Title: Hearts a la Carte
Author: Karuna Riazi
In: Hungry Hearts (Caroline Tung Richmond & Elsie Chapman)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Food, Superheroes
Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast
Format: Short story
Year: 2019

Trying to figure out who you are is difficult at the best of times, but trying to do that whilst surrounded by a overbearingly supportive family. And a family business. I love that Minara is trying to sort this out herself, whilst also taking into consideration the feelings of her family and those she cares about. There’s also the beautiful potential romance angle throughout that made this an even cuter coming of age tale.

Hassan / the Comet is a really cute superhero, and I love the randomness of how he and Minara meet. Although the love potential between Hassan and Minara doesn’t exactly bear fruit, I love that even at the end of this short story, there is so much potential for it. Plus, sometimes it’s nice to end on a friendship with potential, rather than the romance to end all romances.

Although this is a bit of a coming of age short story. And a bit of a superhero short story, I love that a whole lot of this tale is fixated on food. I mean, I tend to fixate a little bit too much on food at times, so it makes sense that I would enjoy a story that does the same. It made me want to try a whole new cuisine that I’ve just never had access to…

Image source: Goodreads