With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

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Emoni has always had a passion for cooking. Ever since she was young, she had an instinct for adding extra flair to her recipes, almost never making the same dish the same way twice. Some even claimed that her cooking is magic, even brings back forgotten memories. Emoni isn't sure about that, she just likes to cook.

During Emoni's senior year, her school finally introduces the perfect elective: culinary arts. This class will focus on Spanish cuisine, and there will be a special trip to Spain. It's an exciting opportunity, but also challenging for Emoni, who will have to work very hard to make sure she graduates while also juggling a part-time job at a burger restaurant and the full-time job of raising her two-year-old daughter. An extra class, and an expensive foreign trip, seem out of the question. Yet, Emoni still signs up for the course.

Culinary Arts is amazing, seeing all the kitchens and utensils finally put to good use. Unfortunately, starting with the basics gets Emoni feeling a little antsy. When the teacher criticizes her for adding a little extra flair to a dish instead of sticking to the recipe, Emoni starts to skip the class. It seriously worried me because I cared about her and worried about her academic future, and it also worried her new friend Malachi. Emoni doesn't have much time or interest in boys, but new student Malachi shows a lot of interest in her. Despite her initial protests, Emoni eventually warms up to him.

With the Fire on High was a really great book. It was really hard not to care about the characters, especially Emoni. I rooted hard for that girl. I would love to try her cooking!

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

I very much enjoyed Poston's Geekerella, so I was excited to get back into that world with The Princess and the Fangirl. It's set in the same universe, but focuses on different characters at the same convention in a time far, far away...or maybe like a year or so.

At the latest ExcelsiCon, the new Starfield movie was a smashing success. Now, they are gearing up for a sequel. The only person not excited is leading lady Jessica Stone. Her Amara was killed off in the first film, and Jessica hopes she stays that way. Jessica had been a "serious" actress, and she wants to get back to indie films that earn Oscars, not sci-fi popcorn flicks. She also has a tendency to read every tweet and negative post about her, and the fandom is not kind.


Meanwhile, Imogen Lovelace practically grew up at ExcelsiCon. Her top priority is the #saveamara campaign she started. She even rented a booth with her online friend Harper so she can hand out buttons and get more signatures on her petition. The trouble starts when Imogen is mistaken for Jessica and pulled onstage during a Q&A. Nobody can tell that she isn't the actual actress, although her positivity towards Starfield makes some people suspicious given how much everyone knows Jessica Stone hates Starfield.

That should be the end of Jess and Imogen's encounter, but Jessica needs a stand in. The director of Starfield gave her some important documents, and Jessica threw them in the garbage. It turned out to be a copy of the script to the Starfield sequel. Now, someone is leaking the script on twitter, and it's only a matter of time until someone finds out it was her script. Imogen will take over as Jessica, doing meet and greets for the fans, while Jessica mans her booth with Harper and investigates the leaker.


The girls learn valuable lessons from switching lives; Imogen finally feels seen, but learns some of the downsides to celebrity, and understands why Jessica doesn't want to be Amara. Jess appreciates the anonymity of being Imogen, and starts to understand what the Starfield movies, and Amara, mean to a lot of fans. Of course, they both also fall in love. Imogen clashes with Jessica's prickly assistant Ethan, but anyone can tell it's one of those love to hate you/hate to love you things. Jess, for her part, falls for Harper. There's even a big declaration of love scene that is adorable.


All in all, The Princess and the Fangirl wasn't quite as good as Geekerella but it was fun and it helped me out of my reading slump. I liked that we got to see more of Elle and Darien. I also liked that Jessica fell in love with a girl, and it wasn't a Big Deal. It's a pretty good time, and I hope to see more Once Upon a Con books in the future.