Rebecca Carvalho - Salt & Sugar
4⭐
Genre: Romance, YA, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback Proof Copy
Publisher: Inkyard Press / Harlequin
Date Published: 8th December 2022
Huge thank you to Harper360YA and Harper360 for sending me a proof copy of this book to read and review.
Book Blurb:
Trust neither thin-bottomed frying pans nor Molinas.
Lari Ramires has always known this to be true. In Olinda, Brazil, her family’s bakery, Salt, has been at war with the Molinas’ bakery across the street, Sugar, for generations. But Lari’s world turns upside down when her beloved grandmother passes away. On top of that, a big supermarket chain has moved to town, forcing many of the small businesses to close.
Determined to protect her home, Lari does the unthinkable—she works together with Pedro Molina to save both of their bakeries. Lari realizes she might not know Pedro as well as she thought—and she maybe even likes what she learns—but the question remains: Can a Ramires and a Molina truly trust one another?
My Review:
I mean who doesn’t like a book about enemies to lovers that also includes delicious Brazilian food, lovable characters and beautiful scenery? Oh, and there’s also a family rivalry…and the whole book is inspired by Romeo and Juliet…How cool is that! I honestly really enjoyed reading this book and it got me out of the pretty bad reading slump that I was in, as it was such a feel-good book that also explores some deeper topics too. Basically, it’s a win-win!
The story follows Lari who lives in Olinda Brazil where her family’s bakery Salt competes and in bakery wars with neighbouring Sugar for generations. However, everything turns upside down when Lari’s grandmother passes away leaving Salt to Lari’s mother. Salt is also suffering financially since a supermarket giant Deals Deals is threatening all the small family businesses around the neighbourhood with super small prices and discounts, making it unprofitable for small businesses to continue. As neighbouring businesses start to close due to Deals Deals pressure, Lari realises that the next target will be Salt and Sugar. This makes her determined to protect the bakery, her grandmother’s legacy and her home from a big supermarket chain. To save Salt, however, she will need to make many sacrifices, including allying with the most unlikely ally, her enemy number one, Pedro Molina, a grandchild of Sugar’s owner. Maybe this unlikely alliance shows Lari that Pedro is not at all the person she thought he is and maybe she has a chance to end Salt and Sugar’s rivalry once and for all.
I enjoyed reading about Brazilian food and learning about the local northeastern tradition and culture. I also loved how Carvalho sets beautiful scenes that transported me right into the heart of the story. I felt that I visited both Salt and Sugar, as well as became a part of the neighbourhood. Now I want to try all the food that was featured in the book too!
I also liked that this story discussed grief and displayed how people grieve differently from one another. I loved that this book highlighted being young and still figuring out what you want to do in the long term as a career, whilst at the same time being pressured by parents to choose a path for yourself. Lari struggles with belonging and figuring out what she wants to do after graduating from school. All she wants is to connect with her mother like she was connected with her grandmother and the bakery. However, her mum seems to be interested only in one thing, pushing Lari to go and study economics, even though that is not what she wants to do. Lari wants to study cooking and go to culinary school however is pressured to make her mum happy by applying to study economics like her father once did. I feel like her mum could have just talked to her and been more for her from the beginning of this book to avoid so much stress and anxiety for Lari. I know that her mum struggled with Salt being in debt and her mother dying but she also neglected the needs of her daughter and also multiple times failed to listen to what her daughter wanted. The story also showed that following your heart, and your passion is more important than anything and that is it important to do what will make you happy.
However, I wished there was more romance in this book. As a Romeo and Juliet-inspired book, I thought it would be more scenes where they fall in love and have to hide it away from their families but that was not the case. Also, it felt that the romance was only in the background as cooking and saving both bakeries were at the forefront of this story. Additionally, I hope that there is maybe a sequel to this book to see where Salt and Sugar are after a few years, and where Lari with Pedro are after they both graduate.
Overall: I enjoyed this book, the scenery, the food, the rivalry and the lovable characters, like Lari, Pedro, Cintia, Victor and PC. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave these characters and Olinda. I am hoping there is going to be a sequel to this book! Definitely a great book that would get you out of the reading slump (it definitely helped me!) and will make you want to travel to Olinda to have all the amazing food mentioned on these pages.
About the Author:
Rebecca Carvalho is a Recifense writer based in Berkeley, California. She loves crafting stories filled with close-knit neighbourhoods, Brazilian food, and telenovela-esque settings. When she is not writing, you can find her with her camera, gaming with her husband, or watching Star Trek for the hundredth time. Rebecca has a bachelor’s degree in English from Lawrence University. Salt and Sugar is her debut novel, and it was inspired by her life in northeastern Brazil.
https://rebeccamcc7.wixsite.com/website
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