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A review by sincerelysara22
Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas
4.0
Salty Bitter Sweet is a moving, introspective, and DELICIOUS read! It’s about Isa, a French-Cuban American girl who speaks three languages and is a talented cook who grew up learning her grandma Lala’s recipes, like her county fair famous apple pie.
What I loved about this book is that Isa isn’t a plain white girl who thinks she’s better than everyone because she has talent in the kitchen. Ugh what a cliche. Isa is French-Cuban and works damn hard to be a good cook and baker. She toils hard in the kitchen to make sure she gets the recipes correctly. She doesn’t think she’s the best cook there is, but she wants to be the best she can be. I liked that it didn’t just come easily to her. I always hate when main characters are talented but don’t work hard to be good at their talent. That’s not to say she isn’t talented though because Isa is enrolled at a renowned and competitive kitchen apprenticeship.
Isa works hard in the kitchen due to the fact that her life has gone through some serious changes recently: her grandma Lala passing away, her parents getting divorced, and now her dad is having a kid with her new stepmom. It would be tough for any teen to deal with, so it makes sense that Isa turns to cooking.
I like Isa as a character because she works hard at cooking, she’s friendly and kind, cares deeply for people, and thinks a lot about the past and the things she would’ve done differently. Despite the upheaval of her life courtesy of her dad and her new stepmom not warming to Isa (and vice versa), Isa still cooks for her dad and her new stepmom. She isn’t a grumpy, moody teenager. She takes the steps to be there for her dad and be kind to her stepmom.
And Diego! OMG! I liked him right from the get-go! Yes, he’s Isa’s stepmom’s stepson, (that’s a mouthful!) but it isn’t creepy or weird at all. Isa and Diego aren’t related and don’t even live in the same house. Diego, and his cute dog Beluga, lives in the guest house. He’s fun and adventurous and kind and he’s there for Isa.
And the FOOD! I wanted everything that Isa cooked or ate throughout the book, from her grandma Lala’s apple pies to the foods she tortured over at the apprenticeship to the bakery goods she ate with Pippa and Lucia to the meals she shared with Diego. *drool*
A few minor things I didn’t like: that it seemed like the tension between Isa and her dad never really got resolved. Their relationship got better with time, but she was so hung up about why he left her mom and that was never resolved. Or at least to me it didn’t seem like it. And why was her mom barely in this book? No phone calls or texts or visits. She went to visit her mom once and it was so quick. It was just weird to me.
I really enjoyed reading this and seeing what it’s like to be a chef apprentice and compete again other talented cooks in France. It was moving and fun and made me want to eat all the things!
*Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
What I loved about this book is that Isa isn’t a plain white girl who thinks she’s better than everyone because she has talent in the kitchen. Ugh what a cliche. Isa is French-Cuban and works damn hard to be a good cook and baker. She toils hard in the kitchen to make sure she gets the recipes correctly. She doesn’t think she’s the best cook there is, but she wants to be the best she can be. I liked that it didn’t just come easily to her. I always hate when main characters are talented but don’t work hard to be good at their talent. That’s not to say she isn’t talented though because Isa is enrolled at a renowned and competitive kitchen apprenticeship.
Isa works hard in the kitchen due to the fact that her life has gone through some serious changes recently: her grandma Lala passing away, her parents getting divorced, and now her dad is having a kid with her new stepmom. It would be tough for any teen to deal with, so it makes sense that Isa turns to cooking.
I like Isa as a character because she works hard at cooking, she’s friendly and kind, cares deeply for people, and thinks a lot about the past and the things she would’ve done differently. Despite the upheaval of her life courtesy of her dad and her new stepmom not warming to Isa (and vice versa), Isa still cooks for her dad and her new stepmom. She isn’t a grumpy, moody teenager. She takes the steps to be there for her dad and be kind to her stepmom.
And Diego! OMG! I liked him right from the get-go! Yes, he’s Isa’s stepmom’s stepson, (that’s a mouthful!) but it isn’t creepy or weird at all. Isa and Diego aren’t related and don’t even live in the same house. Diego, and his cute dog Beluga, lives in the guest house. He’s fun and adventurous and kind and he’s there for Isa.
And the FOOD! I wanted everything that Isa cooked or ate throughout the book, from her grandma Lala’s apple pies to the foods she tortured over at the apprenticeship to the bakery goods she ate with Pippa and Lucia to the meals she shared with Diego. *drool*
A few minor things I didn’t like: that it seemed like the tension between Isa and her dad never really got resolved. Their relationship got better with time, but she was so hung up about why he left her mom and that was never resolved. Or at least to me it didn’t seem like it. And why was her mom barely in this book? No phone calls or texts or visits. She went to visit her mom once and it was so quick. It was just weird to me.
I really enjoyed reading this and seeing what it’s like to be a chef apprentice and compete again other talented cooks in France. It was moving and fun and made me want to eat all the things!
*Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.