What do readers think of Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q Sutanto? Write your own review.

Although I wouldn't have picked this book up in a book store it kept my interest. I thought it was a good "summer" read. Nothing too deep, and enjoyed the characters!

I was a big fan of Sutanto’s Vera Wong books. But this book didn't work for me in the same way. The premise is that Mebel is a 63 year old “trophy wife” who is losing her husband to the next, much younger, trophy wife to be, who is the family chef. She decides the way to win back her husband is by attending culinary school even though she’s never cooked a meal. The problem with the story is that in the beginning, Mebel was such an inane, aggravating character that she set my teeth on edge. Her life revolves around purchasing designer clothes and jewelry. Sutanto makes Mebel into a punching bag of silliness. The humor fell flat because Mebel was such a cliche.

The story proceeds in the way you would expect, with Mebel gradually becoming her own person, not just someone else’s wife and mother. As the story goes along, she becomes more likeable. But she’s a cliche, albeit now of the plucky older woman striking out on her own variety. The story is cute, but it’s also pretty trite and very, very predictable. spoiler I also struggled with the concept that a man sexually harassing young female students would be interested in a 63 year old woman./spoiler
For a major part of the story, I was wondering why this was labeled as a mystery. The book is ? over before her friend and classmate goes missing. Even then, I wouldn’t call this book a mystery, let alone a mystery thriller.

My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

I appreciated the plot, but had some trouble relating to the main character’s personality. I agree with other reviews that I’ve seen that referenced the simplistic writing style. This might be okay, depending on a person’s mood. The book wasn’t a perfect fit for me, but I was pleased with how the story ends.