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A review by mariasmusings
Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas
3.0
I have debated numerous times about the star rating for ‘Salty, Bitter, Sweet’ by Mayra Cuevas and after reminding myself that I am not the typical target audience, then perhaps, I should give the book the benefit of the doubt and opt for 3 stars.
The story is about a Cuban American girl, Isabella, who at the age of 17, desperately wishes to become a professional chef and is now embarking on a life changing training/internship at the famous Grattard restaurant in Paris. Isa is battling with her grief at the recent lost of her abuela Lala, and the startling breaking up of her family. And now, just when she needs to focus her attention is torn by the attractive Diego and the competitiveness of the competition.
After finishing this book, I stopped at our local French patisserie as I was absolutely starving for a delicious pastry and this is testament to the wonderful descriptive writing of Cuevas, when writing about the food and cuisine that she clearly loves.
On numerous occasions, I found myself becoming frustrated with Isa and her lack of comprehension for her new family situation – and this is where I had to remind myself that the book is aimed at a considerably younger audience. And in this way, I applaud Cuevas. Isa is not without her flaws and when she deliberately sabotages her competitor (and friend) Lucia, the author does not hesitate to point out this error to the protagonist via the reactions of other characters. The author reminds Isa of the importance for the female competitors to work together, rather than infighting. A good lesson in life for females of any age!
Towards the end of the novel, there is a considerable learning curve for Isa and while I have my doubts about her relationship with Diego (for me, their relationship is a little too obvious and the signpoints are there from their initial meeting), overall, this is an enjoyable story, which falls into the genre of ‘OwnVoices’ and provides the reader with some lessons about life when you are not the standard – Caucasian Irish/ American etc.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of the eArc of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The story is about a Cuban American girl, Isabella, who at the age of 17, desperately wishes to become a professional chef and is now embarking on a life changing training/internship at the famous Grattard restaurant in Paris. Isa is battling with her grief at the recent lost of her abuela Lala, and the startling breaking up of her family. And now, just when she needs to focus her attention is torn by the attractive Diego and the competitiveness of the competition.
After finishing this book, I stopped at our local French patisserie as I was absolutely starving for a delicious pastry and this is testament to the wonderful descriptive writing of Cuevas, when writing about the food and cuisine that she clearly loves.
On numerous occasions, I found myself becoming frustrated with Isa and her lack of comprehension for her new family situation – and this is where I had to remind myself that the book is aimed at a considerably younger audience. And in this way, I applaud Cuevas. Isa is not without her flaws and when she deliberately sabotages her competitor (and friend) Lucia, the author does not hesitate to point out this error to the protagonist via the reactions of other characters. The author reminds Isa of the importance for the female competitors to work together, rather than infighting. A good lesson in life for females of any age!
Towards the end of the novel, there is a considerable learning curve for Isa and while I have my doubts about her relationship with Diego (for me, their relationship is a little too obvious and the signpoints are there from their initial meeting), overall, this is an enjoyable story, which falls into the genre of ‘OwnVoices’ and provides the reader with some lessons about life when you are not the standard – Caucasian Irish/ American etc.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of the eArc of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.