The food descriptions were amazing! Lila’s bestie works at a coffee shop and her drink concoctions sounded so good. The author did a great job of giving each character their own voice and quirks. I loved that the huge colorful cast of characters was diverse in all sorts of ways – ethnicity, religion, sexuality and even eating habits. The imperious gambling grandmother was terrifying and hysterical.

I loved her interactions with her extended Filipino family – grudges going back to grade school but knowing that they’d have her back when it mattered. This book was so much fun to read! Lila is likable and relatable – trying to figure out what she wants, feeling pressure to meet her family’s expectations. Dead from poisoning which makes her the prime suspect. And then he ends up facedown in his dessert. When the landlord and the ex come to eat lunch, Lila’s ire is up and she makes no bones about being angry with the ex constantly criticizing the restaurant in his reviews. Because that’s not stressful enough, the landlord who wants the restaurant off his property is her ex’s new stepdad. Unfortunately, Shady Palms is a small town and she can’t escape her food blogger/restaurant reviewer ex who seems to have it out for the restaurant, consistently giving it bad reviews. Lila’s returned home to help with the family’s failing Filipino restaurant. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Arsenic and adobo author