I have been a fan of Lee’s other books so I was excited to get an early copy of this.

For me this book was just ok. The other works I have read by this author are stronger. I think the dual POVs just didn’t really work for me. And honestly even I had a hard time getting into the story and believing that a couple of girls could uncover a murderer the way they did. If I were to get rid of a storyline it would probably be Gemma’s I’m not certain why we got this romantic build up with Freddie the doctor if they were just never going to talk again.

Also the whole mystery surrounding her dad was weird like why even include him really if he’s missing and getting better in a rehab center which I’m still confused about how they paid for.

May’s arc is more interesting. The dutiful daughter who wants to find justice for her friend who finally follows her dreams of acting and also decides to give love a chance. That works.

Also the storyline with the homeless man and his daughter really didn’t add anything to the plot.

Anyway, the book has its moments but the pacing is off and slow.

Set in LA's Chinatown in 1932, this story is about the murder of silver screen star Lulu Wong. But her body is found in a stable far away from her residence in Beverly Hills. Was it foul play?

This historical fiction mystery was captivating and suspenseful. I also felt the author did a great job of explaining Chinese culture, which was very educational. The character development throughout the book was excellent and didn't stall. I felt the story was easy to follow and kept my interest throughout the entire read. This book was an excellent rich story that didn't disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchanged for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

If you’ve read Stacey Lee before and/or if you like YA historical fiction with a mystery thrown in, I definitely recommend. Lee does a great job showing us a side of history often underrepresented or forgotten. Told in the dual POV of sisters Gemma and May, I loved their distinct voices and personalities as they investigated the murder of their friend, Lulu, and navigated being Chinese in Los Angeles in 1932.

3.5 stars I have enjoyed all of Stacey Lee's books and was really looking forward to reading this one but my expectations fell somewhat short. The premise is great- a murder mystery in LA's Chinatown during the Depression that two young sisters need to solve since it was their friend that was murdered. I felt the story dragged at times and I would put the story down and not get back to it for several days. At the end the murder was solved pretty abruptly but I won't say more because I don't want to leave any spoilers.

I do plan on ordering this for my high school library because mysteries are popular and Stacey Lee shares a lot about the culture of Chinatown and its citizens during this time period.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

TWS: Racism, murder, sexism, violence

Book provided by Penguin Teen (thanks!)

Los Angeles, 1928 Chinatown. Gemma and May Chow are content to help their mom run their flower business amid threats of jail and violence. That’s kind of the norm. Until they find out their classmate, Lulu Wong, has been murdered, and they take it upon themselves to find out whodunit.

There’s a lot to like about this book. The world of 1928 Hollywood is definitely lush and glamorous, which makes it interesting to read about. I also liked the characters and how they interacted with each other felt authentic. However, the writing was a bit slow for a book that’s marketed as a thriller type. Out now!!

I really enjoyed this mystery novel. This was a YA mystery but it really didn’t seem that way. I felt like the characters were more mature than in a usual YA novel so it really caught my attention. I enjoyed the story and I was surprised to find out it was based on a real person. It definitely kept me engaged.

Stacey Lee is an incredible and prolific author who has written another incredible book! This one is a murder mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

Kill Her Twice is not only a murder mystery, it’s a story about social injustice and the little known history of Asian Americans in 1930s Los Angeles. As the three sister main characters work to prevent the destruction of their neighborhood, they also deal with family troubles and the economic crisis of the Great Depression. There are funny parts and sad parts. The author does a great job getting the reader to feel the emotions of the characters.

I recommend this book for upper grades because of the violence and social nuances.

I received an advance reader copy for free, but all opinions are my own.

From the cover, which is a glamourous shot of the beautiful actress Lulu Wong and drew me right in, to the spunk and creativity and daring that May, Gemma, and a bit Peony, to solve the mystery of Lulu's horrible murder in Hollywood, this was a solid fun story to read. Yes, it was fiction, but it felt nicely real, especially with the hardships Gemma and May and their family were going through in these tumultuous times when Chinese people were looked down on and the places they lived in Chinatown were threatened to be torn down for a railway station. All that made me admire May and Gemma even more because they refused to give up, trying to find the murderer and keep their family and flower business together, making enough to keep a roof over their heads. They faced prejudice, for their race, and also gender which caused conflicts, but it was nicely balanced by good people who also wanted justice for Lulu. The looks into making movies of that time were interesting too. It was a nice and fun book to read!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend it.

This was a fantastic mystery set in 1930s Los Angeles! Gemma & May Chow make the grisly discover of the body of their former friend, Lulu Wong, who has left Chinatown and is a rising Hollywood star. Local police are just looking for someone to pin the murder on, not actually investigating. The sisters take it upon themselves to track down what actually happened to Lulu and who could have done this to her. There are quite a few twists and turns and red herrings in the case. It is a little slow at the start, but definitely worth sticking with as the murder investigation picks up. Highly recommended for grades 9 & up.

Sending a huge thank you to PenguinTeen for this stunning copy of Stacey Lee's latest book! This was a 5 star read for me. It was so deftly plotted, with a twisty path of clues and an endless list of suspects. Our amateur sleuths, the Chow sisters, took matters into their own hands when their famous friend, Lulu Wong, was murdered in Chinatown and the police tried to pin it on a convenient Chinese scapegoat. This book had excellent pacing, as the sisters interviewed suspects, sought out physical evidence, and debriefed with each other while ironing clothes or hiding from their mother in their sewing room.

I loved the Chow sisters' distinct personalities: May, the dutiful eldest daughter with a passion for acting; Gemma, the firecracker middle child who jumps in headfirst and asks questions later; and Peony, the mystery-enthusiast who's always fighting to be included in the elder sisters' investigation. Though new to detective work, they were a true team who played off of each others' strengths and often split up to cover more ground. I was so emotionally connected to this family, from their playful teasing of each other to their interactions with their (mostly) supportive parents.

As a former resident of Los Angeles, I really enjoyed the 1930's historical setting and how the plot revolved around the real-life demolition of Old Chinatown. Lee loosely based the character of Lulu Wong on Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star. Even though her death kickstarted the events of the story, Lulu still felt larger than life. It was frequently emphasized that she was the pride of Chinatown—someone who worked her way into an industry that was openly hostile to Asian Americans and would employ them as extras, at most. While the mystery elements of the story were what made this book a favorite, the historical aspects added an additional layer of meaning for me during Asian American Heritage Month.

Add another one to the list of "horrible racial history we don't talk about." In 1932, the city of Los Angeles began the destruction of what is today known as Old Chinatown, to make way for a new train station. If you think that race wasn't a factor in this, there are some excellent history books about the way the Chinese were treated in America that will make you incandescent with rage. Stacey Lee, a champion of reminding us that US history isn't solely white, uses this as the backdrop for her latest novel, about the murder of a Chinese-American movie star and two sisters' attempt to solve it when some very influential men would rather they didn't.

As always, Lee's research is impeccable; you can see and feel the book's location. The mystery is well-crafted, making use of a large cast of characters who all might be suspects...or might be friends, depending on how you view their actions. Sisters May and Gemma, with occasional help from their younger sister Peony, discover the body of their friend Lulu in an abandoned stable in Chinatown, and they quickly realize that even though Lulu was a rising Hollywood star, her ethnicity matters more, and that means that the police are less than enthused about finding her killer. The book is narrated by both girls in turn, and that's the only weak point; their voices aren't easily distinguished, requiring flipping back to the start of a chapter to see whose perspective we're in.

But that's a small price to pay for a story that does its best to make a point, provide a hopeful note, and give us a solid murder mystery. My favorite Lee book may still be The Downstairs Girl, but this one is pretty great too.

This was just okay. I just wanted more. I wanted more depth in the atmosphere, I didn’t get the Hollywood noir vibes I was hoping for. The sisters themselves were well written but I couldn’t seem to connect with them. The one bright spot was the mystery was fun to follow and kept me interested. Overall an average book, but it was a quick, easy read.

A YA historical fiction murder mystery by @staceyleeauthor that kept me riveted throughout.
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Hollywood, 1932. Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen with roots in Chinatown, grew up with the Chow sisters—May and Gemma. When they find her body in the stables one morning, they know it’s murder. The police aren’t convinced since the victim is a Chinese actress so the girls decide to take the case into their own hands. The more they investigate, however, the closer they seem to get to the killer who doesn’t want them digging.
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I love that Lee can take important issues set in our nation’s past and make them interesting stories that keep me engaged. I find that’s my struggle with the genre of historical fiction. A lot of times it feels like fact dumping, but this book has me turning pages quickly. It’s my favorite of hers so far!

CW: death, murder, illness, racism, hate crime, misogyny, gun violence, injury, blood, smoking, grief, pregnancy, sexism, xenophobia, cultural appropriation

4.25 pacing seemed slow in some places

“‘You think keeping us safe means walking inside the lines. But I have news for you. The lines aren’t keeping us safe. They're keeping us locked up.’”


Kill Her Twice is a murder mystery set in Los Angeles circa 1930s. It’s not a book you pick up just for the mystery, but it has a unique offering of mystery, Chinese culture and their struggles in America, family dynamics, and an Old Time Hollywood setting.

These things converge in an enjoyable, albeit a little slow, read that gives a lot of avenues for discussion.



The basic premise is this:

A rising Hollywood star, Lulu Wong, is found dead in the horse stables of Chinatown. Cause of death is unknown but many signs point to murder.

“Lulu had been the pride of Chinatown. And now she was its deepest sorrow.”

Chinatown is on the verge of being dozed for a new rail station and this kind of publicity is sure to turn the tides further out of their favor.

“A whole world of sights, smells, and sounds would vanish, and who would miss us? No one. They’d just be glad to see us go.”

Sisters May and Gemma, afraid the police won’t do the work to find the truth because of social perception of Chinese Americans, decide to take the investigation into their own hands to find justice for their friend and clear Chinatown of this stain on their name.

“Lulu’s wealth and fame would give the investigation a push. But for how long and how far? In the end, she was just a dead Chinese woman, without even a father to speak for her. Would she matter enough?”



A big part of the story is the family dynamics of the Wong family. The story is told in alternating POVs of May (the oldest sister) and Gemma (the middle sister), but there is also a third sister, Peony, and another baby on the way.

The sisters’ bond reminded me a little bit of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. They still have both parents but because their dad is at a sanatorium, the home is currently a one-parent home, causing the sisters to be bonded in a close way and to be picking up extra responsibilities for their family and taking care of their mom.

There is a decent amount of character development with May and Gemma. They both have the stereotypical personalities of a first born and a middle child. May is the responsible, sensible, rule-follower and people-pleaser. Gemma is the outspoken, bold do-what-you-gotta-do-even-if-it-breaks-some-rules action-taker: “Life gave us plenty of opportunities to be afraid, and an equal number of chances to punch those fears in the nose.”

“If the family was a dragon, Ba was the head, providing direction; Ma, the body, connecting all the parts; and May, the wings, helping us fly the course. I was the tail. Though the wings thought they were in control, it was really the tail that steered. The tail was also capable of striking on its own.”

In their attempt to find Lulu’s killer they need both personalities to navigate this dangerous unknown territory, still occupied by the killer. But they also learn from their mistakes and channel the other sister’s tendencies at various times to pursue justice.

I liked the family bond and that even though their dad was away, he was still leading their family and his family still loved and respected him, wanting to honor him and help take care of their family.



If you’re wondering why the title is ‘Kill Her Twice’ here is a quote from the book:

“It was bad enough that someone had killed her… A second death would come in the form of scandal, her twisted body held up for viewing like some circus sideshow, her fame recast as a cautionary tale. They would kill her twice.”

Another theme in the book is the exploration of the perception of the Chinese people during this time in the United States, particularly LA and Chinatown and Hollywood.

Her second death was the perpetuation of the negativity surrounding Chinese Americans and prejudice against their culture.

In the 1840s, the Chinese immigrants came to the US— the first Asian immigrants. They took on a lot of labor jobs, including helping build the transcontinental railroad. Perception of them in America turned negative and many laws were created out of that prejudice making life in America more challenging for them.

The 1930s was actually a turning point for the Chinese in a lot of areas of the US as they made considerable effort to become more involved in politics and wanting to vote and pushing for change.

Lee says Lulu’s character is loosely inspired by Anna Mae Wong (1905-1961): “considered the first Chinese American Hollywood movie star, whose career, spanning forty years in silent film, talkies, radio, stage, and television, had been largely unrecognized until recently.”

We know the influence Hollywood has on shaping cultural perception of any number of topics, ideas, and people for better or worse. Their portrayal of Chinese Americans in the 30s was usually negative. They were the villains, the cheats, the thieves, and Hollywood played up the Chinese stereotypes. Often white people played Asian characters and taped their eyes to be slanted. This portrayal is mentioned in Kill Her Twice.

Lulu’s fame came on the villainous roles she took, but what might have played into her murder was her newest film in which she would be the heroine and pushed for scenes and dialogue that was generally outlawed.

Just as Hollywood can shape perception negatively, it can shift and shine a positive light and Lulu was striking out, trying to show America the values, principles, and skills of the Chinese people from the stage.



I learned a lot about the Chinese culture and about the struggles they faced during that time period. It is not something I have read much about so I enjoyed the insights into that.


I will say that this story took place during the Great Depression, but I didn’t really get any sense of that while reading. There was some talk of needing to make money, but it was very different vibe than what I’ve read with other Great Depression era stories.

I don’t know enough about the Great Depression to know if Hollywood was hit differently than other parts of the country.

It seems weird that people were still able to buy flowers during this time or host big parties— even for the wealthy. Weren’t they experiencing financial strain as well?

I’m also not sure how the Wong family was able to afford to send their dad to a sanatorium for so long! I don’t know how those things work or what it costs, but it seems like a big expense and not one that would be waived for Chinese people at that time.

I suppose Lee was more trying to focus on the Chinese American struggle rather than the Great Depression struggle, but it would have been interesting to see more interaction between both with that of the Chinese community and the Hollywood elite.



I have not read any other Stacey Lee books, but I would look into them after reading this one. It was written more for YA, which was fine because that meant it was a cleaner read.

I thought it was a bit too slow-going. It seemed like it took forever to develop clues and lines of investigating. We didn’t really make much significant progress until about the last 20% of the book and then all of a sudden things came together and it was solved pretty abruptly.

I didn’t guess who the killer was because Lee did a good job of creating suspicious characters and red herrings along the way. However, the downside of that is that it didn’t really feel like a case that the reader really could have figured out very early because we got so few clues and even the ones we did get we weren’t sure of their significance.

I think it would have been better with a more aggressive handling of the investigation throughout the story. But that’s me who tends to read stories more for the thrills and mysteries than the other aspects.



Because of the abrupt ending and quick wrap-up, I feel like there were several things that didn’t really get resolved!

Like: what about the script-stealing and the ‘You’re next!’ that was written on May’s script? Did we ever really find out who did those things and why?

Or Lulu’s Cadillac? We know who got ownership of it, but it seemed a bit shady and we never really found out if that was proper or not.

And then several reviewers have lamented the lack of romantic resolution at the end as well. I can see their disappointment. The romance areas of the book fleshed out the character development a little bit and provided new avenues to take the plot, but it felt like that thread of story fizzled out a bit by the end and didn’t give us much to go on.



Recommendation:

If you only like to read stories for the mystery or the thrill of it, this book may be a little disappointing or slow for you.

But if you enjoy the historical fiction aspect of the book and diving into new cultures, the combination of themes provided in this book is a nice mix for a reader who doesn’t need constant action.

There were a few things I would change with the pacing and the ending, but overall I enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading more from Stacey Lee.


[Content Advisory: no swearing or sexual content]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

The novel excels in creating an atmospheric depiction of 1930s Los Angeles, highlighting the tension between the burgeoning film industry and the marginalized communities. The Chow sisters' determination to seek justice for Lulu, despite the significant risks, is portrayed with nuance and emotional depth. Each sister brings her unique strengths to the investigation, making their dynamics engaging and relatable.

This is a new author for me, but she has four previous books out, one of them a New York Times bestseller, so I gave it a shot. It’s a Young Adult novel, and also a murder mystery, and also a historical -- a combination of genres that can be difficult to pull off. I’ve lived all up and down California in my earlier life, and I’m also a history major, and I read a lot of mystery yarns, so I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work well, at least not for me.

The Chow sisters, May, Gemma, and Peony, together with their very pregnant mother, are struggling had to get by in their small walk-up apartment. Their father has gone off to a sanitarium in the desert with tuberculosis, and the two older sisters have quit school to try to help bring in some money by selling flowers, but they’re not succeeding very well. Mom is very much “old country” in her attitudes, which also makes things even more difficult for her daughters -- especially May, for whom a young, respectable suitor is being lined up -- a newly graduated entomologist, so at least he will be able to support her. And May sighs dutifully.

The sister are former classmates and neighbors in Chinatown of Lulu Wong, newly famous movie star and the pride of the city’s Chinese population, and the sisters discover Lulu’s body one morning in an out of the way stable a long way from her fancy new home in Beverly Hills. It’s clearly a murder, but the police just shrug it off. The victim is only Chinese, after all, regardless of her fame. In addition to that, the powerful Anglos who control the LA city council are planning to tear down all of Chinatown and build the new Union Station in its place -- they want to “clean up” the non-white areas of the city -- and they’re now presenting the killing to the public as further evidence of what a vicious and barbaric bunch the Chinese are. (All of that is historically accurate, of course.) So the sisters decide they will have to solve the murder themselves, and off they go.

So that’s the setup, . . . but I had to struggle to get that far, only a quarter of the way into the narrative. The author has a tendency to overwrite, very dramatically, in describing out all the nasty ways Asians were treated only a couple of generations ago. Yes, widespread racism and injustice was very much the case in California then, and yes, it ll needs to be talked about, especially for the benefit of younger readers, who will tend to see the 1930s as ancient history. But Lee could have been a lot more subtle about it and not not made -- and re-made -- her points so very hard. She also does things like calling the girls by both their English and their Mandarin names, switching from to the other depending on who’s speaking, which I found very confusing in the earlier chapters. I put the book aside for a while, thinking I’d come back to it after a few weeks of reading something else -- sometimes yo just have to be in the right frame of mind for a particular book -- but that really didn’t help. So I finally gave it up. I did it regretfully because It has now been published and a number of strongly positive reviews have appeared, so maybe it’s just me. Too bad, but it happens.

**Thank you so much Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group and Stacey Lee for the arc! All words and thoughts in this review are my own honest opinion!**
Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The Storygraph
Posted on: 11 May 2024

3.4 (rounded down to 3) out of 5 stars.

Kind of struggling to write this review because I’m still on the fence of how I feel about this. I loved the theme, the plot, and the setting so so so much. The writing was a little lacking in some areas for me though. I didn’t feel as drawn towards the characters throughout the whole time I read, just during some scenes/parts. I think that if there was a little more depth to them, I’d have found ways to love them each a little more? They were just.. flat, with very redeeming qualities! Each of them, especially how May has her bits of growth or Gemma too! I also feel like Peony was kind of cast out too much? There was a bit of a struggle, it seemed, in deciding how important the little sister’s role would be in this too- or that’s what I felt anyways as I read.
What I liked was their cunning though. The sisters are given chances to grow, to see how they sway with the way the world is changing around them. There’s a certain kind of heart to be found in reading along, waiting to see how the mystery unfolds and just what might happen to our protagonists. I feel like that was the redeeming factor for me? Just the desire to see how the Chow Sisters will move next, how they’ll decide what’s best to do when it feels like things are wholly against them.

All of this back and forth to say that it was still an enjoyable read! I absolutely loved the era we are thrown in to, the challenges that the characters are battling, and the things they do for justice. In the heart of it all, it’s about friendship, it’s about family, and it’s about three sister clouds fighting against the perils thrown their way so they can stay together.

The murder of rising star Lulu Wong breaks hearts in Chinatown, but the rest of the world seems content to blame it on the wrong man. The Chow sisters, Gemma and May are determined to get justice for Lulu and try to save Chinatown from the railroad takeover. But can two Chinese girls really make a difference?
I liked the mystery of this book and the time period. It shed light on a prejudice against Asian Americans that I was not overly familiar with. The Chinese people being forced out of Chinatown by the railroad did not even have the right to vote. The sisters are very resourceful and though they have unique personalities, it was sometimes hard to remember which POV the chapter was from without looking back. I would recommend this book to teens with an interest in mystery and historical fiction.