Blog Tour and Review: Street Food and Love by H.A. Enri
Bookcrushin in conjunction with Xpresso Book Tours is happy to present this blog tour for Street Food and Love by H.A. Enri. In this post you will find all the book, author and purchase information as well as a spoiler free review.
Street Food and Love by H.A. Enri
Category: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: June, 2014
Purchase: Amazon//B&N
Sole Eaby, seventeen, has a few complaints he’d like to lodge against life, the main one being that his dad, Cedro, has recently quit his job and withdrawn his entire life savings, which included Sole’s college fund. Why? To launch a food truck business he knows nothing about.
To cope, Sole uses his knifelike wit to moonlight as a stand-up comedian, and so far, it’s paying off. He’s not only replenishing his college treasury, he’s making people laugh; but it’s one person in particular he performs for. Her name is Ava. When the fated bond of humor joins the two, and they begin a sort of quasi-romance, things begin to seem somewhat bearable. Of course, that’s when an ill-timed event decides to put another spin on things. Just when Sole is ready to move on with his own life and disconnect himself from his father and the family business, he suddenly finds himself in charge of the food truck he desperately loathes. Here is where Sole must realize that the answers to love and life are not to be found apart but, rather, are more like a savory recipe: only by combining the ingredients will the wonderful flavors reveal themselves. When comedy isn’t enough, the future seems ever bleak, and a fledgling love has barely had a chance to bloom, where will Sole turn?
Spoiler Free Review
Guest Reviewer – Heather
[book rating=4.0/5.0]
Street Food and Love by H.A. Enri isn’t your typical coming of age story. Enri gives readers an inside look on what growing up in a concrete jungle is really like for an 18 year old male. Sole is your standard middle class, LA teenager with a part time comedy act on the verge of being discovered and a father whose pissed away his own son’s college savings on his mid life crisis- a food truck. Okay, so maybe not so standard.
The plot is slow to develop, but once things get rolling readers are completely captivated by a young mans struggle to follow his dreams or step up and help his family, all while dealing with his own inner demons.
One night as Sole is finishing up one of his comedy gigs he meets Ava, a beautiful young thing with a heart of gold. I should probably mention all earnings from these comedy gigs go Soles father, Cedro. This becomes a spot of tension between the two, especially after a very scary evening involving Sole, the food truck and a gang member. When Cedro shows no remorse for the stressful event his son has just been through Sole is ready to call it quits on the old man.
Ava will slowly, but surely come to the rescue as she urges Sole to mend things with his father. It is only after another traumatic event, Sole decides family is family and its time to let the past live where is belongs.
Street Food and Love was born on the premise that there can be a real bond between people when food is involved. This actualization can only come after great loss; it is through hope and reconciliation that an old bond can be restored between father and son.
Enri, stays relevant with today’s social and political events, making this a great read for young bookworms. The author keeps things fresh and intriguing when he tells this story from a young mans perspective, it’s something I don’t think we get to see very often. Of course no young adult book would be complete without a little romance, but you’ll just have to read the book to see how that one unravels.
Enjoy!
Shannon’s Review
[book rating=3.5/5.0]
Street Food and Love is an engaging new debut that features a charming and witty protagonist. Sole was a welcome break from the cookie cutter male YA leads I typically come across. I mean he’s a budding comedian who works in a food truck in his spare time! Did I mention he has to work in said food truck because his crazy Dad spent his college fund on it? Still with this setback, Sole’s humor shines throughout the entire novel and is what makes him so endearing. As he struggles to come to terms with family, duty, love and becoming a man, he does so with wit and a little bit of snark.
At certain points I did want to ring his neck, especially when it came to Ava, and their budding romance. Ava was especially delightful because of her honesty, she really didn’t pull any punches. However. Sole could become a pain in the neck and at times I thought Ava was a bit too good for him but I enjoyed watching him struggle and grow throughout the novel. His character is richly layered and some of the things he did that I didn’t agree with, ultimately made sense when you factor in the varying issues he was trying to overcome such as abandonment by his mom, a resentment towards his father, and his desire to be successful in his own right.
While the title is called Street Food and Love ultimately this is a book about relationships, whether that be between a father and a son, a boyfriend and girlfriend, or just friends all seen through the eyes of one teen boy.
There were a few grammar mistakes in the book and the first half of the book was a bit slow but other than that the story was solid and a definite unique addition to the YA genre.
I think many will find much to love about this book.
Author Bio: H. A. Enri
H.A.’s love for all things caffeinated is what keeps him awake and alert so he can pursue that glorious tyrant called Nostalgia. And after all, isn’t that what provokes most adult authors to write stories about the teenage years they long ago left behind (referring to Nostalgia, not the caffeine…he hopes)? When he isn’t writing, H.A. can be found quaffing coffee (Yes, he might be addicted–don’t judge) reading, riding his bike, snapping photos, making music, working on his theory of everything, and, on rare occasions, attempting to discover the elusive, and maybe impossible, secret to time travel. H.A. lives in So Cal. Street Food and Love is H.A.’s first novel.
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Great review, Shannon! I don’t mind characters who are not so likeable when you see them grow throughout the book it can make for a really interesting read. I do like any book with humor, too! 🙂 Glad you liked it!