Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

17 reviews

meganpbennett's review against another edition

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adventurous informative lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed reading Arsenic and Adobo. It was a great series starter, and made me want Filipino food. 

Lila has recently moved back to her small hometown, and is working at her Aunt's restaurant, serving traditional Filipino food, and wanting to experiment with fusion and new flavors. Her ex-boyfriend has become a restaurant critic, known for hammering a restaurant for a month or so with bad reviews. If this sounds like a Hallmark movie, it is. Just on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, as he dies after eating at the restaurant. And, of course, her family are the prime suspects in his murder. 

Arsenic and Adobo is a pretty standard cozy mystery, but it plays its tropes extremely well. 
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francesforever's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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bookishcraftyme's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Overall, it's a fun culinary cozy mystery. I would recommend this to people who want to know more about Filipino culture and to those who are looking for a murder mystery sans the stressful violence and anxiety that accompany this genre.
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bkjoap's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? Yes

4.0

The combo of good food, mystery plot and  sprinkle of romance was perfect for me. I also appreciate the author’s preface at the beginning and the mention of a trigger warning on drugs. I wouldn’t have noticed how that could have impacted another person without her mentioning it. 
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larareads's review against another edition

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

3.5

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_savannahreads_'s review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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wai's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

This was a fun book. It's not perfect and at times maybe a little too light hearted but I still enjoyed it. The main character is a bit of a Mary Sue who everyone loves, but I feel like everyone deserves to be represented in this area so it didn't bother me as much as it would be if the MC was white. The mystery had some twists and turns, it is easy to follow without feeling too predictable. Since it's labeled "A Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery" so I'm hoping it will become a series because I can see this becoming a comfort series for me that I read when I want something that will make me feel nice and know it will all work out in the end. 

The only thing that really bothered me was the MC's thoughts about people with substance use disorders. There's some references about their family having past issues with relatives that are drug related and as a result she is not sympathetic at all and even claiming that "it's a choice" at one point. Her best friend does call her out a little bit on this but otherwise it's not really brought up again and that really bugged me. If the series continues I hope that this will get addressed. 
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