife moment we are living in.
All in all, I’m glad I read it! Might pick up another book by the author in a few years when I’m in the mood for something fun.
I thought it was a rom-com with a mystery subplot, not a mystery with a rom-com subplot. And the mystery wasn’t very good.
I, honestly, **loved** this book. Although, caveat, I also listened to the audiobook and the brilliant and talented Eunice Wong was just an absolute joy. I was completed transported by Eunice Wong and she brought Vera to life for me in such a visceral way. The first few paragraphs had me laughing and then I was hooked.
Yes, the cozy mystery genre certainly has its tropes–but if you don’t enjoy tropes, why read mysteries at all? 😀 I have written about this book at length on good reads, so I won’t reiterate that here–but mainly I’ll say: It wasn’t only a great little mystery story, but it was so touching, and I think especially for folks from immigrant family backgrounds. It’s so rare to see the immigrant mother as the protagonist of the story and she is the perfect, meddling, endearing, frustrating and lovable mom/grandma as any I’ve known.