Book Review: “Arsenic and Adobo” by Mia P. Manansala

Apr 26

Håfa adai! May is Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States. For May 2026, I will post reviews for books by authors from Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. My second selection of AAPI Heritage Month 2026 is Arsenic and Adobo, the first book of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series by Mia P. Manansala.

This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Mystery bookshelf.

Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

The words of a food critic can carry tremendous consequence for small town family-owned establishments, bringing their business to a much wider public or dooming them to obscurity. In a best-case scenario, a food critic sings your praises and comes back repeatedly as a customer. In a worst-case scenario, they drop dead after a few bites of your food. Unfortunately for Lila Macapagal, that is the exact scenario she finds herself in when Derrick Winter—her small town’s only food critic, and her high school ex-boyfriend—east a dessert custom-made for him in her family’s Filipino restaurant. Now, Lila, her aunties, godmothers, and grandmother must figure out how to clear her name and save their family’s struggling business.

My Thoughts on Arsenic and Adobo: 4.75 stars

Set in the small town of Shady Palms, Illinois, Arsenic and Adobo is told from the first-person perspective of Lila Macapagal, returning home after a breakup to work at her family’s restaurant. As is implied in the title of the book, Arsenic and Adobo centers Filipino cuisine in its plot. And I absolutely adore that aspect of this story! I am someone who loves food, enjoys cooking as a creative outlet, and appreciates the way cuisine can bridge the gaps between people of almost any background. Because we all have to eat!

Throughout the story, Lila must balance the rules and expectations of growing up in a traditional Filipino family while maintaining her own identity as a woman born-and-raised within the diaspora in the United States. On one hand, this provides Lila with a strong sense community and fierce loyalty to her family. On the other hand, this has the effect of her keeping certain secrets from her grandmother, godmothers, and aunties. For Lila, the shame that would be felt from the truth is greater than the guilt of maintaining a lie.

I could relate deeply to Lila as a protagonist. She is stubborn, assertive, intelligent, sensical, and clever, but still makes mistakes that seem to contradict these qualities. She is determined to protect her family’s livelihood while still proving her innocence. She is torn between being maintaining her auntie’s endeavors at the restaurant and creating something of her own. And Lila is not the only complex character in this tale.

Tita Rosie — or Auntie Rosie for those unfamiliar with the Tagalog language — is the hard-working and practical owner of the family restaurant who will not sacrifice tradition for the dollar. Lola Flor is Lila’s grandmother and the matriarch of the Macapagal family in Shady Palms. The Calendar Crew consists of Lila’s three godmothers — Ninang April, Ninang May, and Ninang June — whose meddling and gossiping are at once frustrating for Lila yet helpful in her amateur pursuit of investigation.

Outside of Lila’s immediate family circle are her best friend Adeena and two potential love interests, Amir and Dr. Jae. I have an appreciation for the way Lila’s years-long absence from her small town had an effect on her relationship with Adeena. They still remain best friends with love for each other, but they need to repair some of the damage caused by being apart. Amir is the older brother of Adeena and Lila’s long-term crush. I can understand why Lila and Amir never pursued anything with each other! Getting romantically involved with the sibling of a best friend is a tremendous gamble that could result in you officially becoming family to that best friend, or the destruction of the friendship. Dr. Jae is a dentist and a relative of the detective investigating the murder for which Lila is a suspect. Fortunately for Dr. Jae, Lila is able to regard them as two separate individuals.

My overall rating for Mia P. Manansala’s Arsenic and Adobo is 4.75 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this first installment of the Tita Rose’s Kitchen mystery series! Mia P. Manansala’s writing is witty, clever, emotional, and hilarious. There were times I found myself annoyed with the actions of some characters during the investigation, but that speaks more to how much true crime I consume than it does the author’s catchy storytelling. Fans of culinary films like The Hundred-Foot Journey, East Side Sushi, Chef, and The Taste of Things looking for stories with suspense would enjoy this cozy mystery. I experienced this story in audiobook form, but the inclusion of recipes at the back of the book makes owning a physical copy even more appealing. I highly recommend Arsenic and Adobo! I can see myself revisiting this story and purchasing copies to give as gifts. I greatly look forward to reading more in this series.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of Arsenic and Adobo, the first book of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series by Mia P. Manansala.

Post Date: 25 May 2026

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: As many people as possible should read this book!
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I will not revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book! I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it!