I really enjoyed this cozy mystery! I alternated between listening and reading Arsenic and Adobo, and both formats were excellent. Very early on I thought I had the twist all worked out, let me tell you- I did not.

Lila returns to her hometown of Shady Palm, serving at her family’s local restaurant. Her ex boyfriend and local food critic Derek comes in, they bicker like usual… except this time Derek collapses and ends up dying. Accused of poisoning him, Lila goes on a mission to prove her innocence. But all signs keep pointing in her direction. The wide range of characters in a small town setting was the perfect set up for a mysterious whodunit.

What worked the best throughout the book was the Filipino culture. The Filipino family roles and the importance of their community and friendships was such a refreshing change of pace. And the food- my goodness, the food! I need to find a Filipino restaurant near me STAT! So there’s my only complaint- this book made me ridiculously hungry!

Overall, I highly recommend Arsenic and Adobo. I am so glad this will be a series- I will definitely be checking the next one out!

This was the pure definition of a cozy mystery. It reminded me so much of Dial A For Aunties. Meddling aunts are certainly a trope that introduces comedy in a serious situation. I think Dial A was a little funnier than this one, but they are fairly different in their execution. I really enjoyed hearing about the Filipino culture and this book made me incredibly hungry. I enjoyed that there was a little more depth and complexity to the motivations behind the characters. I liked that I was able to figure out the story along with Lila. I only wish there was more of her dog in the story!

Lila left her hometown and large extended family when she moved to Chicago. After she catches her boyfriend cheating, she packs up and moves back to Shady Pines, hoping to help save the family restaurant, and even find herself. The food is not the problem, it is delicious, but her Aunt Tita Rosie lacks the time or interest to manage the business and money side. Lila may have come home under less than favorable conditions, but her family is there for her, and she is determined to get this sinking ship above water.
Things are going okay when her relatives are not trying to get her to fix her hair, eat more, or less, and find her a husband. All that comes to a screeching halt when her ex-boyfriend Derek, and their landlord, Mr. Long come to the restaurant for brunch. Derek's claim to fame is the scathing reviews he has written about most of the restaurants in town. His stepfather, Mr. Long would like nothing more than to evict them, and Lila does not do a good job of hiding her feelings about either of them. You would think their presence would be the worst thing to happen today, but you would be wrong. Derek collapses into his dessert and dies, probably poisoned.
When her aunt’s restaurant is shut down until the police determine what transpired, this might be the worst thing to happen to Lila and her family. Wrong. It is when Detective Perk arrests his number one suspect, Lila! With the help of her friends, she must figure out whodunnit and why before she loses her freedom.
This was a fun cozy mystery with quirky characters and food descriptions that will most definitely make you hungry. I would like to say that Lila learned a lot and would not get involved in a murder mystery again, but I hear that a second book is coming, and I bet that murder will somehow be on the menu.
A Glossary and Pronunciation Guide at the beginning was very helpful to me, and as a bonus, there were recipes at the end.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery with a side of deliciousness!I would add half a star if I could on here. I enjoyed the diversity and oh my goodness the food!!! The detective was the most problematic to me- I know it’s meant to be a little silly, but I hope the author makes him at least a LITTLE bit more competent in the next book, lol. I loved the aunties and I got serious Stephanie Plum vibes from this one. The ending was the best part! I’m excited to see how the next one in the series turns out 💕.

Thank you for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala is a very entertaining culinary cozy mystery set in a small town involving a large Filipino family. The main character, Lila, is forced to leave Chicago and return to her small town to help her aunt run their family restaurant. The restaurant is struggling financially, and their landlord is looking for any excuse to kick them out. Things go from bad to worse when a food critic, who happens to be Lila's ex-boyfriend, dies in their restaurant while eating food prepared by Lila. Lila becomes the main suspect in his murder. She will have to solve the murder and save the restaurant or go to jail.

I enjoyed this book, even though I didn't love Lila very much. I felt like she was making a lot of not-smart decisions. But I love her big Filipino family, they brought a lot of humor to the story. The food descriptions were mouthwatering; I don't recommend reading this book on an empty stomach. Overall, Arsenic and Adobo is an enjoyable cozy mystery, and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Lila gets into all sorts of antics and doesn’t always make the best decisions while trying to solve her ex-boyfriend’s murder. I enjoyed learning more about her culture as she and her aunties try to help. I loved the little romance element, but would’ve enjoyed even more. It kept me guessing until the end. I’m super excited for the second book!

I will update with the link when I share to my bookstagram account.

This one was sooooo much fun! I was so into it from page one! I have very recently become obsessed with cozy mysteries, I had no idea I liked them so much. If you're looking for something quick and easy to get you out of your reading slump, look no further this book is it! I loved the family dynamics, the main character, everything!

Cozy mysteries are becoming one of my favorite genres! I thoroughly enjoyed this deliciously suspenseful story and couldn’t stop reading once I started it. I absolutely loved the writing style and how it was told in first person.

The story flows so nicely and moves at such a quick pace that you’ll devour every bit of it! You’ll have so much fun following along with Lila as she tries to figure out what happened to her ex boyfriend, who dies suddenly at her family’s restaurant. Being inside her head was so entertaining! Be prepared for mouth watering food descriptions and lots of heart, soul, and suspense.

Thank you so much to Berkley, NetGalley, and Let’s Talk Books for the gifted copy.

I'm gonna chalk this one up to a good old case of "it's not you, it's me" because while I'm glad to see so many people are enjoying this book, it was doing next to nothing for me.

The writing and characters felt juvenile and the plot was often sidetracked by everyone sitting around at different restaurants, describing what they were eating in excruciating detail. Rather than a way to enhance the story, it felt like the focus on food was a way to fill space until we could get to the end of the story and solve the mystery.
DNF @ 46%

Entertaining characters and fun mystery. Seemed like a cozy small town for a cozy mystery. Enjoyed the descriptions of Filipino food. Glad it is a series.

Arsenic & Adobe is the first installment of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. It’s a cozy mystery that follows Lila as she tries to uncover what happen to a restaurant guest who died after eating her Aunt’s food. Other than giving me major food cravings, this one didn’t really give me any other types of feelings. It was really just OK in my opinion and I felt myself rushing through it just to finish. It’s certainly an easy read and if you really like cozy mysteries than this is for you. For me though, it just didn’t work.

I will say I had just recently read Dial A for Aunties & Hana Khan Carries On so maybe I was ‘ridculous’ storied out. This book felt like a mash of those two so if you liked either of those maybe give this one a try.

What an inventive and creative book! I enjoyed this start to finish and definitely made a couple of the recipes that were included in the back. Highly recommend.

Arsenic and Adobo was my first dalliance with the cozy mystery genre. While I'm not sure that I am a huge fan of this type of mystery, preferring something a little more intense, I do like the story for other things that it offered.
The family, food, and culture described in this book made it worth the read!

The book is about Lila Macapagal. She moves back home after an awful break up and is currently working at her Tita’s restaurant. When a food critic, not to mention ex-boyfriend dies at the restaurant, there’s a lot of suspicion and question being raised. Especially since all signs are pointing to her. She must do a little detective work of her own along with her best friend, Adeena.
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I loved all the side characters in this book, from her aunties to her best friend, and other family and friends. The constant talk of food and gatherings made me miss living close to family. Food really brings everyone together. I did guess the killer, but that didn’t ruin the book for me because I was really enjoying the book! I can’t wait to read the next book in Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series!

This was cute! I think there are some pacing issues, but I also think that as Manansala writes more, she may be able to improve that.

Love that this takes place in Chicagoland, and that she namedrops Chicago restaurants. Apparently that'll charm the hell out of me.

There is a darling classic comedy called Arsenic and Old Lace. The 1939 play, which ran on Broadway, was written by Joseph Kesselring. The play is about two elderly women, aunties, who poison their lonely boarders so they can die happy. It is their nephew who solves the mystery of what happens to the men who come to rent a room and never leave. It was made into a movie three different times, most famously in 1942 starring Cary Grant. That was my first thought when I heard Arsenic and Adobo was a “cozy mystery” involving food, arsenic, and lots of aunties. Unfortunately, it does not live up to unintentional the association.

Main character Lila has come home to help out at the family diner, leaving the big city after a bad break up. Her high school ex-boyfriend is the local food critic and he dies of arsenic poisoning, face first right into his dessert. It is Lila that police suspect of killing him and after the family puts everything on the line for bail money, Lila takes it upon herself to clear her name and save the restaurant. She has no shortage of aunties egging her on in her sleuthing.

Arsenic and Adobo wants to be many things, but doesn’t quite deliver on any of them. It wants most to be a mystery, but is easily solved well before the end. In complexity, it’s a step up from Nancy Drew with cheesy lines like, “Put on your sleuthing cap girl, we’re on the case!” It wants to be a romance, but aside from some awkward dates that are interrupted, there’s not even a goodnight kiss. Main character Lila has a two significant suitors, but doesn’t commit to either of them before the end of the book. Since this is labeled book #1 in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, we can assume that will continue to build to some eventually satisfying conclusion ala Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart.

I liked the family characters, but I think the biggest issue I had with the book was how casual it felt. In an attempt to keep it “cozy” and light, there were too many responses which did not adequately reflect the gravity of the situation. After a bad break up, Lila comes home with her tail between her legs, but someone she knows closely dies in front of her and she doesn’t seem to be affected by it at all. I didn’t connect to her character almost at all. I doubt that I’ll pick up the next book in the series.

My Rating: C+ Liked It, but I had issues

I’m not a huge cozy mystery fan but I thought this book was enjoyable. Would recommend for fans of the genre. THank you for the opportunity to read/review.

So I've heard mixed reviews from friends who've read this, but I enjoyed it. In my somehow long-lasting reading slump, this held my attention and I actually finished it in one night and if it wasn't something that appealed to my reader brain that wouldn't have happened.

It's the first in a new food-based cozy mystery series. I love the fact that the characters come from a variety of backgrounds and that our MC Lila is Filipino (the cozies sub-genre does tend to be heavily white). We get a great look into her family life and the small town setting is full of an abundance of folks that brings that little world alive.

That's not to say that there weren't a few minor flaws. While I like Lila, she does tend to be a little too self-focused and does need to listen more. All of the characters actually could have done a bit better on the communication front. But none of that is something that would keep me from picking up the next book. I'm choosing to see the flaws as things the character can grow out of. A good way to spend a few hours.

This book was an amazing read. Loved the story, the characters and the cover! I was so happy to read this book

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review -

Lila is on the young side of her twenties and just returned home after a bad breakup only for her ex-boyfriend to die in her family’s restaurant. After being accused by local Shady Palms police of murdering him she launches her own investigation with her best friend to find the true culprit.

The characters are lovable, familiar, and conflicted. There is light hometown romance and a fierce friendships without either being the sole focus of Lila’s trope. (Also Shady Palms is just teeming with eligible bachelors apparently??) Plenty of LOL moments and did I mention an endearing cast of characters? I want a Lola Flor in my life.

THE FOOD. Between the coffee shop next door and Lila whipping up authentic Filipino treats, I would read any book from this series just to satisfy my inner foodie.

The ending was not stupefying but without a doubt delivers for a cozy and was believable enough for me. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did but if you are curious about it - READ IT AND LOVE IT.