Julia and Sophie are sisters, but they aren't close. Julia is the younger "perfect" sister while Sophie is the older...um...mess. This book tells the story of how they come to terms with their relationship (or lack thereof) and the secret that has been kept from Julia her whole life. There is a road trip made, a romance blossoming, and a summer of discoveries for Julia as the whole story behind the family secret is slowly revealed. The relationship between Julia and Sophie is realistically drawn and develops in a natural progression. There is no singular event that suddenly makes everything peachy. They have to get to know each other. There are some really quirky and enjoyable characters in the town where Sophie lives, as Julia finds out. It is interesting to watch Julia learn about her sister through the friends Sophie has in her town - as opposed to what Julia thinks she knows about Sophie from the strained family gatherings they've experienced in the past. Also, Julia has had a terrible crush on her best friend's brother for a long time, and there are some awkward moments for her with him, especially at the beginning of the novel. Once she makes her road trip to Vermont to see her sister, she meets another young man with whom she strikes up a friendship. So, you've got a little romance, a little friendship, and a dysfunctional family sorting through their issues - although the parents don't have a huge role in the novel. The story is mostly about the two sisters. I enjoyed the book quite a bit - if you like realistic family drama, you probably will, too. ( )

I loved it! It referenced the town I lived in last year and all the details about it were spot on. The storyline was pretty sweet. It was one of those "coming of age" books. ( )

The Sweetness of Salt is such a beautiful and real story, one without the teenage melodrama common in current YA fiction. Galante captures the essence of the family's struggle, giving it depth and importance without making it into a cliche. I loved the simplicity of this story, and especially how real these characters were. I would love to meet them sometime, stopping by the bakery for a cake and a chat. Simply lovely. ( )

Julia's been the perfect daughter: she's class valedictorian, she's got a scholarship for pre-law, and she's all set to intern at a law firm over the summer. Her older sister Sophie is not perfect: she has a daughter, she moved out to Vermont and hardly contacts them, and she keeps insisting that their parents tell Julia the secret they've been hiding for so long. So Julia surprises her family and herself when she decides to give up the internship and spend the summer in Vermont with Sophie, hoping that she'll give her more details about the secret their parents only briefly touched on. During this time, Julia takes a hard look at her life and whether she's been doing things because she wants to or to please her parents. ( )

What can cause a family eruption every time the family gets together? In The Sweetness of Salt by Cecelia Galante, Julia is going to finally find out. She just graduated from high school, valedictorian. Her sister, Sophie, 8 years older, surprised her by coming to the graduation from Vermont, a long drive to Ohio. But as usual when Sophie visits, the family dinner that night was tense and it all stemmed from their life in Milford, where they lived before Julia was even born. Something happened that no one will talk about.

Sophie’s latest outburst, and abrupt departure back home, causes Julia’s parents to finally tell her the ‘truth’. She had a sister, Maggie, who died when she was four from asthma. Julia is incensed. How could her entire family keep such a secret from her? This revelation causes Julia to also abruptly depart, to visit Sophie and hear her side of the story. Why would she, of all people, keep the secret? Julia’s initial plan was to stay the weekend and return to start her legal internship on Monday, in preparation for her carefully planned out legal career. However Sophie is having a hard time telling her what happened, it is so painful. Sensing the story will come out over time, Julia decides to stay longer causing her parent’s anger to erupt since her father obtained the internship for her and his work has come undone.

Cecelia Galante has written a charming book. Julia is a typical teenager, book smart but not real life smart, unsure about the future, insecure about the boy she likes. Sophie could be the stereotypical older sister, a rebel with a cause, who loves Julia but doesn’t know how to convey the emotion. Their parents are overprotective, as are many. It becomes apparent that there is more to the story that was told to Julia by her parents. The relationship that develops between Julia and Sophie as the story unfolds, the self realization that Julia undergoes, the ancillary characters including ‘The Table of Knowledge’ as well as the very descriptive writing converge to make this book appealing. Despite the tragedy of Maggie, readers will smile as they read The Sweetness of Salt. (I won’t tell you why that’s the title. Find out for yourself.) ( )