I have enjoyed all of the Finlay Donovan books, and this novella was a fun read and a great chance to learn a little more of Vero’s backstory. It also gives us a little glimpse into Vero and Javi’s past while leaving the reader still wanting to know more - hopefully in the next full novel. I would have liked to have seen a little more of Vero's college/sorority experience. Why would the sorority sisters turn on her? What is that backstory? All in all, it was a lighthearted little mystery, and I look forward to the next installment. To be honest, if half stars were an option, this would probably be a 3.5 star, but I've rounded up.
My digital ARC was provided by NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank. This heartfelt and humorous story follows Veronica as she navigates the ups and downs of financial responsibility, friendship, and unexpected life lessons. With relatable characters and a fun, engaging narrative, it’s a perfect blend of humor and heart.

The story’s charm lies in its ability to tackle serious topics with warmth and levity, making it an enjoyable and meaningful read for both teens and adults. If you’re looking for a book that’s as entertaining as it is insightful, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a great pick!

The fans asked and Cosimano delivered! We finally got a peek into Vero's backstory and what a doozy it is! It was fun getting to know Vero better and understand what propels her to make the decisions she does. This short story is a comedy of errors that will keep you entertained.

At only 2.5 hours on audio (and that's at 1x), this book is just a little snack into addition to the full meals of the other books in the series.
_____
This is a novella and is labeled as #3.5 in the Finlay Donovan series, but is a prequel for Vero's story and can be read as a standalone.

Thank you for the gifted book Macmillan Audio! All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up! I was so excited when Elle Cosimano and Minotaur Books made it possible to read all the books in the Finlay Donovan series including the short story titled, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank (Finlay Donovan #3.5). Having had read this series from its inception, I was curious to learn about Vero’s backstory. There had been hints about Vero’s life prior to when she first met Finlay throughout the series but not a conclusive one that satisfied all my questions. It was my hope that Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank would do just that. Some of the gaps were filled in and it did a good job describing the circumstances for how and why Finlay and Vero made their initial introduction to each other. However, as a book in this series, it was a bit disappointing. Vero on her own, without Finlay, was lacking the strengths of their combined chemistries, the wittiness I have come to expect from a Finlay Donovan book and the creative antics prevalent in the prior books. The digital version that I received also strung several words together without spaces making it difficult to read. Overall, I did enjoy Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano. As long as you are not expecting all the bells and whistles from this one I would recommend it. There were some funny moments.

Thank you to Elle Cosimano and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little background story on how Vero became the nanny for Finlay! Not a ton happens but it is a fun read!

Fun little novella to understand Vero a little more. She is very much a hilarious and smart girl. Tho I still want to know what happened to her to have her leave college so abruptly. I’m sure it’ll come up in the books to come

I like the idea of these books so much that I bought the first one as soon as I read the description. I love Finlay Donovan, but I love Vero even more. Without Vero, Finlay would not have been able to accomplish nearly as much or escape so many bad situations. This is a short, fast-paced story about Vero, and we get a quick look at how Vero learns to solve mysteries on her own. I got to check out the audiobook and the narrator is great, and I wouldn't mind more with just Vero. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a light read that provides some of the backstory for Vero (Veronica), who appears in a mystery series written by Elle Cosimano. This short story takes place before Vero meets Finlay Donovan, a woman she teams up with in those books.

I enjoyed the insight to Vero’s pre-Finlay past. The story is an entertaining and fun excursion. It includes a mystery that Vero is determined to solve as well as insight into her relationship with some family members and friends. Now, I’m much more appreciative of this character and I enjoyed getting to know her better. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank was a fun and light addition to the series, but I was hoping for more from Vero’s backstory. While the story was enjoyable, it felt a bit predictable, and I missed the quirky, fun personality that makes Vero such a standout in the main books.

I was also thrown off by the audiobook having a different narrator than the rest of the series, which made it harder to fully connect. Still, it was a cute novella and a nice little detour between the full-length Finlay Donovan books!

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a short and snappy dive into Vero’s past, offering fans of the Finlay Donovan series a chance to see what made our favorite partner-in-crime tick long before she joined forces with Finlay. While it wasn’t as gripping as the full-length novels, it was still a fun and quirky ride that gave me a deeper appreciation for Vero’s character.

This story takes place before Vero meets Finlay, which felt a bit like missing half the magic, but it was still refreshing to get the spotlight on Vero. She’s as loyal, hot-tempered, and resourceful as ever, with a knack for turning impossible situations into opportunities. Watching her navigate small-town drama, a cleaning job at a bank, and her infuriatingly irresistible crush, Javi, was both entertaining and chaotic in all the best ways.

That said, the mystery of the bank theft didn’t feel quite as compelling as the stakes in the main series, and the short story format left me wanting more depth and twists. Still, seeing Vero’s wit and resourcefulness shine—even before she became Finlay’s ride-or-die—was worth the read.

If you’re on the fence about the series, this short story could be a great place to start, though I’d still recommend diving into the full novels for the complete Finlay-Vero experience. For longtime fans, it’s a fun little detour that fleshes out Vero’s backstory and gives us a glimpse of how she became the fiercely loyal (and slightly unhinged) character we know and love.

We get Vero's backstory in this fun short story! This falls #3.5 in the series but the events of the story take place before Book 1 (Finlay Donovan is Killing It) begins. I loved getting to know Vero more and what she went through before making it to living with Finlay in book 1.

This gives the same fun but tense vibes as the rest of the Finlay Donovan series. Vero is trying to solve a mystery and through this there are some tense moments, some red herrings, and a whole bunch of laughs too.

Vero takes us back to how she met Finlay. Vero has fled college after being accused of theft from her sorority. She’s moved in with her cousin Ramon and is job hunting. She applies at a bank but the job turns out to be a janitor. As she takes the job she becomes aware that an employee is stealing from the bank. And thus, Vero’s career as a detective begins. And yes, you will discover how she met Finlay. This is an interesting interlude between the Finlay books. #netgalley

This was another fun one. I love Veronica in the Finley books so getting to see a new story focused on her was delightful. Such fun! Elle Cosimano has crafted wonderful and relatable characters- even if I have never gotten into these kind of issues!

The Finlay Donovan books have been the bright spot of my reading this month so I was especially disappointed as I read this one. Vero is a wonderful character and I was excited to read a book from her perspective and see how they met, but this was predictable and disappointing. I suppose it’s good to know the origin story of their duo, but honestly the meeting in the garage was a much better origin story. I understand these are mysteries with romantic tension, and I like the tension with Javi, but this book could have done with that being cut and more focus on Vero and Finlay’s meeting.

This is the backstory for Vero from the Finlay Donavan series. IT's entertainoing, but not nearly as good as the series itself. It's a fun short, nonetheless.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the Finlay Donovan books and getting to know Cero’s origin story was so fun!! I loved seeing a little before she became and nanny and learning more about her!

This was a fun quick read to learn all about Finlay’s friend Vero! It was great to get the back story even though it wasn’t as great as the Finlay stories.

Thanks so much!

I was so happy to get a taste of a backstory of the amazing Vero. She is a favorite. She is spunky and full of great come backs. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Javi since it’s been mentioned in Finlay’s books. And Vero’s troubles with the law.

Vero is such a central character in the Finlay Donovan series, I really appreciated this glimpse of her before she met Finlay.

Thank you to the publisher for the Read Now option on NetGalley. All views are my own.

This was a fun, quick read. The mystery was just okay - what was great was the characters we love returning and hearing Vero’s back story from her POV.

After all of this time, we finally get more details in the backstory of Veronica Ruiz, best friend and reliable sidekick to Finlay Donovan. In this short story we get a rundown of all that took place with Vero before that day at the bank where she met Finlay Donovan and her entire life changed. We learn about Vero's relationship with her mother, cousin and Javi. We also learn about her backstory from University and how she ended up in VA with her cousin (and eventually Finlay).

This was the perfect (and perfectly timed) complement to where we're at in present-day antics with Vero and Finlay. It also gave us some quality time with Vero and a glimpse of the story from her POV which I didn't realize I was craving. It also reminded me of how far we've come since that day in the garage.

Highly recommend reading this short story as part of your Finlay Donovan adventure.