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This book feels like a warm hug. It was beautifully written and I loved how stories of Ellie’s sixth-great-grandmother were incorporated into the book. If I could describe this book in one word it would be ATMOSPHERIC. It just feels so real and tangible and magical. I loved all the supernatural aspects. I honestly had no idea what this book was about going in, but the mix of the supernatural with a contemporary setting wasn’t jarring at all. It was quite seamlessly done and makes me want more books set in this world following Ellie and Jay. Speaking of Jay...this book is all about family and friendship and taking care of each other and I loved that so so much. It made me
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an e-arc of Rent a Boyfriend. This was one of my highly anticipated contemporary releases of 2020, and it definitely exceeded my expectations!
I don’t even know where to start with these reviews because my feelings are so complex and hard to put into words. Gloria Chao’s books are incredible. I go into them knowing it’s going to be relatable, and it’s probably going to hurt and make me cry, but also make me smile, and yet I’m still surprised every time. It goes to show how so many experiences are universal and that you really aren’t alone. Cultures may seem different on first glance, but there are just as many similarities.
I really felt for Chloe. So much. The reason I was drawn to this book was because of how easy it was to picture myself as Chloe. I am her in so many ways, and watching her make the decisions she made was like following me in the future.
There’s one moment that really stood out to me. Drew tells Chloe that her decisions came from a place of love, from wanting to try and make her parents happy, even if it was just temporary, to keep the peace, though at the expense of her own happiness. That this makes her a good person. Someone who is selfless and cares. And the guilt she feels for lying to her parents and also wanting to be happy and herself, just proves how difficult it is and how she’s only trying to do her best. She isn’t a bad person for making the decisions she did. And Drew understands how difficult it is to accept that and live with that, because he’s gone through it himself. And while Chloe stays silent, and Drew realizes she needs time to accept these feelings, it just hit me how his words are similar to ones I’ve heard. And it hurt to realize how similar of a position I am in as Chloe, and how one day I’ll go through this too and come to accept that my happiness and well-being is just as important.
I loved this about Drew’s role in this story. He’s Chloe years in the future, having accepted that the decisions he made were for the best, that he tried to keep his relationship with his family together, but it was his parents who chose to break it apart. It’s a lesson for a lot of us. To extend that olive branch, yet also stay true to ourselves. And give the other side the opportunity to reach out and grab that olive branch back. And if they choose not to, you tried, and there’s nothing more you can do except move on and try to heal.
Drew was a lovely character. He’s so kind and patient and observant. I also love how emotional he is and how openly he cries. It’s still rare to see guys showing emotion in books.
A couple other things I liked about this book were the conversations on culture. I understood why Chloe felt so disconnected from it. There’s a lovely part at the end where Chloe comes to realize that the good parts of her Chinese culture are hidden and forgotten behind all the toxic stuff. And it reminded me of how Pakistani culture is like that too. I’ve always said the toxic aspects outweigh the good, but that’s not completely true. We focus a lot on the toxic parts that we forget the good things that come out of it too.
I love how the ending contrasts with how things went with Drew and his family. I did not expect Chloe’s dad to come around so quickly, but her mom’s reaction was exactly what I would have expected. I am glad that they didn’t disown her, but I also like how realistic this was. It wouldn’t have made sense for her parents to immediately accept Drew and what Chloe had done. Yet, the opposite extreme would have left me quite miserable, so I’m glad things ended on a hopeful note.
Also, I totally love how Drew and Chloe got together to make Rent for your ‘Rents even better. They’re totally going to be a power couple in that company.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone, but especially if you’re South Asian and looking for a contemporary book that you can relate to. This one hits on so many points, and I even almost cried? Or maybe I did cry and I’m blocking that out of my memory. 4.5/5 ⭐️
I don’t even know where to start with these reviews because my feelings are so complex and hard to put into words. Gloria Chao’s books are incredible. I go into them knowing it’s going to be relatable, and it’s probably going to hurt and make me cry, but also make me smile, and yet I’m still surprised every time. It goes to show how so many experiences are universal and that you really aren’t alone. Cultures may seem different on first glance, but there are just as many similarities.
I really felt for Chloe. So much. The reason I was drawn to this book was because of how easy it was to picture myself as Chloe. I am her in so many ways, and watching her make the decisions she made was like following me in the future.
There’s one moment that really stood out to me. Drew tells Chloe that her decisions came from a place of love, from wanting to try and make her parents happy, even if it was just temporary, to keep the peace, though at the expense of her own happiness. That this makes her a good person. Someone who is selfless and cares. And the guilt she feels for lying to her parents and also wanting to be happy and herself, just proves how difficult it is and how she’s only trying to do her best. She isn’t a bad person for making the decisions she did. And Drew understands how difficult it is to accept that and live with that, because he’s gone through it himself. And while Chloe stays silent, and Drew realizes she needs time to accept these feelings, it just hit me how his words are similar to ones I’ve heard. And it hurt to realize how similar of a position I am in as Chloe, and how one day I’ll go through this too and come to accept that my happiness and well-being is just as important.
I loved this about Drew’s role in this story. He’s Chloe years in the future, having accepted that the decisions he made were for the best, that he tried to keep his relationship with his family together, but it was his parents who chose to break it apart. It’s a lesson for a lot of us. To extend that olive branch, yet also stay true to ourselves. And give the other side the opportunity to reach out and grab that olive branch back. And if they choose not to, you tried, and there’s nothing more you can do except move on and try to heal.
Drew was a lovely character. He’s so kind and patient and observant. I also love how emotional he is and how openly he cries. It’s still rare to see guys showing emotion in books.
A couple other things I liked about this book were the conversations on culture. I understood why Chloe felt so disconnected from it. There’s a lovely part at the end where Chloe comes to realize that the good parts of her Chinese culture are hidden and forgotten behind all the toxic stuff. And it reminded me of how Pakistani culture is like that too. I’ve always said the toxic aspects outweigh the good, but that’s not completely true. We focus a lot on the toxic parts that we forget the good things that come out of it too.
I love how the ending contrasts with how things went with Drew and his family. I did not expect Chloe’s dad to come around so quickly, but her mom’s reaction was exactly what I would have expected. I am glad that they didn’t disown her, but I also like how realistic this was. It wouldn’t have made sense for her parents to immediately accept Drew and what Chloe had done. Yet, the opposite extreme would have left me quite miserable, so I’m glad things ended on a hopeful note.
Also, I totally love how Drew and Chloe got together to make Rent for your ‘Rents even better. They’re totally going to be a power couple in that company.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone, but especially if you’re South Asian and looking for a contemporary book that you can relate to. This one hits on so many points, and I even almost cried? Or maybe I did cry and I’m blocking that out of my memory.
Spoiler
There’s just a very painfully relatable scene where Chloe tells Drew what her mom said about her not being likeable and desirable enough for anyone else, so she should be happy Hongbo is willing to marry her and that just hit me a bit too hard
Absolutely loved this glimpse of Alyrra’s life before Thorn. It’s honestly so sad and heartbreaking reading how Alyrra’s mother and brother treat her. It makes me just as angry as I was reading Thorn. That people that evil and heartless and selfish can exist, and that they actually experience joy when they hurt someone else. It’s awful. This short novella really shows the power in the found family. Family is not just blood, it’s people who make you feel safe and cared for, it’s people who you can be yourself around, and it’s people who you can depend on to not leave you behind when times are tough.
What can I say...I forgot so many things from my first read, so it was actually nice to reread and be surprised and shocked and on the edge of my seat. These characters, the friendships, ugh just everything. It’s absolute perfection. Talone and Finn and Razo and Enna. I loved seeing Ani grow as a character and Geric is such a softie and so awkward and sweet I love him. Excited to reread the rest of the series!
Actually quite enjoyed this one. I think I was expecting something more scary and nightmare-inducing, but this book is disturbing nonetheless. I wish we got to see more of Vera though, and her kittens. Also love the author for mentioning her cat Luna in the acknowledgments.
I’m very happy that Gretal forced me to read this book as my first book of 2021. It’s old fantasy and makes me reminisce on my childhood. I loved the writing. It flowed well and was very quick and easy to read. And Cimorene is such a great character. She’s brave and smart and witty and I just love everything about her. Kazul too was amazing and I’m so excited to read the rest of the books in this series. Also, Morwen lives with like a hundred cats and I think I love her and want to be her
This book was just as great as the first and I didn’t even mind the romance. I wish more ya could follow the footsteps of old fantasy, where the romance is not in your face and plays a more background role in the plot. I love how we get to see little glimpses of Mendanbar’s affections for Cimorene. It’s not all “omg her eyes”, “I can’t stop staring at her body”, “I want to kiss her”, but it’s more “I like being around her”, “she’s so interesting and intelligent”, “she’s worried about me, it’s nice to be cared about, but I don’t want her to worry either”. It’s all so soft and good and I love it so much. Also we got to see more of Morwen and her cats and she has a cat named Chaos and I could scream I love it so much. And we even had an adorable wedding at the end
I think my least favourite of the series. Killer just really annoyed me for pretty much the whole book, and some of the magic stuff was confusing but that might just be because I was tired while reading. The ending was definitely not what I was expecting though, so I’m curious to see how things end
A good conclusion to the series. I loved the lizard Suz, he’s very cute. But I don’t know about the ending. Morwen and Telemain ending up together didn’t make much sense to me. I preferred them staying as friends. And Cimorene immediately deciding Daystar would marry Shiara came out of nowhere. Also Mendanbar’s reaction to having a son was anticlimactic. He was just like “okay, son, now I go talk to dragons, it was nice meeting you.” And even his reunion with Cimorene was a bit weird. It was a reunion though so I did like it, but there just wasn’t as much emotion as I was hoping for. Overall, a pretty fun and unique series, and they’re very quick reads!
I swear I thought I had a review for this one. It either deleted itself, or I never ended up writing one during my first read.
Anyway...
This is quite a powerful, empowering book. It brings to light a topic that isn’t discussed enough in our communities. The idea that someone who is religious on the outside, is a good person on the inside (or in private) is quite flawed, and we see that with Farooq. I’ll admit, he made my blood-boil. Like, if I knew him in person, I’d strangle him. I remember feeling that way the first time I read this book, but this time around, seeing him twist Janna’s life and reputation to suit his own needs, to keep her silent and in his control, it made me so angry. Janna’s journey from being embarrassed and ashamed and guilty and confused to standing up for herself and speaking her truth was really well done. I wish we could have seen them destroy Farooq though. And I’d love to see how Fizz reacts. She really annoyed me this time around (I’m sure she did the first time too), but she’s the kind of Muslim we all know and hate. Someone who is quick to make judgements on other people’s lives, and who thinks her way of things is superior and correct. I’m interested to see where things are with Fizz and Farooq in Misfits in Love.
Besides that, Sausun kind of annoyed me. She’s very harsh and not super empathetic. And I guess her life and what happened to her sister made her this way. At the same time, she does give Janna the boost she needs to stand up for herself, I just wish she was a bit nicer?
The whole thing between Janna and Jeremy though...If I did write a review for this book the first time, I probably mentioned this. I totally understand that people struggle with their faith, but I honestly didn’t like how Janna removing her hijab for a boy wasn’t challenged in any way. We see Janna realizing that her life and her priorities probably don’t align in a way for her to date Jeremy, but that’s pretty much it. I wish there was something more.
I really enjoyed Tats character this time around though, and the end was super sweet. Also Nuh! I forgot this book doesn’t end with them together. For some reason I thought it did lol but now I’m excited to see what happens in Misfits in Love.
3.5/5 stars!
Anyway...
This is quite a powerful, empowering book. It brings to light a topic that isn’t discussed enough in our communities. The idea that someone who is religious on the outside, is a good person on the inside (or in private) is quite flawed, and we see that with Farooq. I’ll admit, he made my blood-boil. Like, if I knew him in person, I’d strangle him. I remember feeling that way the first time I read this book, but this time around, seeing him twist Janna’s life and reputation to suit his own needs, to keep her silent and in his control, it made me so angry. Janna’s journey from being embarrassed and ashamed and guilty and confused to standing up for herself and speaking her truth was really well done. I wish we could have seen them destroy Farooq though. And I’d love to see how Fizz reacts. She really annoyed me this time around (I’m sure she did the first time too), but she’s the kind of Muslim we all know and hate. Someone who is quick to make judgements on other people’s lives, and who thinks her way of things is superior and correct. I’m interested to see where things are with Fizz and Farooq in Misfits in Love.
Besides that, Sausun kind of annoyed me. She’s very harsh and not super empathetic. And I guess her life and what happened to her sister made her this way. At the same time, she does give Janna the boost she needs to stand up for herself, I just wish she was a bit nicer?
The whole thing between Janna and Jeremy though...If I did write a review for this book the first time, I probably mentioned this. I totally understand that people struggle with their faith, but I honestly didn’t like how Janna removing her hijab for a boy wasn’t challenged in any way. We see Janna realizing that her life and her priorities probably don’t align in a way for her to date Jeremy, but that’s pretty much it. I wish there was something more.
I really enjoyed Tats character this time around though, and the end was super sweet. Also Nuh! I forgot this book doesn’t end with them together. For some reason I thought it did lol but now I’m excited to see what happens in Misfits in Love.
3.5/5 stars!