This book was a bit too cheesy for me. I really enjoyed the first but this one seemed to be lacking in the romance that the first one had. I also didn’t like that it centered around a pageant.

I did not finish this bookI did not finish this bookI did not finish this bookI did not finish this bookI did not finish this book

The second book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series finds Lila Macapagal involved in the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant. As a former winner, she is asked to serve as one of the judges. Even though there have been a few vague threats directed towards the pageant, all seems to be going well until one of the judges is murdered and Lila’s cousin, Bernadette, becomes the main suspect.

Homicide and Halo-Halo is a cozy mystery about family loyalties and rivalries, good food, and an added bit of romance. All in all, a good formula for a cozy mystery. However, it just didn’t resonate with me. The sniping between some of the characters became tiresome and it was reminiscent of high school behavior. The dialogue was sometimes awkward and, while the food references were interesting and enjoyable, they eventually became repetitious and were a distraction from the overall plot.

I would give Homicide and Halo-Halo 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book was so good! Even better than the first installment. I feel like we really got to see more into Lila and what makes her who she is, not just her past and her family, but really inside. I appreciated the author's note about how this is a bit darker because Lila is still handling her trauma from the previous book. It was actually so amazing to see because usually cozy sleuths just keep going, but Lila is not coping well and explains why she avoids therapy (something so many of us can relate to). Mental health was an overarching theme throughout which I also really appreciated and made this book even stronger. I loved Lila's sleuthing while she also tried to figure out her recipes (all of which sound amazing) and was absolutely shocked by the reveal! It was actually so heartbreaking!! I can't wait to continue this series!

Lila's little town has ressurected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant and she is asked to be one of the judges. She won the title years ago beating out her cousin and rival Bernadatte. Lila is reluctant at first but she eventually agrees. As if the pageant and the upcoming opening of their new cafe are not stressful enough, Lila stubles upon the dead body of one of the judges. This time all the evidences are pointing to Bernadette.

I immediately picked up this book right after finishing Arsenic & Adobo. I liked that we got to know more about Lila and her complicated relationship with her mother. It made me understand her. Joining the pageant was her mother's choice and being part of the pageant again brings back a lot of hurtful memories. Lila's whole family is again there to support her and Bernadette. They've had their differences and most of the time, they argue but in the end they're family. I liked the new characters and the female friendship. Like with the first book, the food description was a bit overwhelming. I didn't really care about the mystery and the romance part. I was more invested with the family relationship. The author has included some recipes and I'll definitely try them.

I've recently read "Arsenic and Adobo" and was so happy when I realized that there is already a second book. So I continued reading "Homicide and Halo-Halo" right away. In the foreword of the author, you'll get to know that this book is way darker as the first book, dealing with topics as PTSD, fat phobia, infertility, just to name a few. Well, it was darker and I do not blame the book for dealing with serious topics, but I was expecting a cozy read. Somehow the murder mystery shifted into the background. In my opinion, there were too many topics in this book, and it was not possible to deep-dive. I have filipino roots, but sometimes I thought all the eating was just too much. Of course I felt reminded of home, when Lila ate some beloved filipino desserts. But do you have to eat all the time?

Nevertheless I love the idea of the book and will look forward to the third book of the series in October 2022.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of Homicide and Halo-Halo. {partner}

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: 📖🎧
Pub Date: 2.8.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

“I wondered at what age you stopped caring what other people thought about you and just spoke your mind.”

Homicide and Halo-Halo was a fun break from some previously heavy reading. I also skipped the first book (whoops) and dove right into the second of the series. I don’t feel like I missed much, as the author did clue me in to a few events that occurred in Arsenic and Adobo. In my opinion, this is a cozy mystery, so there weren’t too many tense moments.

Fair warning, I advise you not to go into this one hungry because it is FULL of incredible-sounding dishes, and the author even leaves room for recipes at the back of the book.

🇵🇭 Philippine cuisine & culture
🤔 Felt more YA than Adult
🙉 Didn’t love the audiobook narrator
😵‍💫 An abundance of characters to keep track of

Overall, this one felt more of a Young Adult title than an Adult Fiction - maybe it was because it’s a cozy mystery (although I have read others from the genre and didn’t have that opinion). Homicide and Halo-Halo is a good palate cleanser that will leave you renewed and ready to take on some of the heavier books.

I'm not typically a cozy mystery fan but I will read everything and anything set in Tita Rosie's Kitchen. This cast of characters is a delight to spend time with. I was skeptical of the pageant setting but Manansala makes it come together in a really fun way.

While I enjoyed the first book more, this was a great follow up. I adore Lila's family (traditional and found members), it's always so much fun to read about her interactions with her loved ones. I also like the way this mysteries in this series unfold, it keeps me guessing until the very end. In this installment we are following Lila through her responsibilities as a judge for the local beauty pageant and met several new characters - I'll be interested to see if some of them show up in the third book.

Thank you for the review copy. I am most definitely be looking forward the third book!

Lila is a judge at the Miss Teen Shady Palms Pageant, which she won years ago. Between the threatening notes demanding the pageant be canceled and a murder, she is determined to figure out what is going on. This while she’s trying to open her new café. At least her family is ready to help out, finding information and supplying amazing food at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen.

The pageant details get a bit confusing, and the murderer seemed a bit too easy to figure out. This is the second book in the series, and it would probably have been better to have read the first, as some aspects are not explained. (Ex: Who is the Calendar Crew, and why are they called this?) However, this is a fun cozy mystery with family, friendship, and food, and it’s great to see the aspects of Filipino-American family life and get some diversity into the cozy field.

Mia P. Manansala's follow-up to Arsenic and Adobo is a witty cozy mystery that will keep readers entertained from start to finish. As with the first book in the series, Homicide and Halo-Halo is a fast-paced read with plenty of humor and suspense.

Manansala does a great job developing her characters, making them relatable and likable. The mystery itself is well done, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. And the ending is sure to please.

Overall, Homicide and Halo-Halo is a delightful addition to the series and is sure to leave readers looking forward to the next book.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and NetGalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ms. Manansala's writing is a perfect mix of mystery and humor. The 2nd of the series, but don't let that dissuade you from reading it. You won't be left in the dark on what's happening.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars.

If you like cozy mysteries with a protagonist who's a bit on the younger, more believable and more diverse side, this is a great pick!

In the first book, Lila alludes briefly to her past as a beauty queen. The scholarship she got from winning the contest put her through college. In this book, she feels an obligation to help with the current iteration of the town beauty pageant. There's been an effort to update the pageant to make it about more than physical attractiveness, but politics and in-groups still try to influence the winner. Our friendly neighborhood detective asks Lila to keep her ear to the ground just to make sure there's no funny business. Lila is still traumatized by the assault that happened in the last book and she honestly isn't doing very well, but she conceals this from everyone, including her best friend who was assaulted alongside her. Lila's family deals with pain by avoidance and hard work and Lila also employs this strategy, although she's aware that it's probably not the healthiest way to cope.

It doesn't take long before there's a murder (of course). Lila isn't supposed to get more involved in crime investigation and in fact is warned off by our friendly neighborhood detective (who I actually like better as a love interest for her than either of the prospects put forward by the author) but Lila's family is once again involved as possible suspects and Lila feels obligated to do what she can.

There's a lot of character work for Lila that goes on in this book. Her family, while close, is not perfect or above conflict and that comes out. Lila herself doesn't treat herself or those close to her especially well as she avoids dealing with her pain and trauma. There's a sort of love quadrangle that forms instead of the love triangle in the previous book and Lila has a hard time making any choices although she still acts out on her jealousy.

The author manages all this while blazing along through the actual mystery plot, which has a lot of suspects! The actual suspect is not at all obvious except by hindsight until just before the end (at least for me) but the author did play fair with some clues. The author also continues to celebrate Filipino culture and cuisine and succeeded in making me hungry throughout the book! There are a couple of recipes too, never fear.

I like that the author makes an effort to go beyond tropes for each of her characters. Love interests have flaws as well as good points. The book centers women (which I appreciated in a book about a pageant) and each person is more than one thing. The character you'd love to hate has some good traits and the author shows that a lot of teenage girls have a lot of responsibilities and maturity. Lila herself has flaws that come out in this book and she gets called on them. I also like the fact that the book has such a diverse cast of characters from many different cultural backgrounds. A lot of books set in small Midwestern towns neglect this angle and I hope that this book is the first of many that spotlight the diversity of America. I'm a big fan of this series and excited to read the next book.

Homicide and Halo-Halo is the second installment in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen mystery series. Like book one, this is a cozy mystery that mixes in the filipino culture and food of our main character, Lila Macapagal. This series follows our lead as she is pulled in to be a judge of a beauty pageant she won as a teen. Following the theme of a cozy mystery - Lila is trying to get to the bottom of who is attempting to sabotage the competition and when the dead body of the lead judge turns up the stakes get higher. This book brings back several of my favorite characters from book one, and puts the pressure on Lila to figure out her relationships in the wake of the events in book one. I enjoyed getting to read more about Lila's world and see the character development in book two of both our lead character and supporting characters. This is perfect for fans of the cozy mystery genre and was an enjoyable read and follow up. Like book one, we are also provided with recipes for some of the delicious meals mentioned throughout the book. I am excited to read book three and to see where the story takes Lila especially now that it seems she may have decided which Shady Palms love interest her heart wants. I am also interested to see what other mysteries Shady Palms has to throw at Lila to solve. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warning: PTSD, fatphobia, fertility/pregnancy issues, predatory behavior, unresolved grief, parental death (occurred in childhood), and dismissive attitudes toward mental health.

I finished it and all the food descriptions again made me soooo hungry!

Fun read and series overall. Although it's not 100% to my taste (the main character's recklessness is less funny and more stressful for me, haha), I can think of friends who might enjoy it

The best word to describe Mia P. Manansala's books is "treat." These books are cozy, delectable mysteries that are quick and satisfying to devour.

An enjoyable and intriguing second installment of Mia P. Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. Finding herself thrust back into the world of pageants, Lila Macapagal must once again play amateur sleuth when a fellow pageant judge is found murdered. Manansala manages to weave difficult topics into a mystery overflowing with wit and mouth-watering descriptions of Filipino cuisine.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Homicide and Halo-Halo, the second Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery, is a bit of a disappointment after the great series debut Arsenic and Adobo. To me, it tries too hard to include too many hot topics, and maybe it is these issues that do not feel cozy.

Lila is struggling to deal with the ramifications of her traumatic experience a few months ago (see Arsenic and Adobo) and is having trouble getting into the opening of her new café with her partners/friends. When the local beauty pageant needs a judge at the last minute and approaches Lila to fill in, she sees it as an opportunity for free exposure and advertising for the café. There are threats to the pageant and when the head judge, who is a jerk and womanizer, is murdered Lila’s cousin Bernadette becomes the prime suspect. Lila does all she can to clear Bernie’s name and find the real killer while ignoring her own problems.

Cozy mysteries are not historically known for their diversity, and I feel there is currently a concerted effort by publishers to expand to include a variety of cultures and lifestyles to appeal to a younger, wider audience. I love all of the food references in this book and learn so much by reading about Filipino food and family dynamics here. There are lots of communities represented, and there are interesting, engaging characters to get to know. However, as I was reading I felt like items on a master list were being checked off…diverse people of color – check, LGBTQIA – check, PTSD – check, gender identity – check, polyamory – check, asexuality – check, me too themes – check, mental health stigma – check, death and grief – check. It is a lot to weed through all at once, and, though handled relatively deftly, often these themes took me out of the story. In the author’s notes, she does mention that this book is darker than the first installment. After two years of dealing with the pandemic and social/human rights issues, I want to read something comforting and diverting…and much of this book feels like an extension of real life instead of being cozy.

I enjoy Lila and her friends and family; all of their relationships are realistically flawed. I do not know if Lila is truly spoiled and self-centered or if her behavior and attitudes all have to do with the baggage she carries. I am sensitive to people’s mental health issues, but I wanted to shake Lila out of her denial that she needs professional help to get through her anxiety, unresolved grief, and post traumatic stress. I can only hope everyone will be healthier moving forward in upcoming installments.

I admit that the beauty pageant theme is unappealing to me, but it provides as a great backdrop for the murder mystery. It is easy to feel the victim had it coming, and there are plenty of suspects to consider. There are a few twists to keep things interesting, and I did suspect the killer’s identity early on, but it took me longer to piece together the motive. The mystery, however, is compelling enough to keep me reading past my bedtime.

Overall, Homicide and Halo-Halo is enjoyable, and I will definitely give the third book in the series a try. I just hope the forthcoming Blackmail and Bibingka is a bit lighter. Recommended to cozy readers who want something heavier than the average cozy.

Bury me in this genre. I live for funny murder novels. What an unlikely pairing but one that I was HAPPY to read. If you liked Arsenic and Adobo you will love this. It has the same comedic energy as Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Read this for a good time.

A great follow-up to the first one. Manansala is putting out these books like wildfire and I'm loving it. I find myself in a constant state of hunger while reading and longing for my mom's cooking. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next installment.