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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
When Jolina discovers the power of gayuma, or love potion, she decides to make one and force Claudine to be her friend. She didn’t follow her grandfather's advice and warning about the consequences of using a gayuma. All seems to be worth it. Jolina gets to know Claudine on a deeper level, such as how nice and friendly Claudine is. But what are the consequences of that love potion or gayuma? Will their budding friendship last?
Sugar and Spite was such a delightful read. It also portrays the true meaning of friendship and the importance of honesty and acceptance. I loved the character development of the two main characters. The author shows the different prejudice of the main characters. The relationship between Jolina and her dog, kidlat was heartwarming. I also loved the Filipino representation. Especially the culture and tradition of every Filipino. I just wished that the author used accurate tourist spots and places of the Philippines.
Overall, Sugar and Spite was such a heartwarming and magical kind of story. Highly recommend it!
-might contain spoilers-
tw: bullying, colourism, natural disaster-typhoon, death of a pet, grief
I wholeheartedly say this is a staple for anyone growing their akdang pinoy collection!
Do you remember the feeling of when you were a kid and stumbled upon an amazing "hideout?" It's like, you don't want anyone to know about it because they might ruin it, but you also wish that more people knew about it because they deserve to experience magic, too. That's what Sugar and Spite feels like.
It's perfect. Privilege, culture, friendship, bullying, self-acceptance, and sacrifice—Villanueva was able to weave these issues together in a way that's inclusive and respectful. Sure, there's an underlying hint of the current societal judgement towards the magic of the arbularyo, but Villanueva included it in such a way that it promoted understanding and acceptance. There was no erasure to be found. She was also able to add to the conversation on bullying by providing us with such complex main characters—Jolina and Claudine. Neither of them were simply straight-up good or evil. They're kids who experience strong emotions and are still learning how to best act in accordance with their thoughts and feelings.
Jolina's grandfather, Lolo Sebyo, is a perfect example of how adults should be when it comes to interacting with children. (Yes, this is my way of telling adults that you should read this book as well.) He patiently listens and talks to Jolina. He acknowledges Jolina's mistakes and achievements equally. Jolina trusted him and felt safe with him. This is the kind of relationship I would like to have with my future kids. To be honest, I just want to be a good parent.
In her Author's Note, Villanueva gives her readers a bit more depth in regards to some of the topics she included in her book. It's sort of a very simple "for further reading" note, and it's perfect for young readers! I really love how she highlighted the issue of bullying. She made sure that young readers would know that they can and should ask for help from adults when it's happening.
With how she intricately danced around socio-political and cultural issues in Sugar and Spite, Villanueva sure made a fan out of me. I haven't yet had a chance to read her other book, My Fate According to the Butterfly, but I have now made it a priority TBR.
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NOTE: Thanks to Scholastic Press and the author for providing me a digital review copy via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review! Any quote used in this review is taken from the provided copy, and the final print of the book may differ.
I love the glimpses at both new places and new languages. I can think of many kids who are going to love this one at my library. Plus food, friendship, animals and magic-I'm sold!
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Classism
"Magic can't heal everything, can it?"
"No, it cannot heal everything. Like I said, it's only a temporary fix. True healing must come from within the patient themselves."
Content warnings:
Spoiler
mild bullying; internalised colorism (challenged); loss of a pet; references to past loss of a loved one; strong tropical stormThis was such a wholesome, sweet read! If you read this, prepare to be immersed in a richly written setting and lose your heart to these characters (and pets!)
You really get so invested in these characters and their lives as Villanueva has created such real and tangible people. (I really didn't expect to cry the way I did!) Jolina has a very strong character voice - the 'colonizers are weird' part made me laugh so much - and I really enjoyed her character development! She doesn't start off a bad person at all, I actually completely understand her worries for herself and her family, and she's generally kind; she just becomes wiser, more thoughtful and understanding over the course of the book. I really loved getting to know Jolina too - their budding friendship was heartwarming, and yet heartbreaking when you remember that it's under the influence of the love potion gayuma.
"Consent is what separates healing magic from self-serving magic. There are gray areas, but taking someone's right to choose usually ends up with terrible consequences."
I loved how aspects of Filipino culture were soaked into every bit of the book, from traditional food like balut and yema balls, to honorifics, polite customs and greetings. I'm definitely trying to yema ball recipe included at the back of the book!
Image: gif of BTS' SUGA in an apron presenting a dish of food
This inclusion was effortless and even though I learned so much, it didn't feel like this representation was there to be educational, it was just...the fabric of the world. While I'm a curious cat and did Google lots of things, there's enough contextual information/translations in earlier and later sentences (and the 'Acknowledgements') that makes the story completely understandable even without looking things up.
I love a book with nuanced, layered characters and society and this was no exception. It touched on issues around old vs new money, colorism and homophobia in Filipino society, had positive LGBTQ+ rep (who weren't characterised just by their sexual orientation), metro vs countryside life, colonial legacies, etc. The side characters also didn't feel flat or 'filler' at all. I think this network of identities and personal histories all coming together, conflicting and intertwining were key to making this book feel so realistic and engaging.
What a wonderful book, and I'll be sure to check out Villanueva's past and future work!
Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours and Scholastic for an eARC for an honest review.
CW: pet death
Loved the themes of friendship and love and how topics such as class difference, socioeconomic status and such were woven into the story <3