mahamreads's reviews
356 reviews

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

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4.5

This was such a fun read! I’ve never been the biggest fan of cozy mysteries because I feel like most authors can’t balance the ‘coziness’ with the actual tensions and suspense that are necessary when writing a mystery, but Arsenic and Adobo is an exception!

I loved allll the characters we were introduced to (except for a select few), the descriptions of fillipino cuisine were mouthwatering, and the mystery was actually quite fun to solve. Currently running to pick up the second book in the series
The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

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3.0

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This book was a decent read; the miscommunication and misdirections made for a fun time but for some reason I couldn’t really connect with the book. My main issue with it was how there were times where i felt the book could be tightened a whole lot more, there were paragraphs after paragraphs which were just unnecessary and added no value to the book. 

Regardless, this wasn’t a bad read, if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted mystery, consider reading 
Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

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medium-paced

3.5

a lot of the reviews i read for this book labelled it as mediocre, so i went in with certain expectations but, surprisingly, i quite enjoyed it (even though TDOABS is not at all the thriller it promises it to be). 

There is something about the writing that is just so stunning; the way Slater talks about the weather and books and the characters’ frame of minds just sucks you in until you realize it’s 3 am and you haven’t slept. 

I do feel like Roach’s character was slightly two dimensional but I think that was the point - she was never meant to be likeable or evolved and it gave me quite a bit of satisfaction to hate on her lol. 
Laura, on the other hand, i found to be extremely complex; she’s a Bunting through and through but also a
Cardovan
.  The character study and subtle juxtapositions of the 2 characters were also extremely enjoyable for me. 

My only gripe with this book was probably the ending, I found it to be deeply unsatisfying (but maybe that’s just the idealist in me). 
Hidden Fires by Sairish Hussain

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4.75

ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped all over it 
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

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3.75

lucy foley is the QUEEN of atmospheric thrillers 
Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

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1.0

underdeveloped, flat characters, no semblance of a plot, and just SO boring. this was not for me.