When I tell you this was such a fun, heartwarming, and enjoyable read, I seriously mean it. Vera Wong is the old woman that everyone loves to hate but can’t help but to love as well. I mean, she’s basically everyone’s mom, and I loved every single moment of it. The writing, the characters, and the plot. It was all a great adventure. 

The writing is done in such a way where even with dark subject matter (verbal/mental abuse, murder, theft, etc.), this book is still light and joyful. Weird right? Not really. Because the person who got murdered really had it coming and with Vera investigating the murder, it never got too heavy and the tone stayed consistent throughout the book. Except at the very end. The ending had a lot of dark tones and, while I get you have to have the emotional climax, it felt a little too dark for how light everything else was.

With the characters, obviously Vera was my favorite. All of the other characters were great and had their own development, but none had the spark like Vera did. They all also felt a little too two-dimensional in my opinion and I didn’t feel as connected with them as I did with Vera.

The plot seemed well thought out and developed. I honestly thought that the way Michael died was hilarious in a sick way, but it all made sense in the end (and lost its humor in my opinion because of the ending…). I wouldn’t really change anything in terms of the plot. 

Overall, this was a fun read that was quick and entertaining. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but the ending was the only thing that kind of threw me for a loop. Not because it was unexpected (even though it was), but more so because it was a darker tone than the rest of the book. 

Source: Audiobook from Libby Public Library

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)