A cute, quick read. This novella helps you get some answers about how the dynamic duo met and where Vero was in life when they did. This does lack the wittiness and the level of humor Finlay and Vero usually have when their high energy hijinks ensue.

VERONICA RUIZ BREAKS THE BANK by Elle Cosimano offers a scintillating glimpse into the enigmatic, fantastically smart and fierce Vero Ruiz never revealed in the fantastic Finlay Donovan novels. In this novella, we learn who Vero has been and why she winds up partnering with Finlay, wrangling two small children and solving crimes with a grace, easy, and swagger that are nearly as remarkable as her wit, sass, spirit, and intuitive skills. I loved every word of this smart story, steamy in parts, dangling past hurts and unanswered questions as Vero and Finlay meet, connect, and save one another's lives. Enjoyed this story immensely. I received a copy of this and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

The fact that Veronica fled the State, solved a mystery and successfully got the job she wasn't trained for, only to lose all that to help an exhausted mother - also knowing she would have lost her job -, makes me love her even more than I thought was possible.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a fun glimpse into how Vero came into Finlay's life. I wish I had gotten more of a look into Vero's downfall in college, but I still enjoyed learning more about her backstory with Ramon and Javier. The mystery Vero solved was cute & filled out her character even further. Definitely not a standalone, but this is a fun novella for Finlay Donovan enthusiasts.

Short story, cute backstory on how the whole mess started
Love the characters, well written, kept my intrest throughout the whole story

Thank you to the publisher and author for a copy of this ARC.

This story story is part of the Finlay Donovan series and probably wouldn’t make much sense outside of it. As it stands, it’s a fun look into the few weeks between when Vero fled school and when she met and started working for Finlay as a nanny. We get a peak at her relationship dynamics with Javi, a tiny bit of info about the sorority’s stolen money incident, and get to see her sharp mind at work, solving a missing money mystery at the bank she worked at. The only disappointing part to me is I was really hoping to find out more info on what exactly happened at the sorority, especially considering how book 5 just ended. And honestly, it still doesn’t seem much like Vero to run away from that situation instead of staying to prove her innocence. I have to think something major happened, and it couldn’t be included in this side story because it’s meant for the main books. I guess we’ll find out in a year!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook for review purposes.

This was a fun little backstory that tells Vero's story before she comes to work with Finlay and the kids. Vero faced several crazy moments but proves that she is handy and worth giving a shot. Definitely not necessary to continue the series, but fun nonetheless so that we can see her backstory.


Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press and Minotaur Books for providing this series for me in exchange for an honest review.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank… (Vero’s short story)

Veronica Ruiz is on the run after being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority. She takes a cleaning job at a bank but soon discovers someone there is stealing. She takes the amateur sleuth route to find out who did the deed…

I feel like this book plugged a hole that was missing from the main series. Vero is just as important as Finlay at this point and knowing her backstory really helps to understand her and how she came to be Finlay’s nanny.
I love the relationship between Vero and Finlay, it gives me hope my Vero is out there somewhere… We all need that ride or die friend.

I love knowing Vero had a love interest in Javi and I cannot wait to see more between the two of them in the series.

It’s a short well written book and is definitely a must read.

4.5 stars (I needed a longer book haha)

I loved reading more of Vero's backstory! Her immediate connection with Finlay speaks volumes about the kind of woman she is, and I see she's always had a knack for investigating! Of course, I am always here for Vero and Javi and hope to see more as their relationship flourishes! Can't wait to read more about the dynamic duo of Finlay and Vero!

This was a fun read. I loved Veronica's story. ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

2.5. A really disappointing look at arguably the most interesting character in the series. I really wish so much of Vero's character didn't revolve around Javi, but since his introduction, it seems like everything she does has to come back to him, in a way that's grating. It really makes it difficult to enjoy the 'detective' part of the story, which is where Vero really shines - and actually reminds me of the character she was in the first book - but everything else is just very boring, and it also feels poorly edited. The timeline is completely nonsensical, with things being referenced as happening "yesterday" but a time jump had clearly been established? There's also a point where Ramon says he didn't know Vero had talked to Javi, but then he explicitly mentions something that happened between them just a few sentences later, that he couldn't have known unless he talked to Javi?? The lack of editing and the barebones plot makes me wonder if the writer even actually wanted to write this. It could've easily been expanded on to really give Vero a sense of identity and the development she's sorely lacked in the last two books, and it's really a shame that that's not what happened.

This novella is a quick, zippy read at 107 pages! This is Vero's story just before she meets Finlay Donovan. Really enjoyed this reminder of her meeting Finlay for the first time and seeing her solve her first mystery on her own. Vero is a feisty, fun character!

Vero is my favorite character so I’m so glad this short novel was written! It was an awesome story to add to the series. I loved this story and I actually wish it was longer. I’d love to see a Vero series.

I loved finally getting to see Vero’s backstory and how she met Finlay and became her babysitter! This was a quick, lighthearted novella, and still had the mystery aspect in it that we know and love from the Finlay Donovan series! I can’t recommend this one enough!

This was such a fun novella to finally learn more about Vero! She is my favorite character in the Finlay Donovan series. Not too much to say on this one since it is only a novella. Definitely would not skip tho!

From New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano, comes Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank—a hilarious short story diving into Finlay Donovan's partner-in-crime Vero's past."

Thank you for the chance to read and review Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank. I was so excited to see the novella for Vero from the Finlay Donovan Series. I have had so many questions and wonderings about her past, why she is so nervous about being found and what on earth happened! It was great to dive into this book and learn about Vero, her big heart, her family connections and wonderful love interest.

I recently discovered the Finlay Donovan series and sped through all the past books. This short story gives us a little background into one of my favortie characters from the book- nanny, accountant, undercover agent- Veronica, or as we know her Vero. This is a very quick read and a must for any Finlay Donovan fans.

This was a fun, short introduction (for me) to the Finlay Donovan series. I'm looking forward to reading the longer books. This book gives the backstory of Veronica Ruiz. She's smart, ambitious, and I think I like her! For such a short book, the mystery part was quite good too!

I loved this short story about Vero! Such a fun, quick little mystery and I loved seeing how Vero and Finlay met. This was such a fast-paced, fun read!

I love Vero's character in the Finlay Donovan series so I was excited to pick this one up! Unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. Vero as the side character has so much spunk that felt a little lost here. It also felt like some of the conversations with Javi in this short story were contradicted by the 4th Finlay Donovan book. I liked the insight into Vero's origin story, but needed a little bit more.