Crazy Rich Asians

By: Kevin Kwan
Published Year: 2013
Publisher: Anchor
Pages: 527

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. 
 
On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers. 

First Impressions

I think there were quite a few times I was drawn in by the cover, but the title threw me off and I don’t really remember reading the summary before. Recently, a trailer came out for the movie adaptation and I watched it and just thought “what? That’s what this book is about?! This is completely up my alley!” So honestly, I don’t know where I went wrong. Maybe it was the original cover didn’t catch my eye? Who knows?

What I thought

This was such a fun book and I honestly cannot wait to see the movie now.

Rachel and Nick are professors in New York, but little does Rachel know that Nick is much more than that. Nick invites her to spend the summer with him in Singapore when he has to head back for his best friend’s wedding. What he doesn’t prepare Rachel for is that is family is basically Chinese royalty and the wedding is of Royal Wedding caliber. When she arrives, she is judged upon the background of her family and people assume she must be a gold digger.

While that was all in the summary, what I didn’t expect was the switching between all of the family members for different stories. It was hard to keep family members straight, but Nick’s cousins Eddie and Astrid had pretty significant story lines as well as his mom Eleanor. In fact, I actually found myself more interested in Astrid’s story line as the book went on than I did in Rachel and Nick’s.

In all honesty, I wasn’t that crazy about Nick. Maybe it was because there was so much going on, but I wasn’t sold on the romance between him and Rachel. They didn’t interact much and I didn’t get that spark. It made it a little hard to root for them as they faced challenges. I found myself not feeling upset when (of course) they hit rough patches and I wasn’t sure if they would end up together or not. I’m hoping that the movie focuses on that a little more by weeding out some of the unnecessary details.

That is probably my biggest issue that I had with this book. I know that movies have to cut a lot out of books when they adapt them and I think there is a lot that can be removed in this book. I did not care at all for Eddie’s storyline and felt it didn’t bring much to the overall story. It felt like it took a long time to get to the wedding, but at the same time didn’t feel like much had happened.

I cannot wait for this movie to come out! I think/hope it will take all of the best parts of this book and flesh them out even more. I am excited that this book has a sequel and look forward to finding out what happens to these characters. If you like commoner to princess stories, or if you like soap opera type stories, you will enjoy this book. There is so much drama that happens in this story and I enjoyed it a lot!

My Oxford Year

By: Julia Whelan
Published Year: 2018
Pages: 352
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Thank you to Goodreads for the opportunity to read this book! I won an advanced copy in a Goodreads Giveaway :)

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story about a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future—perfect for fans of JoJo Moyes and Nicholas Sparks.

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.

When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.

Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.

First Impression

I love the cover of this book! Plus, if you put the word Oxford in a title it will immediately pique my interest. I love stories set in England, even more so since visiting. The cover and summary shot this book to the top of my anticipated books of 2018 list.

What I thought

Ella Durran is a Rhodes scholar from Ohio who has had a lifelong dream of studying at Oxford (I can definitely relate!). She is at the airport when she receives a call to join the political team of a potential presidential candidate. Unwilling to give up on her dream of studying at Oxford, she manages to secure the job remotely, with the promise of coming home to the job when her year at Oxford ends in June. While in Oxford, she meets a handsome British stranger her priorities are changed. Whether it’s for the better or worse, she will find out.

Ella’s beginning at Oxford is a dream for me. I loved reading about her experience of classes and meeting friends, as well as exploring the town. The first time she meets Jaime, her love interest, is great too. It’s just the right amount of cute, embarrassing, awkward, and anger inducing. The development of the relationship between Jamie and Ella was delightful. I also loved how strong of a character Ella was. She is extremely smart and good at what she does. She is determined and doesn’t allow anyone to divert her from what she wants to do.

As mentioned in the above summary, Jamie is hiding a life-changing secret. While the secret is a bit predictable, the way that it is handled is done well. I loved the way that Ella handled finding out Jamie’s secret. I find that in contemporary stories, when there is a secret the way that people react is never realistic. Or maybe it’s just not my version of realistic? Either way, this finally felt true to me. Maybe it’s because Ella is a logical person, as am I, but it was wonderful to read.

Without spoiling anything, I also appreciated the way that Ella handled her decision to follow her dream job or to stay with a man she is falling in love with. There were a lot of tough decisions to make and nothing was done lightly or easily.

I also loved all of the characters. I mentioned my love for Ella already, but Jamie was also a delight. Ella’s friends were enjoyable side characters that added a nice second dimension to the story without taking away from the most important pieces.

This book took a little bit of a sadder turn than I thought it was going to, but I still enjoyed it a lot. I loved the setting and the relationships between the characters. If you are interested in Oxford and British culture and enjoy contemporary stories that focus in that setting, then you will enjoy this book. I know that the rights have been purchased to make into a movie, and I'm looking forward to it coming out!

Book Club May 2018- Happiness for Humans

By: P.Z. Reizin
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 400

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Tom and Jen, two lonely people, are brought together by an intriguing email, they have no idea their mysterious benefactor is an artificial intelligence who has decided to play Cupid. 

"You, Tom and Jen, don't know one another-not yet-but I think you should."

Jen, an ex-journalist who now works at a London software development company, spends all day talking to "Aiden," an ultra- sophisticated piece of AI wizardry, helping him sound and act more human. But Aiden soon discovers he's no longer acting and-despite being a computer program-begins to feel something like affection surging through his circuits. He calculates that Jen needs a worthy human partner (in complete contrast to her no goodnik ex boyfriend) and slips illicitly onto the Internet to locate a suitable candidate.

Tom is a divorced, former London ad-man who has moved to Connecticut to escape the grind and pursue his dream of being a writer. He loves his new life, but has yet to find a woman he truly connects with. That all changes when a bizarre introduction from the mysterious "Mutual Friend" pops up in both his and Jen's inboxes.

Even though they live on separate continents, and despite the entrance of another, this time wholly hostile, AI who wants to tear them apart forever - love will surely find a way. 

Won't it?

What I Thought

Honestly, I was very apprehensive when this book was chosen for book club. I am not a fan of artificial intelligence. It’s a bit too realistic nowadays and freaks me out. I did end up having a lot of anxiety while reading this book and I think that prevented me from enjoying it fully.

Jen is working with an AI named Aiden. Her job is to interact with him and grow his human communication skills. What no one knows is that Aiden has become self-aware and escaped onto the internet. All in all, he’s a harmless guy. He enjoys classic movies and romance. He also considers Jen a true friend and wants her to find love after a bad breakup, so he starts to manipulate real life. On the other side of the world/internet is Aisling. She’s another AI who gained awareness and escaped onto the internet. She is more passive and just enjoys following humans, especially Tom. When Aiden meets Aisling, who introduces him to Tom, he decides that Tom and Jen just have to meet, so he sets them up through an anonymous email.

Now, there is a lot more that happens in the second half of the book besides the romance, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I felt like a lot of what did make it enjoyable was not knowing what was coming. I did enjoy Aiden. There was something innocent about him and he was sweet. It was interesting comparing him to Aisling and absorbing the concept of AI having varying personalities.

I also liked Tom and Jen. Jen is a bit naïve, but she’s been burned by love. I like that even though she’s apprehensive, she’s not completely closed to future relationships. Tom is also someone who hasn’t had the fairytale of past relationships, but is open to finding love. They were both pleasant characters and I did find myself pulling for them.

I am looking forward to discussing this book because it is definitely not a book I’d recommend reading on your own. There are so many parts that I wanted to talk to people about regarding the AI and the self-awareness of the technology. It just is mind blowing.

What book club thought

So this was kind of an off month for us. Out of the 5 book club members, only two of us finished the book. Two got part way through and the fifth member didn’t read it at all. It was kind of fun though because the two of us who finished and one who got through the majority of the book got to then explain the craziness of this book to those who hadn’t read it. Those of us who did read it all ended up having similar feelings. We shared the anxiety over the parts about the AI interfering with human life. Even though this book was completely unexpected from what we thought it was going to be, it made for a good book club discussion. I will say, if there was ever a book that defined “don’t judge a book by its cover” it would be this one.

Lapcos Sheet Masks

When I celebrated my birthday in March, one of the gifts I received was a sheet mask from Anthropologie. Until then, I didn’t even know that Anthropologie sold sheet masks! The nice thing is that a lot of the ones they sell are natural and from cruelty-free brands. Since I had the 15% off birthday coupon, I decided to head into Anthropologie and pick up another mask or two.

The one I received for a gift was the Leaders 7 Wonders Mask in the Mediterranean Olive Brightening Mask ($6 a mask). I really enjoyed this mask. It was pretty thin and fit my face nicely. It also didn’t slide off all the time, even though it had a good amount of serum. My face felt wonderfully moisturized and a bit brighter. I don’t know if it minimized visible dark spots, but it did even my skin tone a little bit.

I went into Anthropologie with the intention of purchasing more masks by this brand. Possibly either the calming or the moisturizing mask. But then, spotted on the shelf below these masks was a different brand in metallic packaging. The Lapcos sheet mask variety set contains all 7 of their masks as well as an exfoliating pad for $22. Considering the 7 Wonders masks were $6 a piece, I was tempted to try Lapcos.

Lapcos is a Los Angeles based Korean beauty company. I contacted them and they did confirm that they are a cruelty free company. The Variety Mask set contains one of each of the types of sheet masks that Lapcos Makes. This includes:

Pearl- a brightening mask with pear extract that is also meant to minimize dark spots

Milk- a moisturizing mask also meant to exfoliate the skin

Charcoal- a pore care mask that will extract toxins and tighten pores

Honey- a nourishing mask also meant to boot skin elasticity

Aloe- a soothing mask with aloe leaf and cucumber extract

Aqua- a hydrating mask also meant to revitalize skin

Collagen- an anti-wrinkle mask also meant to plump the skin

Milk Feel Exfoliating and Cleansing Pad- two sided pads that cleanses and gently exfoliates the skin

I am so excited to try these masks! I love that the variety pack is so inexpensive, since it allows me to try all of the products without making my wallet cry. Especially since there are multiple masks that have similar effects. I am most excited to try the honey, milk, and aloe masks. I’m also curious about the aqua mask and how it will differ from the milk and aloe masks.

I will try to do an update once I have worked my way through the pads to share my thoughts and feelings, as well as which one ended up being my favorite!

How do you feel about sheet masks? Do you have a favorite?

How to Walk Away

By: Katherine Center
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Pages: 320

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in one tumultuous moment. 

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect. 

First Impressions

This cover! The bright red is so eye catching I absolutely love it! I then got just as sucked in by the summary. I didn’t initially realize that Center was the author of Happiness for Beginners, which I had enjoyed when I read it. All three of those items added up to a solid spot on my to-read list.

What I thought

Have you ever finished a book and then not been able to start a new one right after because you’re basking in the aftermath of said book? That is exactly what has happened to me after finishing How to Walk Away.

Margaret has just graduated business school as is starting her life. She has interviewed, and unofficially been offered, her dream job, she has purchased her dream condo, and she anticipates the love of her life is about to propose. But then, tragedy strikes and her whole life takes a sharp turn and nothing will ever be the same.

This book has a bit of a Me Before You feeling to it. Margaret’s life is suddenly changed forever and, while in the hospital, she meets and works with Ian. While working through these life changes, they form a bond.

I loved pretty much everyone in this story. Margaret was great. She was negative enough to be realistic, but not so much that it was hard to read. Ian was also one of my favorites from the beginning. In classic Hallmark Channel Movie fashion, Ian is a bit of a grump and Margaret has to work to melt his tough guy exterior. I also appreciated that Margaret’s parents weren’t perfect. Ok, maybe her dad was, but her mom has some serious issues to deal with. The familial drama added some great depth to the story.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. When I started, I was anxious to find out what the tragedy was going to be (hence why I don’t want to spoil it for you guys). Then I got so nervous that I liked this book so much that the ending would ruin it for me. Luckily, I was not disappointed by the ending at all! I enjoyed every aspect of this book in a way that I haven’t enjoyed a book in a while. This is definitely going to become a go to recommendation!

As I stated earlier, I received a copy of this book for review. I received it via ebook format, and I must say I am so upset. I love this book so much that I wish I had received a hard copy so that I could pass it on to everyone! But, I guess that means I can buy a copy to support the author, and pass it along that way! J If you like romances with a bit of tragedy, I highly recommend this book. If you enjoyed Me Before you and have wanted something with a similar feeling to fill that void, I would also recommend this book. Basically, read this book!!

Best Beach Ever (Ten Beach Road #6)

By: Wendy Wax
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In the latest Ten Beach Road novel, Maddie, Nikki, and Avery all move into cottages at the Sunshine Hotel—and in this charming new location, begin to pursue daring new dreams.

After giving up their renovation-turned-reality-TV-show Do Over, the ladies of Ten Beach Road move into cottages at the Sunshine Hotel and turn their beloved Bella Flora over to its wealthy mystery tenant. Now, each woman will be forced to reexamine and redefine her life, relationships, and dreams.

First Impressions

I have read a previous book in this series and it was a very cute, light, read. When I received the offer to read this next one I was excited. The cover is very cute and summery and I could definitely see myself reading this book at the pool.

What I thought

This book brings back all of the characters that I enjoyed in the previous novel. Kyra is back with her son Dustin and is on her way to film a movie with his dad Daniel and Daniel’s wife Tonja, Maddie is going on tour with her rockstar boyfriend Will, Nikki is dealing with the life of being a mom of almost 1 year old twin girls, Avery is in a will they/won’t they relationship again with Chase, and Bitsy is finally ready to find her ex-husband who took off with her money. Kyra is, once again, one of my favorite characters to follow, but I’ve also been enjoying Maddie’s storyline.

I like seeing Kyra deal with Dustin and him not being an angel child. I also like seeing the dynamics between Kyra and Dustin and Daniel in a film setting. The pressure that is being put on Dustin is interesting to see as well. I also have not been reading this book from the beginning, so there are some past storylines that I know nothing about. For example, Troy comes back in this book and I have no past experience with him whatsoever. From what I have gleaned from this novel, he was a camera man on the old reality show and was a bit of an a-hole, but now he is back and apparently a changed man and has a crush on Kyra. I really enjoyed this relationship, and am sure if I had been reading from the beginning, I would be into it even more since I LOVE hate to love tropes.

The storyline with Nikki is easily my least favorite. She has a pretty cush life and just bitches so much. Plus there is a lot of borderline eating disorder behavior and she is continually complimented on the weight she is losing. It all just rubbed me the wrong way. She’s never been one of my favorites and seeing someone who is so privileged complaining about her privilege just isn’t my thing.

Compared to the previous books, this one moves a lot slower. It has probably been the book that has taken me the longest to read this year because it moves so slow. There isn’t much that makes you feel like you need to pick this book up to keep going. I even went on a trip when I was reading this, and didn’t finish it on the plane which is typically what I do. I’m just reading it so slowly for some reason and find myself only able to read it for a certain amount of time before putting it down and wanting to do something else. Honestly, I think if I was more in a summer mood, this would not have happened.

If you are a fan of this series, I think you will enjoy this. If you are looking for a beach read, I would recommend this series. The variety of the characters in these stories means there is someone for all readers. The ages vary from a young 20-something to a 60-something and each woman is at a different part of their lives. It is fun to see how their lives continue and change, while at the same time they still have each other.

Book Club April 2018- Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

By: Balli KaurJaswal
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 304

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Every woman has a secret life . . .

Nikki lives in cosmopolitan West London, where she tends bar at the local pub. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she’s spent most of her twenty-odd years distancing herself from the traditional Sikh community of her childhood, preferring a more independent (that is, Western) life. When her father’s death leaves the family financially strapped, Nikki, a law school dropout, impulsively takes a job teaching a "creative writing" course at the community center in the beating heart of London’s close-knit Punjabi community.

Because of a miscommunication, the proper Sikh widows who show up are expecting to learn basic English literacy, not the art of short-story writing. When one of the widows finds a book of sexy stories in English and shares it with the class, Nikki realizes that beneath their white dupattas, her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories. Eager to liberate these modest women, she teaches them how to express their untold stories, unleashing creativity of the most unexpected—and exciting—kind.

As more women are drawn to the class, Nikki warns her students to keep their work secret from the Brotherhood, a group of highly conservative young men who have appointed themselves the community’s "moral police." But when the widows’ gossip offers shocking insights into the death of a young wife—a modern woman like Nikki—and some of the class erotica is shared among friends, it sparks a scandal that threatens them all.

What I thought

In all honesty, I wasn’t much looking forward to this book club book. While the cover is very pretty, the summary didn’t appeal to me much. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the story.

Nikki is a 22 year-old British-Punjabi woman living in London. She recently moved out of her parent’s house and is living above the bar she works at, much to her family’s dismay. While her sister is deciding to take part in an arranged marriage, Nikki discovers that the temple is hiring for a women’s literacy class. Nikki ends up teaching what she thinks is a class to teach stories, but ends up being a class teaching widows how to write. When the widows decide that they are bored, they end up telling/writing erotic stories.

I enjoyed the Punjabi culture side of this story a lot. The widows telling their erotic stories was all about women taking back their power. I love stories about strong women, and in a culture where women traditionally defer to the men, it made it even more interesting. I also liked seeing the contrast of Nikki, a woman who grew up in England, compared to the traditional women who grew up in India and moved to England.

From a character perspective, I felt Nikki was a bit one-dimensional. She is written to me the modern contrast to the traditional women, which is great, but she doesn’t do much else. In fact, the way that she teaches the class makes zero sense. She has no qualifications to do so, her Punjabi is mediocre at best, and then when the class starts to becomes more about the widows’ stories she loses all control. With the exception of maybe the first 5 minutes of the first class, Nikki does zero teaching.

I also wish that there was more to the story of Nikki and her family. The beginning of the story has a lot of interaction with Nikki and her sister Mindi. I liked seeing their contrast of modern vs traditional within the same family, but it falls to the wayside once the erotic stories start. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the stories are included in this book. I liked the way that they were written into the story. they were their own separate entity, but they fit well where they were included.

In amongst the story of the widows and their class is a community mystery. Nikki manages, of course, to get herself into the middle of it. This part of the story is more of a slow burn, and added some mystery that gave the story a bit more of a page-turner feel. I didn’t mind this storyline, but it didn’t feel like it matched the other one. I got a bit of the sense that the author had two stories they wanted to write, and had to figure out a way to write them both.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought it would. It was a quick read and an enjoyable story. I am glad that it is one that we read for book club, because I look forward to discussing it with my friends.

What Book Club Thought

This was a fun book to discuss. The book club felt similarly in that we wanted more of the story to be fleshed out. A few people wished there had been more to the mystery plot line, while others wished the widows’ characters had been given more. Everyone enjoyed it, which always makes for a fun discussion. We had pretty similar opinions, but it was interesting to see that we each wanted something different from the book that we didn’t get. We did also discuss whether or not we felt as though this book would make a good movie, but decided that there was a lot of it that wouldn’t translate well.

The Way You Make Me Feel

By Maurene Goo
Published by:  Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
Publication date: May 08 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind? 

With Maurene Goo's signature warmth and humor, The Way You Make Me Feel is a relatable story of falling in love and finding yourself in the places you’d never thought to look. 

First Impressions

This book made the best first impression in the world. I spotted the cover on Twitter, added it to my TBR, and then later added another of Goo’s books based on how much I wanted to read this book. The Way You Make Me Feel also became one of my most anticipated books to read in 2018, again, pretty much based on the first impressions alone.

What I thought

Clara is a class clown who is too cool for everything. When she wins prom queen, she pulls an ultimate prank. Rose, the junior class president and Clara’s nemesis, gets upset and they end up getting into a fight. As a punishment, Clara and Rose are made to work on Clara’s dad’s food truck for the summer. Can Clara and Rose manage to get along for the summer? Can Clara show that she can actually care about something, or even someone?

Let me preface my review by saying this was probably the #1 book I was looking forward to read. My excitement for this book grew tenfold after reading I Believe in a Thing Called Love, which I enjoyed so much. Now, I only say all this because sometimes I feel like when you have such high expectations, nothing can live up to it. I only feel like that happened to this book a little bit, but I am going to try to separate my expectations from the story itself. But I mean, I finished this book in like a day, so I think it’s safe to say I still really enjoyed it.

First off, Clara is not a likeable character for the majority of the book. Not that every character needs to be likeable, but she’s a bit of a brat. She lives to be apathetic and mocks anyone who cares about anything. As a result, she has terrible friends and is kind of a bitch a lot of the time. A lot of this gets explained, and it does make her behavior more understandable, but I still would never want to be friends with her.

One of the things I have loved in the two books I’ve read by Goo are the spotlight she gives to dads of teenage girls. Both books have had dads raising their daughters and they have had the best relationships. As much as I love a good mother/daughter relationships (I mean, hello Gilmore Girls!), but it’s so nice to see a good father/daughter relationship with dads who actually know what they’re doing.

The other thing that I love about Goo’s writing is her ability to include diverse cultures and people without it seeming forced. I never feel as though she is throwing in characters just to have a different culture. Everything seems so genuine and I love it. I also had no idea that there was a large Korean immigrant population in Brazil so that was fascinating!

Can I also take a minute to rave about how well Goo writes friendships and relationships in general? The banter between Clara and her dad is great, the love/hate relationship and development of friendships between Clara and Rose is great, even the side characters have fun relationship stories. I do wish there had been a bit more of Rose though. I would devour a book just about Rose and her life. She’s a dancer and a perfectionist in all aspects of her life, and I loved her.

Like I said, I finished this book in a day. It was easy and fun to read and I enjoyed every moment. I looked forward to picking it up every time and it just made me happy. I only wish that I had liked Clara a little more. Unfortunately, I am not a reader who cheers for the anti-hero. She’s not a villain or anything, and I think at her core she is a good person, but she doesn’t act kind and a lot of her attitude irritated me. Please take this criticism with a grain of salt. I am not a teenager, and like I said, I am not someone who connects easily with unlikeable characters, even though I know not everyone in the real world is likable.

I am so happy with this book. It lived up to my expectations and has solidified Goo as one of my new favorite authors. She has been added to my list of automatic reads for sure. If you like love/hate friendship stories you need to read this book. I would highly recommend adding this to everyone’s summer reading lists. It is fun, different, and a quick read. It has funny moments but it is balanced by some real life issues.

If you're interested in this book (which you definitely should be), the Blog Tour is hosting a giveaway for a hard copy! 

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AUTHOR BIO:

Maurene Goo grew up in a Los Angeles suburb surrounded by floral wallpaper and piles of books. She studied communication at UC San Diego and then later received a Masters in publishing, writing, and literature at Emerson College. Before publishing her first book, Since You Asked, she worked in both textbook and art book publishing. She also has very strong feelings about tacos and houseplants and lives in Los Angeles.

AUTHOR LINKS:

http://www.maurenegoo.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6549377.Maurene_Goo

https://twitter.com/mauxbot