meagangrace's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I feel like I read this at the wrong time for me. I struggled to connect with the main character Lila, and I did not enjoy the vibes as much as I wanted to. The story felt very drowsy in it's structure/pacing. Stuff was happening, but I had trouble connecting to it and caring for the characters. The plot turned out to be actually kinda nonsensical imo. One thing I found interesting is that this is the first time I have read a mystery where the amateur sleuth is actually amateur and doesn't have a special knack for solving crime. Not sure if it was entirely on purpose on the author's part, but as a mystery fan and it was kind of refreshing to see.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Infidelity, Addiction, Death, Alcohol, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Violence, Stalking, and Drug use
aimzthereader's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A cozy mystery that will make you very hungry. Loved the emphasis on family and culture especially with all of the Filipino food ! This book does a great job describing all the food and makes your mouth drool. It’s very much a cozy mystery because the deaths are a bit outlandish and they aren’t taken very seriously . there are clues throughout the. Ok but I only solved half the mystery. The family and friendship relationships with very slight romance storyline really makes this a fun and light mystery. There were times that I found myself rolling my eyes at the choices and some of the nonchalance about death but that’s to be expected from a cozy. Overall this was fun, cute, comfy, and delicious . Bonus is that there are recipes at the back of the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/injury detail, Racial slurs, and Infidelity
Minor: Body shaming and Alcohol
msbarnesela's review
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Murder
Minor: Injury/injury detail, Sexism, Violence, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Addiction, Body shaming, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Racism
caseythereader's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- ARSENIC AND ADOBO was my first cozy mystery, and I can't wait to read more. I love a book where you know it's gonna be okay in the end.
- I loved Lila's family - really the whole town they lived in. I'm not a small town kind of person but Shady Palms was so lovely. And the food! So many wonderful descriptions, displaying Filipino food with such love.
- This book wasn't perfect - some clunky dialogue, some rushed exposition - but that hardly mattered while we were trying to catch the murderer.
- I was also a fan of the fact that while Lila has love interests, they aren't her main priority (she hardly even notices one of them!). The book isn't terribly interested in having her paired off at the end. Also! Bonus queerness! Her best friend is a lesbian and there's mention of a few other queer people as well.
- I loved Lila's family - really the whole town they lived in. I'm not a small town kind of person but Shady Palms was so lovely. And the food! So many wonderful descriptions, displaying Filipino food with such love.
- This book wasn't perfect - some clunky dialogue, some rushed exposition - but that hardly mattered while we were trying to catch the murderer.
- I was also a fan of the fact that while Lila has love interests, they aren't her main priority (she hardly even notices one of them!). The book isn't terribly interested in having her paired off at the end. Also! Bonus queerness! Her best friend is a lesbian and there's mention of a few other queer people as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Death, Injury/injury detail, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Racism, Drug use, and Alcohol
moonlitemuseum's review
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
This is one of the comfiest, coziest reads I've had all year! If murder mysteries are "cosies" then Arsenic and Adobo is a warm hug served with a latte and delicious Uber cookies on the side. The characters were lovable and often very like people I know from my own life, and while the protagonist can seem a little /too/ obsessed with appearing progressive (an aside about how "of course platonic friendships are just as, or more important than romantic ones" felt a little preachy—and it's something I believe, too!) I think this does a great job of setting her apart from her small-town peers. The food is chock full of delicious sounding dishes from the whole world over, with an added focus on dishes from the Philippines. It was sometimes hard to read this without my stomach growling. The murder mystery was relatively standard fare and easy to suss out if you have any familiarity with mystery crime novels, but the real joy was the huge cast of delightful characters and the urge to see Tita Rosie and her restaurant succeed. Loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Body shaming
readwithde's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
I absolutely loved everything about this book.
Lila was a great narrator and main character; despite getting distracted and running late, she was smart, remembered things, and did pay attention. She was very insightful and reasonably emotional without being uncaring or explosive.
I loved the supporting cast, who had enough character to be fun without taking over the narrative or unnecessary time.
While this book could stand on its own, I'm glad that the next story has been announced, and I'm hopeful that this will become a long running series of fun, foody mysteries.
Lila was a great narrator and main character; despite getting distracted and running late, she was smart, remembered things, and did pay attention. She was very insightful and reasonably emotional without being uncaring or explosive.
I loved the supporting cast, who had enough character to be fun without taking over the narrative or unnecessary time.
Spoiler
Her semi-romances with Amir and Jae were fun without turning the story into a rom-com or annoying love triangle. Even her friendship with Adeena was colored by her time away in Chicago, leaving some tension and secrets between the two.Spoiler
As for the twist, Kevin seemed weirdly connected, but when he helped clean the restaurant and spent time with Lila's family, he seemed disconnected from the Longs and what had been going on. Though I correctly guessed that he might be involved with the inspection scheme, I had no idea how much he had actually done -- it made a lot of sense and only added to the rest of the story.While this book could stand on its own, I'm glad that the next story has been announced, and I'm hopeful that this will become a long running series of fun, foody mysteries.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Racism, and Violence
nerdglasses08's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Homophobia, and Kidnapping
internationalreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
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