This is a cute cozy mystery with a large and ethnically/culturally diverse cast of characters. Readers who like cozy mysteries of similar structure will enjoy this, too.

The elements I disliked were things that are very common among the cozy genre-- over-fixation on describing every single thing so that awkward terms have to be included to keep the paragraph from having the same couple of words repeated too often; missing time, as in, the cast sits down for a meal, there are 4 lines of dialogue, and everyone is immediately done eating; etc. These are not unique to this book.

While the main and side characters were very diverse-- Filipino, Japanese, Muslim, Hispanic, Black-- not much space was given to other types of diversity; the main character's best friend is lesbian and vegetarian, and the main character is larger than her family would like while not specifying body-diversity (focusing more on the annoying family aspect).

Recommended for all public libraries were large-cast cozy mysteries are popular.

This fast-paced debut cozy mystery will make you laugh, cringe, and salivate simultaneously.

Lila's returned home to help with the family's failing Filipino restaurant. Unfortunately, Shady Palms is a small town and she can't escape her food blogger/restaurant reviewer ex who seems to have it out for the restaurant, consistently giving it bad reviews. Because that's not stressful enough, the landlord who wants the restaurant off his property is her ex's new stepdad. Yikes!

When the landlord and the ex come to eat lunch, Lila's ire is up and she makes no bones about being angry with the ex constantly criticizing the restaurant in his reviews. And then he ends up facedown in his dessert. Dead from poisoning which makes her the prime suspect.

This book was so much fun to read! Lila is likable and relatable - trying to figure out what she wants, feeling pressure to meet her family's expectations. I loved her interactions with her extended Filipino family - grudges going back to grade school but knowing that they'd have her back when it mattered. The imperious gambling grandmother was terrifying and hysterical. I loved that the huge colorful cast of characters was diverse in all sorts of ways - ethnicity, religion, sexuality and even eating habits. The author did a great job of giving each character their own voice and quirks.

The food descriptions were amazing! Lila's bestie works at a coffee shop and her drink concoctions sounded so good. The book includes recipes and chicken adobo is happening!

The mystery was well done - lots of layers and interlocking pieces, several suspects with believable motives. Plus there were hints of a love triangle - hopefully, that gets explored in future books.

If you enjoyed Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto, you'll love Arsenic and Adobo! I can't wait to read book two.

Diverse cultures and religions, LGBTQ+ rep

Utterly charming! Loving this cozy-millenial trend. Perfect for fans of Dial A For Aunties. A recommended purchase for collections where mysteries are popular.

Arsenic and Adobo is a cute cozy mystery with an ever-increasing body count. It stars Lila Macapagal who leaves the big city to return home to Shady Palms to help out at her failing family restaurant. The supporting cast includes her grandmother, Lola Flor, and many other members of an extended family plus those who are family by custom and/or acquaintance, like the Calendar Trio, three spunky women coincidentally named after months: April, May, and June. Lila’s best friend is a vegetarian Pakistani Muslim with a to-die-for brother, Amir, who Lila has had the hots for for years. The characters are genuine—with hints of those relatives you love, but who can sometimes be a bit possessive and restrictive.

There’s a bit of romance too—a failed one with Derek (one of the accumulating bodies), Amir, and a dentist, Jae. Conflict comes when Lila starts to like-like Jae, but his brother is the infamous Detective Park, out to convict Lila of murder and drug-running.

The descriptions of food are amazing and read as good-enough-to-eat, with recipes in the back of the book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and partial review.

I love cozy mysteries but they are usually in small, predominantly white/Christian towns. This was a refreshing change and I am very excited to read more by this author! I also loved that the author used specific content warnings in their author's note. All fans of cozy mysteries should read this book!

A debut cozy mystery with a smart and complicated protagonist under the age of 30, a diverse cast, and mouthwatering descriptions of a variety of cuisines alongside the murder? Yes please!

A warning: don't read ARSENIC AND ADOBO unless you've already eaten, or you'll have to take a break to try one of the recipes in the back of the book (or if you're an indifferent cook like me, visit your local Filipino restaurant for takeout).

Other things I loved about this book: the fact that the killer (no spoilers) has a relatable and even sympathetic motive; Longganisa the dachshund (who, despite what the book’s cover might imply, is not an accessory to murder); and the teases of backstory the book gives about Lila, which make me glad cozy mystery series feature the same protagonist so we can learn more about her in the next book!

Oh no! I’m literally craving for more this fantastic Filipino family adventures! Why good things end so fast!!!

Let me introduce you the stars of this journey briefly:
The threatening, tough grandma Lola Flor, sweetest Tita Rosie, entertaining and smart Calendar Trio(sharp tongued April, negotiator May, smart June) our witty, brave, kind hearted, stubborn, tough heroine Lila who has impressive investigation and culinary skills and let’s not forget her loyal bestie Adeena who create hell of dreamy drinks and her love interests hot, sweet dentist Jae and charismatic old time crush lawyer Amir.

Riveting whodunnit cozy mystery, fantastically witty, adorable, genuine characters and lots of mouth watering foods including Japanese kitchen to American BBQ, Mexican dishes and to die for Filipino recipes: yes, I died and directly went to heaven ( which is impossible: not dying part, the latter) This book is dreamy combination of foodie, coffee addict and thriller fan like me!

Lila Macapagal’s story started like romcom cliche: cheated by long time boyfriend, summoned by aunt Rosie to return back to her hometown Shady Palms she ran from for bigger dreams in Chicago to save her family restaurant and her ex lover Derek turns into mean, vindictive food critic who does everything to destroy their business with his slandering reviews.

This part sounds like a romcom opening or Nora Ephron romance beginning, isn’t it? You think enemies to lovers theme help two ex lovers resolve their issues and fall in love again! Nope! You couldn’t be so wrong!

Because Derek passes out as soon as Lila serves him her special dessert and this is not usual pranks he throws at! He gets poisoned and wait for it : he dies at the hospital because of poisoning and Derek’s stepfather who is also their vindictive landlord blames the family to poison his son! Yes, see the transition from Nora Ephron story to Agatha Christie’s whodunnit page turners !

And Detective Perk, a skillful investigator takes the case and declare Lila as the main suspect! Lila is not only blamed to kill her ex, she’s also blamed on being the ring leader of drug trafficking in town! What???

And Detective Perk is so persistent to put her behind the bars which means Lila should conduct her own investigation to clear her name in two months ( till her court date) Thanks to Calendar Crew aunties’ suspect list: she starts talking with other restaurant owners who suffered the shitty reviews Derek has written to threat their business.

I don’t know you my friends but I would have a chance I could read at least three books belong to this captivating series at one sit. I became a true addict! As soon as I finished the book at record time and I started to cry like whining brat who craves more chocolate!

All of these characters in the book are like your own family members. Their genuineness warm your heart. They are so natural! You want to hang out with them drinking gallons of tea, munching snacks, having long conversations and observing their miraculous cooking!

I hope Ms. Manansala won’t let us wait too long for the sequel! I already started to miss this family as soon as I finished the last page!
I’m giving my five gazillion, family bonds, true friendship, mouth watering dishes, riveting mystery, best characters, perfect multicultural representation stars!

I’m telling you my friends, this is one of the best of best reads I’ve recently had! I highly recommend to all readers who are big fans of feel good fictions, laugh out loud dark comedy, unputdownable cozy mystery! This is FREAKING AWESOME!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing For sharing this fantastic digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions!

A debut cozy mystery, and throw in the added benefit of cooking Filipino. Lila's family owns a Filipino restaurant, and fills a niche for ethnic food. Lila, newly returned from Chicago; she went away determined never to come back to Shady Palms. Now she's back. The foods sounded yummy and the mystery and deaths could fill a book. Wait, they did! Lila can't leave a recipe alone - she has to make it her own. When a man dies in her family's restaurant, she and her family figure out there is a bigger story at hand. Think graft, shady contractors, drugs and murder. As the story progresses, we are reminded of the importance of home and family and the varieties of ethnic foods that some communities get to experience.

I think it's important to have more own voices (not diverse but actually written by by and about diverse authors - I am totally offended by white authors writing Asian stereotypes) so hooray to Berkeley for publishing this book! The actual mystery was so convoluted and made zero sense - the big info dump of whodunnit in the last chapter was kinda lame but otherwise I think this was a great first try!

Overall, I really enjoyed the first book in this new series from Mia Manansala. The family dynamic was a lot of fun to read and coming from a tight knit family I can relate. The food aspects were also a lot of fun and the addition of recipes at the end of the book was really nice to see. I thought that throughout the book something that Lila and Adeena needed to talk about was a possible spark in their relationship and I was a little disappointed when there wasn't. I felt that the end of the book was a little rushed, as though everything needed to be completed in a certain number of pages. But the twists and turns that the book took to get there I did not see coming. The book was funny, sad, uplifting and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a new cozy murder mystery series to start.

An excellent cozy mystery that hits all the right notes and still manages to be modern and fresh. I hope this is the first in a series!

First of all, this book makes you hungry. All the descriptions of the food from Tita Rosie's Kitchen and all the other restaurants in Shady Palms were mouthwatering. The mystery, which I found to be a tad bit predictable and a little long, was still compelling and satisfying at the end. I think the strength here was the development of all of Lila's relationships.

A fun debut cozy mystery to help you get through the cold weather. Lila has returned home to help her aunt and grandmother with their restaurant. She can't figure out why an old boyfriend gives them bad reviews all the time, but eats in their restaurant numerous times a week. Then someone dies at the table she is serving. Lila knows she didn't do it, but who is responsible?

This was such a fun mystery! I loved Lila and her family, and felt her struggle between wanting to be true to herself and support her family was all too real. The voice is fresh and funny, and the food descriptions... well, don't read this book while you're hungry. I'm excited to spend more time with Lila and get to see the criminal underbelly of quirky Shady Palms (which, I admit, my brain consistently misread as Shady Pines - Golden Girls forever!).

This was my first time reading a cozy mystery!!

For one... I am obsessed with the cover. I absolutely loved the town of Shady Palms and Miss Lila Macapagal. This was quite the cozy mystery that stands out for the importance of family, full of heart, and tons of delicious food that I wanted to eat right out of the book.

What I absolutely loved? The Filipino culture!! And the cast of characters just absolutely loved. But, I have to say my most favorite is the dachschund Longganisa. Gahhh soooo cute!!!

Mia Manansala has a fresh voice exploring Filipino-American culture and food through a cozy mystery that made me laugh out loud so many times.

This definitely was a cute and fast read!!

4/5 stars

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 5/4/21
Published to GR: 6/4/21

This book had so much heart!!!!!! I loved the mystery, but I loved the people even more. The food, the club of aunties, that ohmygawwwd dog - this book was exactly what I needed on a cold, snowy day. Can't wait for more from Mia!!!!

I was always the type to stick my nose up at cozy mysteries, but this book is has made me see that I was crazy to dismiss them. I picked this book because I love the cover and I am always looking for a mystery book written by a BIPOC. I did not expect to fall in love with every character. I loved learning about the Filipino culture and their love of food and I need to try some right now! I cannot wait for more stories about Lyla and crew!

This is the perfect book to curl up with when you want to put everything else on hold and get swept into a great cozy mystery featuring a cast of characters you wish you could have dinner with.

I was hooked from the very beginning. It's an utterly charming page-turner and I'm REALLY hoping it's part of a series because I'm not ready to say goodbye to Lila or her family.

Fair warning: you will want to read this with plenty of delicious snacks handy because this book will make you very hungry.

What a fun foodie mystery! Manansala does a great job of infusing humor, mystery, and deliciousness into this book. I really love all the aunties and the interwoven culture as well.

The novel’s fast pace had me flipping the pages at a rapid pace. The only pause this novel lent me was the darker topics introduced (good thing there was an author’s note in the beginning). I’m also not sure how I feel about the ending being not totally tied up, but it was an authentic take on things. There’s definitely bravery in tackling these tougher issues.

A great start to a new cozy series filled with serious eats and culture.

Arsenic and Adobo caught me from the first line, and it only got better from there. Manansala's fun, fresh voice spins an enchanting fusion of Filipino-American food and culture, artfully and seamlessly woven into a smart, satisfying mystery that made me laugh out loud.