The first book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series starts off with a very helpful Author’s Note and Glossary and Pronunciation Guide. The book’s protagonist, Lila Macapagal, like the author, is Filipino and so some Tagalog is used throughout the book. As someone who does not speak Tagalog at all and basically only knows the honorifics used in the language from watching some TV shows, the guide at the front helped me quite a bit. Since there are a lot of new, more diverse cozy mysteries out there, I hope that this is something that becomes more common.

Lila has come back to her hometown – Shady Palms, Illinois – a relatively small (fictional) town 2+ hours away from Chicago, after a harsh break-up to help out with her aunt’s restaurant. But after the local food critic, who also happens to be Lila’s old high school boyfriend, dies after eating at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, Lila and her family are accused. The new detective in town doesn’t seem too interested in finding new suspects, so Lila and her best friend start investigating on their own. This is definitely a similar plotline to a few other culinary cozy mysteries, but Manansala takes this in some interesting directions. There are A LOT of twists and turns! This is a great introduction to the characters and the town, and I really enjoyed figuring out the mystery. I also really liked that there is a big emphasis on the importance of family and friendship, and there was good explanation of how the family dynamics are different for Lila’s family vs. those of her friends. I am very much looking forward to reading more books in this series!

This was such a fun and refreshing cozy mystery. It was laugh out loud hilarious and had some great characters. I loved Lila and I really enjoyed the descriptions of food and culture. Truly a wonderful addition to the genre and I hope to see more books by Manansala soon.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO ARSENIC AND ADOBO BY MIA P. MANANSALA?
I am slowly starting to get into cozy mysteries. I know, just what I need, ANOTHER GENRE. Seriously, when my TBR pile is so big, I really, really do not need a new genre. However, Arsenic And Adobo by Mia P. Manansala was such a fun read! I was glad to add it to my reading list. Of course, I am trying to get through Netgalley books and Volumes audiobooks so it just made sense to give Arsenic And Adobo a listen.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Arsenic And Adobo is the first in a new cozy mystery series called the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery series. As the book opens, Lila Macabagal has moved home from Chicago to nurse a broken heart from a bad break up. She finds herself working for the family restaurant. Her aunties, dubbed the Calendar Aunties due to their names, keep trying to matchmake her. Everything changes in an instant however, when this food critic who is a total jerk and who happens to be one of Lila’s exes ends up dropping dead in the restaurant after eating something he was served. Lila and her family comes under suspicion. As Lila is the suspect and she knows she didn’t do it, she has to find a way to clear her name and so, she investigates the case with her best friend, her Calendar aunts and her pup.

Arsenic And Adobo by Mia P. Manansala was such a fun cozy mystery read! I was glad to add it to my reading list.

HOW DID I LIKE ARSENIC AND ADOBO?
I was getting One For The Money vibes, Stephanie Plum vibes a little bit from Arsenic And Adobo. That’s probably because my experience with cozy mysteries is so limited that I guess no matter what I read, I will get those vibes. Overall, I loved this book. There was so much food described that I felt so hungry while listening to it and like I wanted to try some new to me foods. I loved the meddling of the Calendar Aunties and that one shared a name with me. And Lila’s relationship with her best friend was great too — even when they had a falling out. I did not solve the mystery early which is something I liked. Maybe more seasoned cozy mystery readers will. By the way, if you are looking to explore this genre — Manasala’s debut is SO likable. Highly recommend.


HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of Arsenic And Adobo is narrated by Danice Cabanela. I can’t speak to if Cabanela’s Tagalog pronunciation is legitimate. I can only rate based on narration style. As it turns out I loved Cabanela’s narration. She voices Lila perfectly. I found myself really getting into the story and really being able to picture Lila as a character from this narration. It is 9 hours and 20 minutes long. I listened to it sped up to 1.5x as I tried to get through a backlog of books. It was not hard to understand or get into while sped up.

I started this one and I had a hard time getting into the book. It just wasn't grabbing me at the time, so I did not finish... I appreciate the consideration!

Reading this book felt like home. When I first read the words, "Ay nako," I heard my mother and aunts. I didn't have to create these characters from my imagination. I knew them. The gossipy chatter. The piles of food. The chastising about hospitality and etiquette. The chitchat in Tagalog that is clearly about you. I tabbed so many quotes that I felt completely understood my life. Living inside Lila's head was a lovely place to be.

I wasn't expecting to really identify with a book where the main character is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend who has been writing bad reviews of her aunt's restaurant. This book was quite a ride. As a cozy mystery, I kept trying to figure out what was going on that I didn't want to put the book down!

I wanted so badly to love this book. It had all the ingredients I was hoping for...cozy mystery, fun characters, Filipino culture, amazing food. But I just found myself bored through so much of the story. There was nothing wrong with it per say, it just didn't capture my imagination. I put it down for a few months and came back to it, hoping it was just a matter of timing, but with no luck. I muscled through, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Lila Macapagal just moved home after a nasty breakup, and is helping in her Tita Rosie's restaurant when a nasty food critic (and her ex) dies while eating one of their dishes. The cops come investigating and their questions highlight just how suspicious it all looks from the outside. So Lila decides there's nothing for it but to clear the whole mess by solving it herself.

The second book in the series is out now, so I might give that one a go.

This was just ok as a mystery. Very light, but the writing was not my favorite. Definitely a hunger inducing read!

This one was just okay for me. I think the hype on bookstagram was a bit much for this one. Was it a cute cozy mystery? Yes! Was I blown away by it? No. I really loved the foods being described and the dive into the different cultures. As a whole though, this book was just okay. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was unable to finish this book. The writing style was far too casual and the idea that the main character would be charged with possession of drugs AND the intent to distribute when there was a complete lack of evidence is absurd.

Arsenic and Adobo is a debut and the first in a new cozy mystery series. I liked the story and the characters, but the story was a bit clunky in places. However, I think that the author will continue to get better over time and look forward to reading the next in the series.

A suspicious death, an investigation, a fun family, and lots of food - that’s really all you need to know. This is a cozy mystery - my first time reading one! I actually had to Google this term. It basically means a mystery with no up front sex or violence, with an amateur sleuth, in a small town/community. Yep, that’s this book.

I enjoyed this for something different than my usual reads - it was fun and light, yes, even though it was about a murder. It would translate well onto the big screen I think, or something like a Hallmark movie. I did find it lacked a little bit of depth but I don’t think that’s the intent with this kind of book - I really just tried to go along for the ride and enjoy it all unfold! I think it was well-done.

Not my favorite but a fun foray into a new genre for me!

This weekend, I read both books in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. Arsenic and Adobo is the first book and it was a winner!

Lila is helping run her family’s Filipino restaurant after moving back to her hometown of Shady Palms, Illinois. Her ex boyfriend, Derek, is now a food critic for the local paper. While he’s reviewing the restaurant, he becomes sweaty and pale. He suddenly passes out in his food and the police are called. They investigate when they find arsenic in the Adobo chicken.

Lila and her bff Adeena take it on themselves to investigate what happened. Adeena’s handsome brother Amir is an attorney who helps Lila’s family and has a fun flirtation with Lila. A cute dentist in the same plaza as the family restaurant add a little romance into the novel.

I absolutely loved this cozy mystery debut. I love that the author included a guide to the food and commonly used phases in Tagalog. I enjoyed the auntie’s dynamic and how everyone is in each other business. There are a lot of names of characters to understand and that could get a little confusing. A special thanks to @mpmwriter for including recipes. I can’t wait to try them!

I don’t know why I hadn’t read this book yet, but I’m happy to have the sequel so I was able to read back to back. Come back tomorrow for my review for Homicide and Halo-Halo!

A decent start to a new cozy series. I’m hoping the second book will be even better and can capitalize on the strengths of the first. I thought the humor was good, but found Lila kind of annoying. She made very odd choices and decisions and the detective was kind of a caricature.

I did love learning about a new culture and foods and how important Lila’s family is to her. I thought the pacing was good as well as the mystery. I figured out who did I with about a third of the book left, but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book. I actually thought the end was very strong.

Thank you to Let’s Talk Books Promo and Berkley books for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m being slightly generous with my rating of 3 stars because this is a debut author. I think this book is more like a 2.5 star book. Not so terrible that it deserves 2 stars but not really a 3 star book. But enough rambling…
This book was just poorly written. Very repetitive and way too many exclamation marks. The dialogue was forced and unrealistic. The petty dramas between supposed friends was annoying as heck. As Lila herself says on page 261, “You know what, I’m tired of all this high school drama.” Couldn’t agree more.
I’m hoping the second in the series is better written and that some of the characters have matured.

Well I just enjoyed this one so much. I’m not familiar with much of the cozy mystery genre but I have obviously been missing out.
Lila had recently moved home to the small town of Shady Palms where her family owns a Filipino restaurant. Within the very first pages there’s so much food (yum) and a death (gasp!). Lila isn’t happy to be home but rather is suffering from some personal failures, a breakup. But she’s working in the family restaurant to help out until she gets an idea on her next step. Her best friend Adeena is supposed to be going to pharmacy school but her passion is coffee. She wants to open a cafe with Lila in their small town. Lila isn’t keen on this and has no intention of staying put very long. But when someone drops dead in the family restaurant and Lila is framed, she has to get to the bottom of everything.
This was so much fun and I loved Tita Rosie. I’ll always love a family centered story and I learned more about the Filipino culture than I expected to. The mystery was light as was the reveal but it’s exactly what I needed. Something light hearted and full of good food. I can’t wait for its sequel, HOMICIDE AND HALO-HALO.

This book was very intriguing and while i enjoyed it i had a hard time with all the details to food. It became a bit too much for me, thus losing my interest a bit. Overall nice cozy mystery though!

Lila Macapagal’s life is seemingly at a standstill--she’s recovering from a nasty breakup and has moved back to her hometown to help keep her aunt’s failing restaurant afloat.

The town’s most illustrious food critic--and Lila’s ex--drops dead as he’s eating something she prepared. Now Lila’s the main suspect, and she’s determined to both save herself and salvage her aunt’s livelihood before it’s too late. She teams up with her bestie to do some amatuer sleuthing around town, and the potential suspects start stacking up pretty quickly.

This cozy mystery was a fun little genre break from a TBR packed with romance and thrillers. I really enjoyed the whole cast of characters--from Lila’s friends to the calendar aunties. I loved the other restaurant families. I of course loved all the delicious food that not only Lila and her family prepared, but also the other restaurants they visited during their “investigation”.

I do feel like things got a bit repetitive in parts, and I feel like the story was a little dragged out in places, but it was a quick read. It's more like a 3.5, but I try to round up ;)... I’ll definitely be picking up the next in the series when it comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley, Let's talk books tour and the publisher for the copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I am not really a mystery fan but thought I'd give this one a try. A food critic dies in a restaraunt and detectives are trying to figure out what happened.

I thought this was a lighthearted mystery and enjoyed it. I liked that it wasn't too serious. The food parts of the story were fun and made me want to try the different foods. Overall a fun read an I look forward to the next one.

I am relatively new to cozy mysteries and find that they hit a sweet spot for me. I know that there will be humor, some kind of mystery to be solved, and it won’t be too intense, scary, or dramatic (unlike the real world these days!). Usually they are written in a series, so I’m also guaranteed a fun collection of side characters and some ongoing storylines. There’s often a slow burn romance (or possible love interests) as the relationships play out over several books. I would also say they’re not always very reality-based; parts are, of course, but mostly it’s an enjoyable story!

Here’s what I liked about Arsenic and Adobo:
-It’s the first in a series, and the second one comes out in early February. Read this one and you’ll be ready for book 2.
- Lila is Filipino American and returns home to help save her aunt’s restaurant in Shady Palms, IL. I loved learning more about the Filipino culture and the food descriptions are to die for. Swipe for the synopsis.
- Lila’s friends, family, and her aunties are awesome
-Did I mention the food? 😊
- Two potential relationship interests.
-It was an easy, enjoyable escapist read. Totally engaging and relaxing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I Actually also own a copy through BOTM.

Goodness this was a delight. Will absolutely pick up more in this series. Also, now I need Filipino food, and I loved how much it tied into the community. Effortlessly diverse as well. Just excellent overall.