With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo / A heart-warming and uplifting YA novel that made me HUNGRY!!

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

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From the very first moment I saw this book I was in love with the cover. It’s one of the prettiest YA covers I’ve seen in a long time. As with Felix Ever After, the cover just jumps off the book. It’s eye-catching and it actually delivered. The book was heart-warming and uplifting – exactly how I like them.

With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

MY THOUGHTS & REVIEW

Although I’ve only heard amazing things about this book, my track record with YA books isn’t the best. Because of it my expectations were low, which made this book an even bigger success story for me because WOW what a great book it was.

Now let’s get to the book:

I loved the writing. Adored the characters – all the major ones. Honestly there wasn’t one in the book that wasn’t redeemable. Loved the story. But boy this book made me HUNGRY!!!! I wished more than once that I could have eaten all the dishes that were made in this book. They all sounded so good!!!

Overall, this book had everything I love about a great story. It had a plot I could connect with. A strong and sassy heroine. It was low on drama and angst. Instead it delved into real life problems. And the way the author tackled those topics was admirable and a pleasure to read.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone. Especially if you like uplifting and heart-warming stories. Characters that are endearing and genuinely likable. As well as excellent writing that pulled me in from the very first sentence.

A BEST BOOK OF 2020

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With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo