Synopsis:
With the Fire on High follows Emoni Santiago, an Afro-Puerto Rican senior who has a passion for cooking. Her ultimate goal is to one day make it as a chef, but making this dream into a reality is complicated. She lives with her paternal grandmother (who single-handedly raised her) and her 2-year-old daughter Emma. Throughout the whole book, she is conflicted about what to do with her future. On the one hand, she has always dreamed of being on a chef. However, she’s torn by the need to help support her family financially.

Spoiler-Free Review:
With the Fire on High puts great emphasis on Emoni’s self-discovery and inner turmoil. This book really shows the anxiety and confusion that many students face when trying to decide what to do after high school/secondary school. Not many teen/ya books cover this topic, even though it is a major part of the teenage experience. It was also interesting to see an Afro-Latinx girl presented as the main character of the story. This so rarely happens and the cultural aspect really adds a good flavor to this story