I knew I was going to love this, and I did. Acevedo's first book was told in verse, and this her second keeps the same sort of punchy style. It isn't quite lyrical, but it is told thoughtfully and with economy. Her chapters are short and it felt like we were flipping through scenes and watching how it all painted this larger pictures of a complicated life and the complications of dreams vs reality. The way Acevedo navigated the space between Emoni's specific story and making larger observations about ethnicity and race, culture, class, opportunities, and family was lovely. I kept going from invested in Emoni's story to think of all the ways the larger observations and analogies hit home.

This pulls straight from predecessors like Like Water for Chocolates, and if anything, I could've used a little more of pulling in the cooking and the recipes into the larger story. Food is universal, in a lot of ways, and I loved that as a background to tell a very specific story about this young, afro-Latina mom chef.

Best of all, we got to watch Emoni have a happy ending. We got to watch her navigate situations that too often tear young teens of color down and best them. We get to see her work hard and have it pay off, instead of fail because of the systems that oppress.

I did have a few quibbles (I'm one of those people who does feel like "let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" is overused. It's not that it doesn't happen-- it does! It's just a over saturation thing now, and Acevedo uses it at least 3 times in close proximity), but overall, I have nothing but love and high praise for this book. I finished with warmth in my heart and tears in my eyes. Elizabeth Acevedo delivered again, and I will buy any book she publishes.