Review: I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn

Title: I Love You So Mochi
Author: Sarah Kuhn
Genres: Young Adult comtemporary
Goodreads

Kimi Nakamura loves a good fashion statement. She’s obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel brave, fabulous, and like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother sees this as a distraction from working on her portfolio paintings for the prestigious fine art academy where she’s been accepted for college. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi’s estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.

When she arrives in Japan, she loses herself in Kyoto’s outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival–and meets Akira, a cute med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. What begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies.

This was absolutely adorable.

I Love You So Mochi is about a girl visiting her grandparent’s in Japan for the first time and trying to figure out what exactly her passion is. She also meets a very cute guy who works as a mochi mascot for his uncle’s mochi stand and they develop a romance.

I basically loved everything about this book, except for the main plot of finding one’s passion. It was pretty clear from page one what exactly Kimi’s passion is and the fact that it takes her the entire book to figure it out herself was kind of frustrating. It would’ve been so much more interesting if she actually didn’t have a passion and she spend her time in Japan finding something new she loved and actually discovering herself. Finding out what makes her happy, instead of already knowing but just not connecting the dots yet.

Review: The Battle by Karuna Riazi

Title: The Battle
Series: The Gauntlet #2
Author: Karuna Riazi
Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy
Goodreads

The game begins again in this gripping follow-up to The Gauntlet that’s a futuristic middle eastern Zathura meets Ready Player One!

Four years after the events of The Gauntlet, the evil game Architect is back with a new partner-in-crime—The MasterMind—and the pair aim to get revenge on the Mirza clan. Together, they’ve rebuilt Paheli into a slick, mind-bending world with floating skyscrapers, flying rickshaws run by robots, and a digital funicular rail that doesn’t always take you exactly where you want to go.

Twelve-year-old Ahmad Mirza struggles to make friends at his new middle school, but when he’s paired with his classmate Winnie for a project, he is determined to impress her and make his very first friend. At home while they’re hard at work, a gift from big sister Farah—who is away at her first year in college—arrives. It’s a high-tech game called The Battle of Blood and Iron, a cross between a video game and board game, complete with virtual reality goggles. He thinks his sister has solved his friend problem—all kids love games. He convinces Winnie to play, but as soon as they unbox the game, time freezes all over New York City.

With time standing still and people frozen, all of humankind is at stake as Ahmad and Winnie face off with the MasterMind and the Architect, hoping to beat them at their own game before the evil plotters expand Paheli and take over the entire world.

I wasn’t exactly sure whether I wanted to write this review at first. I guess this is where I admit that I absolutely despise writing negative reviews. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true because I kind of love writing negative reviews. Just, that feeling of letting all of the frustrations you have over a book out and just ranting your heart out? Amazing. I just have a lot of trouble with posting it because I’m incredibly sad that I didn’t like this book, and I kind of don’t want to admit that I didn’t like it. So I’ve been putting writing this off for a very long time. I mean, I even wrote a whole post about why I don’t want to write this review instead of actually writing this review.

The thing is: I’m very disappointed in this book. And me being very disappointed in a book doesn’t happen very often, because I generally know what I like in books so I tend to only pick up books that I’m very likely to love. But this book had so many elements that I should love and I still didn’t, and I wasn’t sure what do to with that.

Review: Rogue Heart (Rebel Seoul #2) by Axie Oh

Title: Rogue Heart
Series: Rebel Seoul #2
Author: Axie Oh
Genres: Young Adult sci-fi
Goodreads

NEO BEIJING, 2201. Two years after the Battle of Neo Seoul, eighteen-year-old telepath Ama works by day in a cafe and moonlights as a lounge singer in a smoky bar at night. She’s anonymous, she’s safe from the seemingly never-ending war, and that’s how she’d like to stay. But then PHNX, a resistance group specializing in espionage and covert missions, approaches her with an offer to expose a government experiment exactly like the one she fled. Soon, Ama is traveling with PHNX on a series of dangerous assignments, using her telepathic powers to aid the rebellion against the authoritarian Alliance.

As the war ramps up, PHNX is given its most dangerous mission yet: to infiltrate the base of the Alliance’s new war commander, a young man rumored to have no fear of death. But when Ama sees the commander for the first time, she discovers his identity: Alex Kim, the boy she once loved and who betrayed her.

Now, Ama must use her telepathic abilities to pose as an officer in Alex’s elite guard, manipulating Alex’s mind so that he doesn’t recognize her. As the final battle approaches, Ama struggles with her mission and her feelings for Alex. Will she be able to carry out her task? Or will she give up everything for Alex again—only to be betrayed once more?

Part heist novel, part love story, Rogue Heart is perfect for fans of Marie Lu’s Warcross and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

At the beginning of the year one of my closest friends Elin and I decided to buddy read Rebel Seoul together. And while I was super excited about the book and I really thought I was going to love it I just… didn’t. I liked the world, the politics and the characters themselves, but I couldn’t connect with the writing at all and I strongly disliked the romance. And while I usually don’t pick up sequels for books that I give a less-than-4-star rating to, I couldn’t help but request Rogue Heart when I spotted it on Edelweiss.

I have to admit that I deeply regretted this decision about 2 seconds after I requested it. I mean, I already have so many other books to read, why request one I’m not all that interested in? But I got accepted, and when I made a Twitter poll asking people to decide which ARC I should pick up first this book won. So I picked it up, and I’m so, so happy I did because this book was absolutely incredible.

Review: A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell

Title: A Study in Honor
Series: The Janet Watson Chronicles #1
Author: Claire O’Dell
Genres: Mystery
Goodreads

Dr. Janet Watson knows firsthand the horrifying cost of a divided nation. While treating broken soldiers on the battlefields of the New Civil War, a sniper’s bullet shattered her arm and ended her career. Honorably discharged and struggling with the semi-functional mechanical arm that replaced the limb she lost, she returns to the nation’s capital, a bleak, edgy city in the throes of a fraught presidential election. Homeless and jobless, Watson is uncertain of the future when she meets another black and queer woman, Sara Holmes, a mysterious yet playfully challenging covert agent who offers the doctor a place to stay.

Watson’s readjustment to civilian life is complicated by the infuriating antics of her strange new roommate. But the tensions between them dissolve when Watson discovers that soldiers from the New Civil War have begun dying one by one—and that the deaths may be the tip of something far more dangerous, involving the pharmaceutical industry and even the looming election. Joining forces, Watson and Holmes embark on a thrilling investigation to solve the mystery—and secure justice for these fallen soldiers.

Now, before we get into this review there’s something you should know about me: I am absolute trash for Sherlock Holmes retellings, in whatever shape or form. I really enjoyed the TV show Sherlock, I absolutely adored Elementary, A Study in Charlotte was so much fun, etc. If a book is described as a Sherlock Holmes retelling, I will want to read it.

Something you probably are aware of if you’ve looked at my blog for 5 seconds is that I’m also absolute trash for f/f books. Again, if you tell me a book is f/f and the synopsis even vaguely sounds like something I might enjoy, I will pick it up.

Now, add these two things together and you’ll understand why I was so incredibly excited about A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell, which was described to me as an f/f Sherlock Holmes retelling. But was this everything I hoped it would be? Meh, not really.

Review: You Asked For Perfect by Laura Silverman

Title: You Asked For Perfect
Author: Laura Silverman
Genres: Young Adult contemporary
Goodreads

Senior Ariel Stone is the perfect college applicant: first chair violin, dedicated community volunteer, and expected valedictorian. He works hard – really hard – to make his life look effortless. A failed Calculus quiz is not part of that plan. Not when he’s number one. Not when his peers can smell weakness like a freshman’s body spray.

Figuring a few all-nighters will preserve his class rank, Ariel throws himself into studying. His friends will understand if he skips a few plans, and he can sleep when he graduates. Except Ariel’s grade continues to slide. Reluctantly, he gets a tutor. Amir and Ariel have never gotten along, but Amir excels in Calculus, and Ariel is out of options.

Ariel may not like Calc, but he might like Amir. Except adding a new relationship to his long list of commitments may just push him past his limit.

When I first read Girl Out of Water, Laura Silverman’s debut, I completely fell in love with it. It was (and still is), one of my favorite contemporaries ever and I’ve been calling Laura Silverman one of my favorite authors ever since. So when I first saw the announcement for this book, I was absolutely ecstatic. Not just because we were going to get a new book by this author I love so much, but also because we were getting a book that deals with academic pressure, a topic that is incredibly important and that I haven’t seen a lot of books deal with.

So, you can probably believe that when I received the ‘you’ve been accepted for this ARC’ e-mail from Edelweiss I jumped into this book within a few days. I did hesitate a bit at first, knowing that my expectations were through the roof and being a bit scared that I’d end up being disappointed, but I ended up falling in love with this book from the start, and devouring it in just a few days.

Review: On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

Title: On the Come Up
Author: Angie Thomas
Genres: YA Contemporary
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

Thank you so much to Walker for sending me an ARC of this book. The fact that I got this book for free does not influence my opinion of the book whatsoever. 

I, like probably everyone I know, absolutely adored The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas’ incredibly successful and impactful debut. When On The Come Up was announced it was immediately added to my TBR, and I was positively thrilled when I was able to receive an ARC of this book from Walker YA. And I started reading it the second I got it in the mail.

Obviously, this book has a lot to live up to. Having The Hate U Give, a book that has now been a #1 NYT bestseller for, what? 70 weeks? (Correction, it’s actually 99. NINETY-FREAKING-NINE), as your big book sibling can’t be easy, but this book is an incredibly goodread and definitely stands on its own two feet. I don’t want to compare the book itself to THUG because both are incredibly important stories that you should definitely pick up, and they’re both very unique.

DNF Review: Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills

Title: Famous in a Small Town
Author: Emma Mills
Genres: Young Adult contemporary
Goodreads

For Sophie, small-town life has never felt small. She has the Yum Yum Shoppe, with its famous fourteen flavors of ice cream; her beloved marching band, the pride and joy of Acadia High (even if the football team disagrees); and her four best friends, loving and infuriating, wonderfully weird and all she could ever ask for.

Then August moves in next door. A quiet guy with a magnetic smile, August seems determined to keep everyone at arm’s length. Sophie in particular.

Country stars, revenge plots, and a few fake kisses (along with some excellent real ones) await Sophie in this hilarious, heartfelt story.

Thank you to Macmillan for sending me an ARC of this book! 

I don’t tend to DNF books that often, and I certainly don’t tend to write reviews for these books a lot. The reason why I’m making an exception today is because 1) I got this book for review, and even though I’m sending it to another blogger that will hopefully be able to write a full review on it, I’d feel guilty not reviewing it at all, and 2) I feel like I’ve read enough of the book to talk about it for a little while. Just, keep in mind that I haven’t read the full book, so this review can be taken with a grain of salt.

The reason why I don’t tend to DNF books that often is because I’m a curious person, and almost all books either have characters that I like and I’ll want to know what happens to them, or a plot that intrigues me (even if it’s only a little) and I’ll (again) want to know what happens at the end. This book had neither of those things.

Review: Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

Title: Mammoth
Author: Jill Baguchinsky
Genres: Young Adult contemporary
Goodreads

The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery.

Thank you so much to Turner Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book. 

I enjoyed Mammoth a lot and had an incredibly fun time reading it. I got sucked in from the first few words (or rather, the first drawing) and I never really had the desire to put it down. If I had had time I would have definitely read it in one sitting.

The main character in the book, Natalie Page, adores fashion (and often makes her own pieces) and has a huge passion for paleontology. The book starts off with her getting ready for her internship at an Ice Age dig site in Texas, and this internship was definitely one of my favorite things about the book.

Review: Odd One Out by Nic Stone

Title: Odd One Out
Author: Nic Stone
Genres: Young adult contemporary 
Goodreads

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martincomes this illuminating exploration of old friendships, new crushes, and the path to self-discovery.

Courtney “Coop” Cooper
Dumped. Again. And normally I wouldn’t mind. But right now, my best friend and source of solace, Jupiter Sanchez, is ignoring me to text some girl.

Rae Evelyn Chin
I assumed “new girl” would be synonymous with “pariah,” but Jupiter and Courtney make me feel like I’m right where I belong. I also want to kiss him. And her. Which is . . . perplexing.

Jupiter Charity-Sanchez
The only thing worse than losing the girl you love to a boy is losing her to your boy. That means losing him, too. I have to make a move. . . .

One story.
Three sides.
No easy answers.

I was incredibly excited about this book ever since it was announced. The synopsis sounded amazing, plus Nic Stone wrote one of my favorite books of last year (Dear Martin), so I was sure I was going to love this.

This book is incredibly messy, but in a very good way. I’ve never read a book which encapsulates how messy romantic and sexual attraction is and how incredibly confusing labels are as this book. Because, wow. It is confusing, and this made this book incredibly relatable. Not just for me, but for a lot of other people (and especially teens), too. Plus, the fact that this book features two queer people of colour as main characters makes it even more important.

I ended up listening to the audiobook and it was an incredibly enjoyable experience. It was fun, easy to get into, and it worked very well as an audiobook. The audiobook has a different narrator for each of the three perspectives (Coop, Jupes and Rae), which worked very well. And the fact that the author herself was the narrator for one of the perspectives made the book feel extra special.

However, while I liked most of the book, there were two things in the book that bothered me a lot. One of these things is the bi-erasure and the biphobia, which happens multiple times when one of the characters dismisses the fact that another character could be into her because this character “likes dudes”. Now, this could definitely be seen as a form of self-protection of this character, but there was also another instance in which one of the characters says that “I don’t mess with bisexual girls … Enough girls leave you for dudes, and you learn to keep your distance” which just felt like a punch in the gut. Especially because it was never called out.

Then there’s also the problem of the very iffy age gaps (one of the main characters, 16, sleeps with a woman in her twenties) which is made even worse by the fact that the 16-year old basically begs and pleads the 20-something woman to sleep with her until her initial “no” is turned into a “okay then”. I felt incredibly uncomfortable with this.

So, while I overall enjoyed the book and definitely think it’s an important read, I did have a few rather big problems with it. But I definitely will pick up another Nic Stone book in the future, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll write next.

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Review: This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender

Title: The Is Kind Of an Epic Love Story
Author: Kheryn Callender
Genres: Young Adult contemporary
Goodreads

A fresh, charming rom-com perfect for fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Boy Meets Boy about Nathan Bird, who has sworn off happy endings but is sorely tested when his former best friend, Ollie, moves back to town.

Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings.

Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.

Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.

After a painful mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after?

I have quite a lot of complicated feelings about this one. I liked it, I liked the writing style and I definitely looked forward to picking this book up every time I got the chance, but I just didn’t *love* it. I definitely didn’t love this as much as I expected to, because I definitely went into it expecting it to be a new favorite.

The characters and their relationships felt incredibly real and were super messy, which I loved on the one hand, but also started to annoy me a bit after some time. Especially the main character. He kept messing up and it started to get really hard to root for him, because we mostly saw his not-so-great side. He was pretty pessimistic and tended to run away from his problems, which I could kind of relate to, but it just… it wasn’t a lot of fun for me to read about. And I adored the LI and thought he deserved better, so while I did like the relationship and I’m a sucker for the best-friends-to-lovers-trope, I had a hard time cheering them on.