Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Soul Food

This book was gifted to me by Kate from the book club I'm in as part of a gift exchange for Summer. This book has been on my priority TBR for the longest time, and I enjoyed Poet X, so I was buzzed to start this. I am so thankful for Kate for buying me this book as it did not disappoint.

This book is based on seventeen-year-old Emoni and ever since she’s got pregnant, her life has been about making the tough decisions – doing what has to be done for her young daughter and her grandmother. Keeping her head down at school, trying not to get caught up with the new boy Malachi. The one place she can let everything go is in the kitchen, where she has magical hands – whipping up extraordinary food that is beloved by everyone. Emoni wants to be a chef more than anything, but she knows it’s pointless to pursue the impossible. There are rules she has to play by. And yet, once she starts cooking, and gets that fire on high, she sees that her drive to feed will feed her soul and dreams too and anything is possible.

I think this is one of the first books I’ve read which involves a teenage pregnancy and it wasn’t so negative all the time. I just wanted to hug Emoni so much throughout this book, I remember what it was like in the months leading up to leaving school and having no clue what to do and never mind the fact that she has a child and wants to do something high pressure related such as being a chef. I loved the storyline and I found it so beautiful. I loved Emoni’s best friend and how she was so real with her but also had her own issues with her sexuality and her anxiety with getting into art school.

I didn’t like the short chapters; I understand why it was with the style of writing. But small chapters just drive me nuts. It's one of my personal pet peeves with books. At times, I felt like this book dragged mainly because there was no major conflict – yes, Tyrone was being a dick, yes, she was struggling to get the funds, yes, she liked Malachi and she didn’t know how to handle that, yes, she had daddy issues and her grandmother was struggling. There was a lot of repetitive information that I found myself skimming over. I would have liked one main conflict or one main bad guy besides Tyrone’s mother because there is protective and then judgemental and sexist.

I would have liked this book to carry on once we knew what her future was going to look like, I felt like a majority of the book was about what Emoni’s was going to do but I would have loved to see her getting settled in college and work and how it worked with Emma. Hopefully there will be a book two in this series whether it’s when Emoni is a full-time chef or Emma in high school.

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lilybear3's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Elizabeth Acevedo never misses. I took way too long to read this book. She has a git in storytelling and writing beautifully. Nothing in this story felt forced and she took the time to develop each character. Even if they weren't in the story that much, I felt like I knew them well and they fit in perfectly. I love Emoni and how she is always proud to be a mother and stands up for herself and her daughter. There's so much love in this story. Plus there's a few recipes!

My only critique is that I think the story could've been a tad shorter. Like I would've been happy with the story ending after

she gets back from Spain and she has a new boyfriend, 'Buela has a boyfriend, and she gets accepted into college.

I personally don't mind an open ending with speculation. However, I think for most readers of YA, it's nice to have all the loose ends tied up and to end the story at the end of the school year.

Though I appreciated tying up the ends with Tyrone and Julio.

I'll always recommend her audiobooks as well. I didn't listen to this book, but Elizabeth does the audio and I'm sure it's amazing! I fell in love with her audios of The Poet X (her own book) and Pride by Ibi Zoboi.

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taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

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veskumelooni's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Emoni is such a loving and caring mom. Even while juggling high school, friendships, cooking, teen drama, and everything else life throws at her. Her growth is incredible to be a part of.
Malachi! The sweetest love interest. Malachi is so thoughtful and cute. He respects Emoni’s boundaries and situations with her daughter. The romance between them is honest and genuine. Malachi and Emoni on the trip to Spain is 🔥🥰💋💕
Emoni’s passion for cooking is amazing. The descriptions of the food and how she cooks is magical. I want to try all of the dishes and recipes in the book. Cooking is not a common hobby in books and it’s cool to see it highlighted in this story. The descriptions of the food and how she cooks is magical. I love how proud Emoni’s of her culture and background!
Elizabeth Acevedo’s writing is so poetic and lyrical. She gives Emoni such a powerful and compelling voice.
My life and Emoni’s are so different. However, I still feel like I can relate and connect to her character. I love books like that.
The setting of the Philadelphia city life was new and fun for me to read. Especially the slang words and pride the characters have for Philly.

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emilyhv's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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cielo's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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katelynprice's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved Emoni, BabyGirl, 'Buela, the reliable educators, and this lovely coming-of-age story. This is a lovely example of an engrossing character-driven story. I loved getting a glimpse at Emoni's struggles as a teen mom, especially co-parenting. There were also some really good historical and cultural insights about the Caribbean islands. Of course, I can't leave out the descriptions of food and Spain that made me want to cook while simultaneously booking a flight. I will read anything Elizabeth Acevedo writes.

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