Guava and Grudges
by Alexis Castellanos
High School    Bloomsbury    336 pp.
9/24    9781547613717    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781547613724    $13.99

The Ybarras and the Moraleses, who own Cuban ­bakeries across the street from each other in fictional Port Murphy, Washington, have a bitter, decades-old rivalry. Ana Maria Ybarra (who also goes by Amy because no one in her mostly white town can pronounce her name correctly) usually honors the family feud. Until Miguel, a boy with whom she shared a steamy kiss in L.A. months ago, moves to town and reveals that he’s a Morales nephew. Try as she might, she can’t stay away (“He’s technically a Fuentes,” she justifies), especially when she learns he’s a photography whiz. She’s desperate for someone to fix her recipe videos so she can win a scholarship to culinary school. The two create a plan to film cooking videos in secret—which, of course, devolves into clandestine making out. Ana Maria’s family can’t find out about either. Castellanos’s (Isla to Island, rev. 3/22) first ­novel-with-words is a sweet and satisfying rom-com with a relatively low-stakes star-crossed storyline. Ana Maria learns to stand up for her dreams for her future, her love life, and even the name she wants to be called, and Miguel is supportive as she figures it all out. Delicious descriptions of traditional Cuban foods and Ana Maria’s updated creations abound. A recipe for guava cream cheese thumbprint cookies is appended.

From the ">September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.