Every night that I picked up this book, the clock had hours pass before I could convince myself to finally put it down for sleep. The characters are so wonderful and strong and sincere that I had to know what would happen to them. I loved everything about this book but especially the dual POV. I want to be Pen! She is so brave and fierce and loving and honest and imperfect and real. I hope every girl finds her own Xander! He is selfless and gentle and strong and smart and lives with his heart wide open. I can’t wait to read everything else this author has written and will write in the future. Her writing is so full of love and honesty and hope but also brave enough to be real and vulnerable.

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is the perfect recipe for someone that loved With the Fire on High and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. It is an emotional and heartwarming coming of age story where Pen and Xander navigate the bitter and sweet parts of life. A much needed YA novel that I wish existed sooner. Swipe for a few quotes that really resonated!

This book will make you crave Mexican food in all the best ways and while that may sweep you into the story, the characters will keep you reading long into the night.

Laekan Zea Kemp tells a powerful story about family and friendship and the power found in a community that takes care of each other. Each character has a rich history and struggles that are real and vivid. You will cheer Pen and Xander on as they overcome every obstacle that comes their way.

This book showcases many different Latinx experiences, many thoughts and beliefs, and it does so flawlessly, telling a story that goes beyond the main characters, and taking the best each viewpoint has to offer. Ultimately, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is a celebration of Latinx resilience and strength—one that I am proud to have on my shelves.

Pen is an aspiring pastry chef who dreams of building off of her years working at her family’s restaurant, Nacho’s Tacos. Her parents, however, have different plans for her. Everything comes crashing down when Pen confesses that she’s been lying to her family…for months. When presented with an ultimatum, she must decide between appeasing her parents or drawing out a path of her own. Ultimately her life is thrown out of orbit and she has to adjust to a whole new set of responsibilities. When she comes upon a new hire at Nacho’s, Pen starts to open up more about things she’s been too scared to confront. The new hire, Xander, has his own life to piece back together and alongside Pen, they take chances to protect their newfound family and community.

I love this book so much. The discussions of self-harm and immigration are very nuanced and valuable. I think Pen acknowledging how she maintains a hard exterior in spite of all her emotions spoke to me and my experiences. The elements of found family, first love, and a strong Chicanx/Tejanx community made me want to read this book over and over again. It was such a fast read, and the fact that it is technically a New Adult novel made me ecstatic. I think what really makes this such a stand-out book is the amazing set of characters, from the Prados to staff at the restaurant to our two protagonists, Xander and Pen. They all reminded me of my years as a restaurant kid, and it warmed my heart to feel enveloped in the fast-paced atmosphere. Then there is the discussion of THE FOOD. My mouth was literally watering from only a few pages in. Something I also enjoyed from the novel is the alternating POV between Xander and Pen. They each had super distinct voices, and Pen’s commanding personality is EVERYTHING. I love how she maintains the control in her family, as most eldest Mexican daughters do, and her character inspires me. I can’t recommend this book enough. It is a powerful debut in the Latinx contemporary canon.

One of my most anticipated releases of 2021, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet delivered everything I expected it to- characters I rooted for, an plot I could enjoy, good and accurate representation, and an overall page-turning story. For food lovers, for first generation readers, those of latine background, this book will be a favorite read. Once my book buying ban is over, I’m running to purchase a physical copy of this- I mean look at that cover!

Over the weekend I had the privilege of reading this wonderful, contemporary YA novel filled with love, family, community, and FOOD. 🍰

Penelope “Pen” Prado aspires to be a pastry chef and has been working and cooking alongside her family at Nacho’s Tacos since she was a little girl. As much as she loves being there, her parents want more for her.

Alejandro “Xander” Amaro was raised by his Grandfather after his father left Mexico and his mother sent him to the States. Being undocumented, he has no sense of belonging, and he constantly lives in fear of being caught and deported.

Told in alternating POV chapters from Pen and Xander we learn so much about their fears, their hopes, their dreams, and their experiences.

There are some heavier topics explored, like mental health (which is major bc we Latinos don’t talk about that!), and immigration, but there is an underlying theme of community in this book that I really loved.

When I read ‘How to Read Literature Like a Professor’ at the beginning of the year, there was a whole chapter on Communion. Not so much in the religious sense, but how sharing a meal can signal connection and community. Through their food, Pen and her family connect with theirs. Nacho’s Tacos isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a safe haven, and a way to bring their people together.

“While cakes sizzle on the flattop, I switch to biscochito, working defiance into the dough. I pound optimism into the pan dulce and coax compassion into the cajetas. Then, as we fill orders, people congregating with my food in hand, I watch those things rest on their lips before catching on their tongues and sliding down, down to their bellies, hitting their hearts along the way. [...] I realize that the magic isn’t in the food itself. It isn’t in the flavors or the technique or even the way it makes people feel. It’s in the way it brings people together.” ❤️

‘Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet’ is out NOW! Thank you to @hearourvoicestours for giving me a spot on this tour and thank you to @laekanzeakemp for writing this book and the headband made by your grandma (🥺) and other goodies!

Penelope Prado dreams of one day owning her father's restaurant, Nacho's Tacos, and possibly adding a little pastelería on the side 😉. Her parents, however, have different dreams in mind & aspire for her to become a nurse. When Penelope confronts her parents about veering off that path, they do not take it lightly. She is left no option but to face her fears and forge her own way.

Xander Amaro is the newest hire at Nacho's Tacos. He is appreciative of this opportunity considering his immigrant status and with time, grows fond of the family restaurant. Here, he meets Penelope and their lives intertwine.
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Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is a story of finding family where you least expect it, the magic connection of food, tackling mental health obstacles and learning to believe in your self when the people, places, and things you care about are threatened. Rich in #Latinx details, the author created a narrative that felt relatable and as if you were reading about people & places you know and love.

I really enjoyed 'Something Between Bitter and Sweet'! Laekan Zea Kemp tells an amazing story about two people navigating through life by following their dreams. Both Pen and Xander upend their lives in order to reach their dreams.

I love the close knit community woven into this story. Although Pen and Xander are undergoing major life changes, they turn to strong support systems to build resilience. I became wrapped into this book from start to finish!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hear Our Voices tours and Little Brown for the gifted copy!

To put it simply, THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE!

The writing is incredibly immersive! Every written word sprouted emotion within me. Every feeling that Pen and Xander felt, I felt too. It was just such incredibly engaging and heartfelt writing.

The second best thing about this novel was certainly the characters! Pen was a brilliant and complex character. The ferocity in her coupled with the hardships she deals with on the inside and outside create such a well-rounded and rich personage. And then there is Xander! He is sweet, adorable and so caring but he is also so caught up in the question of who he is and what his past is all about. And I have to do an honorary shout out to the supporting cast! They are dubbed “the most faithful and fucked up family” and it is a very accurate description. There is so much love and loyalty within this Chicanx community and characters and they deserve your attention!

With Pen, comes the portrayal of a teen living with mental illness. Reading about her past and current battles with depression and anxiety gave readers a much deeper understanding of how Pen sees herself and why there was so much tension between her and her family, especially her father.

Alongside food, this book covers so many incredible themes like love and loyalty for the Chicanx community, found family, lost family, fighting corruption, racism in the industry, and seeking passion. Every aspect of this book is full of life.

The romance is so sweet! Pen and Xander both have a not so easy time dealing with fear individually, but reading about how they help one another in big and small ways warmed my heart so much!

The title is BRILLIANT and we just have to contemplate it for a second. All in all, the title really encompasses the moments and spaces these characters inhabit. They are literally always somewhere between bitter fears and sweet hopes. And reading about how these characters’ move between these two emotional poles was a tender and endearing experience no matter the flavour.

I loved this beautiful book so much.

I absolutely loved every minute I spent reading this book. The characters are so dynamic and realistic that they come to life on the page. Pen's battle with mental illness and Xander's troubles with identity and belonging aren't solved by their relationship with each other, but by the support they have from their friends, family, and each other. This book places a strong focus on the love within a community and the support it can provide. Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet does have its serious and darker topics, but it balances well with the comedy of prank wars and cooking/baking of authentic foods. It truly is a sweet read that made me hungry to try Pen's cooking.

Content Warning: Depression, self-harm, ICE, fire, parental abandonment, loan sharks.

Somewhere Between Bitter & Sweet is a hard hitting, Latinx (Mexican/Mexican-American) YA Contemporary debut, and a coming of age story with romance mixed in.

This story is told in Penelope's and Xander's alternating perspectives. Pen Prado works at her family restaurant, Nacho's Tacos. Worried about disappointing her parents, she's been keeping a secret from them and its been making her sick. Xander is an undocumented immigrant, living with his Abuelo, on a quest to find his father. He is also Nacho's Taco newest hiree.

This book gripped me from the first page. It had funny, light hearted moments but it touched on serious topics such as depression, self-harm, police brutality, ICE, and parental abandonment too. As a child raised by an immigrant family, the dynamics and pressure was relatable and familiar. The descriptions of family, community, food and cooking with love were beautiful and made me miss home. This story also reminded me that found families are just as valid and important (sometimes even more so) than biological ones.

Somewhere Between Bitter & Sweet was a hard to put down, relatively quick, but incredibly valuable read. I eagerly look forward to reading Laekan Zea Kemp's future work.

I have been sitting with my thoughts on this book for quite some time now. But, every time I think about Pen, Xander, and the entire Nacho’s Tacos family, I just can’t help but smile. Somewhere Between Bitter & Sweet is an AMAZING debut and another in the ranking for top 11 of the year.


Penelope (Pen) is a no nonsense college student who works at her family’s restaurant (Nacho’s Tacos) Her parents don’t want this life for her, but all she wants is to be in the kitchen making magic! She reveals a secret that shakes their family foundation, and finds herself on a journey of acceptance, love, and understanding.

There is so much to unpack in such little time. As an #OwnVoices reviewer, there are times where I question my identity in what I read. There are also other times where I feel so seen, I’m feel like I’m basically naked. SBB&S is one of those books that made me feel exposed to my core. Kemp discusses the taboo surrounding anxiety and depression in Latinx communities. It is done so well and impactful that it brought memories of trying to explain how I feel and being brushed off. She discusses racial profiling, ICE, and police brutality faced daily. There’s that constant push and pull of trying of trying to live your life to the fullest while finding a way to live in the background so you’re not detected. There is just something so raw and real in the writing that I forget I’m reading (or listening) and am transported in that scene at that moment.

Speaking of amazing writing, let’s talk food. Y’all. There was a part where Pen makes cocada and oof. That amazing nostalgia. Laekan Zea Kemp had me sitting in my abuela teeny kitchen and could smell the browning of the flakes and the taste the crunch of the coconut. Cocada is one of my favorite sweets ever, and it always reminds me of my abuela and Panamá. When my mom would go visit, she’d always bring me back some. It’s home. I was taken home.

If you loved With the Fire on High, I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Fat Chance Charlie Vega, or To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, this is for you.

Also, I wanted to add a few songs for a SBB&S soundtrack!

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is yet again another one of those books I wish I had when I was younger. While it’s a considerably short and easy read it still manages to be stock full of hard-hitting and relatable topics and representation of a culture and lifestyle I’m intimately familiar with. Kemp presents this concept in a way that is undeniably relatable to those who have lived similar lives while also managing to write a book that can reach a much wider audience-- opening the door for others to learn about life in the chicanx community and the struggles that come from being an immigrant.

The book includes two characters with considerably different circumstances but a similar outlook on life. The book deals with issues ranging from the struggles of being a young undocumented immigrant to finding the courage to follow your dreams at the expense of your parents. Both come with hard expectations the characters must overcome ultimately making this a very emotional read.

I often saw myself and people I know in the characters of this book. The sense of familiarity making it a definite comfort read. I imagine this book will be so for many people, and I hope it manages to reach all that deserve it. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those going through similar struggles. This book makes you feel seen in such a beautiful way.

Thoughts and Themes: There are very few books that I take a lot of notes for and this was one of them. I was glad that Libro.Fm gave me an advanced listening copy so that I could listen to this story while following along with the e-book.

While this book cover and synopsis make it sound like its a romance book, it is so much more than that. I really liked the complexity of this being first love but also adding the feeling of hopelessness and the theme of found family. I thought it was great to see both of these themes played out through Pen and Xander’s storylines because you saw how it affected them differently.

I liked the idea that the restaurant is so much more than just a place that people go to eat at. I liked how it represented something to the neighborhood but also how we see the weight it had on the dad. I thought that it was important to include both of these points in the book because we see how much he wants to help but its to the point that it hurts him. I liked how this portion of the book resolves itself but I can’t say much about this or I’ll ruin the story for you all.

Something else that I loved about this book was the idea of found family both for Xander and for pen. I like watching them both be able to give this to each other and how Xander realizes family isn’t always just blood.

Overall this story was just so heartwarming and it just reminded me of how important community is. I just loved seeing how they all came together to support Pen when she needed them. It reminded me of times that I’ve been in community with others and how much my communities have supported me throughout my life.

Characters: There is not a character in this book that isn’t lovable, well…besides the villain of the story you know. Every other character that you met is just a great addition to the story. You have the main characters Pen and Xander and through them you are introduced to both of their families and the people who work with them.

I really enjoyed the way the relationship between Pen and her father was shown and how that relationship developed and changed throughout the book. I thought it was great to see things through Pen’s perspective and see what she thought her father was thinking of her. I really liked how Xander was thinking the tension between them was because they were the same person. I laughed when I read that piece because it reminded me of my relationship with my dad.

I really liked getting to know both Pen and Xander and seeing how their stories connected to each other. I liked seeing how the themes in both of their stories parallel each other in different ways. I also liked seeing how they slowly fall in love with each other as they learn more about one another.

Writing Style: This story is told through first person dual perspectives of Pen and Xander. It was great to be able to see both of their perspectives to know what was going on in each of their heads. I think the story would not have worked if we only got one side because it is about both of them struggling to belong.

When I first heard about this book I knew I needed to get my hands on it.
This book did not disappoint me!

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is YA contemporary novel that follows Penelope (Pen) Prado, a Latina who works at her father’s Mexican restaurant.
Pen’s passion is cooking and baking, one of the things I loved about this book was the delicious descriptions of food.

As a Mexican American I absolutely loved all the Mexican culture that was in this novel. It’s incredible when you can relate to the story, I only wish I had stories like this when I was a teen.

There’s some hard topics in this book but it’s something that should be talked about more. Being a daughter of immigrants I really found these topics tough to read through, the author truly understands what it’s like for Brown people.

Overall I really loved this book! The writing was fantastic and the story really moved me. I highly recommend this book.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Its so raw! So real! SO IN YOUR FACE! I couldnt put it down, not even at work! I had to consume every page. Every word. Every emotion. I fell in love with this story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet - Laekan Zea Kemp

Thank you @libro.fm & @hbgcanada & @netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange of an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet, I alternated between text and Audio and both are absolutely delightful. Pen is a fantastic character and I really enjoyed her insights.

One thing I’m not sure I loved is how the heavy content (like self harm & depression) was dealt with. It’s all very lighthearted and I felt as if they kind of breezed over the seriousness of the issues. Especially where this book is YA and will likely be read by many teens with similar feelings, I wish these topics had been discussed and handled a little differently.

Like With The Fire On High you are not going to want to read this book when you’re hungry because all the food sounds top notch 👌🏻.