Reviews

Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva

readingthroughtheages's review

4.0

#ownvoices friendship story with a dash of magical realism!

eschelayra's review

4.0

this was so cute and heart-warming!! it was a very fun read and i absolutely loved it. kidlat was too adorable he has a special place in my heart <3

samscha0ticlife's review

3.0

This was a cute story and very easy to follow through. The author's note softened and melted my heart. Still, the characters lack complexity, which I didn't like, and that's why it's not a four stars for me ✨

yapha's review

4.0

When Jolina moves from Manila to a smaller island in the Philippines, she is immediately singled out by Claudine, who she assumes to be a rich mean girl. In order to stop the meanness, Jolina brews a magical potion (she is in training with her grandfather, a healer) to get Claudine to stop. The potion works and the two girls become friends. As they get closer, Jolina starts feeling guilty that their friendship is built on a deception. Can she tell Claudine the truth without losing her friendship? This is a great story about friendship with a touch of magic. Recommended for grades 3 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

laurareadsandwrites's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mezzythedragon's review against another edition

4.0

3.5. The story picks up when the gayuma works on Claudine. I like how we learn that she’s not as stuck up as Jolina initially thought, and my favorite part was when she’s at Claudine’s birthday party and meets her fake mean girl “friends” Selena and Maui. Though part of me didn't like the whole "she's mean because she wants to be your friend" message, at the same time these are tweens we're talking about, and we shouldn't expect them to know better right off the bat. At least Claudine actually apologized and meant it.

I smiled at all the name choices, and the author did confirm on Twitter before publishing that the characters were named after ‘90s Filipino teen idols. So it’s always cool to get inside references. Though if Villanueva truly wanted a mean girl, she should have named her Gladys instead of Claudine. Perhaps Judy and Ann could deal with a Gladys in another book.

keitacolada's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

chanelletime's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

miamollekin's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The baking part made me think of the potion scenes from the first descendants movie 

shealea's review against another edition

5.0

So good, so unapologetically Filipino, and so endearing! While Sugar and Spite focuses on the friendship between Jolina and Claudine, it's also an evocative story about magic and consequences.

Final thoughts to follow. But offhand, I think you should pick up Sugar and Spite partly because my name is mentioned in the acknowledgments and mostly because this book is incredibly well-written.

Highest of recommendations!