by Elizabeth Acevedo
Overall: I can see why this book drew rave reviews from a bunch of my favorite bookstagrammers, including @claudiaslibrarycard, @motherdaughterbookshelf, and @danielsreadingthoughts. This YA story tackles mature topics like family responsibility and teen motherhood with grace, humor, and sensitivity. Emoni, the main character, is a high school senior trying to balance figuring out her life path, being a single mother of a toddler, school, and work. She’s also trying to understand the choice her father made to abandon her and return to his native Puerto Rico after her mother’s death during her birth, leaving her with her sympathetic but overtaxed grandmother. Emoni is just the right balance of tough and sensitive, and the reader is cheering for her to pursue her dream of becoming a chef while also empathizing with her determination to be a present, solid parent for her little daughter.
Likes: I enjoyed the cautious, slow-paced romance between Emoni and a schoolmate, but even more I liked the relationship between Emoni and her best friend, Angelica. Angelica’s support of Emoni through her pregnancy freshman year stands in stark contrast to the lack of support from her baby’s father, and Emoni reciprocated by helping Angelica through her coming-out process and supporting her relationship with her girlfriend. I also loved the evolution of Emoni’s relationship with her grandmother. And the food descriptions are amazing! I was salivating at nearly every page reading about what Emoni was cooking at home or learning to cook at school. I loved the way food provided Emoni with a connection with the various facets of her Black, Puerto Rican, and American heritage while also providing a creative outlet for her to be herself.
Dislikes: really nothing.
FYI: this book does include brief but fairly graphic descriptions of sexual activity for a YA book. There’s a bit of bad language and one scene involving teenage alcohol use. Death of a parent, child abandonment, and grief are major themes.
Liz Helfrich 