e-ARC, 400 pages
Release Date: May 7, 2019Published by: HarperTeen
Read from: June 15-21, 2019Stand-aloneSource: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher & Edelweiss in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW:For fans of: Contemporary, Romance, YA, Realistic Fiction, Own Voices, Diverse Authors, POC on Cover, Alternate options for after HS, Stand-alones, Babies in YAWith her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Of course I couldn’t resist the urge to get my hands on Elizabeth Acevedo’s newest work! I’m just now reviewing this because I wanted to also listen to the audio since it was narrated by the author. And trust me, that was such a good choice!
Emoni has more responsibilities than other high school seniors. Not only does she have her abuela who needs help with the bills, but there is also her daughter. She uses the kitchen as a way to forget all that she has going on. But then she is enrolled in this culinary arts course at her school where so many other chances are opened up to her. But before she can do anything else, she must decide what she wants to do with those chances that she’s been given.
My favorite part about this was the characters, with Emoni being my favorite. This is a great story of just being a teen. So many changes and so many decisions and all the while having to care for a toddler as well? I know things couldn’t be easy for her, but she took them in stride and did what she could. All the while juggling school and work? I felt for her but was also way impressed by her work ethic. And then there was Buela. Not only was she extremely supportive and everything Emoni needed right then, she was also a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Smart woman. All the characters in this were developed wonderfully and created a great, unique for Emoni and Babygirl.
And then there was the writing style. It was an automatic connection to the way Emoni and her friends interacted with each other. Even as someone who’s only Black, the AAVE that was included in this was made this a very comfortable read and I fell right into it everytime I picked it up to read. There were some parts where I thought she got a bit repetitive and at least three times where she “let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding,” but even still, I don’t feel it took away from the book. I rolled my eyes yes, but it didn’t take anything away from the book for me.
[SPOILER] I also really enjoyed that this book explores other things to do after high school. College isn’t for everyone and Emoni knows it. Culinary arts and other programs are great alternatives that I feel don’t get much attention. I love that she decided to go a different route and go with something that fit her more instead of going with the norm. It made the book feel more “realistic” and can hopefully help other people to take a different route than those others have already picked for them as well.
For about half the book I wanted to listen to the audio because I heard it was narrated by Acevedo as well. And let me tell you…. It was a good choice indeed. Again as the author she knew the best times to take a breath, the best times to inflict on something, and of course had the best voice for Emoni. No doubt it wouldn’t have been as good by anyone else.
As much as I love The Poet X, I think this one is my favorite. Emoni is an amazing main character and Acevedo’s writing style is still amazing. I can’t wait to see what it is that she does next. If all the awards she’s won so far isn’t proof, this new novel of hers is, she’s an author to watch.
Emoni has more responsibilities than other high school seniors. Not only does she have her abuela who needs help with the bills, but there is also her daughter. She uses the kitchen as a way to forget all that she has going on. But then she is enrolled in this culinary arts course at her school where so many other chances are opened up to her. But before she can do anything else, she must decide what she wants to do with those chances that she’s been given.
My favorite part about this was the characters, with Emoni being my favorite. This is a great story of just being a teen. So many changes and so many decisions and all the while having to care for a toddler as well? I know things couldn’t be easy for her, but she took them in stride and did what she could. All the while juggling school and work? I felt for her but was also way impressed by her work ethic. And then there was Buela. Not only was she extremely supportive and everything Emoni needed right then, she was also a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Smart woman. All the characters in this were developed wonderfully and created a great, unique for Emoni and Babygirl.
And then there was the writing style. It was an automatic connection to the way Emoni and her friends interacted with each other. Even as someone who’s only Black, the AAVE that was included in this was made this a very comfortable read and I fell right into it everytime I picked it up to read. There were some parts where I thought she got a bit repetitive and at least three times where she “let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding,” but even still, I don’t feel it took away from the book. I rolled my eyes yes, but it didn’t take anything away from the book for me.
[SPOILER] I also really enjoyed that this book explores other things to do after high school. College isn’t for everyone and Emoni knows it. Culinary arts and other programs are great alternatives that I feel don’t get much attention. I love that she decided to go a different route and go with something that fit her more instead of going with the norm. It made the book feel more “realistic” and can hopefully help other people to take a different route than those others have already picked for them as well.
For about half the book I wanted to listen to the audio because I heard it was narrated by Acevedo as well. And let me tell you…. It was a good choice indeed. Again as the author she knew the best times to take a breath, the best times to inflict on something, and of course had the best voice for Emoni. No doubt it wouldn’t have been as good by anyone else.
As much as I love The Poet X, I think this one is my favorite. Emoni is an amazing main character and Acevedo’s writing style is still amazing. I can’t wait to see what it is that she does next. If all the awards she’s won so far isn’t proof, this new novel of hers is, she’s an author to watch.
Overall, I give this
