Sisters May and Gemma stumble upon the dead body of a Chinese actress - a friend with deep connections to their family.
Determined to see justice done, the sisters start their own investigation - frustrating the local police.
I loved their strength and determination to solve the crime - their passion to help their friend find peace.
Well written.

I received a free copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but I loved this novel so much I've already preordered a copy of my own.

This is more than a mystery. It's tale of sisters, friendship, community, and change. The details Lee incorporates within the narrative succeed in bringing the time and place, L.A.'s Chinatown district during the Great Depression, into crystal clear focus. The characters surrounding the Chow sisters come to life with their own quirks and strengths and personal stories.

The Chow sisters—practical May, playful Gemma, and spunky Peony—are a delight. Lee's writing is rich and nuanced when depicting the sisters' daily lives in 1930's California, a time of both great progress and racial tension. Lulu Wong, Chinatown's shining light, is killed just as she is breaking ground by becoming the first Chinese actress to play a heroine instead of a villain. The story packs in suspects aplenty for the reader to be wary of and a resolution to Lulu's story that is heartbreaking.

I'd love to follow more of the Chow sisters' adventures as they carve their paths into life's road. At 400 pages, this isn't a quick read, but it is a worthy read. If you enjoy historical mysteries with a touch of screwball comedy and a ton of heart, be sure to check Kill Her Twice out.

CW: racism, sexism

Lulu Wong is is a star of the Silver Screen in 1933, and the pride of Chinatown. She has a face that everyone recognizes, especially the Chow sisters, since they grew up together. Thus, when they find her body in a stable, they know it's her. May, Gemma, and Peony all suspect foul play, but it looks the police are trying to cover up Lulu's death for other political factors. Can the girls figure out who did it before they find themselves in the murderer's crosshairs?

I really like the alternating POVs between May and Gemma. The packing felt really off to me and I just wasn't captivated by the first half of the book. It definitely picks up in the second half, and I did quite like the amateur sleuthing skills of all the sisters. I think there could have been more emphasis on certain relationships, but the mystery was super fun.

I very much enjoy Stacey Lee novels and this one was no exception! She takes us to 1930's SoCal with some well-developed characters, alternating between the voices of sisters Gemma and Mae Chow. This historical fiction mystery kept me guessing and I did NOT guess the culprit until they were revealed. Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for providing me with this ARC.

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

This book is 3.5 stars rounded up for me. I did struggle to get through the first half of the book. I feel like the mystery and sleuthing didn't really kick in until I was about one-third of the way through, and then things really kicked into gear at about 50%. From there things felt so rushed. The setting is so interesting. The book takes place in 1930s Chinatown in Southern California, and we get a chance to learn about the discrimination faced by Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans. This aspect of the story is so interesting. However, I struggled to find Gemma and May compelling characters at times. I thought Gemma's relationship with Freddie Winter was interesting, and I wish it could have been explored more. I also felt the reveal of the murderer fell a bit flat.

When things ramped up though, and we see May immersed in Hollywood and clues start appearing, it got so much more interesting. It was just such a slow start for me. I would recommend this to someone who really enjoys historical fiction since that is mostly was it reads as. I expected it to lean more into the mystery/crime solving aspect and I think that's where I was a bit let down.

Sisters May and Gemma Chow are working hard to keep their family afloat while their father is away being treated for tuberculosis. When they discover the body of Lulu Wong, a former classmate and rising Hollywood star on the outskirts of Chinatown, they set out to solve the mystery of her death.

I'm always on the lookout for historical fiction that centers the experience of people who were marginalized during the era of the setting, because to see history through their eyes is usually completely different from the mainstream experience. And that this book has a murder mystery is only the cherry on top!

The narrators of this book are the reserved May and adventurous Gemma, who live in Depression-era Los Angeles. I enjoyed getting to know the sisters and their family and friends in Chinatown. Though the sisters have contrasting personalities, they work together well as a team and I enjoyed their banter and their love for each other. I also loved how heavily the author incorporated the historical setting, and learned a lot about what daily life was life for Chinese families in this time and place.

However, I did think the mystery moved at a rather sluggish pace. The sisters hit dead end after dead end on their search for the truth, and things got a little dull as the focus drifted from the mystery to their other troubles. It was a little disappointing after all their efforts for the solution to come into reach only by a deus ex machina-esque intervention from minor characters. I also wish the author had chosen to either put more focus on the romances or to tone it down, because at the level was present in the story I  couldn't get properly invested in it or brush it aside.

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes a YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles's Chinatown.

LOS ANGELES, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically everyone, especially the Chow sisters - May, Gemma, and Peony - Lulu's former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it's Lulu when they discover a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived after her fame skyrocketed.

The sisters suspect Lulu's death is the result of foul play, but the police don't seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to a cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.

Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly - no matter her fame and wealth - the sisters set out to solve their friend's murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu's killer still on the loose, the girls' investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded murderer."

Old Hollywood glamor meets a killer! Oh, I can't wait!

Stacey Lee is a master when it comes to writing characters and historical time periods. I love how she expertly weaves together a murder mystery plot set in 1930s Hollywood with the racial and cultural tensions of the era. Learning more about the Chinatown community and what they experienced is eye-opening. I love when historical novels shed light on events and cultures that are often skipped over in history class.

In addition, Stacey always writes unique characters with such memorable personalities. It’s almost as if she plucks them straight out of history. The dual point of view chapters of the two sisters truly help capture what it must have been like to grow up Chinese in part of the country during this era. Paired with the setting details of old Hollywood and the Chinatown community, Stacey Lee's writing prowess shines through this book.

The murder mystery itself was a fun element, but it often felt more like a backdrop than actual plot. Sure, it pushes the characters into motion, guiding their steps. But I was much more interested in finding out how May and Wallace’s relationship would develop or what would happen to Chinatown than to learn who killed Lulu Wong. It was obvious her death was tangled up in shady business, but there were too many characters and events happening throughout the novel to keep track of all the details and piece together who the murderer was.

Kill Her Twice is a brilliant, historical story about family, love, culture, and the greed of power.

I really wanted to love this book. On paper, it’s everything I want in YA historical fiction. Crime solving sisters! 1930s Hollywood! And my misgivings aside (which I detail below), this book does have heart and I would confidently put it in the hands of a teenager to read.

However, there’s just too many characters to keep track of. It was difficult to get swept up by the story because I was constantly trying to remember who was who and how people were connected. I felt like the big reveal came out of nowhere. I didn’t feel a sense of betrayal, or really anything at all because the characters largely felt flat. I did care about Gemma and May, but even their characters could have been fleshed out more. I would say May was my favorite, and I enjoyed her relationship with a certain someone.

I do give this three stars though because while the writing style wasn’t for me, I did learn a lot about Los Angeles’ Chinatown in the 1930s. That part of the book was done well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1930s Hollywood Noir perfectly describes this novel. It touches on all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and also the seedy underbelly of the way stars under contract were treated. As outsiders, Gemma and May don’t have a foot in the door until they both channel their inner Lulu Wong. May and Gemma are opposites who come at the investigation in different ways but hoping to achieve the same outcome. Stacy Lee is the queen of YA historical fiction. Her focus on telling the stories of marginalized voices is second to none. The Downstairs Girl and Luck of the Titanic are as masterfully written as Kill Her Twice.

This was an absolutely spectacular Y.A. mystery novel! I enjoyed it immensely, from the characters to the atmosphere to the plot twists. Very well done and I will be recommending it highly!

Stacey Lee’s writing is a warm hug. She never fails to draw me into a story with her relatable characters, familial warmth, and vivid descriptions. Her stories transport the reader into a different time period, showcasing a specific story of how life was for Chinese families during that time. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

For those who love:
🌹 Historical Fiction
🌹 Dual POV
🌹 Sisters
🌹 Old Hollywood
🌹 Murder Mystery

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee in exchange for my honest review on NetGalley. Kill Her Twice is a noir mystery set in 1930s Los Angeles’s Chinatown. The setting feels like another character in the book with a soul. I really felt the author wrote Chinatown so beautifully, although the community is definitely feeling the Great Depression.

The story revolves around two sisters, May and Gemma, They run the family business while their father is away. One day they discover their old friend, Lulu, murdered in the horse stables. They have no choice but to investigate since the police are not.

This book was a little confusing with some of the 1930s slang used, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Sadly this ended up being a DNF. Since this was an ARC I had hopped to push through but decided not to as o could not get into it. I loved Downstairs Girl but Lee’s other works have not hit for me. The way the book is promoted, I thought we were getting a noir mystery with lavish old Hollywood mysteries. Not to complain too much because I did like seeing Chinatown in 1930s LA, but I was hoping just for something else. The characters were all fine, but nothing so catching. Sadly I was bored once again. A younger audience with a special interest in this time period in Hollywood may be best suited for this book.

What I liked: Solving the murder of a controversial young starlet in 1930s Los Angeles, with glimpses at Chinatown politics, crime, and racism.
What I disliked: The story repeatedly describes the main characters driving the old delivery truck around town, and is not as well written when compared to the author’s earlier books “The Downstairs Girl” and “Luck of the Titanic”.

It took me a long time to get into this book and a long time to read it. I just didn’t really care that much about the plot. I did like the balance of the introduction of the characters with the murder mystery with the history of the time. I feel like all three of those roads were walked very evenly. I just wish I had cared a little bit more and that maybe it had been a bit shorter? It felt like a lot of stuff was reiterated multiple times.

DNF @25%

Well, this was disappointing.

While I highly anticipated this and was overjoyed that I got an arc from the publisher, this just... let me down. It felt like a race through mud, and while it was nicely written at some points, at others it felt very SHOW, not TELL. To add to that, the characters were very pale. May and Gemma were simply words on a screen, not fleshed out people to me. And as another reviewer mentioned, I often forgot that the third sister even existed.

Also, maybe this was because this was an ARC or because of formatting issues with my Kindle, the amount of grammatical and formatting issues in this book was ASTOUNDING to me.

Bottom line: an interesting premise, poorly executed.

2/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Kill Her Twice! I really enjoyed this read. I did find the pacing to be a bit slow at the beginning, but once things started picking up, it became a thrilling read. The novel’s heart definitely lies with its heroines, May and Gemma, and their fight to save their community. I felt that the dual POV worked really well, and I loved getting to know these characters and walk alongside them. I also felt that the mystery was, for the most part, well-crafted. There were some extraneous elements (red herrings?) that didn’t really lead anywhere, but seeing how everything fell into place was very satisfying as an enjoyer of murder mysteries. Overall, I found this to be an exciting read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the time period, the cultural history, or a good murder mystery!

Stacey Lee always writes the most beautiful, compelling, and relatable stories for Chinese-American girlies like me :,)

I absolutely loved this book. I love reading about the 1930s in historical fiction!! And Gemma and May are such interesting characters (and sisters), I loved the dual POV in this book!

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I was fully convinced that this was going to be a five star book. I was right.
First, let’s talk about the characters.
“Act like you have power, and you just might get it.”
-Lulu
May and Gemma’s main goal in this book was to find justice for Lulu, so I figured I should talk about her. Of course, we don’t actually get to see her because she’s dead, but from what I learned about her from May’s memories, I really liked her. Lulu was such an inspirational, courageous woman. I think we can all learn a lot from her character and her ambition. She didn’t deserve the end she got.
Now, moving on to the two main characters of this book, May and Gemma. I liked both of them a lot, each for different reasons.
“Life gave us plenty of opportunities to be afraid, and an equal number of chances to punch those fears in the nose.”
-Gemma
Gemma was really something. She was a very driven, brave (but at times, stupid) woman with very big ideas. She could not be silenced and she refused to let the killer get away. She was prepared to do whatever it took to fight the injustice. That’s what I liked about her. Sure, she was stubborn and sometimes made stupid mistakes, but she had a goal and she fought to accomplish it. She wasn’t just going to sit still and do nothing while someone from her town was killed, which is why I admired her. My only complaint about her character was that she talked/thought a lot about her sister being really pretty and kind of reducing her to her looks. Of course, she knew that her sister was more than that. She probably didn’t actually mean anything by it, but it just annoyed me a little.
“How many petals can a flower lose before it stops being a flower? Before everything withers away and only the memory remains?”
-May
May was definitely very different from Gemma, but I found that she was the one I related to. While I may have admired Gemma for her boldness, I understood May. As the oldest daughter who is expected to the more responsible, sensible sister, I understood her point of view. She had more pressure on her, pressure from her family and pressure from her community, in a sense, to be a certain type of way. She cared more about other people’s judgement because she had to. Despite that, however, she also knew she had to help Lulu. And so she did. While Gemma is an example of those who are born as spirited people, May is an example of those who are not as bold, but still have just as much potential to be brave and make an impact on society.
Gemma and May might’ve been very different each other, but both were great characters.
Now, about the actual murder.
I could not guess how Lulu was killed, or who the killer was. I thought I would figure it out, but I couldn’t, so I ended up following their investigation and only realizing the truth when the characters did. The author wrote the way it all came together very well. The truth was definitely shocking, but it made a lot of sense.
Lastly, about the ending. I still have some questions, and I’m not fully satisfied, but overall, I’m pretty happy with how it ended. It was a pretty nice way to tie it all together.
Overall, this book was really interesting and I think the author did a really great job in writing it. Without a doubt, 5 stars.