A heartfelt story about a young woman exploring and reconnecting with her Muslim faith. This was a nicely balanced book in that there were some lighteA heartfelt story about a young woman exploring and reconnecting with her Muslim faith. This was a nicely balanced book in that there were some lighter moments mixed in with some more difficult ones. I enjoyed the family dynamics and the love, support and warmth expressed by the characters.
CW: (view spoiler)[gender identity, mysophobia, blood, death of loved one, poor parenting through restrictive expectations (hide spoiler)]
Well, I needCW: (view spoiler)[gender identity, mysophobia, blood, death of loved one, poor parenting through restrictive expectations (hide spoiler)]
Well, I need to know how can Seanan can make us hurt and happy simultaneously! HOW!
Again it's the characters and their journeys that captivated me in the second installment of this series. This book felt a bit darker than the first because it delved deeply into identity crisis, the darkness of jealousy, and possessive love than can become destructive. I prefer a more subtle approach to themes where the Reader has a chance to make more inferences. In this novel the cause and effect were very loud and obvious. That's just a style preference though and this series is a wonderful tribute to everyone finding their place in whatever world their doorway takes them to. Darkly beautiful!...more
Well that was a light-hearted and entertaining YA story about family.
Whilst this was totally formulaic it still had a certain charm to it. The story was cleverly woven around elements of Chinese history. It's a bit odd that the big reveal for the character is something we as Readers know up front. I don't think the author was going for dramatic irony, so it was just a bit ho-hum waiting for the main character to catch up with information we got in the title! There was a bit of female snark in there which resolves itself nicely. The romance was a bit forced, and in my opinion unnecessary, as the focus of this story was the family mystery and Gemma finding her voice as an actress. Just okay for me....more
CW: (view spoiler)[homophobia, domestic abuse, alcoholism, child neglect, depression, dealing with grief, death of mother, emotional abuse of child, oCW: (view spoiler)[homophobia, domestic abuse, alcoholism, child neglect, depression, dealing with grief, death of mother, emotional abuse of child, on page suicide attempt (hide spoiler)]
Well this was a powerful story but unfortunately lacked detail.
I have read a lot of verse novels so can say with some authority that they can be full and richly told. Whilst the story was hard-hitting and the characters engaging, I needed there to be a bit more information to connect with during the story telling. I was somewhat invested but not enough to get particularly emotional at any point. I still think this is a good addition to a high school library. Please note the content warnings....more
Well that was a charming YA romance with an endearing Thai American CW: (view spoiler)[Mother abandons son and husband for another man (hide spoiler)]
Well that was a charming YA romance with an endearing Thai American main character.
This story will appeal to many as it was filled with some standard YA romance tropes making it a fairly 'safe' read. However, this will stand above other similar books for me because the characters were so enjoyable to read about and I adored the family dynamics. The romance was cute and flirty with some witty banter thrown in. It also touched upon some coming-of-age/identity type issues as Winnie struggles in the shadows of her amazing and accomplished older twin sisters. I really enjoyed this light-hearted YA rom-com....more
3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 because of #pooney ?...#roop ?.....okay I'll leave the mashup to someone else.
CW: (view spoiler)[arophobia, acephobia, exces3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 because of #pooney ?...#roop ?.....okay I'll leave the mashup to someone else.
CW: (view spoiler)[arophobia, acephobia, excessive alcohol consumption, parents discuss conversion therapy, discussion of past abusive relationships. (hide spoiler)]
Well Alice Oseman has written another important book.
I say this because everyone should be able to see themselves represented in books and on-screen. This is an important part of being a diverse and inclusive society. It is also crucial to note that this is one character's experience of exploring their sexuality, and that everyone's journey will look different. People have the right to define themselves in whatever way they feel appropriate and labels don't have to be concrete definitions.
Now on to the story. It took a while to get into and felt long. I would totally read a companion novella that looked at Pip and Rooney's relationship because for me they actually hijacked the book a bit because I adored them so much. There was a point where I realised I was more invested in them than in Georgia's story. Don't get me wrong, I also loved Georgia and her messy and emotional journey to find her truth. I also felt the writing was a bit clumsy at times. Engaging and important....more
CW: (view spoiler)[Suicidal thoughts, mental health issues resulting in child neglect and institutionalisation (possib#3 in the Goodreads NZ Readathon
CW: (view spoiler)[Suicidal thoughts, mental health issues resulting in child neglect and institutionalisation (possibly bipolar), racial stereotyping, animal cruelty. (hide spoiler)]
Warning: This book will bring on an intense desire to eat dumplings and other delicious Chinese food.
What a gem of a book. I loved the dynamics between the different family members and reading about the customary deferential treatment of parents in Chinese culture. The way the tension built up slowly was quite masterful. As the mother started becoming more erratic I could feel my own anxiety rising as an inevitable breaking point drew closer. I thought the portrayal of the stigma around mental illness was good, and having the Chinese cultural views carefully and respectfully added in brought another layer of depth. The heart-breaking moments were balanced nicely with the warmth I felt at the loving moments between the siblings. I think this is also quite an important book in terms of understanding the pressures faced by young people who have family responsibilities and obligations. These responsibilities are juggled with school, following their own interests/hobbies, building relationships and developing their own sense of identity. Anna is navigating all of this as a Chinese-Australian. This adds a further layer of complexity as her parents maintain that their Chinese values need to be upheld by the family. Anna was an endearing character and I really enjoyed her journey.
A book with incredible heart and depth. I thoroughly recommend it....more
The inner voice of teen worry and self doubt is captured really well in this book. I remember hearing almost exactly the same kinds of selCW: Drug use
The inner voice of teen worry and self doubt is captured really well in this book. I remember hearing almost exactly the same kinds of self-criticisms tumbling through my brain. If I’m honest, they still do the rounds in my head from time to time in social situations. This book is all about Carla losing herself to better fit in with the ‘popular’ group. This is a pretty common high school story line and this book doesn’t particularly stand out above the others. There is a lot of drug use but it isn’t a gritty foray into the world of drug addiction. It’s more of a dainty dabble into a teen drug users life. It is an important issue though, and as I mentioned earlier the inner monologue is quite authentic. It showed how easily you can get swept into this world with a few harmless ‘tries’. The only alarming part for me was when someone commented that Carla had lost weight. She was really pleased they had noticed and credited ‘stress and drug use’ as being slimming! I should have written down the exact quote but it was an audiobook and the pen and paper were over there *points to kitchen table*. Overall, the book is okay, although I did want to shake some sense into Carla a few times, but I hear that is frowned upon....more
CW: (view spoiler)[death of a friend after a car accident, detailed sexual content, underage drinking, drug use, depression, grief, anxiety (hide spoiCW: (view spoiler)[death of a friend after a car accident, detailed sexual content, underage drinking, drug use, depression, grief, anxiety (hide spoiler)]
Firstly, let’s put a bit more effort into our book covers people! *shakes head slowly in disappointment*
This isn’t what I was expecting and it was a slow burn for me. I thought I was going to be reading a light-hearted book about a teenager with a bruised ego proving themselves to their writing teacher. I suppose that is what I got minus the light-hearted part. It turned out to be a deeper exploration of dealing with grief, depression, sexuality, friendships, falling in love, and making peace with the idea of proving one's worth to oneself and not others. The cast was extremely diverse which was wonderful. This diversity contributed to the conflict some characters felt as they navigated life whilst experiencing it through their various ‘lenses’. There was a lot of worrying in the book. That’s okay and an important part of the characters' journeys. However, when you spend a lot of time reading about people who are in a near continual state of anxiety it can mean you don’t get an opportunity to get to know them. I didn’t dislike Laila, I just couldn’t see much of HER as the anxiety and then depression became all consuming. I didn’t enjoy the relationships that both teachers developed with Laila as they felt ‘off’ and a bit unhealthy. Overall I enjoyed this book because I could relate to the themes and I enjoyed the witty dialogue, but I didn’t feel invested in the characters themselves. I did, however, say a loud "YES!" at the end of her final interaction with her teacher. (view spoiler)[Reclaim your power! (hide spoiler)]...more
An excellent bilingual story featuring a teenager confused about the impact of colonisation in NZ and looking to understand his Māori heritage. It draAn excellent bilingual story featuring a teenager confused about the impact of colonisation in NZ and looking to understand his Māori heritage. It draws on beautifully illustrated traditional Māori legends to show Kahi his true identity. A must have for NZ libraries....more
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