Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee is a young adult historical fiction mystery set in the 1930s Hollywood era. This also coincides with the demolition of Los Angeles Chinatown to make way for a union station.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this and found much of the historical information interesting. The main characters were sisters and I found their banter and personalities to be a plus of the novel.

"Kill Her Twice" by Stacey Lee offers a captivating blend of mystery, intrigue, and historical fiction set against the backdrop of 1930s Los Angeles. The author masterfully weaves together elements of fame, friendship, and societal tensions, creating a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The Chow sisters' determination to seek justice for their friend Lulu while navigating the complexities of Chinatown and the broader cityscape adds depth and richness to the story. Lee's vivid descriptions and meticulous attention to detail immerse readers in the sights and sounds of the era, making for a truly immersive reading experience. While the pacing may lag slightly at times, the payoff is well worth it as the plot twists and turns towards a satisfying conclusion. Overall, "Kill Her Twice" is a gripping mystery that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and detective novels alike.

An interesting portrayal of the golden age of Hollywood and its orientalism. A Chinese actress lulu wong breaking barriers and bringing her people with her is discovered murdered in her hometown of Chinatown.
Two Chinese sisters that grew up with lulu are determined to solve the mystery of her death since the police can’t seem to be bothered.
With so many suspects and so little time will they find the killer before the killer finds them?

What I love most about Stacey Lee’s books is the way she incorporates Chinese American history. Set in 1930s Los Angeles, Kill Her Twice transports readers to a vibrant Chinatown on the brink of change, with the proposed construction of Union Station essentially demolishing the close-knit community.

At the heart of the story are the Chow sisters, May and Gemma, who find their childhood friend turned actress, Lulu Wong, murdered in a horse stable. Their strong bond and determination drive the narrative forward as they search for the killer. Faced with corruption and prejudice, they challenge society’s expectations and risk their own lives in the process.

With Kill Her Twice, Stacey Lee has written an intriguing young adult historical mystery filled with suspense, romance, and social commentary. Add in strong character development and you’ve got a combination that will keep you hooked until the very end.

I love a good historical fiction read, this one did not disappoint. We have sisters trying to solve the case of Lulu Wong, who is a famous actress who they grew up with. In the process they are trying to help run the family business because their dad is away, their mom is pregnant, and then they get tangled up in the biggest mess ever!!! It was a wild ride, May Gemma and Peony are amazing!

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons for Young Readers and NetGalley, for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm a sucker for a good historical fiction novel and this one didn't disappoint. Plus it combined another favorite genre of mine: mystery/thriller. Add in great writing, multiple POV, and interesting characters and it had so many elements that I enjoy!

We're following Gemma, May, and Peony, as they try to figure out who killed their former friend Lulu Wong, a famous movie star who was murdered and left in a random stable. The police seem reluctant to expend energy into the case and thus show that Chinatown would be better off being turned into a train station, so they take matters into their own hands and try to solve the case -- and save their neighborhood.

I thought the ending was interesting, though some of the twists were a bit predictable. I enjoy Lee's writing style and the characters that she brings to life. I liked the family dynamic she portrayed and was rooting for the Chow sisters.

If you like historical fiction or mystery books, check this one out!

I gave this one 3.5 stars.

Happy publication day to Kill Her Twice!
Stacey Lee is a reliable voice in the YA historical fiction world and this is one of my favorites from her. It's faster paced than her usual writing style with two first person POVs set in 1930's LA Chinatown. The murder of Hollywood's star, Lulu Wong is the driving force in this novel. Sisters May, Gemma, and Peony decide to solve the mystery since no one else cares enough about the death of the controversial Chinese actress to find the real culprit. There are many twists and turns, some romance, and family duty vs. personal ambitions.
Even though this is a historical fiction, it will strongly appeal to mystery and thriller fans thanks to the traditional murder mystery story at the center. Readers will enjoy learning more about the historical time period but it's more of a backdrop to the action rather than the centering aspect of the novel. A fun book that lightly explores racism, sexism, and corruption without being heavy handed.

After reading this book, I really want to be one of the clouds, inside the house looking out. I just fell so in love with these sisters. They made me laugh and cry and shake my head at their antics. They were just so unique and fun and totally unexpected. I wasn't sure what this book was going to shape up to be - young adult, noir, family drama, old Hollywood, mystery, thriller, romance or suspense - but it's actually a wonderfully blended combination of all of it. I don't know if there are more adventures in store for these intrepid girls, but I certainly hope so. I didn't want to leave this world once the book was over. There just has to be more to come in the lives of these beautiful flowers.

This was a fun murder mystery that also deals with the heavy themes of misogyny and racism. I found the story to be both propulsive and entertaining. So many seedy suspects to choose from, I did not guess the k*ller.

The Chow sisters were delightful. As the oldest daughter, May was the steady, sensible sister, wanting to find the murderer of her dear friend Lulu, yet always cautious in the approach. Middle sister Gemma was vivacious and impulsive, always taking risks, and coming up with answers.

Chinatown was also a major character in the story. With a heartbeat of its own, full of colorful characters, and a strong sense of community, I was rooting for its survival.

I believe this book is being called YA, but I didn’t find that out until after I read it and wouldn’t call it YA at all. This was a great historical fiction mystery with fascinating characters and the moodiness of an old Hollywood crime noir. Very entertaining. I would recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinteen for this gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really compelling read and I liked it a lot. There are a lot of things, though, that stop me from giving it a full 5 stars, and until now I'm not sure if they're objective critiques or matters of personal preference. For example, I found May and Gemma great narrators, but there were moments when their voices were really hard to distinguish from each other which made me second think whose POV I was reading. The dialogue is a wonderful reflection of the time period, but it made younger characters sound older than they actually were. But overall, an enjoyable book. I'd definitely recommend, and maybe I'll even go back on my rating after I decide how I feel about it entirely.

Thank you to Netgalley for Providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

This is the first story I've read by Stacy Lee despite knowing about her work for several years now and WOW what a story to start with. I've always enjoyed a murder mystery so to read one that was centered around Los Angeles in the 1930's was really fun to read. I especially enjoyed the sisters because I felt like May and Gemma are like my sister and I. (It works too because my sister is also older than me, as May is, and I'm a little menace like Gemma is). May was constantly stressed about keeping the family afloat/together through their mother's pregnancy and their father's absence and Gemma was constantly making things harder for her! Gemma was also very clever and spontaneous though so I throughly enjoyed her. Gemma's banter with others was always great though. Her sarcasm was unmatched and the way her older sister would always hit her when she said something a little stupid or insulting was very on brand for how siblings act (in my opinion).

I also really enjoyed the small little romance aspect of this story. You could really tel from the get-go how much Wallace cared for May and was trying to play it off (and how May felt the same way but was ALSO pretending that she didn't like him). I loved their interactions together and thought they were so cute! I was glad that they ended on good terms.

What had surprised me was the small romance that sort of appeared between Gemma and Freddie. It was pretty unexpected, especially since I thought Freddie would have a one and done appearance when he bought flowers from the girls (and Gemma conned him into buying the most expensive flowers). I was also confused because Gemma was only 17 if I believe and Freddie was already a practicing doctor which meant he had to be at least 21? Maybe? I'm not sure how young doctors would be in the 1930's but I was very confused by how the author kept bringing them together. I do admit I thought they were cute and could potentially work out but it sounded like, by the end, that Gemma wouldn't forgive him for his role in Lulu's murder (even if it was unintentional). Gemma talked about the red string of fate in relation to her and Freddie twice, once when she was contemplating if he was meant to be in his life and then again when she found out what he'd done. So in my opinion, it doesn't sound like they ever end up together in some distant future.

I'm also really glad that May got to follow her dream of being an actor! I was worried that she wouldn't be able to, especially after the blowback from all the girls lies but everything worked out well in the end for the girls.

We're in LA in 1932 and Lulu Wong is the pride of Chinatown and a star on the screen. The Chow sisters, May, Gemma, and Peony, Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors stumble across her body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived. The suspect foul play, but Chinatown is being portrayed as a den of iniquity and crime and the police don't seem inclined to help.
Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly, the sisters decide to solve their friend's murder themselves. Maybe they can even save the neighborhood in the process. But with the killer still on the loose, the girls might find themselves in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded killer.
I enjoyed the premise of this mystery, I think it had great twists and turns. I also enjoyed the majority of the side characters and thought they were well developed and thought out. I think the pacing was a little slow, so it took me a while to really hit my stride in reading the story. There was a lot of emphasis on home life and work that didn't seem to overlap with the murder mystery that slowed things down and didn't really ever pay off in the story. But otherwise I think it's an easy, engaging read!

1932 California

I don't read a lot of YA, but Stacey Lee has become a must read author for me.

1930s California is brought to life through the Chow family. With the father in a rehabilitation center and a very pregnant mother, the two oldest daughters, May and Gemma, quit school to carry on with the family business flower sale business. When one of their own, Lulu Wong, makes it as a popular actress, Chinese Americans are proud of her even though they may look down a bit on actresses. After Lulu is murdered, May and Gemma, get fed up with the cops lackluster efforts and take solving the case into their own hands. Such a fun adventure to solve the mystery along with them. Tons of witty lines in the novel such as "...but I didn't have time to behave, with a murder to solve". Gemma is the risk taker of the two, but both dive into the case with both feet. An entertaining historical mystery novel with a dash of romance.

Great cover!

Stacey Lee has a sophisticated but accessible style of writing that will appeal to an audience beyond YA. Historical fiction, mystery noir, Kill Her Twice is a captivating story that's atmospheric and integrates Asian American historical elements organically. I'm always entertained and learning something new when I read Lee's books. Thumbs up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stacey Lee for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Kill Her Twice coming out April 23, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read another book by Stacey Lee, so I really enjoy her writing. I was excited to check out this book. I love old classic Hollywood and was really interested in learning more about 1930s Chinatown in California. I have Chinese heritage, so I love Asian books. I really liked this story, but I wished I loved it more. I think the 400 pages was a little too long for the murder mystery. It felt like instead of skipping all the busy work detectives go through, the story showed all of it. We watched the women hit every dead end lead. I think I would’ve enjoyed the story more if it was a little tighter and focused more on the murder mystery instead of the romance. I think things came together a little too quickly at the end.

In 1932 teenaged Gemma Chow, like many Los Angelenos, burns with a spirit of reinvention, but with her dad ill and her mother expecting, practical matters rule until Gemma, and her beautiful sister May, discover the discarded body of their childhood friend and rising film star, Lulu Wong. The sisters are determined to secure justice for Lulu and embark on a murder investigation full of old-time Hollywood glamour, anti-Chinese racism, and a little romance. Lee excels at creating lively, winning main characters and the sisters’ alternating chapters showcase irrepressible Gemma and practical May. A strong historical setting almost balances the far-fetched escapades. While colorful phrases and extended metaphors often land, wordiness occasionally overwhelms the story. Based on the real 1933 demolition of L.A.’s Chinatown and the career of Anna May Wong, this updated historical mystery will please fans of Lee’s previous work. Main characters are Chinese American. Most white characters read as two-dimensional. Includes California-specific content. Review based on an ARC. Thanks to G.P. Putnam and NetGalley for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an unbiased review.

Trigger/Content warnings for this book: Racism and alluding to homophobia

Tropes in Kill Her Twice:
-Beautiful starlet murdered
-Police & government corruption
-Arranged marriage
-Citizen investigation

Summary/Thanks:
In Los Angeles in 1932, Lulu Wong is enjoying her meteoric rise into movie stardom. She is the pride of her home of Chinatown, and still has friends there. When her friends and former classmates May and Gemma Chow find a body hidden in a stable in their neighborhood, they immediately know that it’s Lulu. But who would kill the darling of Hollywood, right when she was in the middle of filming a groundbreaking new movie? The Chow sisters are determined to find out who did this to Lulu, since the police seem to have no real desire to find the true killer. May and Gemma and their younger sister Peony find themselves surrounded by danger as their quest to find justice for Lulu brings them face-to-face with corrupt police and government officials who have their own agendas for how they think Lulu’s case should be “investigated.” Will the sisters be able to uncover the truth behind Lulu’s murder before the killer catches on to their investigation? Thank you to Stacey Lee, NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group & G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for an ARC of Kill Her Twice in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:
This book started out a little slow for me, but once I got into it, I could not put it down. I had to speed-read the last fifteen percent of the book because I was dying to know who the killer was! I had so many guesses and predictions while I was reading this book about who had actually killed Lulu, but none of them were correct. The last few twists in this book before the killer and their motives were revealed were like a roller coaster for me!

Stacey Lee wrote a beautiful story with Kill Her Twice. She really captures the essence of sisterhood with the relationship between the Chow sisters, and the heartbreak of losing touch with friends you were once close with. I loved the characters in this book – even the villains were brilliantly written and fleshed out. The quippy dialog between the sisters was really enjoyable to read as well. The sense of community that I got from reading this book was really powerful. This story is a heartbreaking and uplifting one – with so much uncertainty surrounding whether or not Chinatown is going to be demolished for a train station. But, you still get the feeling that this community is so strong and tied together that, even if their homes are destroyed and they must find new ones, they will still all exist as one community.

I didn’t expect the last two chapters to make me so emotional, but I was definitely a little teary-eyed reading Gemma and May’s last chapters. The epilogue really got me – there was such a beautiful sense of hope and positivity in that chapter, and you could really sense Gemma’s excitement for what was going to come next for their family. This book definitely had a happy ending that I was not expecting at some parts during this book, and I would recommend it for anyone who loves mysteries, historical fiction, or books set in the 1930s!

I really enjoyed Kill Her Twice! I didn’t realize this was a YA novel until I actually got into the book and I was a little bit skeptical about how much I would enjoy it knowing that, but I didn’t think that took away from the story at all. I think this will appeal to an adult audience, no question. Focusing on Chinatown in Los Angeles in the 1930s and the racism that Chinese people faced during that time was a great backdrop for this story and really helped to develop the conflicts and offered lots of opportunities to mistrust certain characters. I also loved the Hollywood angle, and the politics. This was just a really well written and well-rounded mystery. I was hooked until the end and I had absolutely no clue how it was going to work out. I would have liked a bit more story after the big reveal rather than basically heading straight into the epilogue, but the loose ends are tied up nicely. I’ll definitely recommend this book!

When their friend is murdered and the police won't help, even though she was a celebrity.....a Chinese celebrity in an LA known for their bias, these sisters will take on the task themselves. They can't just let her death go unavenged.

The back story and the well built community kept this mystery moving at a quick pace. The sisters Chow are three dimensional and have all the strengths and weaknesses found in any family. Their interactions as they work together to solve their friend's death make the story much stronger and definitely more enjoyable. And the solve......well, it's meant to be a surprise and it is!!

A noir mystery about two sisters who must solve the murder of their starlet friend, set in 1932 Los Angeles... where the silver screen is a deadly place and filled with secrets. Lulu Wong is a starlet who is the pride of Chinatown, she was friends/neighbors with the Chow sisters- May, Gemma, and Peony before she made it big. The girls discover Lulu's body one morning while doing their job as flower market girls, and are convinced that her death was a murder. The police are not motivated to solve it so the girls take it into their own hands to figure out what happened... yet the more they dig into it the more the signs begin to point to a cover-up and that there are powerful people involved in it. All the while May and Gemma are dealing with their own perspective relationship drama, with May reconnecting with a suitor who she never considered and Gemma seeing a handsome doctor with secrets of his own. Lulu's killer is still on the loose, and the closer the girls get to uncovering the truth the closer they are to being the next target. This was definitely a noir mystery that I think people can have fun reading. It just felt a little slow and a bit flat to me, however I did love the cultural aspects and the sister relationship between Gemma and May. The historical setting was really well done and the overall mystery definitely fit the noir theme. Overall, it was an okay mystery read that I feel like other mystery lovers will have fun reading!

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*