Akisha "Pumkin" Patterson is a 13-year old Jamaican girl, raised by her grandmother and her Auntie Sophie in Kingston "almost downtown on Potter's Lane, an area that is not good but is not quite as bad as it could be." Her mother Paulette lives with them too, but is neither a loving or positive influence; and Pumkin doesn't know her father. It was difficult to read about a mother's cruelty, and a child's fear of their own parent, but the adage "hurt people hurt people" is apt. Pumkin's grandmother raised her lighter-skinned daughter Sophie to take advantage of her intellect and appearance, and to strive for great success; Sophie studied French and won a job at the French embassy, and her plans to escape the islands for a new life in Paris included her beloved niece Pumkin. Just as Sophie cultivated friendships with affluent classmates at private school as a girl, so too was Pumkin encouraged to do so.

But the brilliance of Sweetness in the Skin is how circumstances are examined, and conventional standards of beauty and wealth are questioned. While there was anxiety, isolation, so much cringe, and incredible suspense, there was also exhilaration and unity and a gorgeous ending that had me in tears (the happy kind!).

I could not read this book fast enough. I loved the story, the characters, the writing, and the on-edge feeling I had while reading the book. Sweetness in the Skin is a story about a young Jamaican girl living with her auntie and grandmother and trying to navigate life without her parents. Pumkin feels loved and cared for and wishes her Auntie could adopt her but her absentee mother won’t have it.
Everything in Pumkin’s life changes when her grandmother passes and her auntie moves away. She’s left with a mother who’s never home, abuses her, and doesn’t seem to love her. If she can do well in school and pass her exams she can go live with Aunt Sarah in Paris but life with throw Pumkin every road block possible. At such a young age Pumkin will have to take care of herself and learn how to support herself. No one can rescue her so she must rescue herself. Along the way Pumkin will discover who her friends are, that family doesn’t have to be blood, and that she is stronger than she ever thought possible.
Such a heartwarming story that will pull at your heartstrings.

. Readers will cry and cheer for 13 year old Pumpkin. Pumpkin lives on the poor side of her Jamaican town with her mother, aunt and grandmother. Her grandmother dies and her beloved aunt moves away. Her aunt is trying to build a new life in Paris that she plans to bring Pumpkin to. Pumpkins mother is fighting her own demons and neglects Pumpkin who has to care for herself, feeling very alone. This is a story about perseverance, community and the true meaning of. home (and lots of baking! 🙂)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

In her debut, Ishi Robinson reveals why young adults shouldn't just be the star of novels for young adults—Pumkin's voice is layered and rich, complex in a way that young adults really are when they're balancing the world between childhood and adulthood. But be warned...don't read this book hungry! Everything about this book sprang off the page and into life, including every wonderful coconut drop or sweet potato pudding. A masterpiece that leaves readers wanting even more of Robinson's work!

Pumkin Patterson is a 13-year-old girl living in Kingston, Jamaica, with her grandmother, Aunt Sophie and mother Paulette. When Sophie is offered the chance to move to France for work, she moves and promises to send for her niece in one year.

But like it so often happens when plans are made, wrenches are thrown. The grandmother dies so Pumkin is left alone with her negative-minded mother. Determined to raise money for the French school entrance exam, Pumkin starts selling baked goods against school policy. Her future is at risk when the school and her mother find out.

The best part of Sweetness in the Skin were the food references. It is as much of a foodie love story as it is a coming-of-age story. I found myself looking forward to the L'Ecole days to see what dish or dessert would be prepared. My mouth watered over the description of baked goods, especially coconut cake. I even tried preparing pork chops as described with salt, pepper, cinnamon and simmering on a low fire. They indeed fell off the bone!

I always worry about reading books set in the islands because of the language. It is usually hard for me to decipher but I was able to read Pumkin's story without interruption. The only parts I struggled through were when Pumkin's mom talked but I didn't like her much anyway. She was the character I loved to hate.

For a debut novel, Ishi Robinson nailed it! Sweetness in the Skin is funny and heartwarming about a young girl baking her way to the opportunity of a lifetime. Highly recommend adding to your wish list of books to read next year.

Happy Early Pub Day, Ishi Robinson! Sweetness in the Skin will be available Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

It is easy to like 13 year old Pumkin Patterson, an intellingent, spunky girl living in relative poverty in Kingston with a hostile, uncaring mother who is absent from the house most of the time. Pumkin's struggles to pass the French qualifying exams to join her aunt in Marseille, France, is something the reader can't help rooting for her to succeed. The obstacles she faces with her mother and her father, who are not married, seems insurmountable.

I loved reading about the Jamaican snacks, sweets, puddings, and cakes that Pumkin can bake, a skill she learned from her deceased grandmother. That she fights to find a way to bake and sell to pay for French lessons and for the hefty fee for the French exam is remarkable. Finding allies at school, in her neighborhood, and at the French school is something she hopes for. This aspect of her drive and personality keeps the reader on edge and firmly on her side.

The authenticity of the setting and characters is brought home by the Jamaican style dialect/patois that many of the characters speak on occasion.

I thought of this book's writing, plot, and character development as a little Jamaican masterpiece.

Pumkin, living with aunt Sophie, her mother, and grandmother, cant wait until one day her dream of living in France with Sophie happens. Her mom is mean and Sophie tells her you don’t even want your daughter. Pumkin begins making money from food she bakes because she wants to use the money to take an entrance exam to help her get to France. When Sophie leaves for France she says she’ll come for Pumkin later. Mom says no way. Mom finds the money and says no you can’t take the exam. What happens now? Will Pumkin find a way to France?