A review by warlocksarecool21
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I haven’t read a lot of cozy mysteries (although I grew up on Midsomer Murders lol) and I had a lot of fun with this book! I listened to the audiobook and I recommend that version, I liked being able to hear all of the Tagalog words and food names pronounced. I really enjoyed Lila and the relationships she had with her family and friends. There were some realistic tensions and conflicts, but at the end of the day they are a tight knit community and a loving family and I really appreciated that. I loved all of the food in this book, and all the elements of Filipino culture. 

I also had fun trying to solve the mystery alongside Lila. I definitely predicted some things (as we know from the start that things are amiss with certain characters but we don’t know why) but I was shook by the final reveal. The pacing of the overall story seemed a little slow at some points, but I think listening to the audiobook definitely helped with that. This was a fun book and I will definitely pick up the next one! 
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