3.6 AVERAGE


It was like watching Top Chef: Apprentice edition but in a book. I loved it. All the food descriptions - magnificent.
I also really understood Isa's journey as she discovered what she really wanted out of life, especially uncovering that she was not really made for the Michelin world (or the kind of Michelin world where everyone is yelling and backstabbing each other) and that was o.k. I've had a lot of black and white thinking in my life, especially in my younger years. "Be the best, what's the best, find it out and do that, don't let anything get in your way" kind of thinking. It's interesting that the Olympics is occurring right now; definite parallels in Isa's journey and these top athletes, like Diego's own journey in the book. I read an article the other day on Simone Biles' exit from the team gymnastics round and her support of her team versus a Russian tennis player's meltdown on the court (throwing racket, etc.). The article talked about the mental pressure and how people handle it. "Salty, Bitter, Sweet" has similar components during their competition.
It's funny to me that the author's note was all about healing broken families and grief. TBH: I was just here for the food! But, that tells you how great this book is. I found a food journey and a healing in Isa's journey in acceptance while the author wrote it about broken families. Something for everyone!! Check it out - I am eagerly looking for other Cuevas works!

Loved this book about finding your true passion and ffoooodddd.

This book is so sweet it really just feels like a hug, especially the ending. Never let it be said I’m not a sucker for a happy ending.

The book was definitely an adventure, and it is definitely shown through the title. Isabella’s character development is so awesome!

The other characters are great as well, just not as complex as her (which makes sense… she’s the main character). The ways the different characters are shown throughout the story really complete it.

The writing style in itself isn’t unique except the flashbacks really add more depth to the story and Isa’s choices. And also, it’s marketed as a “slow-burn” but really, she hates him, and then she accepts his presence and starts to like him over the span of a few chapters. If you’re looking for a true slow-burn, wouldn’t recommend this one.

Honestly, my only complaint about this book is that I feel like it wasn’t long enough to be realistic. But that just bothered me after reading it. Immediately after I finished, I loved it nonetheless.

Overall, sweet book with an endearing story and loveable characters. Average writing, and my only complaint is it wasn’t “long enough” to be realistic. Would recommend, even to get you out of a reading slump, and would reread.

I really enjoyed how complex the issue in this book is, which is what am I willing to do for my goal and is my goal what I actually need? However, the romance aspect really fell flat for me. I wish it had been more about her own personal journey to discover this and she had found a friend instead.

I thought I would love this just too slow for me. Hopefully it does well though. Maybe I’ll give it another. chance soon.

The writing here is great, that's why it got three stars, but I hated the main character. There was an anxiety/overachiever thing that I would have been able to empathize with if she wasn't so self-centered. The romance was a love/hate thing, except she was the only one hating - so I couldn't figure out why he liked her and felt none of the chemistry that should've existed there. The good parts: writing, the relationship with the grandmother whose loss she is mourning, and the food descriptions. Also, who is that nice to the woman who a)stole your dad b)immediately married him c)is pregnant with his child but is then so mean to everyone else?

*This book was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I hate writing bad reviews but here goes....
I'm sad to say that I didn't really like this book. I want to start with the good things about the book. I did like Diego and thought that he was a nice and hot guy in mind. I liked the foods that were mentioned in this book also a little bit of the storyline. So the bad part... the summary sounded like the book would be really good but then I start reading it and I was kind of disappointed. First of all, there were no page numbers in the book which really annoyed me because I like to put my pages on Goodreads and Insta to tell people how I'm doing. I know it's an arc but still. The story plotline was all over the place. The ending was obvious to me and the pacing was so off. One chapter would go super slow and the next would be super fast that the scene just ends. Some of the main scenes like the main character going to visit her mom was so short that what was the point of it. The author wrote the food a little more detailed then it should have been. I know it's about food but I feel like if you take off the description it could be 150-200 pages. I didn't like the main character, Isa, at all. She started to annoy me when Diego was trying to be nice and all to her but all she cared about was her food. I wish the author involved Isa getting close to her stepmom and putting a conversation between them because I think that would have been an important scene for the book. This is all I have about the book and don't recommend it.
adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Isa is the only American who got accepted to a prestigious French cooking competition for teenage chefs. However, the pressure she faces makes her wonder whether she has what it takes. Her father’s new wife pregnancy, his wife’s stepson, and a tough teacher complicates things. Cuevas does a good job in showing some of the things Isa is struggling with, whether it’s mourning her grandmother, trying to make sense of the breakup of her parent’s marriage, or trying to live up to the expectations of her cooking teacher. The pressures of the competition quickly gets to her, making her question her cooking abilities. Her relationships with her family and fellow friends is one of the book’s strengths. What doesn’t work quite as well is her romance with her mother’s stepson, Diego. While they share a nice rapport with each, it feels more friendly than romantic until the point of the book which forces them together. Interestingly, the theme of the book is not what the reader would expect at the start of the book. There are a lot of similarities between this book and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. Fans of Sarah Dessen and John Green might also like this book.