Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - With the Fire on High

Elizabeth Acevedo is wonderful, and I especially enjoy her audiobook narration. I enjoyed the strength of the characters in this story, and the fact that some of the decisions definitely felt teenage. This is a beautiful and hopeful story, told so well by Acevedo.

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laurataylor's review against another edition

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funny inspiring 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? No

3.75

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cerilouisereads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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sparkle5g's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Elizabeth Acevedo‘s writing is always immersive, beautiful, and emotional. This is partially good storytelling, but a lot of it is because she’s a poet first and lyricism blossoms in her prose. This is the second book I’ve read by Elizabeth Acevedo, and I liked it just as much if not more than The Poet X.

Emoni lives with her abuela and takes care of her young daughter while finishing senior year and working part time at the local burger joint. It might not be the life she would have chosen for herself originally, but she loves it, and she loves her daughter Emma more than anything. There is a trend of contemporary young adult books that portray stereotypical negative images in a positive light, and in many ways, With the Fire on High is one of those. It’s a story of acceptance and love. It’s about embracing the unexpected and not giving up on yourself.

As a main character, I really enjoyed Emoni because she was imperfect, but not in the way too many readers may assume. She’s also multi-faceted and interesting. She is stubborn but hard-working. She is positive and encouraging, but hopelessly hard on herself. She’s extremely responsible but also extremely self-sacrificing. I really enjoyed the way Acevedo took us through her year using food as a guide. Through this medium, Acevedo was able to show Emoni’s passion and individualism, making her a person and not just a silhouette. I was hungry every time I listened to the audiobook – I want food like Emoni makes: bursting with flavor and filled with emotion and memory.

It’s always amazing to listen to an author read their own audiobook. Most of them read excellently, but there’s something particularly special about listening to a poet. I know Elizabeth Acevedo is so much more than her poetry, but let’s be real. Her poetry is incredible, beautiful, and thought-provoking. She knows how to present words verbally. She knows how to evoke images in her lilts and tones and she does it marvelously. I really enjoyed listening to her read this book and I’m so glad she was the narrator.

With the Fire on High was an easy book to love and I devoured it. I already recommended this one to folks before I finished it, so I absolutely recommend it to you, dear reader. It’s one I’m going to add to my personal collection.

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