A review by thebooklovingpanda
Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva

5.0

"Magic can't heal everything, can it?"
"No, it cannot heal everything. Like I said, it's only a temporary fix. True healing must come from within the patient themselves."

Content warnings:

Spoiler

mild bullying; internalised colorism (challenged); loss of a pet; references to past loss of a loved one; strong tropical storm

This was such a wholesome, sweet read! If you read this, prepare to be immersed in a richly written setting and lose your heart to these characters (and pets!)

You really get so invested in these characters and their lives as Villanueva has created such real and tangible people. (I really didn't expect to cry the way I did!) Jolina has a very strong character voice - the 'colonizers are weird' part made me laugh so much - and I really enjoyed her character development! She doesn't start off a bad person at all, I actually completely understand her worries for herself and her family, and she's generally kind; she just becomes wiser, more thoughtful and understanding over the course of the book. I really loved getting to know Jolina too - their budding friendship was heartwarming, and yet heartbreaking when you remember that it's under the influence of the love potion gayuma.

"Consent is what separates healing magic from self-serving magic. There are gray areas, but taking someone's right to choose usually ends up with terrible consequences."

I loved how aspects of Filipino culture were soaked into every bit of the book, from traditional food like balut and yema balls, to honorifics, polite customs and greetings. I'm definitely trying to yema ball recipe included at the back of the book!

Image: gif of BTS' SUGA in an apron presenting a dish of food

This inclusion was effortless and even though I learned so much, it didn't feel like this representation was there to be educational, it was just...the fabric of the world. While I'm a curious cat and did Google lots of things, there's enough contextual information/translations in earlier and later sentences (and the 'Acknowledgements') that makes the story completely understandable even without looking things up.

I love a book with nuanced, layered characters and society and this was no exception. It touched on issues around old vs new money, colorism and homophobia in Filipino society, had positive LGBTQ+ rep (who weren't characterised just by their sexual orientation), metro vs countryside life, colonial legacies, etc. The side characters also didn't feel flat or 'filler' at all. I think this network of identities and personal histories all coming together, conflicting and intertwining were key to making this book feel so realistic and engaging.

What a wonderful book, and I'll be sure to check out Villanueva's past and future work!

Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours and Scholastic for an eARC for an honest review.