A review by moonlitemuseum
Arsenic and Adobo, by Mia P. Manansala

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!
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