Lovely Recipe

Gr 7-10–The debut novel from Nino is a slow-burn sapphic romance between two Italian American high school seniors. It follows a forgetful yet passionate Sofia as she aims to recapture her family traditions—a goal made more difficult both by her inability to cook and her mom’s hectic work schedule. Clumsy and irresponsible Sofia comes off as endearing, though she rarely takes accountability for herself. Opposite her is Anna Marie, a model student with a great work ethic she wields to achieve good grades and support her family’s restaurant. When Sofia falls asleep on the bus one afternoon, she ends up at Anna Marie’s restaurant; she realizes that it’s Anna Marie who can teach her how to cook. Although their relationship begins on a rocky basis, the two girls slowly influence each other, making Sofia more focused, and reminding Anna Marie that she enjoys cooking. The story has some serious plot points (loss; a family member’s illness), but they aren’t explored in depth, and readers might wish they got more detail of Anna Marie and Sofia’s cooking lessons. The sketchbook-style line art with blended watercolors can make the characters look much younger than they are. The facial expressions and lighting are very well done, evoking plenty of emotion, though the line-and-wash-style backgrounds tend to clash with the tone of the plot and the cute character art.