Arsenic and Adobo
- Downloads：2257
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-09 08:51:31
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mia P. Manansala
- ISBN：0593201671
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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…
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…
Reviews
Maria
，
Great story！ I loved the Filipino aspect - finally a main character that has my background。 It felt like being with my huge， crazy yet lovable family。 Only issue is I figured out the murderer （I rarely get it）。 Looking forward to more。
Nissanmama
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Full Review Coming May 1o， 2021
Jamie
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3。5 stars。 This was a pretty cute debut cozy mystery。 I loved the different cultures represented in the novel。 I did not love that the main suspect was the main character， who was also trying to solve the crime at the same time。 I don't know why， but I prefer my cozy mysteries a little different！ I'm looking forward to the second book though。 3。5 stars。 This was a pretty cute debut cozy mystery。 I loved the different cultures represented in the novel。 I did not love that the main suspect was the main character， who was also trying to solve the crime at the same time。 I don't know why， but I prefer my cozy mysteries a little different！ I'm looking forward to the second book though。 。。。more
Amy
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Let's hope this is the first and last of the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series。 The "mystery" was weak and predictable。 The food aspect of the book did not work。 It was as if she'd written the story with [insert food reference here] every few lines。 Let's hope this is the first and last of the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series。 The "mystery" was weak and predictable。 The food aspect of the book did not work。 It was as if she'd written the story with [insert food reference here] every few lines。 。。。more
Kate Caroline
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Delightful read！ You don’t want to miss it！
Ashley R Haynes
，
I liked this book， but I feel like it could be better， a big chunk of the plot felt like it was given away within the first few chapters， and there were a few things I just didn't like about the author's writing style。 With that being said， I do intend to read the next book。 I liked this book， but I feel like it could be better， a big chunk of the plot felt like it was given away within the first few chapters， and there were a few things I just didn't like about the author's writing style。 With that being said， I do intend to read the next book。 。。。more
KIMBERLY
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A fun cozy mystery。 I loved the cultural references and the food descriptions。 The mystery itself was a little predictable but still enjoyable。
Sanya Zulfiqar
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3。5 🌟
Shuang
，
That awkward moment when your ex came to eat at your restaurant and dropped dead during dessert and now you’re the prime suspect…。 This cozy mystery was such a fun read！ There was description about food on almost all pages but it was done so naturally and didn’t feel overboard; I was legitimately getting hungry every time reading it。 I also love how the author portrayed relationship dynamics in asian families， which is accurate and relatable。 Though not fast paced （and not meant-to-be）， not ever That awkward moment when your ex came to eat at your restaurant and dropped dead during dessert and now you’re the prime suspect…。 This cozy mystery was such a fun read！ There was description about food on almost all pages but it was done so naturally and didn’t feel overboard; I was legitimately getting hungry every time reading it。 I also love how the author portrayed relationship dynamics in asian families， which is accurate and relatable。 Though not fast paced （and not meant-to-be）， not every day you get to read a murder mystery that feels warm and cozy。 Great debut！ 。。。more
Christine
，
Sure， there's a mystery and mildly interesting love interests here， but the real jewel is the unbelievable Filipino food porn。 Cozy mysteries are my new jam as we sloughed into Pandemic Month 14。 Add a touch of romance and dash of food porn， and I'm hooked。 This ode to Filipino food and family felt like it was written for me。 I'm not Filipino but it was like what I imagine snacking while solving mysteries with my Filipino in-laws must feel like。 See the full review on my blogLucky Reads Romance Sure， there's a mystery and mildly interesting love interests here， but the real jewel is the unbelievable Filipino food porn。 Cozy mysteries are my new jam as we sloughed into Pandemic Month 14。 Add a touch of romance and dash of food porn， and I'm hooked。 This ode to Filipino food and family felt like it was written for me。 I'm not Filipino but it was like what I imagine snacking while solving mysteries with my Filipino in-laws must feel like。 See the full review on my blogLucky Reads Romance 。。。more
Jordan Dardas
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I read this book in 24 hours so I have to give it 5 stars。 I was pleasantly surprised by this book。 It was a great mix of murder mystery and rom-com and i couldn’t put it down。 I can’t wait for the second book in the series！
Linda Naquin
，
My review is most definitely biased because I will love and adore everything with Filipino rep。 But throw in some recipes at the end， because this book is all about a Filipino restaurant？ Of course I was in love。 I definitely plan on trying to make those ube crinkles soon。 The mystery was good， I feel like I knew who did it immediately， but what was good was that I didn't know WHY they did it， so that kept the mystery going。 The romance annoyed me because I wanted more！ Specifically， more Dr Jae My review is most definitely biased because I will love and adore everything with Filipino rep。 But throw in some recipes at the end， because this book is all about a Filipino restaurant？ Of course I was in love。 I definitely plan on trying to make those ube crinkles soon。 The mystery was good， I feel like I knew who did it immediately， but what was good was that I didn't know WHY they did it， so that kept the mystery going。 The romance annoyed me because I wanted more！ Specifically， more Dr Jae！ I was not a fan of Amir， you had your chance fool， let Dr Jae shoot his shot！ I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series！ 。。。more
Keela
，
If I've read a "cozy mystery" before， I can't recall。 But after this one， I'll definitely add it to my list of genres。 The characters are funny and likable， especially if you have a family full of aunties like I do。 The food sounds absolutely delicious and the mystery had me guessing and intrigued。 The sprinkle of budding romance and a love triangle have me looking forward to the next "dish" from Tita Rosie's kitchen！ And there are recipes of some of the dishes that you can try， if that's your t If I've read a "cozy mystery" before， I can't recall。 But after this one， I'll definitely add it to my list of genres。 The characters are funny and likable， especially if you have a family full of aunties like I do。 The food sounds absolutely delicious and the mystery had me guessing and intrigued。 The sprinkle of budding romance and a love triangle have me looking forward to the next "dish" from Tita Rosie's kitchen！ And there are recipes of some of the dishes that you can try， if that's your thing。 But I'm just on the lookout for a Filipino restaurant！ 。。。more
Dawn Nicole
，
A Nancy Drew-esque whodunnit with a heavy dose of Filipino culture and a cast full of lively， likable characters made this a thoroughly enjoyable read。Lila’s love triangle had no closure， but I’m assuming we will get some in book two of this series！
Angie
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Delightful。 Honestly I could have done without the murder mystery and just read about people eating food for 300 pages。 The food sections were that good。
Kaneesha Williams
，
Absolutely amazing！ This is one of those books I can literally say that all my suspects couldnhave done it but you literally dont know a thing until its revealed how he died。 Thrilling， riveting and perfect for a thriller junkie like myself ❤️
Tanya Giannini
，
This book was so refreshing to read。 I'm so used to reading fast-paced and action-packed sci-fi's and fantasies。。 so it was nice to read something a little more slower paced。 Evenly spaced out。 Not in a bad way。 It was still a very good read and it was very fun。。 and it had just the right amount of beats to keep you engaged and interested。For murder mystery， it was also light-hearted and funny， while still being serious。But my favorite part of all？ Was the fact that filipinos， and Filipino cultu This book was so refreshing to read。 I'm so used to reading fast-paced and action-packed sci-fi's and fantasies。。 so it was nice to read something a little more slower paced。 Evenly spaced out。 Not in a bad way。 It was still a very good read and it was very fun。。 and it had just the right amount of beats to keep you engaged and interested。For murder mystery， it was also light-hearted and funny， while still being serious。But my favorite part of all？ Was the fact that filipinos， and Filipino culture were the front and center。 Most of the time， the books I read。。 Filipinos are a background character。 Or the main character is Filipino but it's only mentioned twice。 Or the culture isn't even mentioned at all except for the fact that the character eats rice。I am half filipino。。 and so reading this book was really refreshing to have my culture represented。 Because representation matters。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the nuances and cultural displays， and food， and recipes， and mannerisms， and honorifics。 Not to mention the hilarious play by play on Filipino families and how the Dynamics between elders and young people play out。 It makes me think back to all the times we've had family gathering then reunions on my mom's side of the family。。 and everything in the book mimicked that。 And it made me laugh。 The loud family members， the bickering， the gossip， the need to be so nosy into your life。These are things that me， as a Filipino can relate to and can understand and so the book held more meaning and it came across differently to me than it would if say， a Caucasian white person would if they were reading it。Certain scenes had Tagalog words in it here and there and even though the front of the book didn't translate them。。 I know what the words were and therefore the scene had more of an impact on me。I can't wait to read the next book。。。 And I guarantee you， just like this book。。 every single Filipino character is going to be in my head with a Filipino accent。 It can't be helped LOL。 。。。more
Jeff
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Food focus。 A major theme throughout the book is the character’s interest in food， drink and camaraderie surrounding eating， drinking and the gatherings。 Most of the meals are incredibly detailed with lists of ingredients which heighten the smells and tastes。 These descriptors were completely lost on me as I wasn’t aware of half of the items but I certainly appreciated the narrators’ ability to discern and amplify the food and drinks。 By far， the best part of the book （except for maybe the cove Food focus。 A major theme throughout the book is the character’s interest in food， drink and camaraderie surrounding eating， drinking and the gatherings。 Most of the meals are incredibly detailed with lists of ingredients which heighten the smells and tastes。 These descriptors were completely lost on me as I wasn’t aware of half of the items but I certainly appreciated the narrators’ ability to discern and amplify the food and drinks。 By far， the best part of the book （except for maybe the cover） was the journey through the different food experiences。Lila’s Boyfriend Obsession。 I honestly don’t think there was a male character in the book that Lila did not express an interest in dating。 She left Chicago because of heartbreak and immediately started dating Derek （who was then murdered in front of her） and then she’d jump from Amir to Jae to Marcus to Kevin with each of these guys expressing some level of interest in her （at least in Lila’s eyes）。 I found this to be out of character， annoying and unneeded。 Lila was a confusing character to me because I did not find her as charming as I think the author intended and， because of this obsession with finding a boyfriend， did not find her as independent either。Scooby Doo Mystery。 The best way I can describe the convenient plot twists is it felt like watching an episode of Scooby Doo where the bad guy was revealed at the end because of the meddling kids。 None of the motivations for any of the characters made sense to me。 I never felt like Lila had any skill in investigating the events and her conversations with the other restaurant owners were comical in their willingness to share。“But knowing something logically doesn’t take away the guilt。” 。。。more
Samyukta
，
2。5 stars
Andrea
，
I didn’t know I needed a cozy mystery in my life but this book seriously hit the spot！This was my first time reading a book by a Filipino author， and I loved finding myself immersed in the culture from the beginning of the story。 Manansala truly captured my heart with her writing and characters。This story was filled with Filipino culture。 I just loved the traditions and family dynamics！ I really love reading about families like this - the ones with strong relationships and support systems。 These I didn’t know I needed a cozy mystery in my life but this book seriously hit the spot！This was my first time reading a book by a Filipino author， and I loved finding myself immersed in the culture from the beginning of the story。 Manansala truly captured my heart with her writing and characters。This story was filled with Filipino culture。 I just loved the traditions and family dynamics！ I really love reading about families like this - the ones with strong relationships and support systems。 These families always have the good with the bad， and that made the characters and storyline real。As for the mystery…What an incredible whodunnit - so many potential suspects and incompetent detectives I have to say， I could’ve sworn I had it figured out most of the book！ But the twists rolled in here and there， and I was taken by surprise with the ending。 I love twists that just make perfect sense but aren’t obvious！My favorite part in this book has to be the food！ Is anyone really surprised！？！ I just love how Manansala incorporated all the Filipino dishes and cooking into her story。 There really wasn’t a time when I didn’t find myself craving the food as I read （already Googled recipes）。 I’m a huge dessert gal， so Lila’s love for desserts and the scenes where she would bake were just excellent！Overall， I really enjoyed binge reading this book， and I’m so glad it is a series， because I need to know what happens next in Lila’s life。 Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Denise
，
Fun read- almost felt like I was watching a sit-com！
Genesee Area
，
Easy read， nice story with a decent mystery component。
Stephanie K
，
Easy， fun read that I feasted on for three days。 Love the unique characters and their authenticity to their different cultures while simultaneously connecting dots to solve the murder mystery。 5/5 ⭐️ Don’t miss the recipes in the back of the book！ Can’t wait for more from this author！
Kristen Ann Johnson
，
3。5 stars。 Took me over 100 pages to get into this one and last 60 pages were excellent。 Cute debut
Danielle DellaCamera
，
3。5， rounded up。 This book has the coziness of a hallmark mystery， but a little bit of the predictable ness too。 It’s cute， easy to read and the food talk will leave you starving - literally。
Jasmine Kanav （bookgramer__）
，
This book is described as a Cozy Mystery， and honestly there's no better way to describe this book！Unlike other thrillers and mysteries that leave you feeling anxious and exhilarated （both feelings that I love， hence the eternal love of thrillers）， this one works at it's own pace without being too in your face。A&A was really well-written， and my amazing buddy-reader @charliethereader and I just flew through it！ There were moments of dark comedy that had me chuckling。 It did get a little repetiti This book is described as a Cozy Mystery， and honestly there's no better way to describe this book！Unlike other thrillers and mysteries that leave you feeling anxious and exhilarated （both feelings that I love， hence the eternal love of thrillers）， this one works at it's own pace without being too in your face。A&A was really well-written， and my amazing buddy-reader @charliethereader and I just flew through it！ There were moments of dark comedy that had me chuckling。 It did get a little repetitive towards the middle， and I had chucked off half a star from my current rating。This book gave me hunger pangs with all the delicious Filipino dishes mentioned， especially the desserts！ So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author had included some of the recipes mentioned in the book at the end （and the reason I increased half a star）！！！ Can't wait to try atleast one of the scrumptious Filipino recipes 🤤❤️Read this if you're looking for a feel-good fiction， dark comedy or an unputdownable cozy mystery！ I can't wait to dive into the second part of this series when it comes out。 。。。more
Kerry
，
A fun， light cozy。 The food descriptions and the scenes in the kitchen are wonderfully descriptive。 I was craving everything she was writing about and loved finding recipes at the end of the book。 They， however， felt like a separate novel from the mystery。 While I thought Manansala peppered enough clues at a good pace throughout the novel for the reader， I often found myself frustrated with Lila's detecting skills， especially since she was right in the middle of all of it！ I know this is in the A fun， light cozy。 The food descriptions and the scenes in the kitchen are wonderfully descriptive。 I was craving everything she was writing about and loved finding recipes at the end of the book。 They， however， felt like a separate novel from the mystery。 While I thought Manansala peppered enough clues at a good pace throughout the novel for the reader， I often found myself frustrated with Lila's detecting skills， especially since she was right in the middle of all of it！ I know this is in the vein of other amateur detectives， but I thought there she should have felt a greater sense of urgency。 The romantic subplots are cute but again still felt like another novel。 While I liked most of the elements， I think it just felt like all three （the food/Filipino family drama scenes， the mystery scenes， the romance scenes） just kept taking turns and weren't as well blended together as they could have been。 I will probably keep up with the series。 I grew to love a lot of the side characters （am still a bit frustrated with Lila）， and Manansala really shows tremendous skill in writing the food/Filipino family drama scenes that are at the heart of this story。 。。。more
Aileen
，
A fun murder mystery with a spot-on portrayal of Filipino-American culture。 It was an easy read that had its fair share of unexpected twists。 My one complaint is that emotion seemed to be an after thought in the storyline。 I did find it odd that the characters never really showed emotion or effects of trauma despite witnessing or undergoing severely stressful experiences such as assault and murder。 The one character that seemed the most effected felt “tired”， and slept instead of catering to gue A fun murder mystery with a spot-on portrayal of Filipino-American culture。 It was an easy read that had its fair share of unexpected twists。 My one complaint is that emotion seemed to be an after thought in the storyline。 I did find it odd that the characters never really showed emotion or effects of trauma despite witnessing or undergoing severely stressful experiences such as assault and murder。 The one character that seemed the most effected felt “tired”， and slept instead of catering to guests as usual。 Other characters went on with their day as if nothing happened。。 。。。more
Lauren
，
So I've never read a cozy mystery before， which would probably explain why I flew through this novel so quickly。 "Arsenic and Adobo" marks a first for me in another sense through the fact that this is my first time reading a mystery starring a Filipino American protagonist， and it's about damn time。On a general scale， I think this was a well-written book。 It kept me engaged， it captured the realities of a small town really well， the food described in it - both Filipino food and others - will lea So I've never read a cozy mystery before， which would probably explain why I flew through this novel so quickly。 "Arsenic and Adobo" marks a first for me in another sense through the fact that this is my first time reading a mystery starring a Filipino American protagonist， and it's about damn time。On a general scale， I think this was a well-written book。 It kept me engaged， it captured the realities of a small town really well， the food described in it - both Filipino food and others - will leave you hungry for it all， and I love the mystery。I did feel that the author was probably juggling too many characters at once， where at one point， Jae is just a no show for the longest time for ultimately no reason。 Also， for a book that mindfully has a trigger warning at the beginning regarding police intimidation， I found it weird that Lila never really sat with the traumas that came with watching someone die or finding someone mortally wounded。 In one instance， she's being accused of another crime， before heading off to serve Filipino sweets to enthusiastic customers like nothing had happened。 I give the novel the benefit of the doubt that it is a cozy， and so there are probably elements of the genre that I just don't get that need to be honored in order for it to be considered as such。 I like "Arsenic and Adobo" overall。 I applaud Mia on her debut。 I await to see what comes next for Lila and how the author will approach deepening both the characters and the relationships they have with each other。 。。。more
Tara
，
A fresh take on a classic cozy with a diverse and fun cast of characters
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Arsenic and Adobo
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Arsenic and Adobo&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Arsenic and Adobo&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0