Read in a Once Upon a Book Club box. Did not enjoy the book, I felt that the MC and the family feud was a little annoying. I enjoyed some of the supporting characters from the school more than the main characters of the book. ( )

Thank you to BookishFirst for allowing me to read this book before it released!

Salt and Sugar is probably one of my favorite modern retellings of Romeo and Juliet I have read in years. The Ramires and Molinas are the new Montagues and Capulets.

I cried, in a good way, when reading this book because it brought me back to growing up watching my grandpa and gramma cook all the wonderful Italian food. Then reminded me how sad that kitchen became when my grandpa passed away. Rebecca Carvalho does such a wonderful job putting you into the feelings and emotions Lari's family is going through with the passing of her grandmother.

Because of this I was felt just as upset as Lari and her family did when Pedro's family crossed the line of sweets vs savory. The way Lari and Pedro are written is so beautifully done and you want to root for them to get over their pasts and get together. You can feel the chemistry pop off the page each moment they are together.

I highly recommend this book to those who like the fighting families, "enemies to lovers", and sweet enduring character books. ( )

Always good to come across a setting that’s unusual for contemporary YA, I enjoyed learning about the food in Brazil though I would have loved a few more cultural and scenic details.

Lari’s extreme clumsiness bordered on unrealistic at times, however, in the kitchen settings it seemed so much more organic to the story, it made sense her fumbling things when she would be most nervous to be found out and where she would most feel the pressure to measure up to her grandmother’s legacy, and it was in those true-seeming struggles where I found Lari most endearing.

The vitriol between the mothers wasn’t my favorite, I did like other aspects of the rivalry plot though, how there were more layers to the bad feelings between the families than Lari initially knew, how the big business vs. small business aspect gave them a common enemy, and I thought it played well in the romance, too, the author smartly pacing Lari and Pedro’s burgeoning relationship so that trust remained an issue throughout as you’d imagine it would when you’ve been trained to dislike someone since childhood.

Aside from the few minor issues I’ve mentioned here, overall this was an entertaining read sprinkled with a handful of poignant moments. ( )

Salt and Sugar was about so much more than just a happy, young love romance. There were moments that brought me to tears as I got to see the grief these characters experienced. There was something about this story that took me on an emotional rollercoaster, with all the ups and downs. I laughed, I cried, but most of all, I was touched. I had a beautiful experience reading this book, and I didn't want it to stop.

The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites. I find that there is something heartwarming when characters get over their preconceived notions, when they start to see the truth, not just what they have always wanted to believe. The characters in this book had to do that a lot due to the feud between the families. But they never really knew each other. They never got to see the person behind the tainted view of the feud. But then they did. It happened gradually, without a strong presence, just the way I like it. Then they had to fight to save so much more than just their homes, but also their relationship.

The other elements of love and friendship throughout the community was touching. They gave a whole new definition to family. They had their blood relatives, but also their community family. I really wish we had seen more of those connections explored and brought into the story.

While I did enjoy some characters more than others, I could see a purpose behind each and every one of them. They each brought their own life to the story. I felt like I really knew all of them.

One of the great things about books is getting to see a different world from your own. I actually could vividly picture everything from this book. I could see the culture throughout the story even though I haven't really read much having to do with it. It was great to see. I felt like I was there, experiencing this story. Perhaps that is why I got to emotional invested in the story.

Sadly, it couldn't go on forever, but it is one I hope to read again and again. Maybe we will see more of these characters in the future? I certainly hope so. I will definitely check out any other books from this author in the future based on this amazing book. I highly recommend! ( )

This was a fantastic retelling of the classic, Romeo and Juliet. I love that it was set in Brazil, I was probably pronouncing most of the dishes incorrectly but it was fun to learn new words and look up what the dishes were. This book managed to make me tear up a few times as the characters faced hardship and loss. I love how each generation tried to end the feud and once their attempt failed, they jumped right into the feud with both feet and closed off any possibilities.

I will be keeping my eye out for future books written by Rebecca. ( )

Thank you BookishFirst for a copy of Salt and Sugar for a review.

This novel is such a fun story. Two rivalry bakeries battling it out to keep their bakeries open against the big box stores. The Molina and Ramirez families have been fighting since the beginning of both bakeries and the feud has kept their families apart. It seems that Larissa and Pedro are both working against a feud decade old, but they are the ones that may finally change things.
This novel is a great blend of enemies to lovers, while addressing a lot of generational problems in our society. Larissa is struggling to have her mom understand her and her desire to study at the culinary school when all her mom wants is for her to study accounting and be the first College student in the family. I can relate so much to this concept as I was the first person to get a degree in my family.
Pedro is in a similar boat trying to be good enough for his grandfather and trying to make his family proud. Both Larissa and Pedro work through so much in this novel, and lastly, they work on their relationship.
I enjoyed this book as it was lighthearted and fun, while still discussing important subject like loss, growth, and community ties. ( )

Fun Feuding Family Story

I enjoyed my time with these two long-time feuding families. Pedro and Lari found themselves caught up in the fighting, both making assumptions about the other's behavior and motivations for his or her actions. Both Pedro and Lari wanted different things for themselves than their families did and I enjoyed their struggles as they fought for what they wanted. I also enjoyed the pacing of how both Pedro and Lari started to doubt what they've been raised to believe all their lives.

The themes of grief and overcoming huge personal losses were ones that paralleled the feuding bakery families. Lari's struggle with her grief was worsened by her lack of support at school as her classmates sided with more popular Pedro.

I also enjoyed the theme of big business taking over mom and pop shops. This issue is has often played out close to home and beloved small businesses have folded due to big box stores moving into the neighborhood and underselling the independent stores.

The setting was amazing and I enjoyed the cultural references and foods. I could almost smell and taste the delicious creations Salt and Sugar baked.

My favorite part of this novel was the theme of family. The broken bonds, the loyalty, the healing, the protective parents, and the willingness to forgive and work together were heartwarming. ( )