3.5 stars

Likeable debut novel featuring Lila Macapagal, a Filipino chef and baker who moves home from the big city after a romantic breakup to help her aunt and grandmother out in the family restaurant. Their business was hurt by a series of nasty and inaccurate reviews posted by Lila's old boyfriend. When he dies from poisoning after lunch there, Lila and her family fall under suspicion.

The strength of this novel is the great immersion in Lila's family, with a crash course in Filipino cuisine and a glimpse of family relationships. Much of the backstory occurred when Lila was in high school, which gives the plot a juvenile feeling at times, leavened with humor. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Penguin Random House Inl for providing me a digital galley of the book!

Overall, I read it in almost one sitting. I’m not saying it’s an easy read with all the content warnings, but Mia Manansala’s writing is very casual and the cast of characters made it an entertaining experience. There’s a balance between mystery, humor and narration. Plus factor for all the food and recipe included! You might want to get yourself a snack before reading this. I swear I felt hungry with all the cooking scenes!

A food-centric cozy mystery with diverse representation? Yes, please!

After her ex-boyfriend, a notorious food critic, suddenly drops dead in her family’s restaurant, Lila gets on the case to clear her own name and protect her family.

This was such an enjoyable read; I raced through it in two days. With family being the foundation of the novel, food is definitely the cornerstone. As Lila works her way through the suspect list and all the gossip of her family, we get a literal taste of Filipino culture as well as dishes from Mexican, Japanese, Polish, and American BBQ restaurants. There are even recipes in the back of the book for Filipino dishes that emerge in the novel.

There are some times of implausible lack of emotion after tragedy and the findings can get a bit repetitive, but the diverse cast of lovable characters more than makes up for it. The writing is also able to maintain a lightheartedness, despite addressing deeper themes of identity, drug abuse and love.

Full of heart, this novel explores the importance of family through food, friendship and romance, from the perspective of a twenty-something Filipina American trying to figure out her next steps in life amidst a crazy string of crimes.

I am thrilled that this is the first book of a series, and I cannot wait for the next installment from author Mia P. Manansala.

A huge thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am sorry this book is just not for me. It’s cute enough but it just does not hold my attention. Maybe I am just not the right demographic for this book?

Wow I don’t think I’ve read a book that made me this hungry like this!! Also thank you author/publisher for mentioning content warnings at the start and including yummy recipes at the end. [4.25/5]

If you’re new to cozy mysteries, you must know these things — there is a murder, a loveable protagonist with a cute pet, a dash of humour, romance and amateur sleuthing that will make you want more!

Coming to Arsenic & Adobo - Lila, after a heart break want to divert herself by helping her Tita’s restaurant. When a food critic with whom she got a bad foot turns out dead, Lila becomes a prime suspect in the murder investigation. But she has plans of her own and sleuths to investigate the real murderer. The case becomes twisty as Lila uncovers the truth, but no worries, she has her beloved Dachshund pup to help her.

Still looking for reasons to pick this book, well how about some recipes of mouthwatering Filipino foods? There just wasn’t a single moment that this story bored me! If you’re looking for a lighthearted mystery with fun characters + tasty recipes look no more, pick this book now!! Thank you Berkley & Netgalley for the arc.

This was my first cozy mystery and I can officially say, it’s totally gotten me into the genre. This book is the perfect blend of family, food, and a good murder mystery. I cannot wait for see what comes next!

I’m always on the lookout for Filipino #ownvoices books so imagine my delight when I saw that I got the e-ARC of Arsenic and Adobo as part of #berkleybuddyreads (cue jumping up and down like crazy and shouting huge thanks to @berkleypub)! This book ticks everything that I 💖: ✔️cozy mystery ✔️written by a Filipino author ✔️pretty cover ✔️full of yummy Filipino cuisine!

This simple cozy mystery was so fun to read! As in all cozies, there’s a dead body, main character’s the suspect, annoying detective, and meddling side characters who help in solving the mystery. There’s also a bit of love triangle thrown in, plus of course, so many delectable food! Hey, Lila and her family’s Filipino and we love to eat full meals and prepare snacks/merienda all the time! It’s our love language so don’t expect any less from this book😉 I really liked how Filipino values were highlighted here. We’re very close-knit and family oriented, and would always choose family over career in a heartbeat, albeit sometimes grudgingly like Lila. Lila grew up in a Western culture so understandably, she had a harder time reconciling this over her own dreams. I was glad though that she was able to come to terms with this in the end and find her niche. I was laughing so hard when the author wrote about (1) Brown People Time - a.k.a. Filipino time. We are known for being late, this being deeply ingrained in our culture from the time of Spanish colonial period; (2) DACC/ Disappointment to the Asian Community Club. Like all children of Asian parents, Filipino kids are expected to be professionals: doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers!!! No ifs and buts! (3) Overflowing food enough to feed the whole city! In any Filipino gathering, there’s no shortage of food. And, everybody gets to bring home leftovers too! All in all, this was an entertaining book to read. I cannot wait to read more of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries (and hear about the Calendar Crew - Ninangs Mae, June and July - IYKYK😂)! This will be out on May 4, 2021 so please grab a copy, there’s even a bonus of the family’s recipes included!🤤

My first cozy mystery and what a perfect book to start with. The gorgeous cover is what got my attention but the story and family dynamics in this book is what made me love it. Oh, and the food. Who could leave out the food?So glad to see this is part of a series and I am looking forward to the next books.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley and Mia P. Manansala for my copy in exchange for my review.

Tita Rosie's restaurant is in trouble and not just the financial kind. When a hostile restaurant critic suddenly dies face first in a comforting bowl of ginataang bilo-bilo, a Filipino dessert, suspicion falls on the kitchen. Lila Macapagal was already struggling to bring her Tita Rosie's restaurant out of the red, but now she must solve a murder, too. It doesn't help that the deceased happens to be her ex-boyfriend and they were known enemies in their small Illinois town. Can Lila prove her innocence? Possibly. Will her nosy aunties finally find her a nice boy to settle down with? Not likely. Does her adorable dachshund, Longganisa, steal the show? Definitely. Murder and small-town drama are wrapped in a cozy hug in this lighthearted debut by Mia P. Manansala. The author includes a small collection of recipes in the back, certainly the icing on the ensaymada, er, cake. Foodies and cozy mystery fans will savor this deliciously good read.

**to be published at https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2305037126 upon release in May**

After Lila's falling out with her fiance, she moves from Chicago where she hoped to open her own restaurant, back home. She starts working at her Tita Rosie's restaurant that has been having trouble recently. When a mean local food critic, who is also her ex boyfriend, drops dead in the restaurant, Lila's whole family is under suspicion. With the help of her best friend Adeena, Adeena's lawyer brother Amir, and meddling aunties, Lila hopes to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the restaurant.

This was such a cozy and comforting mystery to read. I really rooted for Lila the whole time and loved her dynamic with her family. They all seemed like real people that I wanted to get to know more. There was a rich backstory for everyone and it made me feel like Shady Palms was a real place. This book also made me want to try all of the food she was making. The mystery itself was also very fun, with lots of layers and twists. I hope this is a series because I look forward to reading about more of Lila's adventures.

This was a cute and quick read that had my stomach growling! I loved all the insights into Filipino culture and cuisine. The food descriptions were detailed, frequent and left me hungry. There were some stand out characters that I loved (shout out to the Calendar Crew) and an adorable dog named Longganisa. Our MC Lila was not my favorite character, she seemed a little self-absorbed and had her priorities a bit off. By the end of the novel she showed character growth though which made me like her more. The mystery revel itself was not a huge surprise to me, but I was ok with that because my enjoyment with this book was more around getting to know the characters than solving the mystery.

It is worth nothing that there is a very thoughtful and detailed authors note regarding a content warning at the beginning of the book. There are also recipes included at the end of the book from some of the food the characters cook that I thought were a really nice add-on. Overall this was a cute cozy mystery that left me looking forward to reading book two in the series. 4/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me this eARC to read and review. Arsenic and Adobo will be out on May 4.

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila in her family's restaurant, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Hallmark mystery.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network and her barista best bud, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block

First off, the food in this mystery sounds delicious and the recipes that are included deserve to be made. However, this is part of the problem I had with this book. It's more about food than it is about solving the murders. Food descriptions are very lovingly drawn out. The investigation is slipped in between beverages and desserts.
My other issue is Lila herself. Lila moved to Chicago, lost touch with everyone (in the age of social media!), and comes home expecting nothing will have changed. More than once she wonders how she didn't know that something that happened. I wondered that myself. Did she talk to no one? She is accused by more than one character in this book of being self involved and I agree. I understand that this is going to be a series and I hope she gets to be more likable.

Another cozy mystery down! This might be my new favorite genre.

This book was both light and full of drama. I loved the connection between Lila and Adeena. Two best friends taking on a murder.

This book had so many new characters pop up that sometimes I felt confused and had to reestablish who it was. However, I think it helped with the “who did it” aspect of the storyline.

I didn’t figure out the murderer until pretty much the end! This is exactly what I want when reading a murder mystery book.

I loved all the Filipino cultural references and food. I am now officially so hungry and want to bake. Plus I love when books add recipes to the end!

I think was a great debut novel for this author and I look forward to reading more from her.

“Arsenic and Adobo” is the definition of a cozy mystery. There is a large cast of loveable characters and, in an almost theatrical style, the iconic bad guys. The novel takes the readers through Lila’s investigation as she digs up dirt on the murdered ex-boyfriend and investigates who is framing her.

The setting of the restaurant allows for Mia P. Manansala to immerse us into her culture. I want nothing more than to make her cookies, and I will not rest until I try them. I also thought she did a great job of incorporating the endearments and common phrases. I enjoyed learning about the Filipino cultural norms through the torrent of meddling family members.

My only complaint about this book was that I felt like I missed a significant portion of Lila’s life. I feel like I only got little tidbits, and maybe it was intentional since it appears like this is the start of a series. I look forward to reading more about Tita Rosie’s kitchen.

Thank you, Mia P. Manansala, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy.
I will be featuring this book on my Instagram (@lyatslibrary) on May 4, 2021.

This was such a fun book! This was a very unique mystery because it was a fun and light read. All of the food references made me hungry the whole time! I also loved that the main character was a person of color! Overall such a fun read! Can not wait to read more of the books in this series!

I love a cozy mystery and this is one that I got sucked into immediately. Lila is serving her ex boyfriend (and now food critic enemy) lunch when all of the sudden he drops dead at the table. When police arrive she finds herself in a sticky situation after his stepfather accuses her of murdering him. After being in multiple situations at the wrong time and now evidence planted against her, she has no choice but to do some investigating herself.

Overall, this was a fun read. Lila's family was entertaining and I enjoyed their banter back and forth. All of the yummy food sounded amazing! Honestly, I couldn't read this without a snack in my hand. It was fast paced, well written, and had a likeable main character.

I did, however, feel like the story left a lot of holes. Maybe some of these will be covered in the next book in the series? On top of this, there were actions by some characters that didn't make sense to me or didn't line up with their character development. Maybe I was confused at how blasé they were about these murders?

This is a fun book that most people will enjoy. Interested to see how the rest of the series pans out!

3.5 Stars rounded up

Review:

I understand if this may be your first cozy. It’s not a typical genre I see on Bookstagram. Some say it’s ridiculous, too light hearted, too quirky of characters. To that I say, welcome to my cozy corner! That’s what cozy mysteries are all about! Give me all the quirky characters, all the small town nosy neighbors, a sleuth that solves the case with zero training, a clever name, and of course, a wonderful culinary theme for a good cozy.

Lila, girl, honey, sweet angel. You need a break. She’s become the poster child of “wrong place, wrong time” from her ex-fiancé run in with the law, to well, Murder, it’s all just unfortunate. I thought this was a wonderful start to a cozy as we were introduced to the key players and their backgrounds. I think the first in a series always has a lot of info to help set the groundwork for the rest of the series, and I think this was done exceptionally well.

With a great supporting cast in Adeena, Tita Rosie, Lola Flor, Ninang April, Mae, and June, I really enjoyed this cozy. Plus, there’s an ACTUAL pearl clutch from Janet in Arsenic & Adobe so you KNOW I was all about it. I’m starving and would love some of Tita Rosie’s food and that’s how you know a culinary cozy is a hit.

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy. Arsenic & Adobo is out May 4th!

This book has made me a cozy mystery convert!! It was funny, silly, thoughtful, and had enough suspense to keep me guessing the whole way through! I loved all the twists and turns because there was literally never a dull moment in the supposedly quiet town of Shady Palms, Illinois.

The author gifted us with an incredibly diverse cast of characters which prominently features the Filipino community and culture. I found the glossary at the beginning of the book to be extremely thoughtful addition and I referred back to it more than once. the story follows Lila as she works to settle into small town life again after a disastrous big city experience. Everything seems totally mundane until her ex-boyfriend dies at her family restaurant and she’s thrown into the total chaos of a police investigation. She sets out to help clear her family name while balancing cultural expectations and maintaining her own safety as puts herself in more and more potentially dangerous situations.

I definitely drew some odd looks from my family as I burst into laughter a few times because everything was just so perfectly improbable that I was 100% invested in what else could possible happen. I fell in love with so many of the side characters and really hope to see them again in future books. This book was a dream to read!!

I absolutely loved this! Can I just tell how much it filled me with such joy to read the words spoken to me by my relatives and read about the foods I’ve eaten at almost every family occasion?! Seeing it in print and knowing that it will be read by the masses just makes me to damn proud and I didn’t even write this! While Asian authors are represented in the literary world, very few are Filipino so I’m just over the moon!

Okay so let’s move on to the story itself. I thought the descriptions were on point. The way the ninangs, Auntie Rosie and Lola were depicted were spot on. I felt like I was reading about my own relatives. And yes, we totally show our love with food. Oh man, the descriptions of the food was just so mouth watering!!! I was hungry every time I picked up the book!

I really enjoyed reading this. The author did a very good job with flow of the story. The characters were a riot, especially the ninangs. They were my favorite! My only complaint is there was very little romance. The author did elude to a little something-something between Lila and Amir so maybe in the next book? I wouldn’t mind a love triangle though with Dr. Jae.

Overall, great read! I will definitely be picking up the next book!

There’s been an influx lately of books that make you hungry. Arsenic and Adobo is no exception, just hold the arsenic. 😂

In the first installment of this new mystery series we meet Lila Macapagal. She has reluctantly moved back home to help her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant. One night her nasty ex, now a food critic, stops by. Lila braces herself for an unpleasant confrontation, but no amount of prep could have prepared her being a first hand witness to his death.

Now all suspects, Lila and her family are forced to shut down the already ailing restaurant until the detectives can get to the bottom of things. In a race to save her reputation and the family business, Lila does some amateur sleuthing of her own. But can she cook up the right conclusion or will her efforts come across as half baked?

Arsenic and Adobo is a light mystery that’s easy to digest in one sitting. It’s not heavy handed or sinister and even has a sprinkling of romance and humor. I hope the characters that have been introduced in the first installment come back for another helping or two.

Thanks to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the advanced copy. This decadent dish will be served up next month!