"The world is a turntable that never stops spinning; as humans we merely choose the tracks we want to sit out and the ones that inspire us to dance."

Elizabeth Acevedo has done it again! This sophomore novel is vastly different from Poet X, yet it is equally filled with boriqua pride, strong familial love and characters that ooze diversity. And that cover - breathtakingly gorgeous!

Emoni is a (part Puerto Rican, part Black) teenage mom who was raised by her 'Buela (grandmother) after the death of her mother in childbirth. How I adored her abuela and their strong relationship! Emoni's love and devotion for her daughter was everything. She wants so much for Emma and is willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to make something of herself.

Emoni has magic hands when it comes to cooking. Her food literally evokes physical emotion in all who eat it as she essentially pours a bit of herself into every dish she makes. This dash of magical realism woven into the story was perfection. I thoroughly enjoyed the recipes and the emails to her aunt about food sprinkled throughout. Food plays as important a role in the story as poetry did in Poet X.

Emoni struggling to find her way and working towards realizing her dreams was front and center here. It never took a back seat to the love story woven in which I absolutely appreciated. There were many strong secondary characters that impacted Emoni's life and added richness to the story. Her relationship with her best friend reminded me so much of my own that I couldn't help but smile each time they were together.

A lot happens in this book and I happily followed along with Emoni's life with every turn of the page. The short chapters made it feel hard to put the book aside - I kept thinking "just one more chapter" and found myself done before I was ready to let go.

Thank you to Elizabeth Acevedo, Harper Teen and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this emotional and empowering story.