This is a young adult romance that pairs food with an enemies to lovers trope creating an imaginative retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Salt and Sugar are neighboring bakeries that have been in a multigenerational rivalry. So what happens when the youngest members of each family decide to come together in order to save their family owned businesses? It's going to take a lot of trust and support for these teens to break this curse that lingers over them.

There were so many extra details that I enjoyed about this story. The setting takes place in Brazil. I loved looking up the places (Olinda) and traditions (St. John's night) that were mentioned throughout the story. I also looked up several of the dishes that the cooking club or bakeries prepared. This is definitely a book for foodies to enjoy. The descriptions will leave you with quite a few cravings. I wish it had included a few recipes.

This coming of age story touched on quite a few topics. This included grief after losing loved ones, coming to terms with realizing what you want to pursue as a career verses the expectation placed upon you by others, and the repercussions large chains have on small businesses. The rivalry between the two families showed how resentment and hate can bring about so much negativity. It also showed that these actions can easily be passed down through generations. It takes a brave soul to step up and go against those deep beliefs. I loved that these teens volunteered throughout their community and the impact that one small act of kindness helped spark a resolution at the end.

Overall, this was a really cute story. It's shelved as young adult, but I would even recommend it for middle grade. The romance is super light and the text was easy to read.

I received an ARC from @netgalley and @inkyardpress - all opinions are my own.

There is something so charming about romance and food, don't you think? Perhaps I was so drawn to Rebecca Carvalho's Salt and Sugar. This YA novel has a bit of a twist in that it is both romance and a retelling of Romeo and Juliet – bakery style.

As long as Lari Ramires can remember, her family has been feuding with the Molinas. In truth, they've probably been feuding with them since well before she was even born. It doesn't help that the two families run different bakeries – directly across the street from one another. Talk about heavy competition.

The feud between the Ramires and the Molinas could have lasted forever if not for outside forces. Yet the new threat the bakeries face is very familiar to small business owners – a mega-corp moving in and taking over the town. Will it be enough to bring these two families together?

I've always been a bit of a sucker for retellings (in case you haven't noticed). In particular, I'm fond of Romeo and Juliet retellings, as there is something about this story that works well in a more modern setting. And yes, before you worry – it works beautifully in Salt and Sugar.

It's a tale as old as time – two feuding families, two family businesses, and a bigger threat that will force everyone to come together (or tear everything down). Salt and Sugar had all the makings of a fantastic story, and Rebecca Carvalho ran with it.

There's a lot to enjoy about Salt and Sugar. Lari and Pedro's story is fun and fascinating, with that classic trope so many readers love (enemies to lovers). Also, serious bonus points for naming the two bakeries Salt and Sugar. Love it.

What surprised me was the way this novel tackled grief. It was so touching and beautifully done, making the story feel real and very (painfully) human. It's that added level that this romance needed.

An enemies to lovers story about teenagers in Brazil working to save their families' bakeries. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was teenagers, but overall a decent romcom!

✓ enemies to lovers
✓ Romeo and Juliet retelling but with FOOD!!! (p.s. don't worry, no one dies 😂)
✓ coming of age story, family relationship, tradition
✓ Brazilian culture

This is a book that will surely leave you hungry and full at the same time. Hungry for food because of the mouth watering recipes and full because of the love and sweetness this book offers!!

I really like the pacing and build up of the story however there are times i find the feud too chaotic and messy which i didn't enjoy. But still a really good read.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho was a emotional but sweet and cute enemies to lovers tale that with a Romeo and Juliet feel when the children of two rival Brazilian Bakeries fall in love. I loved the banter and writing style and the world building was chef's kiss. I additionally loved that the story wasn't set in the United States. I feel like books set outside of the United States(and not in a fantasy world) are harder to find. This book was truly adorable and took me on a journey of emotions. Special thanks to Net Galley and Bookish First for providing me both an digital arc and a print arc of the book. All opinions, however are my own.

This was the sweetest read! It starts slow but I appreciated the author building the setting and characters. The descriptions of the food were mouth watering so be prepared to be hungry. The author does a beautiful job with her descriptions of the town and provides beautiful insight into Brazilian culture. I enjoyed watching the main characters navigate their relationships with friends, family and their own selves.

Congrats to the author for writing such a lovely book!

If you are a fan of Romeo and Juliette and enemies to lovers romances then you will love this YA novel. Two family bakers who have been feuding for generations are close to losing their bakeries thanks to box store DealDeals swooping in to the neighborhood. Can Lari and Pedro bring their families together to keep their businesses open?
I enjoyed this sweet take on a classic story, it’s a quick fun read.

I would love if the author included some of the recipes in the back of the book

I received a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own . I would recommend this book to my friends and family.

Great teen romance story about tradition and love that makes you want to read more. It's a story of family feuds that has lasted for decades. It starts with the grandchildren and their differences from what the family has passed down. Not knowing whether the rumors are turn or not. If a family member says it's true then it must be. You find that you start to feel the hatred among the children who bear all the animosity from their parents. It's story that starts as a friendship that goes bad. The feuding is well known in the quaint little village the live in. It's built on unapproved relationships between the love of the children from the two families from generation to generation. At the risk of losing their family businesses. It takes the last generation to come together to find a way to work together to bring the feud to an end. It inspires you to believe that you can overcome many obstacles if you have a reason to make your dreams come true.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope but adding a bit of sweet and salty baker rivalry it brings the foodie out of me too. Salt and Sugar are two feuding bakeries located across the street from each other. Lari from Sugar and Pedro from Salt are the grandchildren of the owners of each bakery and though they loathe each other, events keep throwing them together and the relationship development is messy but beautiful. This book touches on grief, love, family relationships, and food! I love this coming of age story.

A Romeo and Juliet romance? ✔️

Pages filled with many mouthwatering recipes?✔️

A cozy novel about the healing powers of food?✔️

Salt and Sugar is a wonderful YA novel set in Brazil which features two young aspiring chefs. Lari is a girl who doesn’t know how to cook but has the willingness to learn and carry on her family’s bakery. Pedro is a young chef who would love to take over his family’s bakery but they aren’t willing to try his new ideas. When then these two rivals end up entangled in their family feud and in the cooking club at school can they put aside their differences and get along?

If you love Romance novels about food and family this story will surely appeal to you. It’s a beautifully written story that showcases the beauty and culture of Brazil through sights, sounds, and smells. I myself wanted to travel to Lair and Pedro’s cozy little town and taste the food Salt and Sugar were creating. I was so envious of the cooking club (since they didn’t have one at my school growing up) and loved the friendship and teamwork they developed through making food.

This novel is a testament to food and the healing powers that it can give by bringing people together and creating memories to last a lifetime. Lari especially struggles with grief and the impact of losing her grandmother while trying to carve out her own journey. She grows through great character development as she’s trying to figure out what she wants. It’s endearing to see her connect to her grandma through food as I do with my own grandma.

The enemies-to-lovers romance was so sweet and I loved seeing their vulnerability of letting down their walls and opening up together. They work hard to try to heal the decades-long rift that has hurt both families and hope that they can work together in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it was such a joy to read. It left me with a fuzzy warm feeling, the romance was sweet, and now I have even more recipes on my list that I want to try making in the future.

To start out I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I initially requested this book because of the cute cover and the idea of two rival bakeries. This story is your typical enemies-to-lovers trope with two teenage kids from rival families who just happen to own two bakeries across the road from one another. I found the storyline to be entertaining and the food descriptions to be mouth-watering. I very much enjoyed how the two teenagers discovered that they were more alike than they were different and their desire to bring the families together. I think one of my favorite parts of the story though was learning about the adult's pasts and why the feud was carried on throughout generations.

This is for sure in my opinion a YA novel but can still be enjoyed by adults. If you are looking for a cute enemies-to-lovers story with wonderful food writing then give this book a try. All of the words written in this review are entirely my own and again I just want to thank NetGalley for this ARC.

Lari and Pedro have always been on opposite sides when it comes to everything. There is little in this world that would bring them together. Years of feuding between their families has seen to that. Not even at school can they get along. A Ramires getting along with a Molina, never. Yet when a big box store comes into their neighborhood and threatens Lari’s family bakery something has to be done. While Lari may be cursed in the kitchen it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her family’s bakery, Salt, with all her heart. Yet, the only thing she can see that might save Salt is to work with Pedro. He is a talented baker and his family’s bakery, Sugar, is also being threatened. Can Lari and Pedro find a way to break a decades old curse? Or are the Ramires and Molina’s fated to be enemies forever.
Such a fun twist on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Not your typical retelling. Yes, you have the feud that seems to be unstoppable, but instead of blindly falling for each other Lari and Pedro truly build on their trust and get to know each other on a much deeper level. Their personal growth within this story is super touching and really helps to move the story along at a decent pace. The culture that is also so proudly represented is just beautiful. I can feel the love and pride jumping off of the pages, and many times I was tempted to eat some of the amazing dishes described. Overall, just a lovely book. I also love seeing my name as one of the main characters. That was quite fun.
Thank you so very much to Inkyard Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title. I can’t wait to recommend it.

i love enemies to lovers!!! this was as sweet as sugar and I wish I had more thoughts but this book was just so lovely I have nothing but warmth in my chest when I think of it.

"Trust neither thin-bottomed frying pans nor Molinas"
This is the maxim that Lari Ramires has grown up with, and one that guides her - at least until she starts to get to know the Ramires she has also grown up with.

Salt and Sugar opens with Lari and her single mother grieving the loss of their matriarch, Lari's grandmother, fending off the predatory corporate bakery that wants their space, and trying to figure out how to keep the vibrant food culture of their neighbourhood alive. The sweet-focused bakery across the street, run by the Molina family is facing many of the same challenges. Will both bakeries survive? Will someone figure out why the families can't get along. Will Lari and Pedro, the teens from each family, figure out that working together might work better than working against one another?

Salt and Sugar fits in beautifully with novels like Loan Le's A Pho Love Story (rival pho restaurants), or Uzma Jalaluddin's Hana Khan Carries On (rival halal restaurants). You have the standard enemies to friends to love trajectory, the feuding families, the dark secret that no one has quite untangled yet. The unique lens that Rebecca Carvalho brings to Salt and Sugar is that of location. The reader gets immersed in a city environment in Brazil, and learns about its denizens - those who are surviving, and those who are being forced out. It brings a unique sense of community to the book, which is heightened by the teens volunteering at a local community kitchen and drop-in centre. For me, this deepened my attachment to the story. I also very much enjoyed the multi-generational aspect of the book. There are many characters who support the two protagonists, and they are of all ages.

This would be a great book (along with those mentioned above) to put together as a literature circle bin for an early high school class, maybe even to pair and compare with Romeo and Juliet. It's got a strong family story, as well as conflict around identity, and how teens may need to advocate for themselves in family structures.

This was a solid 4 and a 1/2 star read for me. At times, I wanted the story to move a little faster, but it got me where it wanted in the end.

Thanks @inkyardpress for this ARC!

Pelas ruas de Olinda, a rivalidade entre as padarias Salt e Sugar é conhecida. Ramires e Molinas são inimigos declarados desde que o mundo é mundo. Mas quando a avó de Lari Ramires morre e uma grande rede de supermercados ameaça o negócio da sua família, ela vai ter que unir forças com Pedro Molina.

Com certeza o que mais gostei na história foi a ambientação brasileira, principalmente em uma cidade nordestina. As descrições da Rebecca são bem precisas e você se sente ali no dia-a-dia nas ruas de Olinda, ao lado de Lari e seus amigos. As referências culinárias e culturais foram meu tudo, como uma boa nordestina.

A narração fica por conta de Lari e vemos ela determinada a salvar o legado da sua avó, mas ao mesmo tempo ela tem que lidar com dúvidas e inseguranças da idade, principalmente quando se trata do futuro. Seu relacionamento com Pedro começa bem tumultuoso, mas eles passam a enxergar um no outro mais que toda a inimizade da família.

Os coadjuvantes roubam a cena. Eu me divertia horrores com as brigas entre as famílias, mas no momento certo elas souberam deixar a inimizade de lado.

Salt and Sugar será lançado no próximo dia 01/11 e a @galerarecord já anunciou que irá publica-lo aqui.

I am so hungry after reading this book? The food descriptions were great but the writing was better! Yum on all fronts!

I have to say that enemies to lovers isn’t my favorite trope but it was done well in this book and I enjoyed it. I find the relationship/chemistry often forced with this trope, but this story was realistic and the characters developed the relationship at a good pace. Lari and Pedro’s ancestors dreamt of opening a bakery and from a fluke they found the one family’s sugary recipe went perfectly with the other family’s salt recipe. Betrayal occurred and that recipe was sold getting one family a slightly bigger bakery when they opened competing bakeries across the street from another. Salt focusing on the savory and sugar focusing on the sweet. Generations have gone by and Lari is dealing with the death of her grandmother and the struggling of her family business Salt. Her neighbor and nemesis Pedro returns from a mysterious disappearance and the feud seems completely active as the two drive each other nuts. Events at school push them together and chaos and confusion ensue. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up for the believable romance.

I loved the baking in this books and the fact that all the recipes were Brazilian made it even better. But the book itself fell a little flat for me. The set up seemed promising but I found the fued between the two families to be exhausting and the way the kids danced around being friends or being enemies felt forced. The things that pushed them apart every time they started to come together felt contrived. But the ending wrapped everything up nicely so if enemies to lovers is your favorite give this one a try, and if you're really into food books you should definitely check this out.

Salt and Sugar is a YA with Romeo and Juliet vibes. While the writing is good, I couldn't help but be underwhelmed by the story. I didn't feel like it brought anything original to the genre. Two rival family bakeries that are both struggling against a large competitor. Offspring of both finding a way to work together and end up falling for each other. I didn't hate it, but it felt like I was reading a hetero version of Cafe Con Lycee by Emery Lee which was released earlier in the year. There was a whole lot of déjà vu while I read. From the cooking at school, to worrying about college, and combining the two styles of the family bakeries.

3.5 stars

This contemporary YA a novel takes place in Brazil and reflects food and culture.

Centering around two bakery's that have been across the street from each other for generations. Lari and Pedro have never associated with each other until this, their last year in high school. As they are forced to work together, what follows is a long winded story about the ongoing feud between these two families as a big box store threatens their livelihoods.

Salt and Sugar is a story of relationships, family and young love. Reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, can these two teens end this feud.

This story had a younger YA feel, and while I connected with these two teens, I found the actions of the mothers off putting, overwhelming, and maybe a bit excessive, which took away from what could have been a four-star read. That being said it was still entertaining, I learned a lot about the different foods in Brazil and loved the creativity of these two.

Salt and Sugar releases on Tuesday Nov 1st and available for preorder now.

My thanks to the publisher Inkyard and Netgalley for a digital art in exchange for a honest review.