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kistireads's review against another edition
5.0
Second book from Elizabeth Acevedo this month, and I loved it so much more than anticipated, again. A 5+ star read!
At first I was expecting a clever, sassy and sweet novel about a high student that was very interesting in culinary skills. This... was so much more!
First of all, it's beautifully written, with the everyday struggle of Emoni and her family written in a beautiful but raw manner. I felt all her pains and struggles, and celebrated her wins and her brave moments - Acevedo really takes you on an emotional journey with Emoni. I was sad, frustrated, happy, secretly joyous, cheering her on and shaking my first at certain points in the book.
Emoni's character arc, as well as the arc of various characters in this story, are all beautiful and heart wrenching and ultimately gave me some more hope in humanity. The plot centers around Emoni's journey and growth, and is very much a character driven novel, but it gave everything it needed to in order to beautifully accomplish that.
This story is also very diverse, showing LGBTQ+ characters, Emoni as a young mom in high school and characters of different religious and cultural backgrounds as well. The relationship in this novel are also so well done, raw, honest, emotional, unsure - again, all the emotions one would go through in real life, and again I'm left wondering if Acevedo is writing from experience? This has me so curious!
With the Fire on High is set in Philadelphia, so not much need for world building, but the atmosphere and the rich culture(s) was nicely one and I found myself immersed in the story - and hankering to blast the latest Bad Bunny album.
Overall, another amazing read, I can't get enough of this author's work!
At first I was expecting a clever, sassy and sweet novel about a high student that was very interesting in culinary skills. This... was so much more!
First of all, it's beautifully written, with the everyday struggle of Emoni and her family written in a beautiful but raw manner. I felt all her pains and struggles, and celebrated her wins and her brave moments - Acevedo really takes you on an emotional journey with Emoni. I was sad, frustrated, happy, secretly joyous, cheering her on and shaking my first at certain points in the book.
Emoni's character arc, as well as the arc of various characters in this story, are all beautiful and heart wrenching and ultimately gave me some more hope in humanity. The plot centers around Emoni's journey and growth, and is very much a character driven novel, but it gave everything it needed to in order to beautifully accomplish that.
This story is also very diverse, showing LGBTQ+ characters, Emoni as a young mom in high school and characters of different religious and cultural backgrounds as well. The relationship in this novel are also so well done, raw, honest, emotional, unsure - again, all the emotions one would go through in real life, and again I'm left wondering if Acevedo is writing from experience? This has me so curious!
With the Fire on High is set in Philadelphia, so not much need for world building, but the atmosphere and the rich culture(s) was nicely one and I found myself immersed in the story - and hankering to blast the latest Bad Bunny album.
Overall, another amazing read, I can't get enough of this author's work!
bhnmt61's review against another edition
5.0
This is a sweet story about a Emoni, teen mom who loves her toddler and her grandmother and cooking. She has trust issues after the father of her baby cheats on her, she's not sure what she's going to do after high school, and she really, really wants to go to Spain with her school's culinary arts program. It's all beautifully done, and you just want to climb in the pages and eat Emoni's food. Great uplifting read. I listened to most of it on audio, read by the author, and she does a terrific job. Five stars for the audio, four stars for the book, rounding up to five overall. Really enjoyed this one.
jennnafziger's review against another edition
5.0
I am officially a huge fan of Acevedo’s writing. Just like in her other writings, With the Fire on High has characters that are multi-layered, interesting, and believable. Love is displayed in a variety of ways that are all warm and wonderful.
andotherworlds's review against another edition
4.0
4 // This was adorable, and very touching as expected from the very talented Elizabeth Acevedo. Just as I did with the Poet X, I listened to the audiobook, and it did not disappoint. However, if I am being quite frank, I must say the Poet X had a certain spark that this book just lacked. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy reading this, it's more so to note that I likely won't remember the contents of this book days later. Overall, I would still recommend this book for any student who wants to hear a new voice be heard.
aquila83's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
books4bee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
charliepeculiar's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
3.25
thefantasticalworldofsara's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I liked it! The descriptions of food were awesome (I was constantly hungry while reading) and overall it was a super heartwarming and cute book. Acevedo handled a variety of topics with finesse and I appreciate her greatly for it. Overall, very enjoyable book!
Ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. #IndigoEmployee
Ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. #IndigoEmployee