[Book Review] Death By Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow & Grapefruit Green Tea with Boba

Title: Death By Bubble Tea
Series: L.A. Night Market #1
Author: Jennifer J. Chow
Publication date: July 5th 2022
Page Count: 300 pages
Age Rating: Adult (mentions of death and murder)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received a review copy
Publisher’s page: Death By Bubble Tea

Two cousins who start a food stall at their local night market get a serving of murder in this first novel of a delicious new cozy mystery series by Jennifer J. Chow, bestselling author of Mimi Lee Gets a Clue.

When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide to a relative she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Not only that, but her father thinks it’s a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Yale hasn’t cooked in years, and she hardly considers Celine’s career as a social media influencer as adequate experience, but because she’s just lost her job at her local bookstore, she feels she has no choice.

Yale and Celine serve small dishes and refreshing drinks, and while business is slow, it eventually picks up thanks to Celine’s surprisingly useful marketing ideas. They’re quite shocked that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit—literally—when one of their customers turns up dead. Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they’ll be serving is time.

My Review

Death by Bubble Tea ticked a lot of boxes for me. I love a good cozy mystery, especially a cozy foodie mystery. Set during a holiday? Characters, settings, and food steeped in culture and tradition? Yes, please and thank you.

Yale Lee is at a bit of a crossroads in her life. Her family runs a successful dim sum restaurant in L.A., but after her mother’s death, Yale lost her taste for cooking. College didn’t pan out for her. She’s just been let go from a bookstore job that she loved. And now her glamourous cousin, Celine, a foodstagrammer who comes from money, arrives from Hong Kong for an impromptu visit.

At least Celine can help her run a food stall at the new local night market being held a couple days before Halloween, where Yale plans to test out her new snack ideas for the family restaurant.

Celine’s idea to put the bubble tea Yale serves in trendy light bulb glasses is a hit. Unfortunately, Celine’s idea to put real gold flakes in the drink is less successful and puts them at the top of the suspect list when one of their customers ends up dead.

Things between Yale and Celine start out strained, 20 years between visits and a huge economic gap will do that, but they work together trying to clear Celine’s name and save the Yee family restaurant’s reputation. The two are so different – Yale loves books, shuns technology, and doesn’t own a cellphone or a car. Celine is a social media butterfly who lives her life in the golden shine of both pretty AND rich privilege – watching the compare and contrast and growing warmth between the cousins as they search for clues and interview suspects is one of the best parts of the book.

I grew really fond of the characters in Eastwood Village and the night market. Even Detective Strauss of the piercing green eyes and gruff personality grew on me. I didn’t realize Death by Bubble Tea was the first book in a series until the very end and I was so excited when I found out. I can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters and what mysteries they’ll solve.

With likeable characters, good pacing, and immersive sluething, I highly recommend both the book and the author, especially if you’re a cozy foodie mystery enthusiast like me. I’m eagerly waiting for the next book in the series, Hot Pot Murder, which comes out June 2023. Since the next book is set around Thanksgiving time, I’m really holding hope for a third book set during Christmas!

Let’s switch things up, shall we? To get your caffeine fix this time, I recommend flipping to the end of the book where the author has included an easy, tasty recipe for Grapefruit Green Tea with Boba. It’s the absolute perfect drink to sip while enjoying this cozy bubble tea mystery.