Reviews with content warning for Blood - Arsenic and Adobo

This is a low 3.5. I am rounding up because I loved reading about a fellow Filipino family. I haven’t read a book like this before. I found the portrayal of the Titas and cousins very realistic. Also the food descriptions had my mouth watering and I liked the inclusion of recipes at the back of the book.

The reason for the low-ish rating: The book was a bit predictable and I do wish there was more love triangle drama. I hope to read that in future books.

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ethuiliel's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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naseem's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was such a quick, enjoyable read. The author has described her books as “hallmark but with dead bodies,” and has discussed that she included as many tropes as possible due to what rejections her, which is to say the cast of queer and brown characters don’t belong in cozy mysteries.

Knowing all of that set the tone for me going into the book, and it was such a fun read (or, rather, listen; the narrator is fantastic). I haven’t listened to cozy mysteries in years, and it was such a blast getting into this one. I absolutely loved that i knew things would work out in the end (removing the anxieties related to the trajectory of a story), and I enjoyed following Lila and her family (found and blood). The side characters were fantastic. I love that it was set in Chicagoland, and I hope we see Lila go to the city once or twice (the author grew up there). As for the mystery—I had pieced together some things, but others took me by surprise! I enjoyed that a lot.

I’m impressed, also, at the underlying conversations happening in the book. They’re not dug into (which makes sense), but their presence deepens the story. (Another reason why I liked knowing it would be “okay” in the end is because we’re talking about queer/brown characters.)

(I also love the recipes at the end!! I didn’t find the food stuff tedious at all throughout the book—I absolutely love food and admire when someone can be this evocative about it.)

Looking forward to reading the next books!!

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tiakiwi's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a quick fun murder mystery that makes you hungry for tasty food! The killer is and isn't someone you would expect so while you are able to put the prices together it's not the shock that die hard mystery fans are probably looking for.

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