4.3/5.0

Forbidden love between the children of rival families who each own sweet and savory bakeries that just make you constantly crave food as you read the amazing and well-developed story.

The book centers around the two rival bakeries in the same street: across each other. Ramires family only prepares savory foods as Molinas family only prepares sweets. It takes place right after Lari’s grandmother’s suddenly died, her mother is barely surviving with running the bakery by herself and Lari is way too clumsy and inexperienced to create know how to help her mom, but rather always makes a big mess in the kitchen which may result with being her banned to be inside the bakery forever. Pedro’s family business also has its own problems. The big supermarket chain that moved to town and their main goal is to take over all of the businesses and force them to close so they can open more of their stores. The only people who are willing to fight are Lari and Pedro, but only way to win is for them to put aside their rivalry, and team up to save both of their businesses.

This book had me constantly laughing because it is entertaining, the author was smart when it come to developing these characters from enemies to lovers. Both Lari and Pedro are relatable, amazing characters and the development of their relationship makes you go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Even though their romance was not the focus of the book, I still enjoyed this book very much and definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

Sweet and a bit salty. When two bakeries have been in a feud for decades it seems if nothing would ever bring them together. The Ramieres and the Molinas have been fighting each other for years. One bakery can only make sweet the other can only make salt. That was the deal in place... But when a supermarket chain threatens their livelihoods, Lari and Pedro team up to try and defend their homes.

This was a fun twist on Romeo and Juliet.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57814701-salt-and-sugar

I've read a lot of these lately, and I focus on what's promised:
Is the enemy part developed? Is the slow realization that your enemy is not who you think they are given time and space and credibility?
Is there a ton of talk about how much they love food and baking? YES.

What keeps me reading this type of book are the cultures I'm being introduced to through food and the character's connections to their families and their communities. You know what you're signing up for with this kind of plot, so instead I look for flavor (pun intended). I like how the author makes sure to develop this town in Brazil, the ins and outs of its daily life, the college entrance exams the students prepare for, the holidays and traditions. It delivers on that front. And now I'm hungry for Brazilian pastry.

Certainly a cute book, overall storyline is your run of the mill YA novel type of plot though so quite predictable. Nonetheless, I enjoyed seeing the culture and themes of family interwoven throughout the book alongside the romantic plot. Very cute and fun read!

I was entranced by the cover of this book and more excited to read it after reading the description. A fun take on Romeo and Juliet, we are immediately plunged into the feud between the rival bakeries and our two main characters Lari and Pedro. I enjoy so much that this book provides such a rich setting. We obviously have our bakeries and the family dynamics within this feud, but we get to see so much of Olinda and the neighborhood I felt like I was back in Brazil. If you are a reader unused to telenovelas, this might feel a lean into the dramatic, but I felt excited to turn every page and see what was going to be thrown next at Lari and Pedro as they started to see each other in a different light, all while struggling to fight off the evils of corporations. I did not expect to cry in this book and I did.

This makes me want to visit Olinda and try everything. Thank you for a fun ride!

4.5⭐️

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!
release date: november 1st 2022

Genuinely this book felt like a breath of fresh air. A YA romeo and juliette retelling set in the culinary world?? with two rival bakeries ?? I’m in love.

Not only was this story intriguing, as adorable, but I absolutely loved all the characters!! pedro?? loved him! he was so easy to relate to you & my heart melted with every page! lari, i absolutely loved her as a main protagonist!! & i have to say i have a soft spot for victor 😭❤️‍🩹

this was a plot i didn’t know i needed!! i felt like i was watching these two prepare for master chef!! the chemistry between these two had me kicking my feet, giggling! their banter, the build up?? SO GOOD.

definitely keep an eye out for this!!

It was a cute romance story that involved baking and family which is a concept that I loved. The story had good characters and great moments that had me crying at times. Unfortionatelly, I was not in love with the main character but I loved the story and how easy to read it was for me. Overall, I think that it is worth a read.

This Romeo and Juliet type enemies to lovers was such a good book! I loved the strong family bonds throughout, the way the story unraveled in the end, and the slow burn romance. The writing was so good, well explained, and flowed really well. The use of Brazilian words, foods, holidays was a beautiful touch. Those types of things can sometimes feel really clunky, but the execution here was well done. It didn’t feel forced or overdone, but natural. I cried in the last few chapters, when Pedro and his grandfather finally communicated, and when Lari finally comes clean with her mom. It was also a great idea that they didn’t win the contest. It makes it less sensational, and gives a better ending to it.

This one was super cute! I picked it up because baking romance, and ended up falling in love with its family dynamics. I wasn't always a fan of our main characters (they made some dumb decisions) but I loved their families! The emotional moments in this had tears in my eyes, they hit that hard. I do have to say that I had a slightly different version of the ending in my mind, but the real ending was just as fabulous. I'd definitely recommend it!

I tried to get through this book but it was utterly dull. The writing wasn’t polished and the story didn’t draw me in. The world building also lacked; I couldn’t tell you anything about the setting other than it’s a bakery in a small town. The characters were flat; not a lot of personality.

Salt and Sugar is the YA romance that is missing in my library. We have similar stories in that we have the enemies to lovers trope and multigenerational feuds. I even have a popular book that features warring pho restaurants across the street from one another much like the bakery called Salt is across the street from the bakery called Sugar. We have stories in which the teens' dreams do not align with those of their parents. But what will set Salt and Sugar apart in n my library is its setting: Brazil.

This romance will appeal to my students who frequent the love and romance section in our library. The two main leads Lari and Pedro hate one another because of the multigenerational feuds in their families and bakeries. But when a huge big-box grocery store threatens to destroy the mom and pop shops in the neighborhood, this exacerbates the family feud instead of having the two families unite against their corporate oppressor. However, Lari and Pedro can maybe unite?

Amazing depictions of food and teen emotions made this book come alive for me, and I think teens will agree.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

I would love to interview the author for pop-culturalist.com. Salt & Sugar is a hilarious rom com where bakers fall in love. I loved the rival businesses which reminded me a little bit of a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Best for fans of Hana Khan Carries On!!

This is a very charming story about two families that have had a multigenerational feud and the grandkids who are finally being brave enough to end it. While this is a highly predictable enemies to lovers plot, it honestly didn’t matter at all to me. All along I was invested in the path between. Beginning by the beautiful cover and supplemented by the author’s beautiful descriptions of the dishes, cultural celebrations and the community that was so important to both families in the book, the setting really came alive in my mind. An important theme in this story aside from the obvious ones of love and family, is the destruction big supermarkets bring to communities that thrive on small family owned businesses.

I saw a few reviews that rank this book a bit low and my honest opinion is that they’re failing to keep in mind that this is a YA novel, perfect for its intended audience.

'Salt and Sugar' by Rebecca Carvalho felt like home. As a born and bred Brazilian, I am often dubious of reading books about my home country written in English - and honestly, I don't remember when the last time was. My fear with reading books published in English about life in Brazil (or Latin America in general) is that often I feel like they are meant more for a foreign appetite rather than representing or capturing life, culture, and traditions in a genuine and nuanced way. But 'Salt and Sugar' managed to do just that. I am excited that young readers will learn about my country, especially our love for food, community, and family from this novel. I loved how I got so immersed that I sometimes forgot the book was not written in Portuguese. The story is cute and lighthearted, and a job well done for Carvalho's debut. Now, I need to go find some "quitutes brasileiros" to appease my cravings for all the delicious dishes described in the book!

A great YA enemies-to-lovers romance. It has a great premise for the enemies part. A family feud stretching back generations. I like how the author weaves in the generation aspects. It's hard to break free from that stuff! The main characters try and fail and try again to put an end to the feuding. The romance was sweet and the characters are good. I also loved all the food and cultural aspects and how the author weaved those into the plot. I've not read a book that takes place in Brazil, so that was cool.

Every character in the book had struggles and grew mainly because there were people that were brave enough to speak for unity. The main character in Salt and Sugar struggled but kept going forward. The raw emotions from grief came through and brought tears. The book is very well written. There are many lessons in this book. I encourage everyone to read it.

Salt and Sugar is a sweet young adult romantic comedy! Rival bakeries kind of reminded me of the book Tweet Cute which made me happy because I loved that book! If you did too then this is an absolute must read for you!

I love a food based romance!
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Kind of Romeo and Juliet-ish: love sparks between two children from rival, local bakeries.
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Learning about the Brazilian culture was a delight, especially learning it through family and food.
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This YA novel focused on important topics such as dealing with family expectations, experiencing grief, and discovering who you are and who you want to be.
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If you read and loved A Pho Love Story, this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication date in exchange for an honest review.

This was super cute, and more than just the typical teenage-Romero-and-Juliet-romance story. Pedro and Lari are both children of feuding bakery owners, who honestly would have had a great life together if their families had JUST TALKED! Throw on top of that the grief of death of loved ones, uncertainty of their future after high school, and a large-box grocery store trying to put both their family businesses out of business.

Well done, Rebecca Carvalho. I can't wait to read your next book!

How do I begin? How do I describe the joy and surging amount of butterflies I felt while reading? How can I express the joy of being represented in a book?
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I was revisiting my childhood.

I was reliving the anguishes of expectations and the grief I felt when my grandparents passed away.

Most importantly, I was relishing the distant memory of having a childhood enemy whom I would later find that he and I weren’t that different at all. Maybe…it wasn’t hatred I felt, maybe it was…something unknown to me at the moment - oh wait that’s the book’s synopsis, HA you thought…

This book means tons more to me as a Hispanic who doesn’t often see her own race in books, and as a daughter who wishes to live the legacy of her ancestors but seeks to forge her own path as well.

t h o u g h t s
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Okay, this book is BEYOND CUTE. The endearing sense of comfort through food and first love fills my entire soul with longing.

I loved how Lari slowly broke the chains of a never-ending cycle with the ability to make something beautiful from what many desperately wish to protect.

The grief of losing a loved one is always and will always be hard, and they wish to continue their legacies through traditions is evermore. And the book captured that grief so well - I was struck prickling tears (cried) & gave it…

⭐️•⭐️•⭐️•⭐️•⭐️