I enjoyed this book, but I felt it got off to a slow start.
It initially presents a lot of potentially very cliched subject matter - teen pregnancy without a maternal figure, poverty and teen romance. But to her credit, Elizabeth Acevedo handles these with the maturity one should possess in order to write for a YA audience.
Emoni is a very likeable character, and you definitely find yourself rooting for her as the novel progresses, and her affinity for food is well-represented through Acevedo's lavish description. Although likeable, however, there is no real challenge presented to her in this novel. Most of her suffering existed prior to our viewpoint on her life. And although she faces opposition, through either luck, external goodwill or hard work she comes out the other side even brighter than before.
Certainly, I wanted to read on and ensure Emoni's good fortune continued, but there was no real surprise in this novel for me. Good writing and handling of themes but nothing special.
It initially presents a lot of potentially very cliched subject matter - teen pregnancy without a maternal figure, poverty and teen romance. But to her credit, Elizabeth Acevedo handles these with the maturity one should possess in order to write for a YA audience.
Emoni is a very likeable character, and you definitely find yourself rooting for her as the novel progresses, and her affinity for food is well-represented through Acevedo's lavish description. Although likeable, however, there is no real challenge presented to her in this novel. Most of her suffering existed prior to our viewpoint on her life. And although she faces opposition, through either luck, external goodwill or hard work she comes out the other side even brighter than before.
Certainly, I wanted to read on and ensure Emoni's good fortune continued, but there was no real surprise in this novel for me. Good writing and handling of themes but nothing special.