A delightful read that left me craving so much food. I loved learning about Brazilian culture and customs while reading a fantastic story.

A forbidden romance... A romeo and juliet-esque retelling... I honestly expected more from this book. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and the drama seemed extremely over done. This was a bust for me.

I didn’t really get into this book because the beginning wasn’t very captivating in my opinion, but it was well-written, even if it was a bit predictable and formulaic. To me, it felt like I have already read several books like this that were executed a bit better but I did think it was a decent quick read. I really liked how the relationship between Lari and her mom is portrayed, but a lot of the rest of the book was unnecessarily dramatic for my tastes.

The first couple of chapters were really exciting, but then the book gets very slow and repetitive. The MC keeps talking about how she has a cooking curse, when she never even really tried and is just a little clumsy. The two feuding mothers were really ridiculous to me, way over the top. Overall it was a very cute rom-com, and I liked the interactions between the two as their relationship built up and grew, but there were a few times where he reacted weird to his character, like all kind and caring and understanding one second, to immediately turn around and be completely contradictory. It ran very hot and cold. Culture-wise, this was a great book, because you really get to learn a lot about Brazil and Brazilian culture, in particular about their cuisine. It is most definitely a book that will make you hungry and also make you want to try some new dishes! I think it was a good debut novel, and I would definitely try the author out again on another book.

Salt and Sugar follows rivals Lari and Pedro as they grapple with the frustrating feud between their families as they slowly begin to get to know each other. Their bakeries come under threat from the large corporation who is picking off small businesses one by one and exploiting local recipes and people to make money.

I really enjoyed this story overall. I could feel Lari's frustrations with her mom, her family legacy, and Pedro and the rivalry. I think she overcame so much to follow her passion and she learned to develop her talents and find her voice to fight for what she wanted in life. I think Lari and Pedro's relationship developed well over the course of the novel and liked that while it was a factor, it wasn't the central plot of the novel. I think some of my students would enjoy this book!

This ended up being a DNF for me.
There is a lot of drama in this, but it all felt manufactured rather than natural.
The MC was especially annoying with her harsh attitude for (what seems like) no reason.
I gave it 25% and decided I would rather listen to something else this close to the end of the year.
I may go back in the new year and try again?
Thanks to NetGalley & Inkyard Press for my DRC.

Rating 3/5
Plot 3/5
Spice 1/5
Writing 3/5
Character Development 3/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“Salt and Sugar” by Rebecca Carvalho tells the story of Lari Ramires and Pedro Molina, the grandchildren of two rival Brazilian bakeries. Lari works at her family’s bakery, Salt, which happens to have been at war with Molina’s bakery, Sugar, for generations. When Lari faces a few obstacles (her grandmother passing away and a supermarket chain moving into town and negatively impacting small businesses) Lari and Pedro must set aside their differences and work together to save their bakeries. The more time they spend together, the more they fall for one another however they question if a relationship can bloom despite their families' feuds.

This book had a cute concept! I loved the bakeries' names and the cover is adorable. I also love the rivals-to-lovers trope. If you’re looking for a cute YA romance with the foodie trope, this one is for you!

I really liked this contemporary YA novel! Lari was a great MC, and I liked all of the other characters. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Rebecca Carvalho is a new author for me so I had no idea what to expect going in. At first, I wasn’t too impressed by the main characters and I didn’t like how Pedro was such a bully. Then, I don’t when it happened – without me even noticing, I fell in love with Larissa and Pedro and I found myself rooting for them.

I fell deeper and deeper as I got to know them and I loved their friends. The author painted strong, unforgettable characters and intense emotions that swept me along with them. I laughed and I cried and the plotline was a really good one too with unexpected twists that kept me engrossed in finding what would happen next.

There was heartbreak as there is with generational feuds, love of family, and the values and bonds that keep us connected. The author did a really good job of crafting this story. And of course, how can I end my review without mentioning all the mouth-watering goodies? The descriptions of the cakes and other baked goodies made me feel like I could almost taste the delicacies. The author’s writing was rich and heartwarming and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for new books from her.

Thank you so much for the ARC, I give the 4/5 I ought it was very cute

I just reviewed Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho. #SaltandSugar #NetGalley

A sweet and salty story of love, loss, family, and never-ending fighting.

Lari comes from a family of bakers. Both her mother and grandmother worked at Salt, their family bakery and Lari's home. But Lari is cursed in the kitchen. She can't even crack an egg without tripping over it. When her grandmother passes away, Lari turns to the kitchen to try to connect with and mourn her grandmother. But this is Lari's vestibular year, the year she's supposed to be deep in her books preparing for college admissions. There's only one way Lari can bake, and that's if she joins her nemesis' cooking club at school. The same boy who bullied her since they were children, whose family constantly steals Salt's customers and recipes, and the very person who Lari hates with all her soul and can't speak to without breaking out a world war.

Salt and Sugar are two bakeries on opposite sides of the street.They have grievances going back generations, a tradition followed by Lari and her nemesis, Pedro. Their grandparents fought, their mothers have shouting matches in middle of the street, and Lari and Pedro constantly compete and irritate each other at school.

The story ran through several great themes. The main one was about the family feud between Lari's and Pedro's families. It did a great job of showing how fights can keep burning for generations, and how fighting breaks up friendships and families. I loved how the theme was presented here. It was written beautifully and I was very emotionally involved and attached to the characters. I hate to call this a Romeo and Juliet, simply because it's over cliched and I don't want to ruin this book by association, but yes, that's the general theme here, although there's a lot more to it than just that.

The characters were very well developed. They each had their own reasons for their feud and also had complicated relationships even within their own families.

The book also also focused on graduating high school, life/career goals, helicopter parenting, mourning, friendships, family relationships... There was so much depth and complicated life issues in this book, it made it feel so real and relatable.

But good emotional crises aside, this book had lots of great food descriptions all over. Be prepared to come out of this book drooling for some Brazilian ethnic foods. I may not be able to find their tight knit community or Lari's and Pedro's friends from the cooking club, but at least I can drown my emotions in the food they made..

While her mother pressures her to prepare for college, Lari tries to deal with her grief over her grandmother's recent death, financial worries, and the constant feuding between her mother and their rivals at Sugar. When a teacher traps her into joining a cooking club run by Pedro, her lifelong enemy, Lari and Pedro have a chance to set aside their history and maybe get to know each other better. But can their burgeoning relationship survive their own families' active and ongoing war?

I was excited to read this book based on the description but it didn't work for me. The characters were ever developed to the point that they felt real. Also, the pacing felt off with the book feeling very slow and then rushed. Plus, I didn't care about the romance. Some readers may enjoy this book but it didn't work for me.

I love the 'enemy to lovers' trope and this book absolutely delivered on that front. There was a natural progression from enemies to allies and I really enjoyed watching as the characters bonded over shared experiences and came together when they needed to. The one issue I had was the writing style - it just wasn't for me - but other than that, I really enjoyed the storyline. Also, the food! I loved loved loved reading about the food!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Cute story, I loved the characters and got hooked right away.

I enjoyed the spin on Rome & Juliet in this tale of baking and rival Brazilian bakery families. I liked how intense and deep the backstory was, though I felt like the reconciliation was maybe a bit too easy -- on Lari's part.

This book was absolutely fantastic!!! I love every second of this book. I would describe this book as a enemies to lovers, cooking, Romeo and Juliet.

We have two feuding restaurants that are across the street from each other. They have been feuding for several generations. The two youngest of the family, Pedro and Lari, go to the seem school and feud with each other because that is what their families have always done.

One day a big corporation supermarket comes to try and take over the town by shutting down all the family restaurants. This causes a lot of stress on both families.

Will Pedro and Lari put aside their differences to help save the town? You should definitely read to find out!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press to letting me have an ARC for this.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book in advance!

A Romeo & Juliet retelling of sorts with some "enemies to lovers" trope thrown in.

The concept of that sounds fantastic! I was all in when I requested this ARC.. I'm not sure if it's because this is a young adult novel and I'm not a young adult anymore, or what the problem was for me, but I couldn't love this book. I just couldn't.

What I LIKED was the culture and the yummy food that the bakeries made and brought in.

What I did NOT like was the immaturity of every character in this book.
The teenagers were more mature than the adults, who screamed at each other like toddlers throwing temper tantrums at every turn.
The teenagers fed off of that because that's all they knew and it was really difficult to read.

In my opinion, even if you're raised with a family feud going on, when you reach a certain age, there should be enough sense for a person to think for them selves and not react so off the handle irrationally and TOTALLY immature....

Unfortunately, it isn't a win for me.

"I'm saying, be free to be the baker you want to be."

I really loved how this book takes place in Brazil, because I never got to read a novel that delves into the Brazilian culture before. Also, I LOVE high school romances, especially when they are enemies-to-lovers😏 Lari Ramires and her family bakery called Salt, have always been having life-long beef with the neighbouring bakery, Sugar. Sugar is run by Pedro Molina and his family, who Lari totally despises, especially after he bullied her back in elementary school. However, after Lari faces tragedy with her grandmother's death and learns that Salt is at risk of shutting down and being sold, she is forced to team up with Pedro because the same thing is happening to Sugar, and they need to fight back. But what happens when both Lari and Pedro spend more time together? They both learn about each other's parental pressures, and those glares between each other turn into lingering looks of lust. Pretty soon, Lari starts to realize that there is more to Pedro than she assumes, and even starts to fall for him. But their families will never support them being together due to their family feud. Also, can a Ramires honestly trust a Molina, or are they doomed from the start?

I love when a book takes us to a country I’ve never been before (cause I’m afraid of flying & this is the easiest way to travel without leaving my home or spending thousands of dollars) and this book takes us to Brazil where two bakeries have a multi-generational rivalry going and the youngest of these generations have to decide if they want to keep it going or not. In a way, it gives Romeo & Juliet but without the unnecessary deaths (that is still very weird to me, btw). There are plenty of laughs and mishaps throughout this story that created balance to the grief that was laced throughout it. With there being the sudden loss of a beloved grandparent & parent, I was a bit in my feels but didn’t feel overwhelmed. This was a really nice read.

This was an okay book. I enjoyed the setting. Lari's grief over the loss of her grandmother was very realistic. The mom was annoying and the fact that she went from screaming lunatic to accepting Lair's choices within a few pages was a bit unbelievable. The romance was okay. The descriptions of the food made my mouth water.