A review by droar
All You Knead Is Love by Tanya Guerrero

4.0

Ya'll know me and baking middle grade books... All You Knead is Love is a fun and sweet read on the slightly more serious spectrum of middle grade baking novels (& so much less full of puns than I expected from the title :((( ). It follows the standard format of baking middle grade stories (family trauma + new place, discover bakery/baking/food arts, begin to trust new place/family, bakery in trouble/trust shaken, kid saves the day & learns to trust/love/believe) but the family issues (Alcoholic father abuses Alba's mother, who in turn is extremely emotionally distant) and Alba's emotional response to them are explored so well. Alba is anxious in general, easily overwhelmed, and suspicious of people reaching out with love. Even when she's starting to reach out to the adults in her new life that express love and affections she has sudden moments of panic remembering past events that hurt her and her mother. It's an excellent young teen view of healing, especially in that it's not all fixed in the first 30 pages! (I mean, it's a middle grade book, many points are unrealistic but the bones are solid). I really enjoyed watching Alba grow out of her protective shell and build herself a home. I'll happily recommend this book to my middle grade readers in search of something fun with just a little weight!