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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
A fun read about Isabella, who wants to be a Michelin started chef. Her whole life has been dedicated to that goal, even though she is just a teenager. Until she finally gets to experience one of the best kitchens in the world. It’s full of insanity. Isabella has to figure out what’s worth it, and worth her sacrifice.
Glad this tackles some restaurant world issues and has romance and sisterhood and family in it too. Slightly deeper than expected while being easy to read and very satisfying even if you can guess some of the twists.
Glad this tackles some restaurant world issues and has romance and sisterhood and family in it too. Slightly deeper than expected while being easy to read and very satisfying even if you can guess some of the twists.
This was just such a fun read. A lot of it was a beautiful escape to beautiful cities, but the real look it took at happiness and drive was powerful. The MCs Cuban-American-French identity along with all the languages spoken by different characters and the kinds of food created were *chef's kiss*
Isa is a chef. She can cook up a storm and she’s even won a spot at a prestigious restarurant for a special summer school.
All is not what it seems though, Isa’a life is far from perfect, her dads new girlfriend seems to hate her and now Diego has turned up and everything seems to be going wrong.
Salty, Bitter, Sweet follows Isa through her summer school as she learns what she wants from life and finally learns how to move on from the death of a loved one.
I found this book so sweet, it reminded me of my grandma who used to bake with me all the time! Sadly I didn’t inherit any recipe books but I imagine I would be just like Isa if I did!
Watching Isa grow as both a person and a chef feels like watching your little sister grow up. I felt her pain, her love and her laughter.
Diego is a brilliant character too - he knows how to bring her out of her shell and make her feel more confident.
Now I’d better get in the kitchen. I’m Im itching to make an apple pie!
(Thankyou to netgalley for my copy of this book)
All is not what it seems though, Isa’a life is far from perfect, her dads new girlfriend seems to hate her and now Diego has turned up and everything seems to be going wrong.
Salty, Bitter, Sweet follows Isa through her summer school as she learns what she wants from life and finally learns how to move on from the death of a loved one.
I found this book so sweet, it reminded me of my grandma who used to bake with me all the time! Sadly I didn’t inherit any recipe books but I imagine I would be just like Isa if I did!
Watching Isa grow as both a person and a chef feels like watching your little sister grow up. I felt her pain, her love and her laughter.
Diego is a brilliant character too - he knows how to bring her out of her shell and make her feel more confident.
Now I’d better get in the kitchen. I’m Im itching to make an apple pie!
(Thankyou to netgalley for my copy of this book)
Isa is 17 and feels like her world is falling apart; her parents have just gotten divorced after she witnessed her dad cheating on her mom, her grandmother she was very closed to just died and she feels torn in many different directions. But not only the events in her life are worrying her, she is also trying to figure out where she fits in in the world. She is mixed-raced, with her father being Cuban and her mother being France and her growing up in America, she wonders if she is enough of anything and where she truly belongs.
To cope with those feelings, she throws herself into cooking, her favourite activity, and moves with her father and his new family to Lyon, France, to participate in a very exclusive cooking competition. The prize? An apprenticeship with star-chef and Michelin-star-awarded restaurant owner, Chef Grattard. While Isa tries to juggle her private life and the stress from the competition, she slowly learns to question what it means to be truly happy. Of course, it helps that she's suddenly confronted with a gorgeous guy from Spain and his dog, who start living in her family's house and who is all about happiness.
For anyone who loves food (TW (for my fellow veggies): lots of dairy, lots of meat), and has ever struggled with their own identity, I think this book is a must-read.
Isa is prickly and easily irritable at first because she is overwhelmed - and who cannot relate to that? She has only one goal in mind and that is to become a three-star-chef herself. It takes a lot of love from the people around her, to make her relax and to start asking herself what she really wants from life instead of what she's always forced to want. I think that is a very important message.
In this book, there is a lot going on. The themes of grief and death are explored (TW: death by Hepatitis and mentions of drug addiction from minor characters), as well as the question where she fits into the new family dynamics her father has established for himself (TW: infidelity). Luckily, Salty, Bitter, Sweet also explores a lot of positive themes, such as first love, friendship, trust and the realisation that people will care for you, help you and be there for you if you let them.
Salty, Bitter, Sweet is a book for everyone who has ever had to come up with a coping mechanism and especially for those, who have been taken over by it. It is for everyone who is looking for answers about themselves and feel like figuring out the answers is a heavy burden. This is a book for all the teens who have tried to fit in and didn't and leaves you with a sense of love, satisfaction and lots and lots of appetite.
To cope with those feelings, she throws herself into cooking, her favourite activity, and moves with her father and his new family to Lyon, France, to participate in a very exclusive cooking competition. The prize? An apprenticeship with star-chef and Michelin-star-awarded restaurant owner, Chef Grattard. While Isa tries to juggle her private life and the stress from the competition, she slowly learns to question what it means to be truly happy. Of course, it helps that she's suddenly confronted with a gorgeous guy from Spain and his dog, who start living in her family's house and who is all about happiness.
For anyone who loves food (TW (for my fellow veggies): lots of dairy, lots of meat), and has ever struggled with their own identity, I think this book is a must-read.
Isa is prickly and easily irritable at first because she is overwhelmed - and who cannot relate to that? She has only one goal in mind and that is to become a three-star-chef herself. It takes a lot of love from the people around her, to make her relax and to start asking herself what she really wants from life instead of what she's always forced to want. I think that is a very important message.
In this book, there is a lot going on. The themes of grief and death are explored (TW: death by Hepatitis and mentions of drug addiction from minor characters), as well as the question where she fits into the new family dynamics her father has established for himself (TW: infidelity). Luckily, Salty, Bitter, Sweet also explores a lot of positive themes, such as first love, friendship, trust and the realisation that people will care for you, help you and be there for you if you let them.
Salty, Bitter, Sweet is a book for everyone who has ever had to come up with a coping mechanism and especially for those, who have been taken over by it. It is for everyone who is looking for answers about themselves and feel like figuring out the answers is a heavy burden. This is a book for all the teens who have tried to fit in and didn't and leaves you with a sense of love, satisfaction and lots and lots of appetite.
An interesting and entertaining story that will make you hungry.
I liked the well thought cast of characters, the vivid descriptions of the places, the romance, and the plot that flows.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked the well thought cast of characters, the vivid descriptions of the places, the romance, and the plot that flows.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
YA Contemporary Realistic Fiction. I love baking and foreign languages, specifically Spanish and French. So this book about a young American chef with Cuban and French heritage was right up my ally. Isa is in Lyon, France to do a cooking class over the summer. She is staying with her father and her pregnant stepmother, as well as her stepson Diego and his dog. Isa is understandably unsure of her place in this new family dynamic. As she cooks at home and cooks at school, she starts to doubt her career choice. Does she want to work in a fast-paced kitchen, with no time for living her life? Her unexpected roommate, Diego, has lots of thoughts to share on quality of life and what's really important. I loved this story. The audiobook narrator did a great job with the French and Spanish accents and vocabulary, and the French setting (and also the Spanish for a bit) was very well done. A great book for armchair traveling, inspiring a desire to cook for loved ones, and sussing out what's important in life. A great read-alike for [b:With the Fire on High|38739562|With the Fire on High|Elizabeth Acevedo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537991887l/38739562._SY75_.jpg|60327032].
She lost her Lala and her family was in shambles, but Isa was going to make the most of the situation. She earned a spot in a prestigious summer cooking program, which could lead to a once-in-a-lifetime internship with a renowned chef, but would she be able to hold it together, and win the internship?
• Pro: This book was filled with fantastic female characters. Two stood out, Isa's abuela and Chef Troissant. Both women set the bar high for Isa, and she was better for it.
• Pro: It was sort of sad, that I only got to know abuela Lala via flashbacks, because I loved her more and more with every new detail revealed. The love she gave to Isa and the lessons she passed on to her were priceless, but her community service endeared her even more to me, because it showed how HUGE her heart was, and what a beautiful person she was.
• Pro: This was a rough couple of weeks for Isa. She was still dealing with grief and guilt surrounding her Lala's death, as well as her parents' divorce. Combine that with the high stress atmosphere of the summer cooking program, and it was easy to see why Isa was struggling so much. She was lucky to find a friendship with the two other women in the program, and then she met Diego, who helped her see things a bit differently. She grew so much, and I loved the direction Cuevas took her in.
• Pro: I adored the way Diego busted into Isa's world and knocked her off balance. Not only was he a handsome boy, there to win her heart, he also brought a lot of insight with him regarding chasing and evaluating your dreams.
• Pro: Isa thought she had it all figured out, but once she was there, in that professional kitchen, she had to step back and reevaluate her dream. I really appreciated this aspect of her story, because it took into account the sacrifice required, its toll on her, and if it was really her dream.
• Pro: Caveat reader - do not read on an empty stomach, because there is a LOT of cooking and eating going on in this book, and many of the scenes involving food are accompanied by very detailed and mouthwatering descriptions.
Overall: A story about redefining your dreams, family, friendship, and fantastic food, which I rather enjoyed.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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• Pro: This book was filled with fantastic female characters. Two stood out, Isa's abuela and Chef Troissant. Both women set the bar high for Isa, and she was better for it.
• Pro: It was sort of sad, that I only got to know abuela Lala via flashbacks, because I loved her more and more with every new detail revealed. The love she gave to Isa and the lessons she passed on to her were priceless, but her community service endeared her even more to me, because it showed how HUGE her heart was, and what a beautiful person she was.
• Pro: This was a rough couple of weeks for Isa. She was still dealing with grief and guilt surrounding her Lala's death, as well as her parents' divorce. Combine that with the high stress atmosphere of the summer cooking program, and it was easy to see why Isa was struggling so much. She was lucky to find a friendship with the two other women in the program, and then she met Diego, who helped her see things a bit differently. She grew so much, and I loved the direction Cuevas took her in.
• Pro: I adored the way Diego busted into Isa's world and knocked her off balance. Not only was he a handsome boy, there to win her heart, he also brought a lot of insight with him regarding chasing and evaluating your dreams.
• Pro: Isa thought she had it all figured out, but once she was there, in that professional kitchen, she had to step back and reevaluate her dream. I really appreciated this aspect of her story, because it took into account the sacrifice required, its toll on her, and if it was really her dream.
• Pro: Caveat reader - do not read on an empty stomach, because there is a LOT of cooking and eating going on in this book, and many of the scenes involving food are accompanied by very detailed and mouthwatering descriptions.
Overall: A story about redefining your dreams, family, friendship, and fantastic food, which I rather enjoyed.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'M SALTY AND BITTER BUT YA GIRL AIN'T FEELING SWEET.
Oh boy. I have a lot of feelings about this one and most of them are dissatisfied.
I felt that the book had great potential but we were given the short stick.
First of all Isa was my God a flawed character who could jump to the biggest conclusions. She was a perfectionist and school orientated, - - which helllo me - - until she realizes that she's a little too much of perfectionist that it's keeping her down which was a great direction of the book. I'm sad that she got her epiphany from a boy (among other things of course).
Her relationship with her grandma was great would have loved to see more of that but for reasons we couldn't.
Diego was not great. I've read boring and bland LIs and he is boring and bland. He was sold as the Hot Spaniard with chill vibes but he was nothing just boring and she gets her inspiration to change from him ???
We are dealing with some tricky family dynamics here and honestly I couldn't find it in myself to forgive the dad. There was so much left unsaid - - on purpose - - to show that forgiveness can come, that it can conquer over crippling resentment that can destroy loved ones but I didn't buy it. I know that ~feelings talk~ may not be common in some Latinx households (at least in mine it's not) but I detest weak men who don't answer for the hurt they've caused.
The moms family may have sucked (seriously the French grannie sucks *trigger warnings for colourism*) but I do feel like Isa abandoned her mom. She never gets mentioned in this book again and I feel bad for her.
Maybe this has to do more with me but... I just couldn't forgive the dad.
This story is about embracing your flawed family which we all have but this story is at the same time very one sided.
This book has great food. If I was less of a picky eater I'm sure I'd dig in
Oh boy. I have a lot of feelings about this one and most of them are dissatisfied.
I felt that the book had great potential but we were given the short stick.
First of all Isa was my God a flawed character who could jump to the biggest conclusions. She was a perfectionist and school orientated, - - which helllo me - - until she realizes that she's a little too much of perfectionist that it's keeping her down which was a great direction of the book. I'm sad that she got her epiphany from a boy (among other things of course).
Her relationship with her grandma was great would have loved to see more of that but for reasons we couldn't.
Diego was not great. I've read boring and bland LIs and he is boring and bland. He was sold as the Hot Spaniard with chill vibes but he was nothing just boring and she gets her inspiration to change from him ???
We are dealing with some tricky family dynamics here and honestly I couldn't find it in myself to forgive the dad. There was so much left unsaid - - on purpose - - to show that forgiveness can come, that it can conquer over crippling resentment that can destroy loved ones but I didn't buy it. I know that ~feelings talk~ may not be common in some Latinx households (at least in mine it's not) but I detest weak men who don't answer for the hurt they've caused.
The moms family may have sucked (seriously the French grannie sucks *trigger warnings for colourism*) but I do feel like Isa abandoned her mom. She never gets mentioned in this book again and I feel bad for her.
Maybe this has to do more with me but... I just couldn't forgive the dad.
This story is about embracing your flawed family which we all have but this story is at the same time very one sided.
This book has great food. If I was less of a picky eater I'm sure I'd dig in