★★★★★ 4
YA historical murder mystery
Format: Hardcover
3.5 stars
What I Liked:
-Character voices seems to be once of Lee's writing strengths. From the start of the book, Gemma and May's voices sparkle on the pages. Gemma herself seemed to be a little stronger of a character, but I think that's because she had a more spunky, active personality.
-The positive sister relationship made me happy. So often, I feel like siblings don't appear in fiction, or if they do they just fight with each other. I liked how all of the Chow sisters worked together, and the positive family relationships in general.
What I Struggled With:
-Something about the mystery fell flat and I was left wanting more. I can't pin my finger on exactly why I felt that way, but it might have had to do with how Gemma and May solved the murder. They honestly don't really see it coming or put together many clues until the end. When the murderer revealed everything, I could see the crumbs that had been foreshadowed--but I think that they needed something /more/ to make them work.
- I'm glad that Gemma and Freddie didn't end up together. I'm not entirely sure of what the age difference was, but since he'd already graduated med school and seemed to have been a doctor for a while, I'm guessing it was fairly large. Because of the age gap, I was a little uncomfortable with the relationship that seemed to grow between them. I don't think it would have bothered me if just Gemma had a crush, but Freddie seemed to like her as well. But as I already said, they don't end up together.
Overall:
I enjoyed Kill Her Twice. But I was a little disappointed in mystery side of it. Yes, Gemma and May are solving a murder, but the mystery seemed to fall a little flat. However, Lee's abilities in writing characters shine.
Cautions: three instances of swearing; one blasphemy; light romance; one kiss; brief, moderate violence; non-descriptive mentions of poisoning; two minor characters are discovered to be gay, referenced briefly; an unmarried character is discovered to have been pregnant, which is referenced multiple times ; several Bible verses are taken out of context and twisted
(I received an eARC through NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.)
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Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2025
