Arsenic and Adobo

This was the perfect cozy mystery. I loved the atmosphere in this book and while cozies still deal with murder and darker topics, something about them makes me feel so warm and “cozy” on the inside.

I love how this started off very rom-comy: cheated by long time boyfriend so she left to start fresh. She is then summoned back by her aunt to help run her family's restaurant. Back in her hometown is her her ex who has since turned into a rude food critic who constantly slanders local restaurants, including her family's. But this book quickly turns sour when the ex-boyfriend dies from poising after eating at their restaurant.

Seeing Lila's relationships with other characters in the book especially her family, was so lovely. I am not from a household that has any strong culture in it so it was really interesting to see how culture can seep into every aspect of a family. Being immersed in the Filipino culture in this book was just so amazing! I also loved her best friend and the other side characters. Some love interests were also introduced which always makes me 1000x more interested lol.

This book shined with its food descriptions from Sushi at a Japanese restaurant to American BBQ, Mexican dishes, and amazing Filipino recipes. Lila also loved to bake and her best friend worked at a coffee house next door so every food imaginable is in this mystery.

I never saw the end coming and the plot twists in this book were so perfectly planned, that everything made sense, had phenomenal timing, and were genuinely shocking. There were so many that had me reeling from surprise which is what a cozy mystery needs to do. If it can't shock you but also make sense, then it isn't doing something right.

I think a lot of people aren't as big of a fan because this is their first cozy mystery and they're more used to thrillers but I already had a bit of experience in the genre and knew what to expect going in which made me like it a lot more. I would highly recommend this novel if going in you understand this isn't a traditional thriller that's going to scare you or make your heart pound. It'll make you feel cozy while having a splash of murder.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, Mia P. Manansala, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.