Sweet and Sour
by Debbi Michiko Florence (Author)
A heartfelt middle-grade novel about ex-best friends, betrayals, and revenge that is best served sour.
Revenge is sweet!
For as long as she can remember, Mai has spent every summer in Mystic, Connecticut visiting family friends. And hanging out with her best-friend-since-birth, Zach Koyama, was always the best part.
Then two summers ago everything changed. Zach humiliated Mai, proving he wasn't a friend at all. So when Zach's family moved to Japan, Mai felt relieved. No more summers together. No more heartache.
But this year, the Koyamas have returned and the family vacation is back on. And if Mai has to spend the summer around Zach, the least she can do is wipe away the memory of his betrayal... by coming up with the perfect plan for revenge!
Only Zach isn't the boy he used to be, and Mai's memories of their last fateful summer aren't the whole truth of what happened between them. Now she'll have to decide if she can forgive Zach, even if she can never forget.
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A sweet taste of youthful summer and a reminder of how extreme friendship fails can be.
Publishers Weekly
Every year, Mai Hirano and Zach Koyama, along with their respective Japanese American families, spend the summer together at the Koyamas' vacation home in Mystic, Conn. But unexpected news causes the Koyamas to move suddenly to Tokyo, and a painful betrayal between Zach and Mai sours their friendship. The pair haven't spoken in two years when the Koyamas return, and Mai is ready to exact revenge on her former best friend. Except Zach isn't anything like she remembers; he speaks Japanese and dresses "like a K-pop idol," and, worst of all, acts like their fallout never happened. Confused and hurt, Mai struggles to navigate this seemingly different person, and to decide whether she wants to maintain her distance or explore a new and uncharted dynamic. Chapters titled "Sweet" and "Sour" alternate between good and bad memories, juggling the tweens' past and present as they forge ahead toward an uncertain future. Centering tumultuous adolescence and its effects on emotional health, Florence (Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai) effectively explores complex relationships between friends and family in this uplifting summer read. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary. (Sept.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
This book gave me Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han vibes but for middle grade. Sweet and Sour is the perfect summer contemporary read. - Maleeha Siddiqui, author of Barakah Beats
Looking for a sweet summer love story? Look no further than Debbi Michiko Florence's absolutely fabulous Sweet and Sour—it has all the feels of first crushes, long summers, and the joys of being BTS ARMY! - Wendy Shang, award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu and The Secret Battle of Evan Pao.
Nobody does sweet friendships like Debbi Michiko Florence! Florence's books are the kind I hoard until the day my kids graduate from picture books, then I will bring these gems out and say, 'FINALLY, let me introduce you to the joy that is Debbi Michiko Florence.' Sweet and Sour, like her previous works, is full of joy while also tackling the complicated layers that come with friendship and growing up. I could not have enough of Mai and Zach! - Jesse Q. Sutanto, National Bestselling author
JUV011020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Asian American
Friendship
Japanese Americans
Best friends
Forgiveness
Japanese American children
Humiliation
Mystic (Conn.)
