Thank you NetGalley for a copy of Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank. Unfortunately. this fell flat for me. I was not interested in the plot at all. It was underwhelming and boring. It was an easy, quick read but definitely not as good as Finlay.

Veronica is an interesting character. The short story retelling what happened just before the Finlay Donovan first book makes her character easier to understand and love. The story loses stars because of the toxic romantic relationship. Female characters don't need to have a male grooming them to make the story interesting. It just detracted from the whole bank crime solving.

This is a light, quick origin story that tells us a little more about the Vero we know and love from the Finlay Donovan series. Vero is so sharp and quick-witted. She's been such a great side-kick character to Finlay. It was great to get a better glimpse at who she really is!

An average amateur detective novella. I just was never very interested in any of the characters or the mystery. I didn't hate it, it was just Meh...

Loved this book! It was just what I needed. Funny, engaging, and well written. It held my attention and gave me a boost after being in the worst book slump ever. I definitely enjoyed it and recommend this one to other readers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Loved this little snippet into Vero’s background but like most Finlay books, we are left with more questions. I loved seeing how they met. I want answers what happened with Javi! (I think we do get those answers in book 4). This being written between books 3 and 4, I felt like it was a fun story before the series really went off the rails. It doesn’t get too crazy or unbelievable. I really enjoyed it!

"Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank" is a fun and fast-paced glimpse into Vero’s backstory that fans of the Finlay Donovan series won’t want to miss. Set during a chaotic chapter of her life, we see Vero’s resilience shine as she tries to rebuild after being falsely accused and forced to run. Her cleverness and knack for landing in (and out of) trouble make this short story both entertaining and revealing, as she tackles a small-town bank mystery while navigating personal drama. It’s a satisfying dive into what shaped the Vero we know and love!

Fans of Finlay Donovan will love this peek into Vero’s origin story. This is a short story, not a whole novel. But it’s just enough to give readers some deeper context on what makes Vero Vero. It ends with how she meets Finlay, which I thought was fitting and thoroughly enjoyed.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for the digital ARC via NetGalley.

I took a break from the main series, and I started this short story even if I have a weird dislike of short stories. I loved getting to know Vero’s backstory of both her escapades before Finlay and how she met Finlay, but I really wished we had learned more about her time while she was in school. I’m sure we will eventually, though, since she’s going to have to deal with it at some point. A great addition to the series. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Vero is such a great character, so I enjoyed finally getting to spend more time with her. This is a great addition to the Finlay Donovan book series.

"Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank" is a short novella that provides some of Vero's backstory. I liked learning more about her past, but I am still not clear on some of the bigger pieces - for example, WHY do her sorority sisters think she stole from them? Regardless, this is an entertaining and super quick read, though I don't think it is necessary for full enjoyment of the rest of the series.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Loved being able to learn more about Vero as she’s my favorite character in this series! The book had just enough details to fill in missing pieces about Vero’s life. I loved that there were little Easter eggs throughout the book too.

I absolutely love the Finlay Donovan series. This book reads like a comedy caper and I always picture a girly Ocean’s Eleven type cast. These would make for super fun movies. I enjoy the Hijinks and the fierce friendships that develop between the women. Love this short addition to the series. It was cool to focus on just this character.

I liked this book giving some back story for Vero. I did not enjoy it as much as the stories with both Vero and Finlay.

Definitely want more Veronica Ruiz!! Such a great prequel of sorts. I had a lot of fun reading this book. I am loving this series so much!!

I receive a copy from Netgalley and the publisher.

(3.5/5 stars)

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano was a fun prequel novella for the long-running Finlay Donovan cozy mystery series.

It follows our favorite nanny-turned-accomplice/accountant Vero prior to the events of the first full-length novel in the series. I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and followed along in my eARC.

I was wondering about which college Vero went to, and it was finally confirmed in this novella that she had completed school up through the first semester of her senior year at my alma mater! I don't think I realized just how close to graduation she actually was before things blew up (figuratively speaking).

This whole series is set in my neck of the woods (across the bridge into NoVa) and I get a kick out of any time there's a mention of somewhere I've been in real life. It's one of the reasons I've been having so much fun reading through this series. I only have one book to go that's already been published, and I also have an ARC for the next book in the series that comes out in 2025.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano
This was a nice story to introduce Vero’s back story.
Veronica leaves school in disgrace after being falsely accused of theft by her sorority sisters. As she attempts to start over, couch surfing at her cousin’s apartment, she gets a job she doesn’t want but needs. Then she meets Finlay and her whole life changes.
This was a nice filler for the back story on Vero. It was missing the personal connection to the story that exists with her partnered antics with Finlay. It does give some insight to the backstory on Vero, however it doesn’t captivate and entertain the reader the way it does when the duo are together. I did enjoy this but not as much as the other books. Overall Vero is an integral part of the story that spans several volumes, so getting to know her character is essential. I would recommend it for the part it plays in telling part of Vero’s story. 3/5⭐️
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this series.

Veronica Ruiz is on the run after being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority. She takes a cleaning job at a bank but soon discovers someone there is stealing. Determined to find the thief and prove herself, Vero must navigate the challenges of her past and a complicated relationship with her childhood crush Javi. This humorous short story provides insight into Vero's past and her first meeting with Finlay Donovan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short novella that delves into Vero's past and sheds light on how she crossed paths with Finlay from her perspective. Understanding Vero's backstory is crucial for maintaining the series' continuity and authenticity.

The undeniable chemistry between Finlay and Vero, as well as their close friendship, is already apparent. However, uncovering the reasons behind Vero's flight and the events that led her to cross paths with Finlay adds depth to their relationship.

I sincerely hope that this series finds its way onto your "to be read" list or becomes a thoughtful addition to a friend's Christmas shopping list. I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to immerse myself in all five books at once!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

BOOK REPORT
I’m gonna cheat just a little here with my Book Reports on the Finlay Donovan series by Ellie Cosimano, which I received complimentary copies of from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books/NetGalley.

Instead of providing a title and description for—as well as a reaction to—each book, I’m doing one review for all and putting a summary of the series here first: ”Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano’s witty, fast-paced adult mystery series follows struggling suspense novelist and single mom turned-amateur-sleuth Finlay Donovan, whose fiction begins to tread dangerously close to the truth.”

The reason for this approach is because I took advantage of the opportunity to download all of the books in the series to date all at once, including the newest one scheduled for publication in March 2025 (Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave), which was the reason NetGalley made everything available—to promote the latest. And then I basically binged my way through it, partly while doing things like folding clothes and watching TV at the same time.

This was a fun little series, as I expected it to be. Nothing very challenging, some predictability, some romance, some silliness. I got a little aggravated that Our Finlay never seems to learn from her mistakes. And the agent character gets to be more and more like a caricature as the series progresses. My favorite installment was the novella about nanny/accountant Veronia Ruiz; it was written a lot tighter and was more believable. Looks like the next book to be written will flesh out her back story even more, so I’m looking forward to reading it.

In short: This is the kind of series you will like, if you like this kind of series.

PS
I realized yesterday during a discussion with some friends at lunch that I’ve been ingesting an awfully not of non-serious fiction here lately. I decided that, you know what? That’s perfectly OK, given not only the state of the world in general right now, but also because at least seven people I know have died this year (two by intentionally self-inflicted gunshot wounds). I’ve been seeking both escape and comfort, and I very much appreciate all the authors who have brought me both.

Elle Cosimano does it again! Fans of the Finlay Donovan series will love this trip back into her world. I couldn't put this down and will be purchasing a physical copy!