From the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award-winning title The Poet X comes a dazzling novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright.
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela.
The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.
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No. of pages:- 395 pages
Date published:- May 7th 2019
Publisher:- Quill Tree Books
Genre:- Latin American Fiction
Raintg:- 4/5
This book had been in my TBR list for a long time and finally got a chance to read this gem!
I actually adore the book cover design! It’s artsy, colorful and perfectly suited to the story. Emoni became pregnant during her freshman year in high school and while juggling with her motherhood, looking after Emma “Babygirl” with the help of her grandmother, Buela, and school work, Emoni’s dream is to become a chef one day and attend a culinary school. But she realizes that her dream is futile with her struggling the responsibilities of being a mother. Then her school has a special culinary program in which she joins during her senior year and along with applying for colleges and taking SATs, she is also experimenting with her own cooking.
I actually enjoyed reading this book. The chapters are short and sweet which made it easier and faster to read. The story is mainly told from Emoni’s point of view and as a character, I actually liked Emoni. I am not very familiar with the Latin American culture and as Emoni is half Puerto Rican and half Black, I learned some bits about the Puerto Rican culture and traditions in general. I actually adored her mother daughter relationship with Emma and the growing romantic relationship with Malachi, a new student who attends to their high school. From the beginning of the chapter to the end of the book, I was engrossed into the book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! The writing was really good and I have to say, the author did a good job capturing the reader into the story. I must say, this book is adorable filled with rich flavors and cannot wait to read more books from this author.
Also, I like the fact that there are recipes which I am thinking of trying it at home.
Overall, this was a cute and adorable story about a teenage girl struggling with motherhood and trying to achieve her goal of becoming a chef. Worth four stars!
Tropical Girl Reads 