Like all of Ellie Cosimano’s books this one is badda$$ and sweet at the same time. This one, number 3.5, also slots into the series and gives us back story on Finlay and Vero’s meeting.

Thanks to #netgalley for this ebook. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital copy of this novella. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I am just diving into Finlay Donovan's world with one book and have the others on my TBR-SOON pile. This novella, which is a prequel to the books, provides the backstory of Finlay's best friend, Vero.

This was a good read, not great. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because this doesn't come across like the Vero I've experienced in the one novel I've read. I did appreciate that we find out just how Vero and Finlay met, and having a story from Vero's POV was interesting, but it almost felt like it was a different writer because of that.

Looking forward to the rest of the series!

This short story is everything. I loved knowing more of Vero. Her backstory and how she ended up being friends with Finlay (we discover this by the end of this short book) is everything. I knew already that Vero was one of the smartest people in the series but this book demonstrates how much we don't know about her and how smart and fast she is when making decisions. I loved it and I wish there would be more little novelas in the Finlay Donovan universe!

thank you Netgalley and MInotaur for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Love this series! So funny and the perfect cozy mystery with a bit of romance. Love all the side characters and I always laugh at these books!

A cute novella detailing Vero's life before she meets Finlay. She comes across as extremely smart, more so that I got in the main series. She needs a better life than being Finlay's sidekick. The beginning of the book was very heavy on exposition. The pace picked up towards the second half as Vero tries to discover who is stealing money from the bank. Overall this was a sweet look into her life and provides some background to her story.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano is a fun short story that provides the reader with some of Vero’s backstory previous to becoming Finlay Donovan’s babysitter and partner in crime. There’s a lot going on in a very short space here. We find out more about her troubles with her sorority and the law leading to her returning home to hide out at her cousin Ramon’s place as well as more about her earlier relationship with Javier. It was great to finally get to know more about her, to see her skills in solving a crime on her own and to find out how she and Finlay met. It was an entertaining edition to the Finlay and Vero story and a fast, fun read that should please any fan of the Finlay Donovan series.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review

Cute short story that fills in Vero's backstory before she meets Finlay Donovan. The scenes with Javier are pretty hot!

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars

This novella was a fun addition to the Finlay Donovan series. It takes place prior to Vero meeting Finlay and gives us a little taste of Vero’s backstory. I wish this had been longer because I really like Vero! I recommend it to fans of the series.
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#VeronicaRuizBreaksTheBank:⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio @minotaur_books for my gifted copy!⁣
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Y’all know my favorite character in the Finlay series is Vero. She’s amazing to me. So, clearly, when there’s a novella about her, I’m running.⁣
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This was a short, but sweet novella about Vero pre-Fin. We get more of the backstory about the sorority, what in the world happened at the bank, and of course.. we get a bit more of the Javi backstory. Their connection is awkward, yet, strong in the Finlay series, so I’m glad we get to understand a bit more of their backstory.⁣
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I liked that we still get our same Vero, out here scheming and being bold. She’s breaking into cars in broad daylight (to solve a mystery of course) ⁣
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This was a refreshing take from the Finlay universe and definitely has me read for book four! This novella is our now!⁣
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QOTD: Name one of your favorite fictional characters.

I loved this short little novella. It answers a lot of nagging questions you may have about Vero after reading the first three books in the Finlay Donovan series. You also receive insight into her past and how she became apart of Finlay's life.

thank you to Minotaur books and netgalley for this copy to review.

3 stars for a mildly humorous short story. The main character, Veronica Ruiz, has dropped out of college because she is suspected of the theft of thousands of dollars from her sorority. She didn't steal it, but left before the police came. She gets a job at a bank as a janitor, but wants to be promoted to a teller. How she gets promoted is a mildly humorous story. Unfortunately the eBook that I received from the publisher through NetGalley was improperly formatted or not proofread. There were many sentences with no spaces between the words, making it difficult to read and understand. I found myself rereading about 50% of the book because of this. The book was published on Nov 07 2023 and should have been proofread and properly formatted when I downloaded it on Dec 10, 2024.
Thank You Minotaur Books for sending me this eBook through NetGalley. #VeronicaRuizBreakstheBank #NetGalley

I have been loving the Finlay Donovan series up til now. Is it a little over the top? Absolutely, but it’s hilarious and ridiculous in all the best ways. It’s the perfect palette cleanser for me when I just need something fun to read. While I have a copy of the upcoming fourth book in the series Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, I have yet to start, I’m glad I read this mini story about Vera first.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank takes place prior to the first Finlay Donovan book and dives into how Vero ends up back at home and running from the cops. As Vero finds herself back home and without a job, she manages to get a job at the local bank. From here she’s determined to help the Bank manager figure out who has been stealing from the bank and takes it upon herself to investigate. Cue the shenanigans.

 This is such a short story and I enjoyed getting to know Vera more, but I found the story underwhelming to say the least. I missed the witty banter between Vero and Finlay, and just felt like something was missing from the story.  While I can certainly appreciate that this is a short story meant to prepare us for book 4, I could have done without. It’s worth the listen though as the narrator was great and it’s only a 2 hour listen, perfect if you’re needing a Finlay Donovan fix before the release of Finlay Donovon Rolls the Dice.


Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is out now. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillian Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

This short little story gives a bit of the backstory for Vero in the Finlay Donovan series. Fans of the series will appreciate this, but it doesn’t really give much more than surface info though. I was honestly hoping for more.

Highly recommend this fun little novella featuring Vero, great back story for her and helps feel in the gaps in her storyline.

Now I understand!🤔

4-4.5🌟 stars
Brief and fast moving, this deftly-written novella is an entertaining and illuminating addition to the Finlay Donovan universe.

When I recently started reading Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series, I could not for the life of me understand why Veronica/"Vero" went along with Finlay's schemes and skullduggery. This short story from before Vero joined up with Finlay explained it all, going through some of the secrets Vero has racked up in the months before she met Finlay.

The amateur detective plot is fun and the glimpse into Vero's romantic history with Javi will, I believe, prove helpful as I continue with the series.

Thanks to the author, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

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I liked this way better than the main series. I know it's just supposed to provide a back story for Vero but I would totally read more books just about her as the star character.

Quick little backstory for Vero. I wanted a deep look at Vero & Javi but it was pretty surface level and without much of the fun snark Finlay readers are used to. I don’t feel like it’s a necessary read for the series.

Entertaining, but not what I was expecting from this series. I do acknowledge this is a shorter story, but it was missing the excitement we are used to from Vero. Maybe Finlay brings out her riskier, snarkier side? Still a good little background story for Vero pre-Finlay

This was a fun quick read. I love Veros character and it was fun to get a little more of her and some backstory. I did have a little trouble reading because of the typos. Many words strung together without any spaces really threw me off. But I’m sure that’ll be fixed.

Fun, little novella that gives some of Vero's background. Nice addition if you're a fan of the Finlay Donovan books.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy for review.