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.

Review of The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes

 

 

The Deep is an interesting take on mermaid mythology, where mermaids came from pregnant women who were thrown overboard slave ships.  In their society, a historian stores all the memories of their people and shares them with everyone once a year and then takes them back.  This is so that everyone can live without the weight of the memories.

I did enjoy this story but at times felt lost and many aspects of it could have been expanded for a more full story.  The part that I enjoyed the most was Yetu's time on the surface when you got to see the character development.  I wish there had been more character development throughout the rest of the story because it gave the general impression to me that this story was complete and still needed to be fleshed out.

I did enjoy this and would recommend it to someone that is interested in unusual mermaid stories.
       

Review of Starfish by Lisa Fipps

 

Starfish by Lisa Fipps is about Ellie who has been bullied about her weight since her fifth birthday party, and ever since then she has lived by the "Fat Girl Rules" which are meant to help her not stand out.  Ellie does have a small network of people who support her in a sea of bullies.  

I absolutely loved this book!  I read this book in a single sitting, once I started I couldn't put it down.  I wish that this book had been around when I was in middle school.  A book about body positivity is unfortunately few and far between.  I had tears going down my face for most of the book.  There were some really heartbreaking parts of this, like when her mom keeps putting weight loss articles on the fridge for Ellie to see and ending a lot of things she says to Ellie with "if only you lost weight".  This book really points out how much more hurtful people's words are especially when they come from the people in our own families.

As I was reading this, I kept thinking about all the people that I want to give this book to and I will definitely be recommending this to just about everyone!
       

Pretending by Holly Bourne

 

Pretending : A Novel 

Holly Bourne

On Sale Date: November 17, 2020

9780778331506, 0778331504

Trade Paperback

$17.99 USD

416 pages

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel perfect for fans of Fleabag, a woman struggling to 

move on after a traumatic relationship pretends to be “the perfect girl” in an act of vengeance that 

goes awry when she finds herself emotionally compromised.

He said he was looking for a 'partner in crime' which everyone knows is shorthand for 'a woman 

who isn't real'.

April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five. Every time 

she thinks she's found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. 

And angry. Until she realizes that what men are really looking for is Gretel.

Gretel is perfect - beautiful but low maintenance, sweet but never clingy, sexy but not a slut. 

She's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems.

When April starts pretending to be Gretel, dating becomes much more fun - especially once she 

reels in the unsuspecting Joshua. Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own 

feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Holly Bourne is a bestselling UK-based YA and Adult Fiction author and is an Ambassador for 

Women’s Aid. In 2019, she was an Author of the Day at the London Book Fair, and was named by 

Elle Magazine’s weekly podcast as one of “Six Female Authors Changing the Conversation in 2019”. 

 Pretending is her US debut.

BUY LINKS:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Apple Books

Kobo

Google Books

Bookshop.org

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: https://hollybourne.co.uk/

Twitter: @holly_bourneYA

Instagram: @hollybourneya

Facebook: @Holly.BourneYA

 

 

I hate men.

There, I’ve said it. I know you’re not supposed to say it. We all pretend we don’t hate them; we all tell 

ourselves we don’t hate them. But I’m calling it. I’m standing here on this soapbox, and I’m saying it.

I. Hate. Men.

I mean, think about it. They’re just awful. I hate how selfish they are. How they take up so much space, 

assuming it’s always theirs to take. How they spread out their legs on public transport, like their balls 

need regular airing to stop them developing damp. I hate how they basically scent mark anywhere they 

enter to make it work for them. Putting on the music they want to listen to the moment they arrive at any 

house party, and always taking the nicest chair. How they touch your stuff instead of just looking; even 

tweak the furniture arrangement to make it most comfortable for them. All without asking first—never asking first.

I hate how they think their interests are more important than yours—even though twice a week all most 

of them do is watch a bunch of strangers kick a circle around a piece of lawn and sulk if the circle doesn’t 

go in the right place. And how bored they look if you ever try to introduce them to a film, a band, or even 

a freaking YouTube clip, before you’ve even pressed Play.

I hate their endless arrogance. I hate how they interrupt you and then apologize for it but carry on talking 

anyway. How they ask you a question but then check your answer afterward. I hate how they can never 

do one piece of housework without telling you about it. I hate how they literally cannot handle being 

driven in a car by a woman, even if they’re terrible drivers themselves. I hate how they all think they’re 

fucking incredible at grilling meat on barbecues. The sun comes out and man must light fire and not let 

woman anywhere near the meat. Dumping blackened bits of chicken onto our plates along with the whiff 

of a burp from their beer breath, acting all caveman, like we’re supposed to find it cute that we may now 

get salmonella and that we’re going to have to do all the washing up.

I hate how I’m quite scared of them. I hate the collective noise of them when they’re in a big group. The 

tribal wahey-ing, like they all swap their IQs for extra testosterone when they swarm together. How, if 

you’re sitting alone on an empty train, they always come and deliberately sit next to you en masse, and 

talk extra loudly about macho nonsense, apparently to impress you. I hate the way they look at you 

when you walk past—automatically judging your screwability the moment they see you. Telling you to 

smile if you dare look anything other than delighted about living with stuff like this constantly fucking 

happening to you. 

I hate how hard they are to love. How many of them actually, truly, think the way to your heart is sending 

you a selfie of them tugging themselves, hairy ball sack very much still in shot. I hate how they have sex. 

How they shove their fingers into you, thinking it’s going to achieve anything. Jabbing their unwashed 

hands into your dry vagina, prodding about like they’re checking for prostate cancer, then wondering 

why you now have BV and you still haven’t come. Have none of them read a sex manual? Seriously? 

None of them? And I hate how they hate you a little just after they’ve finished. How even the nice ones 

lie there with cold eyes, pretending to cuddle, but clearly desperate to get as far away from you as 

possible.

I hate how it’s never equal. How they expect you to do all the emotional labor and then get upset when 

you’re the more stressed-out one. I hate how they never understand you, no matter how hard they try, 

although, let’s be honest here, they never actually try that hard. And I hate how you’re always exhausting 

yourself trying to explain even the most basic of your rational emotional responses to their bored face.

I hate how every single last one of them has issues with their father.

And do you know what I hate most of all?

That despite this, despite all this disdain, I still fancy men. And I still want them to fancy me, to want me, 

to love me. I hate myself for how much I want them. Why do I still fancy men so much? What’s wrong 

with me? Why are they all so broken? Am I broken for still wanting to be with one, even after everything? 

I should be alone. That’s the only healthy way to be. BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE. I hate men, 

that’s the problem. GOD I HATE THEM SO MUCH—they’re so entitled and broken and lazy and wrong 

and…and…

Hang on…

My phone.

HE MESSAGED BACK!!!

WITH A KISS ON THE END!

Never mind.

Forget I said anything. It’s all good.

Excerpted from Pretending by Holly Bourne, Copyright © 2020 by Holly Bourne. Published by MIRA Books. 

Slay by Brittney Morris

 

    Kiera Johnson is an honor student and one of only 4 Black students at her school, but when she goes home she joins thousands of Black gamers worldwide as Nubian personas in the game Slay.  No one knows that Kiera is the game developer.  Then when a Kansas teen is killed over a dispute within the game, the mainstream media labels it as a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals.  When a troll infiltrates the game, Kiera must do whatever she can to protect what she has created.

     This book was excellent!  It covered topics that are very relevant and not covered enough in popular literature.  I highly recommend this book!

 Rating: 4/5 stars