Death by Bubble Tea is the first book of LA Night Market Mysteries, a foodies cozy mystery. After finish read it, I realize that it's have same tone and theme with another foodies cozy that I read at 2023, Arsenic and Adobo. Not only foodies, but also targeted into millenials with some problems that I can recognized because I'm a millenial myself. However, it's also the book weaknesses that I will try to explain later.

The story starting rough with our main heroine, Yale Yee is so doom and gloom of her predicaments. Since the book told entirely from her 1st PoV, Yale's gloomy attitude kinda affect mine so it's hard to sympathize with her. But, with the story unfold, I warmed toward her. As for her cousin, Celine Yee, at first she seems like a spoiled brat and so flippant. Celine and Yale is just like oil and water, they didn't mingle. Celine is an social media influencer while Yale didn't even have a cellphone, a fact that still left me dumbfounded. But together they must playing Nancy Drew to clear Celine's name and safe Yale's dad restaurant from its tarnished reputation because of rumor that the boba tea that Yale sold end up kill a people.

I think the strength of this book is the sisterhood that Yale and Celine have. Celine sure act spoiled and kinda rude, but actually she care about Yale. Yale herself also try to work out of her grief because she believe she was the caused of her Mom's death. The mystery is solid and since the story not set in small town, so Yale and Celine must do an undercover work to solved the mysteries behind the murder by playing false food deliveries. There's some red herrings and I like that Chow incorporated the using of social media to solve the mysteries.

However, with Celine's attitudes, I can't believe she's already in her 33-ish. I sure don't act entitled in age 33, lel. I feel like both Yale and Celine, while in their 3o-ish, more like written if they were in their mid twenties. It's become glaring when I read about Nik Ho, Yale's archnemesis, like a guy aged 30 act childish? Can't believe it, lel. Also with the way Yale avoid having cellphone is unbelievable for me. I mean, in this age when social media is your things? Sure if Yale don't want to have social media herself, then, it's okay. But to not have cellphone is a little bit overkill.

Still, I enjoyed reading Death by Bubble Tea with its solid mystery and satisfied conclusion, although I think what Nik did to the Yee

by publishing a blog post that tarnished Yee's Dad restaurant

is unforgivable and need a very long groveling. Onward to book 2!!