Love, Decoded

By: Jennifer Yen
Published Year: 2022
Pages: 320
Publisher: Razorbill

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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 of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it’s tough when there's always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can't help but worry that she won't make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words--and the perfect bowl of ramen--to cheer her up.

After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she'll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first prize is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There's only one problem: she doesn't have a winning program. It isn't until transfer student Etta admits she's struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She'll use her coding skills--and the matchmaking experience she's gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose--to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It's foolproof.

What Gigi doesn't expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the center of a scandal—and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?

First Impressions

I’m a sucker for a cartoon cover and I love the picture of a young woman in front of a computer. The summary sounded very cute and I definitely was intrigued by a high-schooler who creates a matchmaking app for friends but when it goes wrong. Because of that, I completely missed that this is a modern retelling of Emma!

What I thought

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book, even though I wasn’t the target audience, but there were parts that didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me. Maybe if I had read Emma it would’ve felt better, but I haven’t and I also don’t feel like that should be a requirement to understand a retelling. I mean, I know the story of Clueless, but this didn’t even remind me of that.

Gigi is a high school junior who shadows her Great Aunt as a matchmaker. She decides to turn her aunt’s matchmaking questions into an app to help to make her life easier and realizes that she loves coding. When her school has a contest to create an app that can get them into a bigger contest for an internship, she creates an app that uses her matchmaking knowledge to create friendships. However, it ends up biting her in the butt later on.

Gigi is super rich. Like, really really rich. This confused me at first because I don’t think it was laid out very well. It wasn’t until I was well into the book where they describer her house as having 6 floors and an elevator (in New York City! Does this even exist???) where I realized how rich she was. There was a mention at the beginning of the story about her having a driver pick her up from school but it’s mostly phrased like “Fernando can pick you up from school” and I don’t think I thought much past it. Since this is essential to the story, I would’ve appreciated if it had been made a bit more clear.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this story. In fact, Gigi might’ve been my least favorite. Her best friend Kyle also could’ve been fleshed out a little bit more, but I loved how he called Gigi out on her bull and also was funny. Etta was maybe my favorite of the friend characters. She’s a bit rough around the edges at first, of course, but her personality is true gold. I love that Gigi decides to make the matchmaking app specifically for her because she’s having a hard time making friends as the new kid in school.

The side of the story that was fleshed out was the STEM side. Gigi’s love of coding and matchmaking and the combination of the two was so fun. I loved seeing a strong and smart female character in high school. She knew what she wanted and worked hard to get it, even if she did go a bit over the top.

This book is very fun and inspiring, but had a few misses for me. I don’t feel like she had quite the heart of gold that Cher in Clueless did, so some of her observations and comments came off a bit rough. I liked seeing how everything was going to play out and enjoyed Gigi’s growth throughout the story. I flew this one an thought it was cute, but it wasn’t one that I loved. I think I’ll forget about it as the year goes on.

Book Club February 2022- Wild Women and the Blues

By: Denny S Bryce
Pages: 352
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Kensington

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): “Why would I talk to you about my life? I don't know you, and even if I did, I don't tell my story to just any boy with long hair, who probably smokes weed. You wanna hear about me. You gotta tell me something about you. To make this worth my while.”

1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper’s daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he’s right—if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he’s expecting...

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It’s a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it’s a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it’s too late. No matter the cost...

What I thought

The cover of this book is so pretty. I would love to wear that dress and live in the moment of that cover.

When I first started reading historical fiction I mostly read World War Two stories. The past few years I’ve been branching out into different eras so I was excited to try this one that occurred in 1925.

Honeree is a dancer at a jazz club in Chicago in 1925. She is auditioning for one of the more prominent clubs when she ends up in the middle of some trouble. Sawyer is a film student in 2015 who has found a box in his grandma’s attic with pictures of Honeree and potentially a lost film from Oscar Micheaux. When he discovers she’s still alive he decides to go interview her.

The majority of the story is told in 1925, but it does bounce back and forth a decent amount to 2015. I was interested in more stories but as the book went on I became more interested in the present because I wanted the mystery solved.

The beginning of the story really hooked me in. I loved reading about what Honeree was doing and the gangsters and club life of Chicago in the 1920s. I wasn’t as interested in Sawyer’s interview with Honeree but I did enjoy those chapters. There definitely was certain story points that were off and didn’t sit right with me but I wasn’t able to completely figure out what it was. I had vague hunches what the mystery was going to turn out to be but I think I was so focused on other parts of the story that I didn’t end of figuring out what it was that was niggling the back of my mind.

If you are interested in the 1920s I would recommend checking out this book. I learned a little bit about the club life, especially for African American clubs that I didn’t know much about. If I had to critique something it would be that there was almost a little too much going on. I think a few of the storylines in the past could’ve been trimmed because other ones ended up not getting fleshed out enough. There was a lot that I thought was going to be a focus in the beginning of he book that never came about again.

I did really enjoy the story though and it had be interested from the very beginning.

What Book Club Thought

It was interesting because a few of us got into the book right away and others did not. When we discussed it further we realized it was because some of us were more interested in the past story and others in the present. I was one who was more interested in the past and I think that helped me get into it a little quicker. We all talked about how we thought it was interesting to see Chicago in the 1920’s and that we enjoyed that view as well. None of us saw the twists coming and I shared how I felt like there were a few storylines that were left underdeveloped and they agreed. It was a fun discussion especially considering all of the mystery and intrigue. I would definitely recommend this as a book club book if your book club likes historical fiction.

Red Thread of Fate

By: Lyn Liao Butler
Pages: 352
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley

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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 of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Two days before Tam and Tony Kwan receive their letter of acceptance for the son they are adopting from China, Tony and his estranged cousin Mia are killed unexpectedly in an accident. A shell-shocked Tam learns she is named the guardian to Mia's five-year-old daughter, Angela. With no other family around, Tam has no choice but to agree to take in the girl she hasn't seen since the child was an infant.

Overwhelmed by her life suddenly being upended, Tam must also decide if she will complete the adoption on her own and bring home the son waiting for her in a Chinese orphanage. But when a long-concealed secret comes to light just as she and Angela start to bond, their fragile family is threatened. As Tam begins to unravel the events of Tony and Mia's past in China, she discovers the true meaning of love and the threads that bind her to the family she is fated to have.

First Impressions

I am a strong believer in fate and karma so when I saw that this book was specifically about that I was intrigued. I also think the cover is really pretty and would’ve picked it up based on that alone. With the Olympics currently in Beijing I was curious to read a story about a Chinese/Taiwanese family and Chinese adoption.

What I thought

Tam and Tony are set to adopt a little boy from China when Tony and his cousin Mia are killed in an accident. Tam finds out that she is named guardian of Mia’s daughter Angela while also still expecting her son from China.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that I don’t want to accidentally give away, so I apologize if my review is a little vague. The book is mostly told from Tam’s perspective with a few chapters from Mia’s until the second part which has chapters from Mia’s journal explaining the past.

This book is wild. It’s very dramatic and ever so slightly unbelievable but somehow completely believable and very enjoyable. Even though a lot of the characters were flawed, boarding on unlikable, they had redeeming qualities that didn’t make me feel like I hated them or that I couldn’t read about them.

I learned a lot about Chinese culture and Taiwanese, as well as a bit about Chinese adoption. I found that everything was explained clearly and I wasn’t overwhelmed, while also learning. Tam is a much stronger human than I could ever be and I was in awe of her throughout the entire story.

I think this book might be a bit much for some people but I loved the drama and the bit of unbelievability. I found I was unable to put it down, especially once we got to read some of Mia’s journal entries. I needed to know what had happened as well as what was going to happen. If you can handle a bit of drama and flawed characters, I highly recommend checking this one out.

The Road Trip

By: Beth O’Leary
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): What if the end of the road is just the beginning?

Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry's enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven't spoken since.

Today, Dylan's and Addie's lives collide again. It's the day before Cherry's wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland--he'll never get there on time by public transport.

So, along with Dylan's best friend, Addie's sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart--and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.

First Impressions

I loved O’Leary’s debut The Flatshare. She immediately became a favorite author for me. I was slightly let down with The Switch, which I enjoyed but not as much as The Flatshare. When I read the summary for her newest novel I got very excited. Plus how cute is this cover! Right up my alley.

What I thought

I am so happy this was my first book of the year!

Addie and her sister are on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in Scotland. Dylan and Malcom are on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in Scotland. Until Dylan and Malcom crash into Addie and her sister’s car. Dylan and Addie haven’t seen each other since they broke up almost two years ago, and now they have to spend 8+ hours in a car together.

I loved this book. It alternated between the past, when Addie and Dylan’s relationship started and how it progressed, and the present, the actual road trip. The pacing of books like this can sometimes be off, leaving you to want to focus more on one timeline than the other but this book hit it just right. I was equally happy bouncing back and forth between the past and the present trying to figure out what happened and what was going to happen.

Addie was an interesting character. I couldn’t quite figure her out, but I think that was part of the point. At one point, she realizes that she may not be as obvious and outgoing with her feelings as she thinks that she is and I really related to that. I so often feel like how I feel about someone is blatantly obvious and then I find out it’s not.

There also were a few shenanigans towards the end which made me laugh. O’Leary does a really nice job of weaving in serious storylines with romance. It strikes a balance of fun and light with substance and heavier material that then doesn’t feel overly heavy.

This book was so great. I couldn’t put it down and felt satisfied the entire time. I had a string of really bad reads, so this felt extra delicious. I’m so happy that I loved this book because I had worried a little bit that O’Leary might be a one off author for me, but now I know she can continue to be an automatic read. If you like romantic stories with heart, you should definitely check this one out. It’s a little lighter than The Flatshare but still just as touching.

Black Love Matters

By: Jessica P. Pryde & Various Authors
Pages: 288
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books

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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 of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An incisive, intersectional essay anthology that celebrates and examines romance and romantic media through the lens of Black readers, writers, and cultural commentators, edited by Book Riot columnist and librarian Jessica Pryde.

Romantic love has been one of the most essential elements of storytelling for centuries. But for Black people in the United States and across the diaspora, it hasn't often been easy to find Black romance joyfully showcased in entertainment media. In this collection, revered authors and sparkling newcomers, librarians and academicians, and avid readers and reviewers consider the mirrors and windows into Black love as it is depicted in the novels, television shows, and films that have shaped their own stories. Whether personal reflection or cultural commentary, these essays delve into Black love now and in the past, including topics from the history of Black romance to social justice and the Black community to the meaning of desire and desirability.

Exploring the multifaceted ways love is seen--and the ways it isn't--this diverse array of Black voices collectively shines a light on the power of crafting happy endings for Black lovers.

Jessica Pryde is joined by Carole V. Bell, Sarah Hannah Gomez, Jasmine Guillory, Da'Shaun Harrison, Margo Hendricks, Adriana Herrera, Piper Huguley, Kosoko Jackson, Nicole M. Jackson, Beverly Jenkins, Christina C. Jones, Julie Moody-Freeman, and Allie Parker in this collection.

First Impressions

When I received the offer to review this book I was so excited. I love being educated on black representation in books and it seemed similar to Well-Read Black Girl which I loved. It’s not quite as pretty of a cover, in my opinion, but the title hooked me in immediately.

What I thought

Well, immediately after finishing this book I bought it so, that should give you a pretty good idea what I thought of this book.

Jessica P. Pryde, the Editor and a contributor of this book, mentioned in the introduction that she had read Well-Read Black Girl and found there to be a lack of representation of romance novels. As a result, she wanted to put together a similar collection of essays, but focus on the representation of black and POC in romance novels.

If you’ve read just about any of this blog, you know that I enjoy romance novels, mostly contemporary romance. I’m not into the super cheesy romance novels and tend to prefer ones that take place in our world. I’m not hugely into historical bodice ripping romance noels or fantasy, but I do love sports romance novels.

What I’ve always found interesting about the romance world is that so many people are shamed for reading it, yet it’s one of the most profitable genres. There has also been a lot of rigidity in what people believe the romance genre should be and I think this book highlights so much of what needs to change as well as some people who are trying to change it.

Most of the essays in the novel I loved and found to be eye-opening and informative. One of the reasons I purchased the book is because I want to have a reference of all of the book that the authors mention so that I can check them out, as well as the names of the authors that contributed to this book because I loved some of their writing styles.

There were one or two essays I found to be a bit preachy in a pretentious and very college literature way and they weren’t my favorite. Like I very much felt like I was back in a college course and listening to a lecture. They still had some interesting points but the style wasn’t my favorite and I felt like I didn’t learn as much from those essays. But that was definitely in the minority.

As a privileged straight, white, female, I have a lot of learning to do. Even though I’ve always considered myself to be aware and open-minded, reading books like these helps me to continue to learn and grow and make me aware of things I might’ve overlooked or learned one way and need to unlearn now. I highly recommend this book as well as Well-Read Black Girl to all readers. If you are more into the romance genre, check this one out first, but they’re both fascinating stories that are put together in a way that makes the easy to read and also will make you add about 20 books to your to-read list.

Seoulmates

By: Jen Frederick
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 304

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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 of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A woman fights to be with the one she loves while coming to terms with her identity in this romantic drama by USA Today bestselling author Jen Frederick.

Hara Wilson has finally discovered her roots, but the challenges she must face could destroy the love she has found.

First Impressions

The cover and title got me on this one. When I was offered to read it for review it sounded super cute and I was willing to read the first book in the duology before taking on the sequel. I like this cover slightly more than the one for the first book and probably would’ve ended up picking it up and then realizing it was part of a series.

What I thought

This review will have spoilers from the first book which I reviewed last week.

Hara has been living in Korea for 6 weeks. She is working at her birth mother’s company and living in her home while trying to navigate living in Korea and figuring out her relationship with Yujin.

When I reviewed the first book, I said that if you had expected a romance novel you would be disappointed. That book was much more of a contemporary fiction that happened to have romance. This one is definitely more of a romance novel. The relationship struggles between Hara and Yujin are much more central since the fact that they’re step-siblings and this is illegal in Korea. Wansu, Hara’s birth mom and Yujin’s stepmom is very against their relationship and spends a lot of time trying to keep them apart, but not in an evil stepmother kind of way.

I enjoyed reading abut Hara’s difficulty adjusting to Korean culture and fitting in. I can’t imagine moving to a country where I don’t speak the language. Add in the fact that it appears like everything she is getting (her job, clothes, etc) is a privilege afforded to her by her mother.

The romance side I didn’t enjoy as much. I never felt like Yujin and Hara wouldn’t end up together, even though that was the biggest obstacle. I also should’ve counted how many times the word “dimple” appeared in this book. I would bet it was close to 100. Every time Hara mentioned Yujin she would mention his dimple and it got to be very irritating.

I appreciated how the book ended but it felt a little like the author was trying to make up for the fact that the first book didn’t have a Happily Ever After. Everything magically worked out in the last 10% of the book.

These books felt very different to me, not at all like a duology. They had very different styles and vibes and I think I preferred the first one a little more. While I enjoyed reading more about Hara and Yujin, it felt a bit boring. They were already in love and their obstacle wasn’t really an obstacle. I appreciated that nothing stupid came between them to temporarily make them break up but I didn’t quite feel any stakes in this story. I enjoyed the education on Korea again in this story and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

If you are looking for more of a romance, you could definitely just read this one without the first because it repeats a lot of what happened in the first story. You wouldn’t be lost at all. But if you prefer something that’s less romance-y I would recommend the first book and then just don’t worry about it after that.

Heart & Seoul

By: Jen Frederick
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 330

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): As a Korean adoptee, Hara Wilson doesn’t need anyone telling her she looks different from her white parents. She knows. Every time Hara looks in the mirror, she’s reminded that she doesn’t look like anyone else in her family—not her loving mother, Ellen; not her jerk of a father, Pat; and certainly not like Pat’s new wife and new “real” son.

At the age of twenty-five, she thought she had come to terms with it all, but when her father suddenly dies, an offhand comment at his funeral triggers an identity crisis that has her running off to Seoul in search of her roots.

What Hara finds there has all the makings of a classic K-drama: a tall, mysterious stranger who greets her at the airport, spontaneous adventures across the city, and a mess of familial ties, along with a red string of destiny that winds its way around her heart and soul. Hara goes to Korea looking for answers, but what she gets instead is love—a forbidden love that will either welcome Hara home…or destroy her chance of finding one.

First Impressions

I was offered to read the sequel to this book for review. It sounded very cute so I decided to read the first one. I hadn’t heard of this book before but the title and summary spoke to me. The title would’ve caught my eye a little more than the cover, but it definitely did a good job speaking to me.

What I thought

My biggest issue with this book is that I wouldn’t categorize it as a romance.

Hara was adopted from Korea by an American family. She has grown up with them and when her adoptive father got another woman pregnant, she did a DNA test and discovered her birth father in Korea. When her adoptive father then died, she decided to go to Korea to meet her birth father and discover her identity as a Korean. While there, she meets a gorgeous Korean boy who helps her discover what it means to be Korean.

So, to explain my first comment, this story to me felt more like a story about a Korean raised in America trying to find herself and understand her identity. She spent the whole book struggling with not feeling Korean but not feeling American and searching for her birth parents. The romance was such a secondary story for me. Like, it was important and it was fun but the story centered on Hara and her growth. Though, if I had to read the analogy about being a polka dot in a world of stripes I was going to scream.

This book was packed with Korean culture and teaching moments which I loved. I learned so much about Korean culture that I had no idea about and really felt like I was in Korea and that the author had not only been there but spent significant amount of time there. That part of the story I truly loved.

I also loved the small bits of romance that we got. Yujin was a great guy and there was a small twist I didn’t expect. Their chemistry wasn’t jump off the page, but it was sweet and I found myself happy every time they were together. I was suspicious of her friend Boyoung the entire time and I was a bit pleased to see that my intuition was spot on. This book had some drama I didn’t expect and twists and turns I didn’t see coming which can be difficult for me.

If you go into this book expecting a romance I think you will be disappointed. If you go into this book expecting a story of self discovery and growth with romance on the side, then I think you will enjoy it. I have never read a book like this from the perspective of someone who was adopted and I think it taught me a lot and gave me insight into a world I never saw.

The Roughest Draft

By: Emily Wibberly & Austin Sigemund Broka
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 336

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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 of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven't spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.

Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they're forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.

While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.

First Impressions

Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka are one of my favorite writing duos and I was beyond excited to be given an opportunity to read and review their first adult novel. Up until now, they have only co-wrote YA novels (which I have loved). When I saw they were writing their first adult novel together I was excited to see what would come of it. The cover isn’t my favorite, but it is very cute.

What I thought

Nathan and Katrina are co-authors who had a massive blow up 4 years ago after finishing their second novel. Now they are being forced by their agents to come back together and write the third contracted novel together.

One of the most interesting parts of this book to me is how much this must parallel the real authors’ experiences. I’m curious which of these writing techniques they use when they write books together and it leant a reality and trust to this book that I really liked.

I loved Nathan and Katrina’s chemistry from the beginning, as well as hated her fiancé. Throughout the story, the reader is left wanting to know what exactly caused Nathan and Katrina to separate and not speak for 4 years. It is revealed slowly through flashbacks to their last writing experience 4 years ago, and in my opinion the reveal is a little too slow. Especially since the reason seems pretty obvious. I wish that it had gotten put out in the open a little sooner in the book but it worked well for the story.

There is another character, Harriet, who was friends with both Nathan and Katrina until their blow up. At one point she says that she feels like they only kept her around as a friend when they needed her for the two of them and this felt true for the story. I liked the small amount that she was in the story, but it felt like she was only written as a tool for Nathan and Katrina to deal with their stuff and not as a character within her own right. She very much could’ve not been in the book at all and it wouldn’t have been effected.

I initially had a few issue with why Nathan and Katrina were having the difficulties they were having, but realized that I have had some similar issues with trust and failures. I found parts of the story to be repetitive and thin it could’ve been cut down a little. It didn’t have that same spark I find in their YA books, but I still enjoyed it and it was a good, fun love story.

The writing was solid and enjoyable. I may have had too high of expectations for this book which might’ve been why I didn’t completely love it. It also may be that they have some kinks to work out in the adult writing context Either way, they are still one of my favorite writing duos and if this book sounds interesting to you, you will not be disappointed.