How could I not love this book? First, look at that cover! The dachshund and food got me right away. And a book focused around Filipino food and culture, with a little murder added in? Yes! I was hooked from the premise and the book did not disappoint. I loved the main character Lila and her little hot dog Nisa. All the food descriptions had me wishing I was there eating all the food Lila and her family were cooking. And then throw in the murder and I wanted Lila to find the real killer so that she and her family didn't take the fall. That twist at the end - loved it. Highly recommend this warm, funny, food-filled mystery!

It's been days since I finished a digital galley provided by the Berkley team and I still can't find the right words to finally craft a decent and honest review.

Disclaimer: The main character in this book is a diaspora Filipino-American who was born and raised in the United States so even though I can relate to the Filipino culture, foods, and history mentioned in this book, I can not say that I am a full ownvoices reviewer.

Now, where to begin?

Synopsis
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 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 Jennifer Crusie romp to an Agatha Christie joint.

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.

The hits
✔️Filipino foods
I can say that Mia Manansala knows quality Filipino food since the book did not stutter in including authentic local delicacies and dishes in almost every chapter.
Being mostly set in Tita Rosie's Kitchen, a Filipino family-owned restaurant in the small town of Shady Palms, it is not a surprise that the book will flood the pages with delicious and mouth-watering kitchen delights.
My gluttonous belly feels grumbling every time I come across a dish that I know I already tasted. Get out of the way, bland foods! Tasty Asians dishes are here!
What I really love about the inclusion of the foods in this book is how accurate the depiction of how Pinoys value foods and feeding visitors at all times. I may have snorted every time Tita Rosie and Lola Flor prepare a feast enough to feed an entire barangay when all they expect to have are 10 visitors at most. Kudos to that, my mom will surely love this book.

✔️Filipino culture
It's no new news for you that I'm a sucker for books featuring Asian characters and culture especially if it's Pinoy since I love reading stories that truly hits home so I literally screamed when I received the best news from Berkley that I am one of their early reviewers for this book.
Though the actual setting of the story took place in Shady Palms, IL in the US, most of the events happened either in Tita Rosie's Kitchen or in the Macapagal's house so I still consider it a win since Filipino culture is explored all throughout.
From the never-ending relative gossips to the infamous hospitality, the author delivered the goods when writing about how it feels to be a Filipino. Mia managed to balance the good and the bad sides of it by not only focusing on the winning traits but also showing the downside of being a Filipino.
I love how the Ninangs April-Mae-June, also known as the Calendar Crew, are Lila's primary source of ridicule when it comes to her personal choices but we're also the ones to catch her during the entire Derek Winter circus. At some point, I guess we all have relatives like them.
Lola Flor is a solid spitting image of my Lola. Equally hardworking and strict with extra scoops of love for gambling, I may have mostly attached to Lola Flor because she gives off this Lola vibe I used to experience back when my granny's still with us.
Lastly, I'll highlight that part in the book when the Macapagal's did not hesitate in opening their home to Mrs. Long and Cate (Derek's remaining loved ones) even though the late Mr. Long is one of the many masterminds behind the things that happened to Lila's family because that's a concrete example of our world-class hospitality.

✔️Writing style
I'll say it first before any of you misinterpret me, I am not a huge mystery reader. I only read books from this genre when it's a book of the month or needed for a discussion so I can't fully vouch for this book as a mystery-thriller rec but I highly recommend this book if you want a wild rollercoaster ride involving food, murder, and a whole lot meddling relatives (with sprinkles of a good ol' romance.)
Mia's writing style feels like a spontaneous talk with your bestfriend over a cup of coffee. I feel like Lila's character as a personal friend narrating me her previous misadventure and it was really fun because you'll swiftly flip the pages until the end. Thanks to the author's unique portrayal of Lila Macapagal plus the ability to balance the humor without sacrificing the thrill is just amazing.

✔️The characters
Lila may have questionable choices during her investigation but one thing I can surely say is how strong and independent she is. I can not fathom and wishing I will not be able to experience what happened to her in the book but I know that it's truly hard to be framed up for a crime you did not commit since it's a common story here in the PH and reading a book patterned with it is empowering. Maybe because I believe every people accused of something is innocent until proven by the court.
Amir and Dr. Jae are two of the characters I actually enjoyed reading in this. Their mini-rivalry is so fun to read and I hope that there'll be more of them in case a sequel is in progress.
I may sound repetitive but I also adored the Macapagals including the gossiping Calendar Crew to kitchen geniuses Lola Flor and Tita Rosie.
Adeena is also another character that I think needs longer exposure in the future especially now that Elena's in the picture as well.
The other characters that appealed average to me are Janet, Marcus, Terrence, Derek, and the resto owners. I know it's hard to squeeze all their backstories within a small book but Mia managed to offer at least most of them a decent development.
But the most-loved character from this book is none other than our adorable Dachschund, Longganisa.

The misses
✖️Too many background characters?!
I think Mia's reason with adding a LOT of characters is for readers to not have a hint of who the mystery killer is and as a genre noob, Mia successfully managed to confuse me by pooling in side characters who were all suspects in my mind some point during the reading.
But I guess the downside of it is this overcrowded cast made the thriller vibe less present because I became more invested on what their importance in the story will be instead of being thrilled to crack the case.

✖️That particular twist
I don't want this part to be LONG so I'll cut it short by saying that I didn't like it when one of my primary suspects, which turned out to be a correct guess, got killed by the real mystery killer. Let me say that he did not deserve to be free off the shackles that easy because I believe that he owed the resto owners some jail time for all the shady deeds he committed.

And that's it for me.
I read this book for four days since I still do a full-time job during weekdays but that's an achievement since this genre is not my cup of tea, as mentioned earlier.

So, if you love a good murder mystery involving food, family, and small town drama - then this book is the right fit for you.

RATING: 4.5stars

P.S. Please take time to read the author's note with trigger warnings and a peek of what's happening here in the Philippines.

I loved everything about this. I was hooked from the very beginning with the way Mia wrote and described things. For me there was an ease with her writing and it had a good flow. The Filipino family dynamic was spot on for me. I liked that she had the respect for her family but also had that rebellious side of her. I loved her friendship with Adeena. There were so many twists and turns. I enjoyed ALL of the food talk and there’s even recipes in the back of the book!! Definitely going to try them all! I really hope Mia writes another Filipino cozy because this was just too fun! I have so many notes thinking it was this person or that person, but I didn’t see it coming. 5⭐️