This was another fun addition to the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery series. I loved coming back to this town and see the mystery the family fell into this time.

It was interesting to see the investigation play out; and see how it had an impact on Lila and her friendships.

There were definitely red herrings in this book. And I am not sure why but I never guess the killer.

All in all an entertaining listen.

Thx PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy.

Another fun and fairly engaging mystery by Mia Manansala. As usual the cultural and food part of the story was fun and gave insight into how young people in Asian and Middle Eastern culture live and some of the challenged they face. Not sure why, but this book was a bit less engaging than the previous ones in the series. Maybe I know the characters, settings and backstories and see less new details about them to help engage met. I still enjoyed the book and will likely read the future installments. A couple of weaknesses I ran into:
- The ending seemed to pat and rushed. It has been done before multiple times. Why would she put herself in danger alone with a potential murderer. The ending would have been much more effective if there was a build up to the reveal and it was not set as only a confession. I felt somewhat cheated with the abrupt and overly simple ending.
- The use of "they"as a personal pronoun was jarring. It interrupted the flow of the narrative. Every time I ran into it I had to stop, reread and figure out what was meant. I know it is PC to use that for non-gendered reference. It just make the reading non-fluent.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House/Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reader's copy of the book.

"Guilt and Ginataan" is another enjoyable mystery from the Tita Rosie's Kitchem Mystery series. This time the murder suspect is pointed toward one of my favorite secondary characters, Adeena, a co-partner in the Brew-has café trio. While I was hoping to get more information about Adeena and her family, the story stays close the people surrounding the murder victim. I liked how Manansala explores the complexities of friendship both within the murder victim's circle of friends but also within the Brew-has as their relationships become strained under the weight of the murder investigation.

Thanks to NetGalley, Mia P. Manansala, and the publisher of allowing me to read a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this latest installment (#5) in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series! Each book is getting even better! There is plenty of autumn atmosphere and food as well as knit- and crochet-wares and dachshunds!

This is an old fashioned cozy mystery in its framework, but with very modern characters. I love the peek into Filipino culture and cooking and the recipes at the end.

I love this series but the books always make me hungry! Once again, the 3 co-owners of the Brew Ha cafe have stumbled into a murder mystery.. This time, the wife of a neighboring town’’s Mayor is dead and Adeena is found unconscious next the the dead body with a bloody knife in her hand. She is immediately arrested and her criminal attorney brother must bail her out. The usual gang comes together to exonerated Adeena and find the real killer. Murder, secrets and a lot of great food make this a fun read with a few surprising twists.

This book was a great addition to the series! Though not my favorite, I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!

Lila, the Brew Ha Crew, the aunties and the dachshund make this book a delightful visit to cozytown.
Fans of this series would recommend starting at number one but I think you could enjoy this title as a stand alone.
Charming characters and the delicious food will have your turning pages to find out who dunnit!

* Guilt and Ginataan * is a very likable and warm cozy mystery with a Filipina-American heroine who comes into her own while untangling a mystery at home, regarding familial relationships and personal guilt. Strong character writing mixed with great conveyance of Filipino culture make up for a somewhat predictable and plodding storyline. Overall, this is a fun, soothing read, especially to readers who enjoy cultural visits or family topics, although almost no surprise is elicited.

Very fast paced cozy that you could read alone or are part of the overall series. Jae's character seems to need a bit more development at this point, there were a few instances of him doing something halfway or trailing off. Elena's character is beginning to annoy me and I have no idea how the cafe makes any money with all the free food they are giving away (plus all the purchases they are making) but I guess that is the liberty of fiction.
I'm pretty convinced that I would not travel to this town with all the murders. Small town charm can only cover up so much lol

Mia Manansala did it again, baby! The second ARC I got an opportunity to read and it did not disappoint. This is the 5th book in her Arsenic & Adobo series and I’m already eager for the next one. Lila’s back at it, with lots of help from her family and the Brew-has, to solve a crime involving Adeena, her best friend. All taking place during the Shady Palms corn festival. There were quite a few twists and turns and it took until pretty much the end before I realized who did it. I love how in Mia’s writing, she acknowledges how important mental health, open communication, and relationships with loved ones aren’t always easy—especially if you’re a first generation kid (like me and Lila) along with keeping in touch with one’s roots. The more of Mia’s books I read, the more I love them and find them relatable.

And of course, in addition to a great story and a good mystery, there were lots of great food scenes and references. Be prepared to finish chapters feeling hungry and wanting any of the delicious foods Lila and her crew chow on. I was sooo in the mood for some queso and chips for a good chunk of this book lol. It also made me crave a lot of my favorite Filipino comfort foods 😋🇵🇭👍🏽 This is a great story (and series!) if you love cozy things, books with recipes, trying different foods, and a good mystery. Ginataan and Guilt comes out November 12th and I cannot wait to add this to my little library along with the other books in the series!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

At this point, Mia P. Manansala has the formula down, and I freaking love it. This time we're solving a murder and clearing our bestie's name - that's a recipe for a good book! I liked getting a peek into Elena and Adeena's relationship, and the strain that gets put on Elena and Lila. I felt like the culprit was clear, but there were a fair number of red herrings thrown in to distract us so that it feels like a surprise at the end. But most importantly, there is so much delicious FOOD! Beyond the Brew-Ha and corn festival, there's also a new olive oil store that just sounds amaaaazing.

Honestly if I could live in this small business loving cozy mystery universe, I would. (So long as I don't get murdered)

The 5th book in the Shady Palms series and this one fell a bit flat for me. It was missing the charm held by previous books and felt very repetitive of earlier books in the series.

A fast-paced cozy mystery that was very enjoyable & made me really hungry!

I have never read one of Manansala's books but have heard of this series so when this was sent to me I figured why not give it a try? I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had while reading this. It had a great group of characters/friend group, humor, a good mystery and delicious sounding recipes (I will need to make some!). I also liked Lila and Jae, they were super cute.

This reminded me a lot of the cozy mysteries that are on Hallmark.

A fun time!

How do I even start this?! Lila and the gang are back for another murder mystery in Shady Palms and honestly, would not want to be a side character in this town with the way people drop dead! This time Adeena, Lila’s best friend is the main suspect. So of course Lila and co bust out their great detective skills! I love how Lila and Jae teamed up on this one, seeing more of their relationship was sweet! I did miss the interactions between Lila, Tita Rosie, Lola Flor and Ate Bernie! They’ve been such huge support for Lila in the first books that it felt weird not seeing so much of them in this one. Love that the calendar crew is still a gossipy as ever!!

All in all, a great read!!! Can’t wait for this to hit the book shelves!!! Thank you again to Mia, Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC

Before I get too far into the review of Mia P. Manansala’s fifth Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery, Guilt and Ginataan, let me mention that Ginataan is food cooked with coconut milk. Because the amateur sleuth, Lila Macapagal, is Filipino, and the co-owner of the Brew-ha Cafe, Filipino food plays an important part in all of the books in this series.

Lila and her friends and co-owners, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are working a booth at the Shady Palms Corn Festival. Most of the customers enjoy the food, but Adeena has an interesting encounter with the wife of Mayor Judy Reyes from the neighboring town of Shelbyville. Yvonne is a little in-your-face and pushy, but Adeena handles it well.

After that first day of the festival, Lila and the others decide to try the corn maze, the second largest corn maze in the state. They make it a competition and split up. Lila is totally lost in the maze when she hears a scream. But, she’s with a security guard when there’s another scream and they hurry to that spot only to find Yvonne dead, stabbed to death, and Adeena passed out with the bloody knife in her hand.

Lila is a little overzealous in her attempts to investigate the murder. As always, she teams up with her aunt’s boyfriend, Jonathan Park, who is now a private detective hired by Mayor Reyes. Her usual circle, her boyfriend, her godmothers, known as the Calendar Crew, and others, intend to help. Lila relies on conversations and community when she investigates. This time, though, she finds Elena in the way. Elena is Adeena’s girlfriend, and sees no reason why Lila should do all the investigating. Along the way, Lila realizes she does have a bad habit of making everything about her, and not considering others.

Guilt and Ginataan is easier to follow than some of the other books in the series. It’s a straightforward mystery with less dependence on past history. Even so, Lila grows as a character in this latest installment in the series filled with Filipino food and family.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
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I enjoyed this 5th book in the series; however, I wasn't as engaged with the story as some of the previous books. I think this was because the pacing felt a little slow for me at times but overall I enjoy the characters of the series and the blending of cultures.

I have only read books 4 and 5 of this series, but I enjoyed book 4 more than this one. The mystery was pretty interesting, but I felt that everything came too easy for Lila. People were falling over themselves to give her information. And I was also shocked at how much money they were spending at the boutique owned by the murder victim. I didn't realize they were all so rich that they could afford so many outfits, all purchased at once. The aunties were hardly in this book, seemingly thrown in like an afterthought. This book was entertaining, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

🥣 This series got me back into reading, so I’m VERY grateful for this opportunity, especially because this is my first ARC!

🥣 This book starts with Shady Palms hosting a Corn Festival with Shelbyville, and the Brew-ha Cafe is hosting a booth to promote their business.

🥣 Again, there is a murder that happened in Shady Palms. However, the victim is the wife of Shelbyville’s mayor and the primary suspect is Adeena (Lila’s best friend and co-owner of the Brew-ha Cafe).

🥣 With the gang back together and Detective Park working again on the case, this new installment takes has just as many foods and interviews as the previous books.

🥣 I love Lila and Jae’s relationship. They are the cutest couple, and the fact he joins in on the investigations just to make sure she is safe is top notch. (And him buying the jumpsuit for Lila >>)

🥣 One thing that I wish there was more of were appearances from the Calendar Crew, Tita Rosie, Lola Flor, and Bernadete. I always love their banter (and the tsismis), so I wish we saw that more in this book.

🥣 I thought there was an obvious choice of who would murder this politician’s wife, but the actual murderer was fascinating! It was not too obvious, but it all makes sense once the book wraps up.

🥣 Overall, this was another good, cozy murder mystery. I always enjoy listening to all the fusion foods listed in the book! They all sound so delicious. I also always love seeing Lila investigate these murders!

It's pretty characteristic of the other books in the series, though it didn't really seem to pick up propulsion like the others and I missed a lot of the side characters. It purported to focus on Adeena, but she seemed to be in the book the least and it felt problematic that we didn't explore her relationship with her parents, which sounds pretty abusive. It felt shorter and the opening of the book was way too food-focused, but this series does have a hold on me.

We are reunited again with Lila and her Brew-ha crew. Lately, everything around Lila has been going great. She hasn’t been investigating anymore, which is good because she is still dealing with the aftermath of the previous case. She just wants to enjoy her days and expand more at Brew-ha Café. Unfortunately, not everything goes according to plan.

Lila's best friend, Adeena, is accused of murder. Thankfully, she has Lila on her side by lowkey investigating the case, so nothing can be done to Adeena. But Lila is going to face some challenges as she investigates the case, especially from Adeena's girlfriend Elena. It’s a tough situation through and through. 

I am so happy to be reunited with Lila and her crew. I miss her crazy yet emotional adventures as Lila investigates cases on the download. And this case isn’t any different from dealing with awkward situations between her friends. I think it was much needed for them to sort out their issues, but I wasn’t liking Elena's tone with Adeena. I always say that when you have an issue with a friend, especially in business, it’s best to talk about it straight on.

Beside my annoyance with Elena, I truly love that Lila knows her boundaries when it comes to investigating cases. Liila is taking more caution when she investigates. It’s for the best.