Review of Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn

 

 

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn

          Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book by Penguin Teen via BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.

From the Publisher:
When Amandla wakes up on her fifteenth birthday she knows it's going to be one of her mother's difficult days. Her mother has had another vision. If Amandla wears a blue sheet her mother has loosely stitched as a dress and styles her normally braided hair in a halo around her head, Amandla's father will come home. Amandla's mother, Annalisa, always speaks of her father as if he was the prince of a fairytale, but in truth he's been gone since before Amandla was born and even Annalisa's memory of him is hazy. In fact many of Annalisa's memories from before Amandla was born are hazy. It's just one of the many reasons people in Sugar Town give Annalisa and Amandla strange looks--that and the fact her mother is white and Amandla is brown.

My Thoughts:
I found this book very hard to put down.  It was powerful, sad, and empowering.  I really did love this book, though I felt like it needed perhaps another 100 pages because the last quarter of the book seemed very rushed.  This is one of those books that is very hard to describe without going into spoilers.  With that said, I think that this is an amazing book and highly recommend it!

        Rating: 4/5 stars

Why I Find Book Hauls on YouTube to Be Harmful

 

I know that I'm not the only person that gets irritated by all of the book haul videos on YouTube where Booktubers show off all the books that they have bought or been sent by publishers or viewers.  Many of them know that the more books that they show off in a haul the more views that they will get, so there is an incentive for them to film massive book hauls that would be hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of books.  It's not the fact that many of the books that get shown weren't actually purchased by the Booktuber but the build up of hype around books that many of the people wouldn't normally purchase immediately.  The level of FOMO (fear of missing out) that is unnecessarily created by showing off the books that have just been released often puts a financial strain on those watching these videos.

 I have personally fallen into the trap of buying these brand new releases because of Booktube when I know that I am not going to be reading them immediately.  Often if I wait a month or two after it has been released, I can find it through my library.  There are some books that I know I will want to own a copy of because perhaps I want to annotate it or will want to read again but many books I read I don't need to have on my shelf after I have read it.

I don't find the book hauls that are books that came from used book stores or libraries to be harmful because it isn't promoting a level of hyper-consumerism that all new books do.  

There is also the pressure that many people feel to have aesthetically pleasing bookshelves filled with hardcover copies of all their books.  This creates another level of unnecessary consumerism.  Many people actually prefer to read the smaller paperback copies of books because they are easier on their wrists.

 I personally love to buy my books used if I can because I am the kind of person that will regularly get rid of the books that I have read and know I won't read again.  I used to just donate them to my local library for the used book sale (which is where many of them came from in the first place) but I haven't been able to do that for the last year and a half.  Now I have been selling my used books (and sometime not used/unread) on Depop.  That has actually been very successful because I am able to get some of the money back I spent of these books in the first place.  

The harm that comes from book hauls is a psychological harm that can come from the belief that those watching must buy the books that are being shown because they are what is popular, whether or not the person buying the book may actually like it or not.  Also, a level of harm from a consumer/financial aspect, since there may be people putting themselves into debt in order to get more views or likes on their videos. 

 

Review of Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

 

Expected publication: October 12th 2021

From the publisher:
Food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones-Smith's move from New York to Coral Shores, Miami, puts her academic career on hold to stay at home with her young son. Adding to her funk is an opinionated mother-in-law and a husband rekindling a friendship with his ex. Gracias to her best friend, Alma, she gets a short-term job as a Caribbean cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning TV show. But when the newly minted star attends a Women's Club luncheon, a socialite sitting at her table suddenly falls face-first into the chicken salad, never to nibble again.

Thoughts:
I absolutely loved this debut cozy mystery! I liked how there was Spanish mixed into the dialogue of the book and there is enough surrounding context to figure out what is being said with having to directly translate. I really liked the character dynamics and relationships. This is a wonderfully written debut, I highly recommend this book!

Disclaimer: I was given an eARC by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

Disclaimer: I was given an eARC of this book by Celadon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the Publisher:
Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?

Thoughts:

I found the beginning to be a bit slow but after the first few chapters the story really picked up. Jake is definitely not a likable main character in my opinion but in a thriller, that doesn't bother me in a thriller. I liked how throughout the book there were a couple of pages from Crib that helped to push the unraveling of the mystery forward. I did guess the main plot twist when the plot twist of the Crib was revealed but it didn't take anything away from the rest of the story. I totally didn't see the ending coming!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes not your typical thriller. 

Rating: 4/5

Review of What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

 

 

 This book is about Eleanor, who has spent many years away at boarding school, and bloodthirsty family. She must figure out how to fit back into her family and control the darkness within her in order to save her family from distruction.

I found the premise of this book to be very interesting and something I haven't really read before and I was very excited to read this, however I had a hard time actually getting through the book once I got about 40% of the way through. The story, while good, just moved a bit too slow and made it feel as though it was dragging. I did find that the last 50 or so pages were really good. I think that for what the premise of this story is, there just was not enough action throughout the book. The last chapter and epilogue did make it so that I was glad that I did stick with the book and finish it but I would have liked it to have moved at a bit of a quicker pace.

Review of Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

 

          Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley is a thriller about Daunis Fontaine who gets convinced to help the FBI investigate the meth trade that has started coming from the nearby Ojibwe reservation when she witnesses her friend's murder.  She is able to use her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicines to help track down the source of the new lethal meth.

I found this book to be completely riveting and was completely drawn in and once I got about a quarter of the way in, I could not put this down!  The descriptions of places in Michigan's Upper Peninsula had me homesick, especially Tahquamenon Falls.  The way in which the struggles of identity and the reality of violence against women (especially indigenous women) are interwoven into the larger story makes everything feel so much more real and high stakes.  When the plot twist and reveals happened, I couldn't believe how amazingly it all came together!

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and BookishFirst for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
       

Review of A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

 

Disclaimer: I was given an eARC by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the Publisher:
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. It was a really cute Romeo and Juliet retelling. I would suggest that unless you can speak Vietnamese to listen to this as an audiobook because there are lots of parts that are in Vietnamese and can be difficult to get through otherwise.

If you enjoy YA romance, this is a good quick read. 

 

Rating: 4/5

Review of Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton

Disclaimer: I was given an eARC of this book by Wattpad Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3.5/5

This book covers cyber-bullying, internet privacy debates, and censorship issues. It starts with an email sent out to the entire school with nude pictures of seven female students. When Eden covers the story for the school paper, censorship comes from the school administration. Eden is determined to get to the bottom of who sent the email and why not matter the cost. 

This book tackles a lot of issues that are prevalent in schools today. Though I thought that this book has a good premise and plot, there were parts that didn't feel completely fleshed out or felt rushed. I didn't think this was bad but I didn't find it to be amazing either.

Review of Pretending by Holly Bourne

 

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book from Mira and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This book does have some heavy conversations about abusive relationships and rape.

This book did take me a while to get through because I had to take a break from it after reading the first third due to the heaviness of the beginning. Once I picked it back up, I was able to finish it in an afternoon.

April is an advisor for a sex and relationship charity and was raped by an ex-boyfriend which has caused her to believe that she hates men. However, she hasn't completely sworn off men so she creates Gretel as an alter-ego so she can date without the emotional baggage that April has. Once she meets Joshua and begins to really fall for him, things get complicated.

I would recommend this book but if you find conversations about abusive relationships and rape triggering, you may want to skip this book.