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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated American Panda in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<h2><em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> is one of the books I needed my entire life.</strong></h2>
Gloria Chao's debut novel is about Mei, a Chinese-American teen who has no desire to be the doctor her parents want and a crush on a boy who wouldn't get a parental stamp of approval. Her older brother, Xing, is disowned by the family for falling in love with the wrong person, and a few meetups with him to reconnect makes her question the traditions she grew up with.
<h3><strong>I related to Mei so, so much.</strong></h3>
95% of the time growing up and now I feel like I'm alone in my experiences - <em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> reminded me that I'm not alone. At all.</strong> There are other people like me who go through relatively similar experiences! 😭😭😭 (Honestly, I want to cry happy tears the entire time reading.)
And while my experiences aren't the same as Mei, it hit close to my heart with her struggles to choose between fulfilling her parents' dreams and what her heart wants. This is something I continue to struggle with, along with balancing two different cultures.
<h3><strong>Cute, adorable, hilarious.</strong></h3>
On top of relating to virtually every page, paragraph and line in the novel, there's a cute and adorable romance! I loved reading the moments between Darren and Mei.
But while <em>American Panda</em> is all three of those traits, it can also be really heavy and emotional later on as Mei is having an internal struggle with herself, and eventually external with her family members. <strong>If you are expecting a fluffy contemporary read when going into this novel, you will find yourself a little disappointed.</strong>
<h3><strong>But sometimes it wasn't funny.</strong></h3>
There were a few moments in the book where I felt the novel was not funny - most of that occurred near the end. While I understand the approach was meant to be comedic, I felt like it played into the Asian stereotypes a little too much. It also felt like Chao was trying too hard (and maybe that was intentional?) with some of those scenes. At the same time though, most of the stereotypes I feel were handled well by Chao. Again, I'm only one Chinese-American - my experiences compared to another will be different.
<h2><strong>Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed <em>American Panda</em> and how it deals with the struggles of Chinese-American teens growing up.</strong></h2>
While this specifically deals with one Chinese-American experience (and as noted by the author, Mei's experience is taken from many backgrounds and fictionalized), I think a lot of teens will relate to the book in other ways.
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/american-panda-by-gloria-chao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Gloria Chao's debut novel is about Mei, a Chinese-American teen who has no desire to be the doctor her parents want and a crush on a boy who wouldn't get a parental stamp of approval. Her older brother, Xing, is disowned by the family for falling in love with the wrong person, and a few meetups with him to reconnect makes her question the traditions she grew up with.
<h3><strong>I related to Mei so, so much.</strong></h3>
95% of the time growing up and now I feel like I'm alone in my experiences - <em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> reminded me that I'm not alone. At all.</strong> There are other people like me who go through relatively similar experiences! 😭😭😭 (Honestly, I want to cry happy tears the entire time reading.)
And while my experiences aren't the same as Mei, it hit close to my heart with her struggles to choose between fulfilling her parents' dreams and what her heart wants. This is something I continue to struggle with, along with balancing two different cultures.
<h3><strong>Cute, adorable, hilarious.</strong></h3>
On top of relating to virtually every page, paragraph and line in the novel, there's a cute and adorable romance! I loved reading the moments between Darren and Mei.
But while <em>American Panda</em> is all three of those traits, it can also be really heavy and emotional later on as Mei is having an internal struggle with herself, and eventually external with her family members. <strong>If you are expecting a fluffy contemporary read when going into this novel, you will find yourself a little disappointed.</strong>
<h3><strong>But sometimes it wasn't funny.</strong></h3>
There were a few moments in the book where I felt the novel was not funny - most of that occurred near the end. While I understand the approach was meant to be comedic, I felt like it played into the Asian stereotypes a little too much. It also felt like Chao was trying too hard (and maybe that was intentional?) with some of those scenes. At the same time though, most of the stereotypes I feel were handled well by Chao. Again, I'm only one Chinese-American - my experiences compared to another will be different.
<h2><strong>Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed <em>American Panda</em> and how it deals with the struggles of Chinese-American teens growing up.</strong></h2>
While this specifically deals with one Chinese-American experience (and as noted by the author, Mei's experience is taken from many backgrounds and fictionalized), I think a lot of teens will relate to the book in other ways.
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/american-panda-by-gloria-chao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Epic Crush of Genie Lo (The Epic Crush of Genie Lo #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> comes out next week! I repeat, NEXT WEEK! F. C. Yee’s debut novel might be my favorite book of this year, taking a spot right next to <i>I Believe In a Thing Called Love</i> and <i>When Dimple Met Rishi</i>.
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's why you, as a fabulous bookworm, need to check out Yee’s debut novel when it hits shelves next week (and if you can't afford it, request away at the library!):</b></h4>
<b>Chinese Mythology</b> - As someone who is Chinese, I am ALWAYS on the lookout for Chinese representation in the books I read. <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> focuses on a particular story, but those who are unfamiliar with Chinese Mythology will find the explanations included not overbearing.
<b>Hilarious </b>- Genie Lo is hilarious, and I swear 80% of my reading notes contain laughing emojis. There is never a dull moment in this book - every scene has a line that will have you laughing out loud, or trying hard not to laugh in public (I get embarrassed).
<b>Breaking Stereotypes</b> - I am SO glad there is a book out there breaking stereotypes. Genie Lo is tall and angry, something not typically associated with Asians. We're not all small and docile - we have claws, too!
<b>Just A Little Bit of Romance</b> - I am not a romantic person, but I loved the developing relationship between Genie and transfer student Quentin. It's not taking over the overall plot and action, and their interactions are entertaining to read as well.
<b>Relatable </b>- I'm not saying Genie Lo is relatable because she's Chinese like me. She's relatable to all of us - the ones who have gone through or will go through the struggles of junior/senior year of college: choosing the right college, writing the best essay possible, striving for good grades and scores, etc. There aren't many books in the YA category that deals with characters fighting demons while they're stressing over schoolwork and everything else at the same time.
With action and fantasy set in the modern world and comedic lines, <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo </i>deserves all the hype it has been getting the book community and so much more.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-epic-crush-of-genie-lo-by-fc-yee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> comes out next week! I repeat, NEXT WEEK! F. C. Yee’s debut novel might be my favorite book of this year, taking a spot right next to <i>I Believe In a Thing Called Love</i> and <i>When Dimple Met Rishi</i>.
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's why you, as a fabulous bookworm, need to check out Yee’s debut novel when it hits shelves next week (and if you can't afford it, request away at the library!):</b></h4>
<b>Chinese Mythology</b> - As someone who is Chinese, I am ALWAYS on the lookout for Chinese representation in the books I read. <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> focuses on a particular story, but those who are unfamiliar with Chinese Mythology will find the explanations included not overbearing.
<b>Hilarious </b>- Genie Lo is hilarious, and I swear 80% of my reading notes contain laughing emojis. There is never a dull moment in this book - every scene has a line that will have you laughing out loud, or trying hard not to laugh in public (I get embarrassed).
<b>Breaking Stereotypes</b> - I am SO glad there is a book out there breaking stereotypes. Genie Lo is tall and angry, something not typically associated with Asians. We're not all small and docile - we have claws, too!
<b>Just A Little Bit of Romance</b> - I am not a romantic person, but I loved the developing relationship between Genie and transfer student Quentin. It's not taking over the overall plot and action, and their interactions are entertaining to read as well.
<b>Relatable </b>- I'm not saying Genie Lo is relatable because she's Chinese like me. She's relatable to all of us - the ones who have gone through or will go through the struggles of junior/senior year of college: choosing the right college, writing the best essay possible, striving for good grades and scores, etc. There aren't many books in the YA category that deals with characters fighting demons while they're stressing over schoolwork and everything else at the same time.
With action and fantasy set in the modern world and comedic lines, <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo </i>deserves all the hype it has been getting the book community and so much more.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-epic-crush-of-genie-lo-by-fc-yee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Zeroboxer in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>Zeroboxer</i> is obviously a book <i>farrrr</i> from my range. In fact, it's literally out of bounds.</b> A sports-themed book is the last thing I'll ever read – I'll read contemporary romance any day over that.
But <b>Fonda Lee's book is something different.</b> Something completely different and out of bounds from what I usually read, and <b>I didn't think I would actually enjoy her novel as much as I did.</b> It's about boxing in zero gravity! On the moon! And Mars! Happy dance ensues – I'm a space nut.
<b><i>Zeroboxer</i> focuses on Carr Luka, a zeroboxer from Earth who is slowly rising the charts in the zeroboxing world and has dreams of becoming the Lowmass Champion of the Universe.</b> But as Carr becomes more famous on Earth for zeroboxing and his career grows, he finds out something that could ruin not only his career, but his life as well.
Lee's debut novel is <b>very fast-paced, which isn't surprising</b> from a book based on boxing out in space. The book <b>mainly focuses on Carr's career as a zeroboxer and how he grows career-wise in the span of two years</b>. Putting all of that in a 350 page made everything – Carr's career, his relationship with his brandhelm – seem to go by a lot faster than it actually would. In all honesty, it's been a long time since I've last read a book that has a span of more than a year in one book instead of several.
The world Lee builds is <b>an entirely different world and it takes a while to get used to all of the slang and abbreviations that are used</b> throughout the book. It's clear from early on that <i>Zeroboxer</i> is <b>set really far away in the future</b> – Earth isn't exactly a dominant planet anymore compared to those who found a home on Mars and the moon, and some of the places have definitely changed (New Shanghai, Asialantis, etc). The technological advances were really interesting and I would love to see an actual version of how the colonies on the moon and Mars really look like as civilizations with cities, towns, etc. Oh, and I would actually like to see a zeroboxing match one day.
<b><i>Zeroboxer</i> may be completely out of bounds from what I'm usually drawn to, but I highly enjoyed the entire journey. It's fast-paced and something different. I might feel a little biased here, but I can't ask for anything more from a debut novelist.</b>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-zeroboxer-by-fonda-lee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
But <b>Fonda Lee's book is something different.</b> Something completely different and out of bounds from what I usually read, and <b>I didn't think I would actually enjoy her novel as much as I did.</b> It's about boxing in zero gravity! On the moon! And Mars! Happy dance ensues – I'm a space nut.
<b><i>Zeroboxer</i> focuses on Carr Luka, a zeroboxer from Earth who is slowly rising the charts in the zeroboxing world and has dreams of becoming the Lowmass Champion of the Universe.</b> But as Carr becomes more famous on Earth for zeroboxing and his career grows, he finds out something that could ruin not only his career, but his life as well.
Lee's debut novel is <b>very fast-paced, which isn't surprising</b> from a book based on boxing out in space. The book <b>mainly focuses on Carr's career as a zeroboxer and how he grows career-wise in the span of two years</b>. Putting all of that in a 350 page made everything – Carr's career, his relationship with his brandhelm – seem to go by a lot faster than it actually would. In all honesty, it's been a long time since I've last read a book that has a span of more than a year in one book instead of several.
The world Lee builds is <b>an entirely different world and it takes a while to get used to all of the slang and abbreviations that are used</b> throughout the book. It's clear from early on that <i>Zeroboxer</i> is <b>set really far away in the future</b> – Earth isn't exactly a dominant planet anymore compared to those who found a home on Mars and the moon, and some of the places have definitely changed (New Shanghai, Asialantis, etc). The technological advances were really interesting and I would love to see an actual version of how the colonies on the moon and Mars really look like as civilizations with cities, towns, etc. Oh, and I would actually like to see a zeroboxing match one day.
<b><i>Zeroboxer</i> may be completely out of bounds from what I'm usually drawn to, but I highly enjoyed the entire journey. It's fast-paced and something different. I might feel a little biased here, but I can't ask for anything more from a debut novelist.</b>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-zeroboxer-by-fonda-lee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Morgen Frances (21 KP) rated Crowned with Guilt in Books
Jul 9, 2018
Remember the Reaper (book 1)
I could never say enough about this book. Not only was it an amazing read, but it’s the authors debut novel. She takes you on a journey you don’t want to ever end. The characters have such depth, you’re sucked into a world you never knew you needed to be a part of. There’s something I find so sweet and innocent about a child’s unconditional love. Especially when it’s shared with another kid who needs it so much. The bond that forms is her lifeline in so many ways. Tessa’s story is not one of unicorns and rainbows but she finds her escape in books, a prince she doesn’t feel she deserves, and a castle built of dreams. It’s dark, gritty, and doesn’t feel anything but real. She goes through so much in her young life, it changes her. The weight of what she feels as her fault sits heavy on her shoulders. There’s not much that can hurt a person as much as their own guilt slowly eating away at them. When all you see in the mirror is the villain and you lash out at anyone who tries to get close what hope is left.
This is the first book of a series.
This is the first book of a series.
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Ivy (Blackbird #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
The first thing that I loved about this book is that the main female character has a warmth and depth to her that makes her immediately likeable. She is a young widow (not a virgin for a change) who is still grieving for her husband who died unexpectedly from pancreatic cancer. She is encouraged (bullied!) to leave her flat to go Christmas shopping but whilst she is in the store there is a terrorist attack. She doesn't just scream and flap and wait to be rescued. No, she thinks about the advice her husband gave her and follows it to the best of her ability. And that, is just the start.
This book is amazingly written and it is hard to believe that it is the debut novel. I would have loved more scenes with the three of them as there were quite a few with Ivy, and Ivy and her friends, but not so much with Ivy, Gareth and Steve. Maybe I'm just being greedy but they had such a good connection, I wanted to see more. Hopefully they will be in other Blackbird books, which I am eagerly anticipating.
On the whole, this book has a well-developed plot line which proceeds with a great pace. The characters are all believable and have layers to them. The story itself is funny, warm and romantic. Definitely recommended.
This book is amazingly written and it is hard to believe that it is the debut novel. I would have loved more scenes with the three of them as there were quite a few with Ivy, and Ivy and her friends, but not so much with Ivy, Gareth and Steve. Maybe I'm just being greedy but they had such a good connection, I wanted to see more. Hopefully they will be in other Blackbird books, which I am eagerly anticipating.
On the whole, this book has a well-developed plot line which proceeds with a great pace. The characters are all believable and have layers to them. The story itself is funny, warm and romantic. Definitely recommended.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Jan 22, 2019
Alicia Berenson is an artist who shoots her husband five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Theo Faber is the criminal psychotherapist who wants to fix her.
The backstory helps to fill in details about both characters, of course, but at one point early on I found myself wondering if I really needed that much background info about Theo. I'm just going to tell you that yes, you do need that info. Nothing in this book is done by accident. The secondary characters are very much secondary characters, in that they seem to be far less interesting than either Alicia or Theo. They do what they're designed to do and further the plot, not much more. Until.
And I really can't give you much more than that. This is a book that depends upon the reader being fooled by the twist - and what a twist it is! I appreciate a good twist, assuming I didn't see it coming, and in this case I definitely did not.
This is a hell of a debut novel, and I truly hope to read more from this author. The movie rights have already been optioned by Plan B Productions / AnnaPurna Pictures, and I cannot wait to see how this story translates to the big screen.
Thanks to Celadon Books for the ARE!
Theo Faber is the criminal psychotherapist who wants to fix her.
The backstory helps to fill in details about both characters, of course, but at one point early on I found myself wondering if I really needed that much background info about Theo. I'm just going to tell you that yes, you do need that info. Nothing in this book is done by accident. The secondary characters are very much secondary characters, in that they seem to be far less interesting than either Alicia or Theo. They do what they're designed to do and further the plot, not much more. Until.
And I really can't give you much more than that. This is a book that depends upon the reader being fooled by the twist - and what a twist it is! I appreciate a good twist, assuming I didn't see it coming, and in this case I definitely did not.
This is a hell of a debut novel, and I truly hope to read more from this author. The movie rights have already been optioned by Plan B Productions / AnnaPurna Pictures, and I cannot wait to see how this story translates to the big screen.
Thanks to Celadon Books for the ARE!
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Bookishly Ever After (Ever After, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Bookishly Ever After basically proves that my life sucks and the main characters life is better thus fictional lives are better. (Technically, fictional boys are better.)
Ill agree with some of the reviewers on Goodreads that Bandeiras debut novel doesnt actually have a plot because it doesnt. Bookishly Ever After is an extremely light read that a plot isnt really necessary to enjoy the book if you enjoy a really cute book with adorable main characters to boot. Phoebe, le fabulous main character, is quite literally everything that I am fictionalized aside from looks, and I am so not saying that Im cute because Im not that confident. However, it is highly unadvised for guys to tell Sophia that she is cute or pretty because she will very happily kick you (or throw a GIF at you).
It is, however, totally worth the read if anyone is looking for something cute and light.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-part-1-emily-skrutskie-marie-lu-and-others/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Bookishly Ever After basically proves that my life sucks and the main characters life is better thus fictional lives are better. (Technically, fictional boys are better.)
Ill agree with some of the reviewers on Goodreads that Bandeiras debut novel doesnt actually have a plot because it doesnt. Bookishly Ever After is an extremely light read that a plot isnt really necessary to enjoy the book if you enjoy a really cute book with adorable main characters to boot. Phoebe, le fabulous main character, is quite literally everything that I am fictionalized aside from looks, and I am so not saying that Im cute because Im not that confident. However, it is highly unadvised for guys to tell Sophia that she is cute or pretty because she will very happily kick you (or throw a GIF at you).
It is, however, totally worth the read if anyone is looking for something cute and light.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-part-1-emily-skrutskie-marie-lu-and-others/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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