With the Fire on High

By Elizabeth Acevedo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Recommend? yes!
Buy or borrow? buy!

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 “The world is a turntable that never stops spinning; as humans we merely choose the tracks we want to sit out and the ones that inspire us to dance” 

With the Fire on High – Elizabeth Acevedo

Synopsis (Goodreads)

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.

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38739562-with-the-fire-on-high?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=SL8QPuYqlG&rank=2

Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/32CCb9n

Review

This was an incredibly rich story, with so much for you to think about. Seeing Emoni grow and follow her passion was beautiful. The way that she uses food to showcase her family and her culture is amazing, and drool-worthy, honestly, it all sounded amazing!

I really loved the way that Emoni’s journey through parenthood was talked about, and how you felt like you were with her through the good times, as well as the doubts. Her relationship with her grandmother and how she helped her care for Emma was wonderful. She truly is strong and selfless character.

I also enjoyed that Emoni’s friendship with Angelica. Through thick and thin, they were both there for one another, and that’s something that shines through at various points in the story.

I partially listened to this as an audiobook and I highly recommend! It’s narrated by the author herself and is amazing!