Title: Eli Over Easy
Author: Phil Stamper
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: October 3, 2023
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph
Summary
Eli and his family left their small town in Minnesota to move to New York City, ready for a fresh start. But once they get there, his mom dies unexpectedly. Now, Eli is stuck without friends and family, struggling with his grief. What makes matters worse is that his dad won’t even talk about his mom, leaving Eli feeling lonelier than ever.
When Eli discovers some cooking videos that his mom made before passing away, highlighting her love of cooking. In order to feel closer to his mom, Eli decides to start cooking. With the help of his new neighbor friend, Mathias, he embarks on a summer of cooking. A summer of cooking that just might help him and his dad figure out how to move forward with their grief. And show them that they might just have a community in New York after all.
Review: Eli Over Easy
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Eli Over Easy by Phil Stamper to review! This is Stamper’s second middle grade novel, and he just has a knack for writing that voice. Where his other middle grade is a bit more lighthearted, this story focuses a lot on the different ways that people deal with their grief.
Having stories like this for middle grade readers is so important because it’s important to see that grief is different for everyone. Eli wants to remember his mom by talking about her, by making her favorite meals, by just cooking in general. Meanwhile, his dad just wants to forget, to hide their sadness from the rest of the world. Being able to see how they both end up working together to move forward without someone they loved so much is such a beautiful story.
I also appreciated how Eli’s sexuality isn’t necessarily a huge part of the story. Yes, he talks about crushes with Mat, and they have a sweet conversation about it. But it feels normal; it doesn’t feel like an earth shattering revelation. Sometimes, we get so focused on that in YA and middle grade that we forget that for some people, their sexuality isn’t some big fanfare.
The characters were also well developed. I loved the way Eli and Mat’s friendship blossomed, and that they were both able to be there for each other in difficult times. While I wasn’t a fan of the COVID references (I still think it’s too soon for that to be in fiction), this was a story I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.
All in all, if you’re looking for a heartwarming, heartfelt story about grief and how to move on, definitely pick this one up!
4/5 stars