Contemporary

Dating Makes Perfect

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“You want me to say that you’re stunning? That I wish I could take a photo, so that I can look at you all day? That the material is soft and touchable–and as skimpy as it is, it still covers way too much?” His eyes are black and furious and mesmerizing. I couldn’t look away if I tried. “Yeah, I could have said all that. No doubt, that’s what Taran’s going to be thinking. But I didn’t, because I have too much respect for you. Even after everything we’ve been through.”

The Tech Sisters don’t date in high school. Not because they don’t want to, not because they’re not interested but it’s all because their not allowed to do so. In a move that other Asian-Americans know all too well, six months after the oldest Tech sisters go to college and get asked by their parents about not being in a relationship or marriage. The sisters retaliated by saying that they won’t marry for ten years as they need to dating practice and that could take longer depending on other life events. But now things are different, the youngest sister Winnie must practice fake dating until her parents watchful eye. But as we all know, things don’t always go so easily and when Winnie’s parents pick the preferred match for Winnie to date, she could be less than pleased at the thought of dating her worst enemy.

This is probably one of the cutest ya rom-coms that I’ve read in awhile. The premise, plot, characters, atmosphere and writing really made this a fun and interesting story from beginning to end. Before I go into what made this book so wonderful, I did want to point how much I enjoyed learning about the thai experience. As someone who has been accustomed to privilege my entire life, I understand how important it is for #ownvoices and having their stories told so I appreciated learning more about the culture. Not only did I love the characters but the dynamics between especially within the family and between the sisters, it was hard not to feel for them especially with wanting to be respected for who they want to be and the struggle of choosing their own identity and how differing from that can cause conflict within the family. The romance was very cute and I did feel like it was well written and not forced like other romance books that I’ve read. Overall, this is super cute and fun rom-com so be sure to check it out if it sounds like something you want.

Hana Khan Carries On

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“My father says that trying to stop hate is like trying to stop the tides,” Rashid said. “The best thing you can do is take advantage of it. Don’t stop the tide from flowing. Build a hydroelectric dam and make electricity instead, enough to power ten thousand houses. That’s how you stop hate.”

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. Hana, works part time as a waitress while she dreams of making it big with owning her own radio show but for the time being she’s stuck being a waitress and trying outshine her fellow interns at the city radio station. Hana is confident that things will fall into place and she will be able to succeed but all that crumbles when a new Halal restaurant opens in Golden Crescent threatening to shut down Three Sisters for good. Hana finds herself thrown into different directions while trying to figure out who she is and how she can finally use her voice for what really matters.

First, I’m glad that romance wasn’t heavily focused as I was really immersed in Hana’s personal journey and the changes that she went through during the book. I thought she was a very well written main character who had flaws and struggles that many people can relate to especially with trying to find her own voice. I think that’s something that many people can relate to and trying to figure what really matters to them. While this is one of the main theme’s of the book, this book also touches on serious and heartbreaking issues especially dealing with racism that Hana and her family deal with as Brown/Muslims experience in the modern world. This is why I’m glad that romance wasn’t the main focus because I think the way the experiences and Hana’s personal journey was done was more interesting and compelling than the romance.

Even with the serious and heartbreaking issues that were covered, this is a light-hearted novel that was very compelling and interesting from beginning to end and I strongly recommend it others even if romance isn’t your thing.

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

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“Sometimes, the people we want to protect the most might not understand why we do the things we do. But that doesn’t mean they love us any less. Only you can decide where your faith lies.”

Nick Bell, a superhero? Not what he thinks but as the famed writer behind The Extraordinaries, a popular series that has given Bell the praise, adoration, and success that he’s always dreamed about. But, when a chance encounter with Nova City’s famed superhero, Shadow Star and Nick’s biggest crush, he sets on a journey to make himself extraordinary with or without the help of his best friend and possible love of his life, Seth Gray.

I have mixed feelings about this book as I did enjoy the characters, the plot, and the writing, I was a bit surprised at the heavy subject material wasn’t handled with more care as it focused on the police. There were times reading through this book that I felt like it was glorifying the police and others time where I didn’t feel that way. Klune did address it and I give him kudos for that as some people would not only let it slide but get offended over the backlash. Besides this issue, I did enjoy the characters, humor, representation, and plot as it featured a variety of different characters that were all unique in their own way and I loved that he included a character with ADHD. I don’t see many ADHD characters in YA and as someone who was diagnosed with it as a child, I thought he did it very well. But, with the main issue I couldn’t give this book a higher rating so be aware of that when going into this book. That’s all for now!

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson

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I’m a SURVIVOR. I’m the leftover. The lucky one. The only one in that room who lived.

The Lucky Ones is a gut wrenching and heartwarming story about coming to terms with grief, pain, and love relating to trauma. It follows May and Zach, who have both gone through so much and trying to work their trauma in their own way. A tragic school shooting changed their lives in ways no one could even expect as May lost her twin brother that day, and Zach’s life flipped upside down when his mother came to the shooter’s defense which made him lose all his friends, girlfriend, and ripped his family apart. But fateful night, the two cross paths and realize just so similar they are and maybe they both need one another to help come to terms with that tragic event.

It took me awhile to get through this book because of the material was very heavy as expected with topics like school shootings, violence, and how to process traumatic events. But, as difficult as it was, I felt the way it was written and how it was expressed was very well done. It was impossible not to feel for May, Zach, and everyone involved. This book felt very real and that was also why it was hard to get through but even with that said, I enjoyed this book and think others will enjoy it just as much. It is very important to cover topics like these and when it’s done well, I think people can gain a better understanding, compassion, and empathy for those who are impacted by the distressing events.

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

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Rating: 4/5


I’ve been trying to get into romance more as I have been feeling bored with my other reads. I’ve found some romance that are hits and misses and this one was definetly a hit. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it even though I felt like it was short but I loved everything about it especially the characters. It was a rom-com about a rom-com and it was very well done as it follows a young woman, Liz who finds out that her crush, Michael has been hanging around with her best friend, Wes. What originally started as a plan to get her with Michael turns out to be something diffently entirely as she starts to realize that Michael isn’t the boy she thought he was which causes her rethink her plan of being with Michael.

Honestly, the characters and dynamics between them is what made this novel so enjoyable. They were fun, unique, interesting, and well developed. The dyanmics between Michael and Liz felt very real and I really enjoyed seeing how the relationship progressed throughout the book. Painter does a really good at showing their relationship from the time they were kids to being adults and how they had changed during that time. The romance was really light-hearted and funny so I defintely recommend this book!

Book Of The Week: Catch and Cradle

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Hello everyone! I’m back with the Book of The Week and I’m delighted to share this book with you as I enjoyed it very much. I did have a hard time trying to narrow it down as there were other books that I read this past week. But, I finally did so let’s get started.

The Plot:

Becca swore she woudln’t fall for another teammate after the experience she had on her UNS Lacrosse Team in her first year but she can’t get one of them out of her head and it’s driving her nuts. Her teammate and girl she’s crushing on Hope is dealing with the aftermath of a terrible breakup three months prior by her boyfriend in a very public way. Trying to get over the heartbreak, she is grappling with her crush on Becca, the team captain of the UNS Lacross Team. What happens next is going to take Becca and Hope on a journey of self-discovery, hope, belonging, and healing from a broken heart.

The Characters:

They were all so wonderful especially Becca, I felt a connection to her with reading hte POV’s throughout the book. I love Hope but Becca’s chapters were filled with so much yearning, heartache, and belonging that I just wanted her to be happy and figure out who she is and fully accept that. I loved how the POV’s alternated between the characters as it really helped not only build up their characters but set up for the eventually romance, it felt very real and raw. I felt the chemistry between Hope and Becca and it didn’t feel forced and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I felt that all the characters even the side characters were interesting, unique, well developed, and had their own parts to play.

Overall:

This was a super enjoyable book and the writing was a big plus, it helped bring the reader in and feel a part of the atmosphere. I feel a connection to the story and characters. I normally read longer books so I did wish it was a little longer but that will be something other readers like and that’s fine. But, highly recommend this book as it was a super enjoyable love story with complex characters.

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

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Rating: 4/5

“I like to imagine my used books as little soldiers that have gone off to serve their duty elsewhere before coming into my hands. Books are something to be stepped inside of, to be occupied and lived in.”

The Plot:

Amelia Griffin is obssessed with the famed series, Orman Chronicles by reclusive and young prodigy N.E. Endsley as not only does she enjoy them but they’re the books that brought her together with her best friend after her father left and her family imploded. When Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to meet the famed author, they both can’t wait but things don’t go as planned as Jenna gets the opporutnity to meet the author but not Amelia. It leads to a big blow out between the girls and before they can mend things, Jenna dies in a tragic accident leaving Amelia, grief-stricken and lost. Now Amelia must find her way through it and be able to carry on Jenna’s memory and come to terms with events that happened in the past.

The Characters:

All the characters were really great especially Amelia, I thought she was a very relatable main character and I did like the dynamics between Amelia and her best friend, Jenna. They both had their own struggles and I felt for Amelia when Jenna tragically died and Amelia had to work her way out of the guilt she felt about the fight leading up to the accident. Schumacher does a really nice job of portraying how grief impacts people and that it’s different from person to person because I think this is very important to understand as people are raised in environments where grief is displayed different. Just beacuse someone is outwardly expressing their grief doesn’t mean they’re not grieving and how it was displayed in the book is very real.

The Writing:

This is my first introduction to Schumacher and I enjoyed her writing. She really knows how to display grief in a way that the reader understands and how grief can be healed. The writing was well paced and thigns weren’t as predictable as they can be in YA novels which can often push readers away especially readers like me. I felt like eveyrthing flowed very nicely from beginning to end and this a very heartwamring read about grief, finding yourself, and being open to new experiences in life. So check it out if you want!

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

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Rating: 4/5

“Don’t ever not get angry. You’ve got every right. No reason to hold on to it forever of course, just always give anger it’s due. Let it show sometimes. Respect it.”

The Plot:

Wow, this book was exceptionally good. It was such a heartwarming and wonderful tale about a young girl who is about to be released from the foster care system. Muir, the main character is ready to age out, start college, and start a life that she wants for herself. What she doesn’t know is that her last year in the foster care system is going to change everything and send on a journey that she never saw coming.

I loved the plot, I thought it was a very powerful yet simple with a profound message of belonging, acceptance, and feeling comfortable in their won skin after years of being shuffled around from home to home never getting close to people of past experiences. I feel like this is something many people can relate to especially those who grew up in abusive/neglectful or even chaotic environments where there was lots of dysfunction.

The Characters:

Muri, Sean and Kira were wonderful characters who had their own struggles while finding common ground with one another. I love the bond that they share throughout the book. I felt for Muir throughout the book as she struggles with her own insecruties and actually making bonds with her foster mom, Francine and struggling to feel okay with things going well for her. She’s lived her entire life moving from home to home in foster care and I felt bad for her because it was obvious she wanted friends, family, and a sense of belonging but because how she was shuffled around in foster care, she had a hard time accepting good things that came her way. Everyone needs friends, family, and feeling like belong and are accepted and having to go through the foster system or dealing with abuse/neglect can make that really difficult. I felt for all of them and I just wanted Muir to be happy.

The Writing:

This was my introduction to Jennifer Longo”s writing and I am defintely going to be checking out more stuff by her as I felt drawn into the world that she created. The way she described things, her characters, the plot, and the atmosphere really helped intertwine everything to make easy to follow. I thought that the pacing was done just right and I didn’t feel like there was anything that she could improve on. It was a really well done book on a very serious and important matter.

Book of The Week: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series

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Book: A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series by Holly Jackson

Rating: 4/5

Before I get into talking about the series, I just wanted to preface this and say I finished these books quicker than I expected. This series is fantastic. From the plot, characters, writing, dynamics between the characters, pacing, and atmosphere, it was done really well. I had heard from a few people that the series was fun, easy to read, entertaining, and a true mystery but I didn’t expect it to be so good.

The series main protaganist, Pippa Fitz a high school student who isn’t so sure that Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Sighn even though everyone says he did it. Pippa is determined to solve the case herself and use it as a class project for her senior year but the more she tries to uncover, the more danger waits in the darkness. Pippa begins to find that there are more questions than answers and someone is desperate to keep those secrets kept hidden. The more Pippa digs, the more dangerous it becomes and those close to Pippa are worried that she could be next.

The first book did a great job at setting things up for the next two books but the way the pacing was done really helped. It was right in the middle, not too slow and not too fast. The second and third book were just as good as the first one and I’m sad that it’s over but I couldn’t put the books down. It was a such a nail biter to the end as I felt like the twists, jumps, and turns were done so well that you didn’t even seen them coming. I loved Pippa as I found her a very fleshed out well written character who had a good head on her shoulders and wanted to make those around feel safe. She can be a bit brash and acts before she thinks but throughout the series, there is growth to her character that I found believable. I found her interactions with other characters well done and the dynamics were great. The other characters were great, they were all unique and had their own struggles and conflicts especially with Pippa.

The second and third book were filled with just as much excitement, terror, suspense, action, heart-warming moments as the first book which made me happy. As sad as I am that the series is over, I wouldn’t want a fourth book as everything is tied up nicely in the third book and I feel doing a fourth book would slightly ruin the series. It’s good to know when to stop and not drag things out and annoying readers in the process as that can happen. A truly great mystery/thriller series that will keep you wanting more so check it out!!

Favorite Quotes:

“The people you love weren’t algebra: to be calculated, subtracted, or held at arm’s length across a decimal point.”

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”

“I think we all get to decide what good and bad and right and wrong mean to us, not what we’re told to accept.”

“A quietness settled over the room, a quietness that wasn’t the absence of sound, it was its own living thing, stifling in the spaces between them.”

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”