A review by zinelib
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp

4.0

Two Latineaustinites come of age in the restaurant service industry. Pen is an aspiring bakery owner--and the daughter of Nacho's Tacos proprietor Ignacio Prado. Xander just joined the staff. He likes to cook, but he's mostly focused on finding the father who left him and his mother in Mexico when Xander was very young. Xander, who is undocumented, lives with his abuelo now. Pen, after she's fired from the restaurant, lives in a 6th floor, concrete hovel.

The story is simultaneously about family and finding one's independence. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I was glad, so stick with it! cw: cop who's a good guy