Mia P. Manansala

One of BuzzFeed's Highly Anticipated Mystery Novels of 2021! The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes--one that might just be killer.... 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, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case. 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, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block...

Arsenic and Adobo

The protagonist of this story is Lila Macapagal who has just returned from Chicago to a small village of 20K people called Shady Palms to help her Tita Rosie and Lola Flor i.e. her Aunt and Grandmother in running her outdated but "much loved for its food" restaurant. One fine day, Derek the food Reviewer who happens to be Lila's ex-boyfriend dies while consuming Tita Rosie's food and as the investigation deepens, all signs start pointing towards Lila as the Murderer. 

While she and her best friend Adeena try to self-investigate the case, Lila discovers several issues such as broken friendships, dire financial situation and most importantly deciding what her future holds for her. So the author takes us on a jog with Lila and her dog Longanisa to various restaurants, eating delicious food and drinking Coconut Milk latte while unraveling the Murder Mystry.

1) The Book Cover: Attention seeker! I stopped scrolling and took notice because of the cover.

2) Characters: Lots of diversity in Characters. Not a single character seemed similar to other and every character felt very human and real.

3) The Filipino food and culture: While reading this book, you will be tempted to order Filipino food regardsless of whether you've just had your meal. I really enjoyed knowing more about the Filipino culture as well.

1) Lack of Danger: I understand that this is a cozy Murder Mystery which deliberately tries to not take itself too seriously. But I found it hard to believe that not a single person felt that Lila has actually killed Derek. There were multiple reasons for people to believe why Lila might be the killer but whatever danger that was built up felt worthless when everyone else was pretty chill about it. 

It's an ideal book if you're looking for a chill, bingeworthy read with a decent dose of humour and murder mystery. It's the characters and the food that makes this book a sumptuous read.

Adwait Kulkarni

Summary:

The protagonist of this story is Lila Macapagal who has just returned from Chicago to a small village of 20K people called Shady Palms to help her Tita Rosie and Lola Flor i.e. her Aunt and Grandmother in running her outdated but "much loved for its food" restaurant. One fine day, Derek the food Reviewer who happens to be Lila's ex-boyfriend dies while consuming Tita Rosie's food and as the investigation deepens, all signs start pointing towards Lila as the Murderer. 

While she and her best friend Adeena try to self-investigate the case, Lila discovers several issues such as broken friendships, dire financial situation and most importantly deciding what her future holds for her. So the author takes us on a jog with Lila and her dog Longanisa to various restaurants, eating delicious food and drinking Coconut Milk latte while unraveling the Murder Mystry.

What I liked:
1) The Book Cover: Attention seeker! I stopped scrolling and took notice because of the cover.

2) Characters: Lots of diversity in Characters. Not a single character seemed similar to other and every character felt very human and real.

3) The Filipino food and culture: While reading this book, you will be tempted to order Filipino food regardsless of whether you've just had your meal. I really enjoyed knowing more about the Filipino culture as well.

What I didn't like:
1) Lack of Danger: I understand that this is a cozy Murder Mystery which deliberately tries to not take itself too seriously. But I found it hard to believe that not a single person felt that Lila has actually killed Derek. There were multiple reasons for people to believe why Lila might be the killer but whatever danger that was built up felt worthless when everyone else was pretty chill about it. 

Conclusion:
It's an ideal book if you're looking for a chill, bingeworthy read with a decent dose of humour and murder mystery. It's the characters and the food that makes this book a sumptuous read.

"midnight rain" by taylor swift (lila's song)

so glad I read this for aapi month!! we follow lila as she unravels the secrets of the small town shady palms as she investigates the murder of her ex to save her family’s filipino restaurant and clear her name after he suddenly dies after consuming food from their restaurant served by lila herself.

this book was the perfect blend of cozy mystery with fun incorporations of filipino culture such as food and tagalog. i enjoyed learning more about filipino culture through this book. the author's immersive writing allowed me to feel like i was part of their filipino family and the description of the filipino foods made my mouth water. the romance aspect was very minimal but i was okay with that! i was mainly here for the culture and mystery

"midnight rain" by taylor swift (lila's song)

so glad I read this for aapi month!! we follow lila as she unravels the secrets of the small town shady palms as she investigates the murder of her ex to save her family’s filipino restaurant and clear her name after he suddenly dies after consuming food from their restaurant served by lila herself.

this book was the perfect blend of cozy mystery with fun incorporations of filipino culture such as food and tagalog. i enjoyed learning more about filipino culture through this book. the author's immersive writing allowed me to feel like i was part of their filipino family and the description of the filipino foods made my mouth water. the romance aspect was very minimal but i was okay with that! i was mainly here for the culture and mystery

Bria

This was okay. There wasn’t enough going on and too much going on at the same time, so I feel a little indifferent about this book.

I don’t like how she was worried about money the whole time but went out to eat several times a day, but I like Adeena and the diversity. And I looooove the food descriptions. They are so detailed and definitely made me want to try Filipino food.

Amelia C 

This book was delicious! Perfect combo of mystery, food, food and more delicious food. It was the United Nations of culinary selection. It was a palate cleanser for me as I’d been reading some heavy topics earlier. Themes of family, friendship, love and community. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this is a good recommendation for those who want to start getting into murder mystery novels since this was a light read, nothing too serious going on (even though there is murder). 

I started reading this book because of the fact that the story involved a Filipino protagonist, and I was curious on the lives of Filipinos in the US. So a story that revolved around Filipinos and other Asians in the US combined with solving a murder (my favorite genre)? Then, I am so in!

Yes, I did like how it depicted the Filipino food and their hospitality, but this book had too much focus on the food rather than the actual murder story, which is what my main focus is (and I believe what every murder mystery story should focus on tbh).

Lia ♡

I think this is a good recommendation for those who want to start getting into murder mystery novels since this was a light read, nothing too serious going on (even though there is murder). 

I started reading this book because of the fact that the story involved a Filipino protagonist, and I was curious on the lives of Filipinos in the US. So a story that revolved around Filipinos and other Asians in the US combined with solving a murder (my favorite genre)? Then, I am so in!

Yes, I did like how it depicted the Filipino food and their hospitality, but this book had too much focus on the food rather than the actual murder story, which is what my main focus is (and I believe what every murder mystery story should focus on tbh).

Sarah Sammis

The pacing in the middle was a little rough which is pretty typical for the start of a new series. Much of the pacing problems for me stem from just how dire her family's restaurant situation is. Yet, Lila as a returnee, isn't as fully vested yet in the day to day running of the restaurant — nor can she be because it's closed for most of the book. I am looking forward to seeing how life in the restaurant is when it's open for the entirety of a mystery.


http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

3.5 rounded up to 4

i love this book! it’s very easy to read and understand and it has a comfort feeling of home for me. although i do wish that in the sequel, the characters will have a little bit more personality cuz some characters felt a little bit too flat for me. it’s very comforting to see filipino traditions and cultures in books and i would reread this book all over again just to feel that kind of familiarity.

Too much cooking, it lacked the arsenic and the adobo.

The first half was a bit dragging because the focus was on the different kinds of good rather than the actual murder. I guess it was some sort of introduction to Filipino hospitality and the very rich food culture of the Filipinos, that they just had to serve food to almost everyone, including the detective assigned to the case. It only picked up once the Filipino food was out of the way and there was more focus on interrogating the people involved in the murder. 

I am curious as to what non-Filipino speakers think of the book. It was easy for me to get into the dialogue because I understood the Filipino phrases and terms used. I also understood the cultural references and I could picture a typical Filipino family with their hospitality and love for cooking.

I wonder why the author used the adobo dish in the title when (spoiler) the adobo dish wasn't the cause of the murder. It wasn't even the main focus of the story because the food was more dessert-centric than meal-centric. 

Naomi P

Too much cooking, it lacked the arsenic and the adobo.

The first half was a bit dragging because the focus was on the different kinds of good rather than the actual murder. I guess it was some sort of introduction to Filipino hospitality and the very rich food culture of the Filipinos, that they just had to serve food to almost everyone, including the detective assigned to the case. It only picked up once the Filipino food was out of the way and there was more focus on interrogating the people involved in the murder. 

I am curious as to what non-Filipino speakers think of the book. It was easy for me to get into the dialogue because I understood the Filipino phrases and terms used. I also understood the cultural references and I could picture a typical Filipino family with their hospitality and love for cooking.

I wonder why the author used the adobo dish in the title when (spoiler) the adobo dish wasn't the cause of the murder. It wasn't even the main focus of the story because the food was more dessert-centric than meal-centric. 

Arianna

Crystal L

A lot to process but what an amazing story.

One of BuzzFeed’s Highly Anticipated Mystery Novels of 2021! The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer.... 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, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case. 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, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

The book overall was good, but the ending kind of fell flat for me. 

Sarah Pino

Thoroughly enjoyed!!!! Gah I love this book. The filipino girl in me is screaming

I desperately wanted to love this book. A murder mystery written by a Filipina with a diverse cast?? Sign me up. 

But unfortunately, it just didn’t land for me. The characterization was ALLL OVER the place. One minute, our main character is intelligent and observant. The next, she’s blabbering to a detective arresting her without her lawyer. She’s compassionate and listening well in one scene. And in the next, she’s blatantly accusing another woman and her family with the insensitivity of a squirrel.

Even the cultural nuances in this book felt inconsistent. Sometimes, it was apt and relatable. Other times, it was so superficial and stereotypical. 

The only consistent thing in this book was the love and care for food. This book is essentially a love story for food, and that would be perfectly fine — if it wasn’t for the rest of the book. 

I’m not giving up on this series yet, so I hope the other books work on characterization and actually focus on the relationships introduced in this book. 

Kristle Saneewong

I desperately wanted to love this book. A murder mystery written by a Filipina with a diverse cast?? Sign me up. 

But unfortunately, it just didn’t land for me. The characterization was ALLL OVER the place. One minute, our main character is intelligent and observant. The next, she’s blabbering to a detective arresting her without her lawyer. She’s compassionate and listening well in one scene. And in the next, she’s blatantly accusing another woman and her family with the insensitivity of a squirrel.

Even the cultural nuances in this book felt inconsistent. Sometimes, it was apt and relatable. Other times, it was so superficial and stereotypical. 

The only consistent thing in this book was the love and care for food. This book is essentially a love story for food, and that would be perfectly fine — if it wasn’t for the rest of the book. 

I’m not giving up on this series yet, so I hope the other books work on characterization and actually focus on the relationships introduced in this book. 

Liz B

A fun, cozy mystery. A few plot holes & she gives away the ending about 2/3 way through, but I didn't care because the characters and the world are so lovely. Also desperately craving Filipino food now!

Good book! It’s a very light read, but I definitely would have wanted more action for sure.

If you want something a bit more relaxed and light, it’s worth a go. 

POLAINE ELISE PAULINO

Good book! It’s a very light read, but I definitely would have wanted more action for sure.

If you want something a bit more relaxed and light, it’s worth a go. 

Throughout my life I've always had a strong connection to food. In my family, food is almost a language. A way to express emotion and love, following the seasons and occasionally yielding a glimpse at the cook's state of mind. Tamales at Christmas; menudo for New Years; carne, fresh salsa, warm tortillas and potato salad for Easter; pumpkin empanadas if my dad caught our carved Halloween pumpkins before they went bad and leche espesa any time of the year he was thinking about his grandmother more than usual. Even in just the every day meals, food has always been a means of communication and a method to process in my family. 

And that's what I really liked about this book - it does well trying to capture that meaning in homemade food, dishes cooked with heart from the heart. I so appreciated how this book portrayed the way food, family, and the fully intermingled relationship between the two can exist. How food ties everyone together, for better or for worse. I don't read this kind of book very often, but if there's more food related writing like this in the genre I might have to try more. 

Arsenic and Adobo is essentially a cozy, small town murder mystery book. As I said, I don't read a lot of these types of books so I may not be the best source on this, but I think it hit a lot of the right notes. I found myself guessing all the way through as to who did it, dodging the twists and turns. While I did figure it out midway through the book, there was enough to keep me questioning myself and the characters were enjoyable regardless. 

The pacing felt a little off at points and there were some things that felt forced. The start felt particularly rough to me and the ending definitely left me wanting something more, but I do think I'll read the next one when I'm in the mood for something quick and fun.

If you want something easy, cozy, and mysterious I'd recommend giving Arsenic and Adobo a try!

Jordynn Beedle

Throughout my life I've always had a strong connection to food. In my family, food is almost a language. A way to express emotion and love, following the seasons and occasionally yielding a glimpse at the cook's state of mind. Tamales at Christmas; menudo for New Years; carne, fresh salsa, warm tortillas and potato salad for Easter; pumpkin empanadas if my dad caught our carved Halloween pumpkins before they went bad and leche espesa any time of the year he was thinking about his grandmother more than usual. Even in just the every day meals, food has always been a means of communication and a method to process in my family. 

And that's what I really liked about this book - it does well trying to capture that meaning in homemade food, dishes cooked with heart from the heart. I so appreciated how this book portrayed the way food, family, and the fully intermingled relationship between the two can exist. How food ties everyone together, for better or for worse. I don't read this kind of book very often, but if there's more food related writing like this in the genre I might have to try more. 

Arsenic and Adobo is essentially a cozy, small town murder mystery book. As I said, I don't read a lot of these types of books so I may not be the best source on this, but I think it hit a lot of the right notes. I found myself guessing all the way through as to who did it, dodging the twists and turns. While I did figure it out midway through the book, there was enough to keep me questioning myself and the characters were enjoyable regardless. 

The pacing felt a little off at points and there were some things that felt forced. The start felt particularly rough to me and the ending definitely left me wanting something more, but I do think I'll read the next one when I'm in the mood for something quick and fun.

If you want something easy, cozy, and mysterious I'd recommend giving Arsenic and Adobo a try!

Nash

I had so much fun reading this book. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was. First of all, how incredibly kind of Mia to add at the beginning of the book the meaning of the most used words throughout the book just so we’re not completely lost. Let’s also mention the recipes, please. I need to try to make some of them soon. 

A book that includes hilarious family dynamics will always have my heart. Family is crazy and this is the perfect example of it. I love the aunties so much. I laughed and cried with them. It made me want to be there and help out when needed. I wanted to kill the detective for being such an ass and then saying he cared for the auntie. And what about the dentist? My heart! There was so much going on. I truly loved this book. I cannot wait to dig in on Homicide and Halo-Halo. Now there’s a new one coming out and I’m even more excited to get that one on my hands.

Madhuri Sridhara

I expected so much better from this book.

I loved the cultural diversity and was happy to learn a bit more about Filipino culture (or rather what they eat). Being Indian, I could relate quite well with Lila's nosy but well-meaning family. 

But this isn't what I'd call a cozy mystery. I was mostly annoyed throughout it. There is way too many descriptions of food. I get it. Lila is a foodie but most of the book involves descriptions of food, what people are eating and how great everything tastes. 

I also didn't understand how someone, Lila or not, could manage to have that many love interests in such a small town. Most of the characters felt one dimensional with no depth.

I loved the concept of the book and what the author was trying to do but not the execution. I'm sorry to say I won't be continuing with the series.

Nicole Kerekes Boe

** spoiler alert **
           Picture yourself sitting in a small, family-owned restaurant, enjoying some delicious Filipino food when suddenly, a man lands face-first in some dessert. Turns out, he’s a nasty food critic with a sour attitude. Also turns out——that MFer dies. You know that friendly server whose family owns and operates the place? Well, she’s the main suspect in what is now deemed a murder. WTF?! Is she being framed?

Arsenic and Adobo is an easy-read thriller with lots of comedic undertones, laced with delicious food references. Main character, Lila, takes us through her journey of figuring out who killed the food critic because it sure isn’t her! Navigating old and new relationships, taking care of her family, and baking seriously delicious treats are all also items on Lila’s agenda. Will she figure it out before it’s too late? 

Spoiler alert— she does 😉
🍴🍴🍴🍴/5 forks for this tasty and cozy mystery!

Katelyn Caillouet

I am not one to write such a negative review about a book. But this book was terrible (for me). It was so predictable. At least 1/3 of the book is just pages of innocuous stuff that has nothing to do with the story—like how people take their coffee. It feels repetitive, like the book doesn't trust you to put clues together, even though the mystery itself is extremely basic. Lots of unnecessary pages of dialogue. PAGES. The characters fell flat, and thus, came off overwhelmingly cliche or stereotypical. The Japanese couple in town owns a sushi restaurant. The Mexican family owns a Mexican restaurant. Very, very little established in the world itself was believable (the sheriff is mad that a murder case hasn't been closed within a WEEK of a murder?! seriously?). Oh, and somehow, in a town of 20k people, they have all these amazing restaurants with incredible, innovative foods! 
I even had a hard time empathizing with Lila, the protagonist. I guessed who the murderer was early on, because I could see the set-up necessary for the next book (knowing this was a series). The murder culprit only shows up like, 10 times on the page. It is not a satisfying reveal.
Overall, this read like a first draft coming out of NaNoWriMo. I read it for a book club, otherwise, I would've given up around the 30% mark when things really started to drag.
If you want to read a GOOD version of what this book appeared to be, check out Dial A for Aunties by Jessie Q. Santos. That book, while requiring a big suspension of disbelief, is actually a fun, wild ride with layered characters. 

Korin Sylvia

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
loved this book!! was very interesting and unique. i am so looking forward to more of this series :))

Risa C

A disappointment, especially after I had been looking forward to this book for a while. Manansala's prose, though clear and readable, is clunky and awkward, often to the point of cringing. The writing style is the biggest sticking point for me and it's too much of a hurdle to overcome without at least commenting on it. I would have wanted less of the overly detailed descriptions of Filipino food and customs and more showing rather than all the heavy-handed telling. Perhaps me eye-rolling at what I felt to be an unnecessary amount of emphasis on the Filipino-ness of it all is symptomatic of how unusual and un-normalized depictions of the Philippines and Filipinos in western media are, and I did get over it, mostly. I was able to find moments in the book where I recognized something that felt true of my own country and culture, which is why I couldn't drop this to one star.

The mystery was intriguing and the plot, as it tangled more than it unraveled, is what really drove me on to continue reading, but the payoff was disappointing. I like my parlor scenes balanced on that precipice of a moment where the rug's been pulled from under you and all the pieces of the puzzle reconfigure in ways you hadn't thought to try until they reveal, with stunning clarity, a vision of cleverness and authorial ingenuity. This wasn't it. You can tell pretty early on who it isn't, and the steady drip feed of characters leaves you with only a few easily identifiable suspects, none of whom feel like very satisfying or meaningful villains. The clues don't feel particularly well-placed, with a lot of the information literally being spelled out for the main character (and so, the reader).

Doubt that I'll pick up the next book in the series, but I don't regret reading this, despite all my complaints. I hope to see more Filipino voices in all sorts of genres.

Amanda Autumn Berrey

Four Stars

A brief synopsis: After a food critic, whom happens to be her ex boyfriend, drops dead at Lila's family's restaurant the police begin looking into the cause of death. It is quickly determined a murder, but they still must find the culprit 

My review: This was a really fun read. The storyline was interesting and the characters were likable. I loved the way it was written. I will probably read book 2. I recommend checking it out

Samantha Alukas 

A fun, bubbly, murder mystery. Sounds like an oxymoron, but Lila, plus her family and friends, are as sweet as ube crinkle cookies with ice cream and purple-yam jam (minus the arsenic of course 😉). Cute and cozy is the perfect description for this book; a nice, lightweight read for these early fall days.

Arsenic and Adobo

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