A Romeo and Juliet retelling around two rival Brazilian bakeries? This book literally screams everything I love!

"And I'll fail a thousand times as a baker. But I'll keep on trying my best. Because this is what I want. This is where my heart is."

This book follows our star-crossed lovers, Lari and Pedro, who decide to team up to battle against the big corporate villain who is eating up all the family run businesses. Through yummy food, cooking, resolved misunderstandings, and family, they are able to stand up for themselves and give hope that Salt and Sugar can end their multi-generational feud and free the bakeries from the mouth of the villain.

The story might seem a bit long, but I thought it was the perfect length. Everything happened at the right time, and I felt like I was getting to know Lari better and better. The descriptions and the setting of the story is so beautiful and I can just imagine the bright colors of spring turning into summer in Olinda. I felt like I was transported into the beautiful town and watching the story unfold all without leaving my desk. Just know that this book will make you crave these pastries and desserts so hard!

I was intrigued by the cover and the description. I thought the storyline was too predictable but was enjoyable to read.

Salt, run by the Ramireses, and Sugar, run by the Molinas, are rival bakeries. These families hate each other and will do anything to keep out of one another's way. But what happens when both small businesses are being threatened by Deals Deals, a big franchise that wants to buy them so they can expand?

Lari, the main character, is so passionate about helping Salt, her home, and she really shows her determination to do everything she can to achieve her goal, even working with her enemy, Pedro Molina, someone from Sugar.

Their relationship develop because Lari joins Pedro's cooking club at school. They manage to work together to prevent their moms from selling the bakeries to Deals Deals, even though they don't really trust each other.

I absolutely loved how they overcame their differences to achieve something much bigger than the feud between their families. Not only did they do that, but they also helped so many people along the way with their club, and that was amazing to see!

I also adored how these characters deal with their struggles: Lari is afraid to disappoint her mom by not wanting to be an accountant, and Pedro wants to change things at Sugar, but is afraid of what his Grandfather has to say.

In the end, everything worked out for both characters and their families!

This story, set in Olinda, Brazil, is just everything I was looking for. It was so heartwarming and made me fall in love with these characters.

First of all, the cover. HOW CUTE. Everything about it is adorable.

Picture this- a Romeo and Juliet retelling starring two friend turned rival baking families who work on opposite sides of the street, one of whom only bakes salty recipes and the other only sweet (hence their respective bakery names, Salt and Sugar (which are actually such cute eatery names)).

Anything involving baking and romance is automatically a win for me. It is my FAVORITE of the subgenres. That being said, this was heavy on the baking and light on the romance and considering the main characters are in high school, that's definitely for the best. The romance is very very wholesome, the found family themes are strong, and you know I love a good happily ever after. The thing that made it so good though is that it wasn't just a happily ever after for our main characters, it's just a happily ever after overall (you'll see!).

I flew through this faster than I ever expected from a YA, not exclusively romance novel, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. You really do feel transported into the world of Salt and Sugar with relatable characters and such love radiating throughout the entire story.

This is a sweet story with a Romeo and Juliet feel. I love the strong emotional ties to families each character had. I did get a little bored at times with the dialogue. It was too repetitive. I did feel like the author started the book off a little slow, but rushed the ending. I wanted more in depth conversations between the family rivalry. But, knowing that this story was written in the YA category, it's actually perfect for the target audience.

Thank you publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is the cutest book! What a great love story! I will definitely purchase a copy for my classroom and recommend it to anyone who likes romances or food.

This young adult novel is Brazilian culinary take on the Romeo and Juliet theme of star-crossed lovers. Larissa Ramires and Pedro Molina are sworn enemies, locked in a generational feud. Once their families were friends, but a decades-long rivalry has led to competing bakeries, one focused on savory, the other on sweet, across the street from one another. Pedro is already an accomplished baker, but wants to modernize some of the recipes, while Lari’s mother is insistent she focus on being the first in the family to go to college and pursue an economics degree–and won’t teach her any recipes or let her set foot in the kitchen.

Pedro and Lari recognize they have a common enemy in a big-box grocery store out to acquire one or both restaurants and agree to work together to fight it; Lari joins Pedro’s cooking club, which provides a lot of free food to community organizations. The forced proximity and united efforts results in feelings, romance, and ultimately, resolution.

This book made me SO hungry. I didn’t know what all the traditional dishes were and enjoying looking them up. The strong sense of community and duty to family helped drive the plot–this wasn’t just a simple enemies to lovers romance. Lari and Pedro were very real, and dialogue and details rang true. While I loved the story, I did find some of the writing repetitive; the editing could have been a little tighter.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #SaltAndSugar from #NetGalley.

Here is a enemies to lovers story about two kids from feuding families (think "Romeo and Juliet" without all of the deaths and suicides).
Apparently the great-grandmothers of both teens were friends who planned to open a bakery together, when one betrayed the other. They opened bakeries across the street from each other and their families have been fighting ever since.
And you knoe when you start the book how it is going to end. Teens hate each other, but ultimately get together in the end with lots of silly, petty arguments in-between.

I was attracted to this book because of the colorful, beautiful are on the cover. The second thing that interested me was the idea of a cooking, enemies to lovers story line.
While reading this story I had to get used to the cultural differences of schooling. I kept imaging the characters younger than they were because of the references to "recess". Also, the main character, Lauri seemed very whiny and childish about the conflicts. I found it difficult to establish a connection with her.
I did get more interested and involved in the story line more than halfway through, when the relationship between Lauri and Pedro really start communicating at the club and Lauri comes up with the idea of entering the contest together.
I didn't really like this book, but I finished it.

Salt and Sugar is a Romeo and Juliet-style tale featuring two teens from opposing bakeries. Lari's family owns Salt, which makes savory foods, which Pedro's family bakery, Sugar, makes sweets. Their families have been feuding for generations, and the two teens have been at odds since they were kids. But family tensions have everyone's emotions in turmoil, and a new supermarket threatens to shut down both bakeries unless something unthinkable happens. When Lari and Pedro find themselves working together at their school's cooking club, the two hatch a plan to save their families' bakeries...and maybe end the feud once and for all.

This is a cute read. The feuding families are fairly predictable, but there are several surprises that tie the families together in tender and important ways. I did think that the fighting dragged on a bit too long, causing the ending to feel a bit rushed, but there is a lot of bad blood between the Ramires and Molina families, so it does take a lot of work to work things out.

And Lari and Pedro are the perfect people to end the feud. Both teens are great characters, full of hopes and flaws and motivations that feel entirely real. Again, the ending for the two of them is fairly predictable, but the path to that inevitable conclusion is a tumultuously fun one. I especially liked the interactions between Lari and Pedro at their cooking club; while the two butt heads as much as ever, it's clear that they both love to cook, and that passion overcomes the animosity between them.

That passion, as well as the passion of the families as a whole, produces a ton of delicious food! I'm not familiar with a lot of Brazilian food, so I had to look up a lot of the foods mentioned, but they all sound and look amazing! I love foodie books, and this one definitely had my mouth watering.

All in all, Salt and Sugar is a fun YA read. It features a well-written enemies-to-lovers romance, tons of food, and a touching look at grief and forgiveness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Netgalley & Inkyard!

For generations, two competing bakeries have been at odds. When a big supermarket chain threatens to take over, the grandchildren decide to take matters into their own hands and work together to save both the Salt and Sugar bakeries.

Salt and Sugar is a sweet but powerful story about the importance of family and community. At first the storyline seems like it’s just a Romeo and Juliet/ rival families type of romance but it’s so much more. While the feuding families do play a large part of the plot, the sense of community and culture really shine through the author’s writing.

Salt and Sugar is a delightful debut from author Rebecca Carvalho. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

This was emotional and so adorable! I really love that Inkyard has been releasing stories that aren't set in the U.S., but in other non-western countries instead. I loved learning about Brazilian culture, lifestyle, traditions, and food through this book. The food aspect was especially captivating--all the foods, sweets, pastries, and more that Lari, Pedro, Cintia, PC, and Victor made in their cooking club's kitchen and in Lari & Pedro's respective family bakeries sounded so delicious.

I also loved the themes in this book such as grief, familial expectations, and discovering your passion as a young teen. The subplot of Lari trying to learn to move on after her Grandmother's death without having a proper support system at school or in her family was really emotional for me. Her desire to become a baker, as well as Pedro's desire to become a chef at the Gastronomical Society, both against their families' wishes was also thoughtfully explored in this book. I loved how Pedro and Lari bonded over the shared burden they felt under their families' expectations and the petty rivalry between their families. The development of their relationship from bitter enemies to reluctant allies to more was really well done. It was so adorable seeing how shy and flustered Pedro would get around Lari, especially when she and Victor were seemingly dating. Overall, I definitely recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of coming-of-age stories with found family and Romeo and Juliet-esque rival families. I'd give this 4.25 stars.

Feuding neighbors ☑️
Enemies to lover ☑️
Close knit communities and small business stories ☑️

If any of these appeal to you, this is the book for you. Salt and Sugar was such a cute read! I adore the cover and the story definitely held it’s own. This has Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off meets Romeo and Juliet vibes and I loved it.

Lari and Pedro’s chemistry was sizzling and their relationship was so nicely developed. All the descriptions of the different pastries had me absolutely drooling. This wholesome story does a beautiful job exploring the complex emotions of figuring out that there is more to people than we know!

~Special thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

A beautiful, well written Romeo and Juliet-esque love story! I think this book will resonate with so many readers. I love how food is intertwined within the story and the huge family element that is present. It was insightful look into the Brazilian American experience and I think many will appreciate the representation. I cannot wait to rad what this author writes next!

Thank you to the author and publisher for letting me be an advanced reader of this book. As always all opinions are my own.. I think it was well written retelling of Romeo and Juliet but it reminded me a lot of Little Italy film, family drama, star crossed loves, a nice happy ending. I think it has a lot of potential but I wish there was a bit better pacing and character growth, I would have loved to see more of PC and Victor.

What a great YA read, with a good balance of family, friendships and romance. There were times I wish the author had provided a few more vignettes about the relationships with her mother and grandmother. The narrator was so likable, and even her follies were likable. I would happily read more books by this author.

This is a charming debut young adult romantic comedy by Rebecca Carvalho . It’s a modern Brazilian take on Romeo and Juliet with a lot of heart.

You’ll enjoy this YA novel if…

* you enjoy the enemies to lovers troupe. Pedro and Lari despised each other in the beginning and there was a lot of history with all that anger - I was beginning to wonder how in the world it’d ever turn around.

* you are a foodie. Foodies will absolutely love this book! I do not know very much about Brazilian cuisine, but the descriptions had my mouth watering and made me want to try so many of the foods that were discussed in the book.

* you enjoy multigenerational family stories - particularly feuding families. This novel is about an intense rivalry between 2 Brazilian Bakeries in the same neighborhood. The history is long, the resentments are deep and the fighting is unreal. The fighting was a bit over the top in my opinion and I cringed at the mothers’ behavior
throughout the book, but it definitely set up a difficult situation for the kids.

* enjoy a good, clean romance. I love that this is a clean romance, especially because it’s a young adult novel. This would be a great addition to any middle or high school library and for any class studying Romeo and Juliet to give a modern take on the classic story.

*you enjoy learning about other cultures and traditions. The Brazilian themes were wonderfully entrenched throughout this entire novel and I loved that aspect of this book so much.

* Also - the book cover is gorgeous!

Overall, this is a wonderful novel about families, expectations, forgiveness, and following your dreams. Thank you to @netgalley and to @inkyardpress for the advanced digital copy of this novel that is released in November of 2022.

This book is full of rich descriptions of Brazilian bakeries and family life. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy the rivals to lovers trope.

Okay, so I technically am rating this book 4.5 stars but it's rounded to 5 on here. This book was amazing and I couldn't put it down. The feud, the baking, and the romance combined into a lovely story. The development that both sides of the feud underwent was beautiful. The only thing that I was not into were the pop culture references in the beginning/middle. They just felt shoved in there with no real connection to the story. Otherwise an amazing book and very well written.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the Digital Advanced Copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Publish Date: November 1, 2022)

I really enjoyed how this book focused on two grandkids from two rival bakeries in Olinda, Brazil. This wasn’t your typical Romeo and Juliet story! So much of this modern tale was focused on the food, culture, and traditions that I really got to know about life as a 17-year-old in Brazil.

Since their families had been feuding for decades, Larissa (Lari) Ramires from Salt and Pedro Molina from Sugar had grown up being taught to despise one another. Suddenly, Lari’s beloved grandmother and head chef at Salt dies, and a new supermarket chain begins shutting down the local shops in town. Salt and Sugar are both in jeopardy of closing, and with all the adults losing hope while continuing to feud, it’s up to Lari and Pedro to try to stop them – even if it means working together.

I was expecting this book to be a love story from earlier on, but Lari and Pedro couldn’t stand each other and fought constantly through the first half of the book! Thankfully, after countless ups and downs, this story has a wonderfully happy ending.

My only small complaint regarding this book was there seemed to be too much dialog at times and too much random fighting among the bakeries. It felt a bit exaggerated at times and could have been scaled back while still maintaining the same effect. Also, I’m unfamiliar with many of the foods the author mentioned (and any Portuguese), so I was incredibly thankful that the publisher allowed me to read this book on my Kindle so I could easily look words up like fubá (cornmeal), bolinhos (cookies), broas (ladyfingers), and coxinha (a popular Brazilian food where dough is filled with meat or cheese, then battered and fried).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to read a great YA romantic comedy while also learning about life in Brazil. I plan to purchase a hard copy of this book once it’s published, so I can read it again and again!