10 Cities that Books Made Me Want to Visit | Top Ten Tuesday

Hi everyone! When I started blogging I participated in Top Ten Tuesday regulary and I loved the fact that it allowed me to interact with so many people from the community, because I miss that, I decided to start participating again!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018!

Today, the topic is places mentioned in books that I’d like to visit, so I decided to write about 10 cities that are the setting of some amazing books and that play such an important role in the story that after reading the books I can’t help but want to go visit them myself.

*If you click the title of the books, it will take you to the Goodreads page for the book

Without further ado, here are the 10 cities that books made me want to visit:

If The Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman-—> Manila, Philippines

Honestly, all the #romanceclass books I have read made me want to visit the Philippines, but If the Dress Fits is my favorite #romanceclass book and it’s the one that mentions more especific places from Manila like the Dangwa flower market and the Manila Metropolitan Theatre, as well as different types of food that sounded delicious.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan —–> Taipei, Taiwan

I really want to go to Taipei, and especifically, the food markets that are constantly mentioned in this book, I’m just so excited to try delicious food! Also, the observatory inside Taipei 101 sounds so cool, I really want to see the city from that height.

Darius the Great is not Okay by Adib Khorram —-> Yazd, Iran

Iran is the most recent addition to this list, I read Darius the Great is not Okay in January and I fell in love with the way Darius talked about Iran.  I would love to go to Yazd and see the Jameh Mosque, the Towers of Silence and the Atashkadeh.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan —-> Singapore

While reading Crazy Rich Asians, I couldn’t help but be incredibly intrigued about Singapore. I can’t wait to visit the food markets and the impressive buildings, especially the Marina Bay Sands and the gardens by the bay.

Idyllic village Oia (Ia) on Santorini island, Greece with famous church with blue domes. Click for more images: [url=http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&lightboxID=6413055][img]http://santoriniphoto.com/Template-Greek.jpg[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9724165][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9724165[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701552][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701552[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701515][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701515[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701504][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701504[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701472][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701472[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701450][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701450[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701281][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701281[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9697520][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9697520[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=2637803][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=2637803[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9751572][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9751572[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9749064][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9749064[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9728858][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9728858[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9728820][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9728820[/img][/url]

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares —-> Santorini, Greece

I’ll confess that my desire to visit Greece is due to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books and the movie, as well as to the Mamma Mia movies. But, even if the Mamma Mia made me want to go to Greece even more, it all started with Lena and her trip to Santorini in the first book of the series.

City of Ghost by Victoria Shwab —-> Edinburg, Scotland

There are so many European cities that I want to see and to be completely honest, Edinburgh wasn’t one of them until recently when I read City of Ghost. Now I can’t wait to go to the Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile and the Edinburgh Vaults! Also, I’m so excited by the fact that book 2 is taking place in Paris and especifically in The Paris Catacombs, which I have been to.

View of a small crescent beach hidden away among green hills and forests. Punta Islita Beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie —-> Costa Rica

Ryke and Daisy are my favorite couple in this series and they talk so many times about Costa Rica that it put this country at the top of my list. I’m not sure which city or region they were in, but I would love to go to Cahuita, which is supposed to be a place to relax and find peace.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo – Los Angeles

I have wanted to go to L.A. for as long as I can remember, but the last few years, it had been slipping further and further donw the list of places I wanted to visit, until I read this book and it made me want  to go to L.A. so badly! As I said on my review this is a love letter to Los Angeles, there’s commentary on different neighborhoods, who primarily lives there, what type of activities are done and what types of food are sold in them. It simply made me feel excited about going to L.A. again.

Like Us  Series by Krista & Becca Ritchie – Philadelphia 

I already was interested in going to Philadelphia thanks to the original Addicted/Calloway Sister series, but if I’m being honest, the Like us series was the one that really made me want to go to Philly. It’s just that the bodyguards talk about their city with so much love that I can’t help but being curious!

The Bean

Knitting in the City Series by Penny Reid – Chicago, United States

I loved this series, I have already read like 10 books in this series between novels and novellas and I have spent so much time with the ladies of this knitting group that I can’t help but want to visit their city!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – Prague, Czech Republic

I had never thought about visiting Prague before this book, but then I read this and soon after I met a dear friend who is from Czech Republic and so I knew the universe was telling me that I needed to visit this beautiful city. It’s being almost five years and I’m happy to say that I’m visiting my friend in April in Prague and I’m so excited!

What books do you want to visit because of a book or series? HAve you ever visited a city because I book was set in it? 

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Most Surprising Books of 2018

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about some books that I read this year and that I wasn’t expecting to love as much as I did!

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

What is the book about?: A teenager has to work in her father’s food truck with her nemesis as a punishment for a prank gone wrong and she starts to wonder if it’s time to take some things seriously.

Why is on this list?: I loved this book when I read it at the beginning of the year, but it made it to this list because even months later, I still smile every time I think about it and I wasn’t expecting to love it that much. I have mentioned it in so many posts throughout the year because it does a lot of things well, it made me fall in love with L.A., it made me hungry with its amazing food descriptions, and it gave me warm feelings with the cute romance, lovely female friendship and the wonderful father/daughter relationship. (Full review)

From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata 

What is this book about?: Two figure skaters that hate each other team up to compete as a pair and end up falling in love.

Why is on this list?: When I found out that this book was about figure skating I was really excited to read this because it’s one of my favorite sports, but then I heard that Mariana Zapata took the concept of slow burn romance a bit too seriously and that nothing happened between the characters for most of the book. Nonetheless, I decided to read it and I found the most beautiful enemies to friends to lovers relationship of all times. The main character, Jasmine, goes through so much character development and it’s amazing, and she and Ivan are perfect for each other. I usually don’t get crushes in fictional characters, but I have a huge crush on Ivan Lukov.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 

What is this book about?: Two people that work together and hate each other compete for the same job as they act on their sexual tension.

Why is on this list?: I had heard mixed things about this book before reading it, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. But I did! There were a few minor things that I had issue with, but I really enjoyed reading about Josh and Lucy’s relationship. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this book did it so well. I really liked Josh as a love interest, he was surprising because when he is introduced in seems like he is one way, a bit of an asshole, but ends up being such a soft guy and I want to cry just thinking about it!

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal 

What is this book about?: A young woman teaches writing clases to a group of Punjabi widows and things take an unexpected turns when they start writing erotic stories in secret.

Why is on this list?: This book was so much more complex and intricate than I was expecting. There’s an amazing storyline about a community of women supporting each other, there’s a storyline about women not being ashamed of their sexuality, there’s a mystery involving the murder of a young woman, there’s a storyline about a radical group in a community and how people get tangled in it so easily. Honestly, this is a very thought provoking read and I think more people should give it a chance.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

What is this book about?: An autistic women hires an escort to teach her how to be in a relationship, but they end up developing feelings for each other.

Why is on this list?: Another book with an amazing love interest. Michael is a soft boy and he’s so kind and wonderful and I really liked him. And then there’s the fact that Stella, the main character,  has Asperger and the rep is #ownvoices and it was insightful and touching and it was my favorite thing about the book. Also, this was really steamy, like one of the steamiest books I read this year.

 

What books surprised you in 2018? Have you read any of the books I mentiones? Did they surpised you? 

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6 Diverse YA Contemporaries That You Should Read: 2018 Edition

Hi everyone! Today I’m bringing you a list of diverse YA contemporaries that were releases in 2018 and that I read and loved. While these books touch on some serious issues, they all have in common that they aren’t dark and heartbreaking contemporaries. There’s sad things in them, but for the most part they are sweet and funny.

I mention each of the books, what type of representation they have in them and then I tell you why I think you should read them:

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Representation: Korean-american main character, Chinese love interest and a Latinx character.

I always say this, this book is a beautiful love letter to L.A. and to food, and with that as a background, we get an amazing father/daughter relationship, a wonderful female friendship and a cute love story. The love interest was so sweet and respectful and it was lovely! We also get so much character development and a really funny book. (Full review).

 

Analee, In Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Representation: Plus Size Cuban-american main character with social anxiety.  

Analee is dealing with her mother’s death by playing an online game all the time, but then in real life, a popular boy asks her to be his fake girlfriend and he starts to coax her out of her comfort zone and it’s such a sweet and fun dynamic. They had so much chemestry! BUT the real focus of the book is family, Analee’s relationship with her father, stepmother and stepsister develop in such a beautiful way.

 

American Panda by Gloria Chao

Representation: Taiwanese-American main character and Japanese love interest.

This is an amazing story about a Taiwanese-American girl that has to straddle two cultures. Mei is a interesting and relatable main character, the female friendship is lovely, the love interest is really undertanding and caring and there is a really good romance that doesn’t take over the story.  One of the most wonderful things about this is the development of the mother/daughter relationship.

 

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding

Representation:  Plus Size lesbian main character and mexican-american lesbian love interest

This is such a fun book, the main character is a pink-haired girl who loves fashion and blogs about it and wears colorful clothes. While the love interest is a girl who loves photography and dresses all in black. Abby and Jordi are incredibly cute together and there’s so many sweet moments between them. Also, this book has complex family dynamics, a lovely female friendship and cool guy/ girl platonic friendship. (Full review)

 

Pride by Ibi Zoboi 

Representation: Haitian-Dominican main character and black love interest.

A Pride and Prejudice retelling! Zuri and Darius are always bantering and bickering and it is a fun dynamic to read. But the main reason this book is good is the way it dicusses gentrification and class, including these subjects adds to the original story and make it more relevant to our time. Also, the representation of a Haitian-Dominican family, in terms of the religion, the food and the family dynamics is so fascinating to read.

 

 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Representation: Dominican-american main character

This is a story told in verse, it’s touching and powerful, and it explores a Dominican-american girl’s struggle with inhabiting her body, a body that attracs attention and because of it, it’s unwillingly subjected to the male gaze; it also deals with growing up in a conservative latinx family that it’s extremely religious and that imposes faith and leaves no room for questions. It’s a book about trying to figure who you are in an enviroment that doesn’t leave much room to do so and it’s fantastic. (full review)

What are some diverse contemporaries that you would recommend? Have you read any of these books? Are you interested on reading any of them? 

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Top 10 New to Me Authors of 2018

Hi everyone! It’s that time of the year when we make lists of the top bookish things of the year and I really wanted to write about authors I discovered in 2018, wheter they are debuts authors or just authors I had never read before. I chose 10 authors to put on this list and it turns out they were all women, which isn’t that weird because I read mostly female authors.

Without further ado, here’s my top 10:

Somaiya Daud

• Book I read: Mirage (Full review)
• Why she made it to the list: I LOVED the way in which Daud wrote the relationship between Maram and Amani, the princess and her body double. Amani is relatable and likable; she is just a girl that is put in a difficult situation and manages to survive. Maram is cruel and arrogant, but as the story unfolds, we see that she is actually a very complex character that is conflicted and feels trapped between what it’s expected of her and who she wants to be. Their relationship is complicated and beautiful and painful and I just LOVE them both so much.

Elizabeth Acevedo

• Book I read: The Poet X (Full review)
• Why she made it to the list: The Poet X was the first book written in verse that I have read and Elizabeth Acevedo’s writing made me feel like I had a direct line to the emotions the main character was experiencing and trying to express. Also, I loved that Acevedo explores so many imporatant subjects like body image, the harm of the male gaze, religion and complicated families in powerful and touching ways.

Libba Bray 

• Books I Read: The Diviners & Lair of Dreams
• Why she made it to the list: The Diviners has become my favorite paranormal series of all times. I think Libba Bray is amazing at writing creepy and atmospheric  books, which has help me discover my love for scary/horror books this year. Also, 1920s New York City is brought to life by her incredible writing and she has created some brilliant characters.

Helen Hoang 

• Book I Read: The Kiss Quotient
• Why she made it to the list: The autistic rep in Helen Hoang’s book was so insightful and well done.  Stella is succeseful and caring, she fixates on routines and obsessions and sometimes misses some social cues and she is wonderful and I loved getting to read from her perspective. Also, Helen Hoang wrote a soft male love interest, which is rare in romance, and it was amazing. And she knows how to write some really steamy scenes, so that’s good too!

Holly Black

• Book I Read: The Cruel Prince
• Why she made it to the list: I had been in a fantasy slump for a while and then Holly Black’s book made me feel consumed by a world and characters in a way that hadn’t happened in some time, so I’m really grateful for it. I loved the world she created in The Cruel Prince full of political intrigued, deceitful characters, unexpected turns and so much cruelty from the very beginning. Also, she gave me a new couple to ship, which gave her extra points!

Balli Kaur Jaswal

• Book I Read: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
• Why she made it to the list: I loved the way Balli Kaur Jasmal wrote an amazing friendship between completely different women. The main character, Nikki, was raised in a less traditional way than the group of punjabi widows, she has a completely different way of seeing things. But at the end, these women become friends and they grow and change thanks to their friendship, they learn about themselves and step out of their comfort zone. Also, I think Balli Kaur Jasmal did an amazing job exploring the relationship between gender and religion.

Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Book I Read: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
• Why she made it to the list: Taylor Jenkins Reid created on of the most complex characters I have ever encounter. Evelyn Hugo is a morally gray character that unapologetically does terrible things in order to achive what she wants in life, she sacrifices parts of herself to succeed, but at the same time she loves deeply and she is undeniably loyal to those she loves. I was fascinated by her. Then there the fact that Jenkins Reid wrote a love story, that is so beautiful, sad and complicated, and you can’t help but want the two character to end up together.

Maurene Goo

• Book I Read: The Way You Make Me Feel ( Full review)
• Why she made it to the list: I feel like The Way You Make Me Feel was Maurene Goo’s love letter to L.A. and to food, and she managed to make me want to go to L.A. even more than I already wanted to and also made me very hungry. Her way of writing character development and the development of the father/daughter relationship was fantastic, and the female friendship  was the most wonderful thing ever, Clara and Rose’s friendship shows that real friends help you grow, challenge you to be better, support you and help you see how amazing you are.

Agatha Christie

• Books I Read: And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and so many more. (Some reviews here  and here)
• Why she made it to this list: Agatha Christie’s books are fast and entertaining reads, perfect to get me out of a reading slump. I love the fact that I almost never guess who did it or why, but I can always go back and find the clues to solve the mystery in the book. Most of the books I read by Agatha Christie are Hercules Poirot books, because his whole process to solve a mystery is really interesting to me.

Claire Kann

• Book I Read: Let’s Talk about Love (Full review)
• Why she made it to the list: I loved Alice’s, the main character in Let’s Talk about Love, honest and captivating voice, . It was one of the main reasons I loved the book so much. Also, Claire Kann did a great job of addressing acephobia and racial microaggressions, as well as putting therapy in a positive light.

Who are some new to you authors that you loved in 2018? Have you read any of the authors in this list? Did you like their books? 

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If You Like This YA Book, Then You’ll Like This Adult Book

Hi! This is the first post of several where I’ll give book recommendations based on other books. I was actually nervous while I was writing this post because I was scared of people thinking my recommendations made no sense, but I decided to post this anyway because at the end it’s my opinion. If someone finds my recommendations useful, that ‘s GREAT! but if they don’t, that’s okay too.

For each recommendation, I wrote why the books were similar, but also at the end I put the main difference between them. So, here are some adult book I think you’ll like if you liked this YA novels:

The Diviners by Libba Bray ——> Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant 

• They are both spooky and atmospheric, which is the main reason that I feel like they have a similar vibe, even if Into the Drowning Deep goes a bit more into the scary and gory side of things.
• They have a compelling and diverse cast of characters, and some of the most important characters in both books are not entirely likeable.
• There are mysteries in both of them, in The Diviners the mystery is who or what the killer is and also about the diviners, who are they, what are their abilities and why they have them. In Into the Drowning Deep, there’s mystery surrounding the sirens, do they exist, what species are they parf of and what can they do.
• The main difference in these books is that each of them takes a completely different approach to solving those mysteries, The Diviners does it in paranormal, spiritual, magical way and Into the Drowning Deep takes a very cientific approach.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo ——> The Kiss Quotient  by Helen Hoang

• Both books have the nicest, loveliest, kindest love interests ever. Total boyfriend material! Also, both  are Asian men.
• The female main characters in these books both go through huge character development.
• Diverse characters: The Way You Make Me Feel has Asian and Latinx rep and The Kiss Quotient has Asian and autistic rep.
• Both books have a strong focus on family, but while The Kiss Quotient is very much a romance that also deals with family, The Way You Make Me Feel is a book about family that has romance in it.
• Another difference between the books is that The Kiss Quotient being an adult  romance book has a lot of steamy moments, while The Way You Make Me Feel does not.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore —->The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night  by Jen Campbell                                 

• Both of these books have beautiful and whimsical writing.  
• These stories are set in our world but they have magical elements throw in them that makes it seem like ones is reading modern fairy tales.
• The imagery and the worlds in these books are so captivating.
• They have moments where they are a bit creepy and haunting.
• Diverse characters: When the Moon Was Ours has Latinx, Pakistani and Trans rep and The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night has an f/f relationship and addresses disfigurement and bodily difference.
• The main difference between these books is that When the Moon Was Ours is a novel while The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night  is a collection of short stories.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins ——>  Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

• Both are fast and engaging reads you can’t seem to stop reading them.
• The writing in both of them is very straighforward and simple. Not beautiful or special in any way, but easy to get through.
• They both have compelling mythology, wheter it revolves around demons or fairies.
• The main characters in both of them are just discovering the existance of this other world and of these other beings.
• They are a bit dark and twisted.
• In both books, romance is present, but it’s not the driving force of the plot. Especially not in the case of Darkfever.
• These books have completely different plots but beyond that I think they are the same type of book and they left me with the same feelings towards them.

Are you planning to reading any of these books?  What Adult novels would you recommend based on YA books? Would you like to get recs based on a particular book? Tell me which one in the comments! 

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5 Books with Amazing Female Friendships

The other day I was reading Cait’s post  Should YA Books Focus On Friendship More? (FT. 10 Friendships I Freaking Adore) and it got me thinking that we do need more books with amazing friendships, but I especially would like to see more books with female friendship. I have always thought that if we want more books with certain elements, we need to promote the books that already exist that include those elements, so I went throught the books I have read in 2018 and selected my 5 favorite books with amazing female frienships and here they are:

 The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar & Michelle Schusterman

This is about 3 girls that meet when they are in the same hotel for 3 different cons: a Percussion convention, a fandoms convention and a taxidermy conventions. These 3 girls meet and help each other through heartbreak, friendship problems & family drama. They are supportive, understanding and wonderful to each other. I almost cried happy tears because there friendship was so heartwarming.

Genre: Contemporary, YA (2018 release)

 Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal 

This is about a woman named Nikki, who takes a job teaching “creative writing” at the community center of London’s Punjabi community. Her students turn out to be Punjabi widows, that have a wealth of fantasies and memories, so Nikki helps them express their untold erotic stories. The friendship in this book between Nikki and the group of widows is amazing because they are so different from one another, they are all Punjabi but Nikki was raised in a less traditional way,  she has a completely different way of seeing things, so there are awkward moments and clashes. At the end, all these women grow and change thanks to their friendship, they learn about themselves and step out of their comfort zone.

Genre: Romance/Contemporary, Adult (2017 release)

 The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo 

This book is about a girl named Clara, who lives for pranks and disruption, until she takes one joke too far and her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck alongside her uptight classmate Rose. This is an enemies to friends story, where two very different girls are forced to get to know each other and they realise that maybe there’s more than what they had seen in the other. Clara and Rose’s friendship shows that real friends help you grow, challenge you to be better, support you and help you see how amazing you are.

Genre: Contemporary, YA (2018 release)

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

This book is about Marin, who hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel.  Now, months later, Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid.  I included this one on this list, because even when Marin and Mabel were romantically involved at some point, this book is about two friends finding their way to each other. Also, we get to see Marin understand that she can let Mabel be there for her when things get hard, she doesn’t have to go through it alone.

Genre: Contemporary, YA (2017 release)

 Marriage of Incovenience by Penny Read (Knitting in the City #7) 

This is the last book in the Knitting in the City series, which is a romance series about 7 woman that are friends and have a knitting group and in each book one of them finds love. But honestly, the most wonderful thing about this series is the friendship between these women. They are so different from one another, but that makes their dynamic hilarious.  They are supportive and undertanding, they would do anything for each other and they are there for each other when things get hard. Seeing their friendship grow and change in each book is amazing.

Genre: Romance, Adult (2018 release)

What books have you read lately with amazing female friendships? What are your favorite female friendships of all time? Let me know in the comments! 

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9 Books with Asian Main Characters

9 Books Monday is a feature that I used to have here on the blog, where I would talk about 9 books that have positive representation for a minority/marginalized group. It’s a weekly feature that I’m excited to bring back. In the past, I have done posts about 9 book with: bisexual female main characters, latinx mc, black mc, muslim mc and lesbian mc.

This time I’m doing 9 books with Asian main characters written by asian authors.

3 Books I Read and Loved  

 If The Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman

I talk about this book A LOT, but it’s such a cute book and I feel like people would love it if they gave it a chance.  This is an #ownvoices book about a fat filipino main character. It has friends to lovers, fake dating, incredible family dynamics and insightful depiction of the Philippines. You can read my full review and you can see the Bookish Style Guide I did based on the main character Martha Aguas.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

This book was released recently and I really enjoyed it!  Amazing food description + wonderful female freindship + strong character development+ cute romance+ incredible father/daughter relationship= an adorable, fun and compelling read. The main character is Korean american and her dad has a food truck that sells fusion, a mix between korean and brazilian food. 

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Indian main characters + arranged marriage in a contemporary setting + summer program for web developers + adorable romance + incorporation of indian culture (language, customs, movies, food) = one of the cutest books ever and also a really interesting one. Also, #ownvoices for the indian representation. 

4 Books on my TBR

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

Part of this book is set in India, the main characters are from India, and the author of the book is also from India, which is why I’m trusting the representation in this is gonna be amazing.  The main characters of this book are two girls and this story revolves around their friendship, while dealing with themes like domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. I can’t wait to read this one, even if I have the suspision that it’s gonna break my heart.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

This book is an East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend from Snow White, it explores the origin story of this ‘evil’ character and I have heard that it has stunning writing, complex characters and it had a dark twist to it. I love books with morally gray characters and I’m looking forward to reading this one.

Want by Cindy Pon

This book is set in a futuristic Taipei that’s sucumbing to environmental problems. It deals with themes of  inequality, poverty and privilege. The main character of the book is Taiwanese and this is #ownvoices representation since Cindy Pon is also Taiwanese. There are chinese, filipino and indian characters as well, and there’s diversity in terms of sexuality too. This sounds so interesting and I have heard nothing but good things about it, so I’m excited to read it!

Beginner’s Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions by Six de los Reyes

This book is set in the Philippines, the main character is a scientist, who is trying to find love through a scientific methodology and ends up falling for the guy she less expected. I love stories where opposites attract and I’m looking forward to this one. Also, this is #ownvoices since the author is from the Philippines. I’m expecting this to be cute, funny and entertaining.

2 Books Releasing Soon 

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

This is the story is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world where a Demon King takes human girls for concubines, and it’s the story of two of the girls that fall in love and fight for their freedom and each other. The author had said that the kingdom in which this story takes place is heavily inspired by her experiences growing up in Malaysia. There’s a huge trigger warning for violent assault/rape, so I’m a bit scared that this is gonna be frustrating and devastating because of the  subject matter, but I’m still really excited to read it! Release date: November 6th 2018

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

It’s always amazing to see a POC in the cover of a book, but I’m particulary excited to see an Asian character in the cover of a sci-fi book. This is the story of a girl that is a criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot, she has spent her life terrorizing the imperialist nation that destroyed her home and then she is captured, sent to a military academy and has to work for them. This sounds like something I  would really enjoy and I can’t wait to give it a chance!  Release date:  September 4th 2018

Have you read any of these books? did you enjoy them? Are you planning on reading any of them? Do you have recommendations for books with asian main characters?

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Book Review: The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Title: The Way You Make Me Feel

Author: Maurene Goo

Publishing Date: May 8th 2018

Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Genres: Comtemporary, YA

Pages: 288

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.

Goodreads | Amazon 

This books is a love Letter to L.A. from the very beginning. We get commentary about different neighborhoods, who primarily lives there, what type of activities are done there and what types of food are sold in them. All of that, without being info-dumpy and managing to keep it interesting. Also, there’s a lot of talk about food, not only because the main character’s dad has a food truck, but also because Clara, the main character likes to try different things. So, be prepared for amazing food descriptions that will make you hungry. 

Now, in terms of Clara, the main character, let’s start with the fact that she likes to pull pranks on people and sometimes she goes bit too far. I do have to mention the fact that there’s a scene that bothers me because Clara intentionally triggers her dad’s trypophobia and the fact that that wrong is never addressed. Clara is a bit apathetic and mean at the beginning, but then she spends the summer working and being responsable and we get to see her grow so much as a character. Also, she spends the summer surrounded with people her age that have goals and ambitions and that definitely helps her as well. Really there’s a lot of character development and it’s wonderful to see. 

From the beginning of the book,  the father/daughter relationship has a very important place in the story. Clara’s relationship with her dad is not perfect, he can be too lenient and she can be really mean, but there’s comunication, love and support. Also, the way that relationship develops throughout the book is beautiful. Seeing Clara realise how lucky she is and what an amazing dad she has and learn to appreciate that was really heartwarming.

The female friendship in this story was the most wonderful thing ever. At the start of the book, Clara and Rose hate each other, but when they are forced to work together they become friends. I love Rose and I really related to the way she talked about her anxiety. Also, I really like the ways Rose helps Clara see things in a different way and aspire to be less apatethic towars life.  Seeing them be there for each other was so beautiful.

In regard to the romance, I will say that it’s not the focus of the story.  At the beginning, I felt like there was no chemestry between Clara, the main character, and Hamlet, the  love interesting. But Hamlet is such a soft hero, he’s nice, thoughtful and respectful and he won me over the same way he did with Clara. They are so cute together and I couldn’t stop smiling when I read about them together.

Overall, this is a fun and cute story with amazing characters and tempting food descriptions. 

Rating: 4 stars 

Have you read this book? Did you like it? Do you have it on your tbr?

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