Billed as Finlay Donovan book 3.5, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a fun short story. Don’t get me wrong…I did say fun, you saw that, right? Crazy story with some over the top antics? Yep. Plenty of laughs here. And yet without Finlay to play off of Veronica it definitely feels like something is missing. Does that mean it’s bad? Not by a long shot. It was cool to get to know Veronicas a bit better and fans of the series, such as myself, are more than likely going to enjoy it. But it’s kind of like having a Stephanie Plumb novel where its all Lula and no Stephanie. Sure each of them is fun in their own way, but when they are playing off each other it’s just pure magic. It’s a quick read, easily finished in a single sitting, and as I said it’s worth the time, but it also makes you appreciate the full length novels when the ladies at in action together. This is book 3.5 and that’s what I would give it 3.5 stars (though I’ll round it up to 4) Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for making a readers copy available for review.

This is a fun novella/short story about Vero and how she met Finlay Donovan. It was fun to get a little more info on Vero’s background. While you don’t have to read any of the Finlay books first, this will make a lot more sense if you do. I didn’t think this was quite as good as the other books in the Finlay series, but it was still a fun story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Who doesn't love reading about characters whose lives are messier than our own? Elle Cosimano returns to tell the story of Veronica Ruiz, also known as Vero, Finlay Donovan's babysitter and integral part of the Donovan family life and mischief. In this prequel, we get Vero's backstory, and it is fun reading about Vero trying to turn her luck around before finding Finlay. What's interesting is that Vero, running from one crime, finds herself in the middle of another mystery. Vero's got nothing better to do but figure out who's stealing money from the bank, and it is fascinating to read about Vero's first foray into the world of mystery. It explains a lot about her character motivation in the Finlay Donovan series and makes me love this character even more! While not necessary for fans of the Finlay Donovan story, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a nice little prequel that will not take long to read and may even tide you over as you anxiously await the next Finlay Donovan book!

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for 48 hr access to this series!

*Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank* is an absolute riot! Elle Cosimano has knocked it out of the park once again with this spin-off featuring the dynamic, no-nonsense Vero, and I loved every single page.

Vero is one of my favorite characters from the *Finlay Donovan* series, and this book takes her to new, hilarious heights. She's always been the strong, badass sidekick, but in this story, she gets the chance to truly shine. Vero finds herself in a high-stakes, high-suspense situation that involves a heist, a lot of money, and a very interesting group of criminals. As expected, her quick wit, fierce loyalty, and ability to get out of sticky situations make for some of the most entertaining moments in the series.

The plot is filled with twists and turns, and Cosimano’s writing style is as sharp and fast-paced as ever. What really makes this book stand out is the heart behind Vero’s tough exterior—there’s a depth to her character that made me love her even more. The chemistry between her and the other characters, especially the ones she’s partnered up with in this adventure, brings a fresh energy to the story.

If you’re a fan of the *Finlay Donovan* series, you’ll absolutely love this book. It’s a fantastic ride from start to finish, with plenty of laughs, action, and drama. I’m so glad we get to see more of Vero, and I’m hoping this won’t be the last time we get to follow her on a wild adventure! Highly recommend!

Very good novella,

fits very well with the rest of the series,

On to the next,

Thanks to Elle Cosimano and netgallery for the opportunity to binge read the series.

This is a cute novella/short story that tells the story of Vero and how she came to be in the famous Finlay Donovan books. I enjoyed it but missed some of the fun of the Finlay series. I feel that this series needs to be read in order to appreciate the characters and the plot development.

Thank you Net Galley, St Martin's Press and Elle Cosimano for the opportunity to preview this title. All opinions shared are my own.

If you are a fan of the Finlay Donovan series, then you do not want to miss out on this hilarious story diving into Finlay's partner-in-crime Veronica Ruiz's past. I absolutely loved this short story featuring my favorite book BFF, Vero. She plays such a huge part in the Finlay Donovan series and is so deserving of her own story. It was fun getting to know more about Vero and how she met Finlay. My only complaint is that I wish the story were longer!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Elle Cosimano for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The origin story every Finlay Donovan fan has been clamoring for. We finally get more time with Vero to know how she arrived in town and managed before Finlay hired her. The fact that there is also a low-key bank robbery Vero very capably solves on her own is just the icing on the cake.

Fun, super quick, and you don't really need to be familiar with the rest of the series to enjoy it.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the fun little read!

This short story focuses on Vero’s backstory before she met Finlay and what led her to take the nannying job with Finlay. I didn’t love this short story. It felt disjointed to me and some of the details didn’t make sense with what I had already read from the rest of the series. I unfortunately felt like it was thrown together and had some continuity issues. It just didn’t seem like the Vero character I was used to. This was a different narrator than the rest of the series, which threw me for a loop and added to the disjointed feeling I had, but the narrator did a good job.

This was a cute novella. It was nice to see Vero's backstory and how she and Finlay met and I thought the book tie-in was cute.

I love the Finlay Donovan series and this was a good peek into Vero's past. I love the quirky characters and the funny situations they find themselves in. Overall, this short story left me wanting more though. I wanted to hear more about what happened to Vero in college and I wanted more of Vero and Javier.

If you guys are as obsessed with the Finlay Donovan series as I am this novella is a must read!
Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano is a fun, quick read — a little sneak peek into Vero’s past without giving too much away.
This was super fun! I loved getting more of Vero's back story. Which did not disappoint.
The writing oh my goodness…. Pure perfection every single time!

Fantastic short story focusing on Vero. I think this can be read at any point in the series, even as a prequel giving an intro and background info on this significant character. A good addition to the series!

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

*Title: Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank -Finlay Donovan 3.5-I read this as a standalone

*Release date: 11/7/23 read: 12/15/24

*Author: Elle Cosimano- a new to me author

*Format: eBook 107 pgs.

🙏🏾 Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Elle Cosimano for this ARC! I voluntarily give an honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

*Setting: Herndon, VA

*Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Adult Fic

*Tropes: small town, secret identity, novella

*Synopsis: Vero has fled the University of Maryland with an arrest warrant for thief. She visits her cousin Ramon, gets a job at a local bank, and investigates the employees after overhearing that someone is stealing.

*Characters

Veronica Ramirez " Vero Ruiz"-28, drops out of college in her final year, breaks into cousin's place, and gets a janitor job at the town bank.

Ramon-24, Vero's cousin, has towing and salvage company

Javier-31, Ramon's BFF, Vero's 1st bf when she was 18, staying w/ Ramon

Philip, Darren, Helen-the bank tellers

Mr. Singh-Vero's boss at the bank

Terence Odenberry-the bank security guard

*Review: I loved this intro into the Finlay Donovan world. I'm glad I read this before starting the series because it gave me background on Vero, Ramon, and Javier. Vero was funny, smart, and a little crazy, but resourceful. I can't wait to dive into this series.

*Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Spice level- 1/5-a quick make out

Veronica Ruiz is a fun prequel to the Finlay Donovan series. If you read those, you know that Veronica is Finlay's nanny, sidekick and literal partner in crime. This is her back story. It's a novella, and only covers a short period between Veronica leaving college and her sorority, working in a bank, solving a mystery, and meeting Finlay and her kids. A must read for fans of the series!

This was such a necessary and equally fun short story from Vero’s perspective. I love these books and all of the characters!

It was nice to get a little back story on Vero, I didn’t find this one grabbing me as much as the others, but it was such a quick read, it’s didn’t bore me or take away from the story.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

If you are looking for a book with a great plot and character development, this is it. I enjoyed the pacing of the story and never felt bored. I finished it quickly too because the way the author constructed the chapters you want to know what is going on with the characters.

The ending was perfect and wraps everything up nicely. I can’t wait to read more by the author in the future.

It was fun to learn a bit about Vera's past before she met up with Finlay. This is a novella and a great addition to the series.

3.5 stars rounded up. A good short story that introduces us to Veronica “Vero” in more detail than the previous books in the series. I have read the previous books and enjoyed Vero’s character, but didn’t know much about her. At the beginning of the story Vero had dropped out of college and moved into her brothers apartment temporarily. She applied at a bank for a teller job and overheard some people talking about missing money daily from the bank. Vero got hired as janitor and wanted to solve the mystery of the missing money with hopes of getting a bank teller job. With all of Vero’s typical wackiness, she was able to solve the crime and got her teller’s job. It also, introduces us to her relationship with Raul. One day Vero noticed a mother with 2 children that was struggling to make their bank transaction. She got fired. On the way out of the bank, the mother offered Vero a job and introduced herself as Finlay. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced e-copy.