An Appetite for Miracles" by Laekan Zea Kemp is a poignant and heartwarming novel-in-verse that takes readers on an emotional journey filled with love, loss, and the healing power of food. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which started slowly but ultimately captured my heart with its powerful storytelling.

At the center of the story are Danna and Raúl, two teens grappling with their own struggles—Danna with her grandfather's Alzheimer's and her complicated relationship with her mother, and Raúl with the aftermath of his mother's wrongful incarceration. Their paths cross, igniting a sweet romance and sparking a journey of healing for both themselves and Danna's grandfather.

Kemp's writing is both lyrical and evocative, delivering hard-hitting lines that resonate long after the book is finished. The portrayal of complex emotional themes, such as Alzheimer's and parental incarceration, is handled with sensitivity and depth, adding layers to the characters' experiences.

One of the highlights of the book is its vivid descriptions of food, which left me craving Danna's cookies and immersed in the culinary world she inhabits. The sensory details brought the story to life, enhancing the reading experience and adding richness to the narrative.

Overall, "An Appetite for Miracles" is a captivating and thought-provoking read that tackles tough topics with grace and empathy. It reminds us that healing is a journey best undertaken together, and that love and connection can be found in unexpected places.

This was a such a sweet and cute story. I feel like this book is so underrated that everyone needs to read it. It’s just good for the soul. Like go pick up this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Thank you to Little, Brown BFYR (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

I had high hopes for this book after reading Kemp's debut, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet (one of my favorite books of 2021), and I was not disappointed!

I can usually tell I'm going to give a book 5 stars if it makes me cry, and I spent probably the last third of this one with tears in my eyes 🥲 I loved both Raúl and Danna, and their stories, separate and together, were the perfect blend of sad and sweet. Both of them were dealing with losing a family member (albeit in different ways), and both of them had very complicated relationships with their mothers. They bonded over that very quickly and out of it came a very sweet romance.

I also loved Danna's relationship with food, and by extension, her relationship with her grandfather. It was something she and her grandfather always had in common. Despite her mother's shaming comments about Danna's eating habits and body, Danna doesn't let that diminish her enjoyment of eating and baking (to be fair, at the end I get where Mami was coming from and it makes complete sense--although it doesn't excuse it or negate the damage she does to her daughter and I'm glad she goes to therapy so she can learn not to take out her issues on Danna). Over the course of the book Danna learns to love her body as it is and for what it does for her instead of what her mother wants it to be, which I think is a powerful and important message.

One thing I really liked and want to mention specifically is what both Danna and Raúl's school experiences were like. They don't spend a lot of time at school in the book, but I thought it was very interesting how Kemp wrote their experiences. Both Danna and Raúl have a LOT going on in their personal lives that, obviously, have an effect on their school life. Danna gets detention, which is led by a teacher who sleeps through the whole thing. But she knows more about the students in there (and WHY they're there) than the teachers do: she knows that one has a job after school and that's why they're late (and given detention). She makes the small gesture of giving homemade treats to all the kids in detention with her to show that someone cares about them, even if it seems like none of the adults in their lives do. And Raúl starts having trouble at school when his mother returns home because her nightmares wake him up at night. There is a stark difference in how his teachers treat him when he falls asleep in class; one treats him as a lazy kid who doesn't care, while another notices that this behavior isn't norma for Raúl and decides to (subtly) check in with him. I thought these parts were really interesting and important to include because I know, as someone who worked with kids for years, SO ACCURATE. Kids deal with so much outside of school that their teachers never know about, and school is not always the most important thing. Most of the time they just need empathy or someone to listen. If a kid is falling asleep in class, there's probably a reason, especially if it's not something that they usually do. I just really appreciated the inclusion of these scenes because it is a reality for so many kids, and a moment of kindness from a teacher can really go a long way.

Overall, I really loved this book. Which you can probably tell by the rambly review 😅 If you're a fan of novels in verse, or if you liked Kemp's debut, or even if you just like contemporary YA, please check this one out

In this novel-in-verse, reminiscent of Elizabeth Acevedo's Poet X, we get Danna and Raul's romance and the obstacles they each face that shape them into who they are. Raul works in music therapy, helping others remember the music he plays for them while he struggles with his family issues. Danna struggles with the grief of losing a loved one while struggling with actively losing a loved one to dementia. Between their family issues and growing up, Danna and Raul struggle to become who they are meant to be and to work their way toward each other. It was a quick but extremely moving and heartfelt read.

A gorgeous novel in verse, exploring grief, loss, first love and the struggle of losing someone you love through dementia. Food and music are a lyric melody flowing through the story. Anyone going through the journey of losing someone through the cruel disease of dementia or any life altering illness should read this. Food and music are the memories that are left when a loved one has been lost; use those memories to brighten your day when you are feeling down. A reminder that as sad as things may be, life does go on and those who are gone still live with you in these memories.

I loved this book, especially the character development and relationship building. Would definitely recommend!

An amazing novel in verse full of heart and love. This story follows the life of two teens learning to live with loss and knowing their identity while dealing with that loss. An honest and heart wrenching look at life with a family member with dementia, or a family member in prison then released. An amazing look at faith and religion and how faith looks to different people. Must read!

Danna Mendoza Villarreal’s grandfather is slowly losing himself as his memories fade, and Danna’s not sure her plan to help him remember through the foods he once reviewed will be enough to bring him back. Especially when her own love of food makes her complicated relationship with her mother even more difficult.

Raúl Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn’t the same person who left?

I think this is my favorite of Laekan’s books. I can relate to Danna and her grandfather bonding over food and the many ways it held their family together. I loved Raul’s tenderness and his ability to comfort Danna and his own family. I feel and say this after all of Laekan’s books but it is still true- I laughed, cried, cheered, and screamed. You can’t help but love these beautiful characters &root for them!

My Thoughts:
This novel in verse hits all my soft spots: the innocence of broken people finding love, food as medicine, poetry as storytelling and the special relationships between grandparents and teen grandchildren. This novel in verse has all those feels.

As someone raised by my own grandparents, and also someone who slowly lost a grandparent to Alzheimer's, Danna's quest to keep her grandfather with her through reproducing her grandmother's recipes or taking him to certain places that held food memories just was so painfully lovely to read. It brought my own yearning and heartache back. Her grandfather, a former food critic, is such a magnetic minor character that he really was almost a third wheel to this budding relationship between Danna and Raul.

Perhaps because my reading these past few years has been a majority of non white authors as the norm, and therefore white authors as OTHER, I am noticing that these multi-generational caretaker stories between young adults and grandparents bridges these diverse culture stories, whether the characters are Latin, Asian, Oceanic or Indigenous. What does it say about these young adults? The relationship between a grandparent and a grandchild is very different from the relationship between a teen and their parent. The complications are less. The unconditional love is more. The storytelling is a form of lineal education. Love, love, love it.

From the Publisher:
Award-winning author Laekan Zea Kemp’s heart-wrenching novel-in-verse follows two teens who must come together to heal the pain from their pasts, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Nicola Yoon.

Danna Mendoza Villarreal’s grandfather is slowly losing himself as his memories fade, and Danna’s not sure her plan to help him remember through the foods he once reviewed will be enough to bring him back. Especially when her own love of food makes her complicated relationship with her mother even more difficult.

Raúl Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn’t the same person who left?

When Danna and Raúl meet, sparks fly immediately and they embark on a mission to heal her grandfather...and themselves. Because healing is something best done together—even if it doesn’t always look the way we want it to.

Publication details:




I don't normally do this, but I had to share the pic of the author because it is so fabulous. This is Laekan Zea Kemp, currently living in Austin, Texas. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Check, check, check.





Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers (April 4, 2023)

Grade level: 9 and up

This is a novel in verse, so take what I had to say with a grain of salt. Y’all know they’re not my favorite. But also remember that I’ve also read and loved this author before too. So of course I had to make sure I at least tried it. And shocker, I did indeed enjoy this!

This whole book was so sad. I don’t remember actually crying, but I do remember coming close. I mean the entire plot was about helping her grandfather who was suffering. And Raul’s mom was wrongly incarcerated and was just coming back from being released. Both of these things came with their own emotional challenges. And of course this isn’t even counting the way Danna’s mom was terrible to her about the fatphobia. So don’t be surprised that this book packs a punch.

Even though it’s a novel in verse, I never felt like I was missing anything. This is usually the biggest issue I have with them, so seeing that it was absent in this one was great. It still read like a full novel to me. And I know ALL novels in verse are full novels, but I’ve said before how I always feel like I have missed some of the message. I didn’t get that with this one, so I will definitely be adding it to my recommendation lists.

The characters were great too. I liked Danna even if it was mostly because I wanted to hug her. She didn’t deserve the way her mother treated her. And Raul, I felt really bad for him. She was wrongly accused but she was still away. So trying to accept any criticism from her when she didn’t really know that much about him was really REAL. This book is relatable in so many ways.

The audio version of this was just ok. I don’t remember any visceral reactions from them reading it, but I did enjoy it. It was good because they seemed to be Own Voices LatinX which was 1000% amazing in it’s own right. From the accents to the names of the foods and the emotion in some of the experiences, it was even shown in the narration, and I thought that was pretty bad ass.

This book was kind of a surprise to me. As someone who’s not a novel in verse person, this was an enjoyment. From relateable characters to a plot that will pull on your heartstrings, this book is everything that I love (besides the verse lol) But I knew I had an author I trusted. I really hope y’all pick this one up!

Really great YA! Loved the narrative told here and the use of in-verse helped propel the story forward. Kemp seems to always do a great job at blending all aspects of her culture into her stories, such as food, mental health stigma, and family. Loved it!

Thoughts and Themes: This book was one that I had a hard time putting down and when I finished it I wanted to read it again. I have loved each and every one of Laekan Zea Kemp’s books so I was so happy to get to read this one and talk to you all about it.

There were so many moments in this book that I was highlighting both in yellow because they stood out to me and in blue to figure out how to capture those words in an image for the mood board. The poetry in this book was captivating and there were so many lines that spoke to me.

Characters: In this book, you get to meet Danna and Raul, along with a few of the people that are in their lives. You get to meet Danna’s mom, dad, and grandfather, along with Raul’s uncle and mom. I really enjoyed each of the characters that you meet throughout this book along with the relationships that they have and develop with each other.

I loved the relationship that Danna has with her grandfather and how she explains why he is so important to her. I love that she explains how it’s all about the way he sees her and this portion of the book spoke to me especially as we see how Danna views herself based on her mother’s ideas of her.

I really liked the relationship that develops between Danna and Raul and how worried she is that he will like her cousin over her. I love how he points out often that she is the prettiest girl to him even if he doesn’t directly say this to her. I just thought their relationship was just so pure and honest, and I liked how genuine they were with each other.

Writing Style: This book is written in first person going back and forth from Danna and Raul’s perspectives. I really enjoyed that this book gave you both of their perspectives because you get a chance to see how both of their lives are going apart from each other. I also like that through both their perspectives you get to see what brings them together and how they slowly are starting to understand one another.

This is a beautiful free verse, coming-of-age story about young love and family relationships.

I enjoyed Danna's story more, and that's what I would have wanted more of. Raul's story was interesting, but it ended abruptly, and there didn't seem be enough reflection about what he was going through and then what his mom was going through (and their overall relationship).

Danna's relationship with her mother also ended abruptly, but I absolutely loved reading about her grandfather and this connection that he created with his granddaughters. Her grandfather sounded amazing, so to have so little of him due to his dementia was a nice touch. It made me want to know more about him and his life (and his wife!), much like Danna felt.

An Appetite for Miracles was such a cute book that was told in verse, I loved the concept beyond the book. It was definitely worth the read.

This is my third book by this author, and I’ve LOVED every single one. ⁣
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This coming of age, novel in verse follows Danna (a teen desperate to hang on to her grandfather as he battles dementia) and Raúl (a teen who’s been trying to get by after his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years prior). ⁣
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While there are some light hearted moments such as Danna’s amazing cooking and watching Danna and Raúl, this book deals with some really heavy topics and is heart wrenching. ⁣
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However, I thoroughly loved both Danna’s and Raúl’s story as the two of them are on quests to healing. From the beginning, I couldn’t help but root for these two. And while there is so much grief and sadness throughout this story, there is also finding love and hope.

Two teens connect through keeping connections with loved-ones through food and music. This connection leads to a journey of healing. A tender-hearted story about the importance of family and building new relationships.

this was a beautiful novel in verse
Dana and Raul find each other when they're both going through difficult experiences at home. Dana is trying her hardest to reach her grandfather who is suffering from dementia using food as a way to open the door to his memories. Raul is living with his uncle while his mother completed a prison sentence, she is now how and Raul is finding it hard to reconnect.
This story covers many topics; grief, dementia and aging, parental incarceration, young love, body image issues, familial bonds. so much is covered in such a short story without feeling rushed or unrealistic. i've already read this two or three times and it just further confirms how much I enjoy novels in verse. so much emotion and story is told in fewer words, making the story so much more impactful in my opinion.


“there are people in our lives, rare unexpected people. who dont just walk beside us through life, they witness our lives too. they hold our memories in their dna, so that when one body forgets the other is there press rewind. to queue up the highlights reel on a love story that made it all worth it”

“faith doesn't work without common sense”

I absolutely love the way that music and memories play into this book. I loved learning about the characters and their inner thoughts and stresses, and the way they bring out each other to have peace for just a moment. I absolutely love this.