Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

"In typical Filipino fashion, my aunt expressed her love not through words of encouragement or affectionate embraces, but through food. Food was how she communicated. Food was how she found her place in the world.”

Some books just sound right up my alley the moment I read the synopsis. They grab me and scream “Shannell this is for you!” Arsenic and Adobo was on my to read book for at least a year before it was ever released. I knew this would be the perfect beach read or even a good road trip read. Mysteries and absolutely amazing recipies?! Wham bam thank you ma’am!

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life starts following the script from a romantic comedy trope. She’s given the task to save her failing Tita Rosie’s restaurant, and she has to deal with her intrusive matchmaking aunties who shower her with judgement/love. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who also happens to be her ex) drops dead after a heated confrontation with her Lila, her life goes from rom com to murder mystery. With the police treating her like the prime suspect and her family’s business in jeopardy of being shut down, Lila has no option but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with her nosy aunties, best friend, and trusted dachshund, Lila takes on this case. But hopefully she isn’t taking on too much…

I loved every minute of this book y'all! I started my book blog to truly highlight books just like this one. The author is Filipino and this book is full of diverse characters! I love seeing diversity in books, especially from someone in the Filipino culture. The aunts in the novel own a Filipino restaurant and all the recipes sounded so delicious. I wished I was eating there myself! Books are meant to expand our horizons. Teach us more about the world around us. Help us see things we might not have seen otherwise. Listen, if the books you read AREN'T doing that, read different books y'all. PLEASE! Anyway, light murder mysteries (not sure if that's even a thing) are some of my favorites to read. This one was a perfect mix of lightness and actual intrigue. Lila is a hilarious and headstrong heroine. She struggles with her family's overbearingness but loves her family so much. She comes from a culture that believes family comes first but she struggles in always understanding that. We can all sympathize with that! I also loved trying to figure out who killed the evil food critic/ ex-boyfriend! He was a horrible person but did he deserve to die? NO! Especially when Lila is framed for it. I ended up loving Lila's entire family, including her meddling gossiping aunties. They meant well in everything that did. Isn't that what matters?

Arsenic and Adobo is the perfect light summer read. It mixes amazing recipes, a fun mystery, and a hilarious cast of characters. I constantly laughed out loud and then grew hungry. Those recipes and food just sounded way too good! I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read something light. Someone who wants a good vacation read. Someone who might be in a reading slump and just need something light. You don't actually need a reason to read a good book! This is easily a 4 out of 5 stars read. This is the first of a brand new mystery series for this author actually. I'm so excited for the next book, even though it doesn't come out till next year. September 2022 come on please!