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aliciaclarereads's Reviews (1.25k)
read for Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: a book that takes place in a single day
I think I'm settling on a 3.5 rating, but I'm not quite sure if I want to round up or round down for Goodreads.
I enjoyed my time reading this! Maurene Goo has such a fun style and really interesting premises that sucks me in every damn time. This book was pitched as Roman Holiday but with a k-pop star in Hong Kong, and I knew I had to get my hands on it. Lucky and Jack sightsee and eat their way through the city (don't read this on an empty stomach), and become more and more infatuated with one another. It was so sweet and I squealed and curled my toes and had all the proper reactions one should have in a rom-com.
The main reason I feel iffy about giving this a higher rating is that the entire foundation of Lucky and Jack's romance is built on a lie. Lucky is pretending to be a normal girl, and Jack is pretending he doesn't know who she really is in order sneak a story about her. Oh and how they first connect is when Lucky is super high on sleeping meds and that just felt... icky. The power dynamic was off for a lot of the book, and frankly, I don't love rom-coms that are built on lies. I know this is a retelling of a classic film! And it's hard to modernize a story about celebrities having a free day out in a world of social media. And I do commend Goo because I thought she did that well. It's just... I think there's only so far this modernization can go. And I just felt so uncomfortable during their initial meeting because Lucky's written as if she's out of her mind drunk. It just made Jack seem way creepier at first, even though it didn't at all imply that Jack was anything but a gentleman and had absolutely zero designs on taking advantage of her (until he finds out she's famous and talks her into spending the day together). I don't know if I'm making sense, but I just couldn't really start to enjoy the book until about third of the way in.
I did enjoy this though! It's a fun, light romp as long as you don't think too deeply about how they get into this situation. Jack and Lucky play off each other well, and I love the variety of cultural experiences they have. They're both Korean-American and ex-pats, Lucky in Korea as an idol and Jack in Hong Kong. It gave the book a really new fresh take, which is one of the reasons I think Goo is such a great voice in the YA contemporary community. This wasn't my favorite from her, but I'm still willing to pick up anything she writes!
I think I'm settling on a 3.5 rating, but I'm not quite sure if I want to round up or round down for Goodreads.
I enjoyed my time reading this! Maurene Goo has such a fun style and really interesting premises that sucks me in every damn time. This book was pitched as Roman Holiday but with a k-pop star in Hong Kong, and I knew I had to get my hands on it. Lucky and Jack sightsee and eat their way through the city (don't read this on an empty stomach), and become more and more infatuated with one another. It was so sweet and I squealed and curled my toes and had all the proper reactions one should have in a rom-com.
The main reason I feel iffy about giving this a higher rating is that the entire foundation of Lucky and Jack's romance is built on a lie. Lucky is pretending to be a normal girl, and Jack is pretending he doesn't know who she really is in order sneak a story about her. Oh and how they first connect is when Lucky is super high on sleeping meds and that just felt... icky. The power dynamic was off for a lot of the book, and frankly, I don't love rom-coms that are built on lies. I know this is a retelling of a classic film! And it's hard to modernize a story about celebrities having a free day out in a world of social media. And I do commend Goo because I thought she did that well. It's just... I think there's only so far this modernization can go. And I just felt so uncomfortable during their initial meeting because Lucky's written as if she's out of her mind drunk. It just made Jack seem way creepier at first, even though it didn't at all imply that Jack was anything but a gentleman and had absolutely zero designs on taking advantage of her (until he finds out she's famous and talks her into spending the day together). I don't know if I'm making sense, but I just couldn't really start to enjoy the book until about third of the way in.
I did enjoy this though! It's a fun, light romp as long as you don't think too deeply about how they get into this situation. Jack and Lucky play off each other well, and I love the variety of cultural experiences they have. They're both Korean-American and ex-pats, Lucky in Korea as an idol and Jack in Hong Kong. It gave the book a really new fresh take, which is one of the reasons I think Goo is such a great voice in the YA contemporary community. This wasn't my favorite from her, but I'm still willing to pick up anything she writes!
Took a six month hiatus, but finally got around to finishing this collection. I'm a Keats fan through and through, and not just because family lore says we're related somehow to Keats.
NK JEMISIN, WE HAVE DECIDED TO STAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I will write a real review when I gather my thoughts and I'm not just SCREAMING ABOUT THIS ENDING)
(I will write a real review when I gather my thoughts and I'm not just SCREAMING ABOUT THIS ENDING)
read for Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: a novel based on a true story
This was a short and impactful little picture book telling the story of Indian Boarding schools inspired by Dupuis' grandmother's experience. It's so heartbreaking, but Dupuis's grandmother was lucky compared to some as she only spent one year away from her family. Still, it's horrific to know that this happened to some many children. The illustrations were really beautiful. They conveyed the seriousness of the story while still avoiding anything graphic about the abuse suffered by these children.
I think this is really great story for kids to talk about this issue. It's important we remember the mistakes and atrocities of the past so that they aren't repeated. What we have done to the Indigenous and First Nation peoples in the US and Canada is horrible.
This was a short and impactful little picture book telling the story of Indian Boarding schools inspired by Dupuis' grandmother's experience. It's so heartbreaking, but Dupuis's grandmother was lucky compared to some as she only spent one year away from her family. Still, it's horrific to know that this happened to some many children. The illustrations were really beautiful. They conveyed the seriousness of the story while still avoiding anything graphic about the abuse suffered by these children.
I think this is really great story for kids to talk about this issue. It's important we remember the mistakes and atrocities of the past so that they aren't repeated. What we have done to the Indigenous and First Nation peoples in the US and Canada is horrible.
This book has been getting a ton of praise, winning award after award, and just generally become one of the more recent hyped books in YA. And it's all 100% accurate.
I listened to this audiobook all in one afternoon (it's only 3.5 hours!) and I was obsessed. Acevedo herself narrates this book and she does an incredible job. I was so entranced by her rhythm and meter; it felt like I had music on. The poems are quick and sharp with an absolute expert use of language. I need a physical copy ASAP so that I can go in and annotate my favorite verses. She had me laughing, nodding and smiling, and straight up crying as she tackles identity, growing up, religion, parental relationships, and falling in love. Although my life is wildly different from Xiomara's I felt so connected to her, as if she's my best friend I haven't yet met. I'm can't say enough gushing things, and truly I cannot think of any negatives about this book.
Do not sleep on this book. Believe the hype. Get ready to be blown away.
I listened to this audiobook all in one afternoon (it's only 3.5 hours!) and I was obsessed. Acevedo herself narrates this book and she does an incredible job. I was so entranced by her rhythm and meter; it felt like I had music on. The poems are quick and sharp with an absolute expert use of language. I need a physical copy ASAP so that I can go in and annotate my favorite verses. She had me laughing, nodding and smiling, and straight up crying as she tackles identity, growing up, religion, parental relationships, and falling in love. Although my life is wildly different from Xiomara's I felt so connected to her, as if she's my best friend I haven't yet met. I'm can't say enough gushing things, and truly I cannot think of any negatives about this book.
Do not sleep on this book. Believe the hype. Get ready to be blown away.
It took me a bit to get really engaged in this story, but by the end of this I was squealing and feeling warm and cozy. Michael and Stella were a really great match, and oh boy I just love a hero who is so deeply in love with the heroine and they keep talking about how proud they are of her. Stella's love of her work and her job was really lovely. I like that she was a math oriented person, specifically stats. It felt like a more obscure choice for a STEM minded heroine. The side characters are fun and I'm really pumped for Hoang to explore this family more in her following books.
The author's note at the end reinforced my decision to up this rating from 3.5 to 4, because autistic women are so rarely represented but they are out there! The only other book I can think of with an autistic character is [b:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|1618|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|Mark Haddon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479863624i/1618._SY75_.jpg|4259809], which I enjoyed, but is written by a neurotypical author. So to have own voices rep in the story of an Asian woman
The author's note at the end reinforced my decision to up this rating from 3.5 to 4, because autistic women are so rarely represented but they are out there! The only other book I can think of with an autistic character is [b:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|1618|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|Mark Haddon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479863624i/1618._SY75_.jpg|4259809], which I enjoyed, but is written by a neurotypical author. So to have own voices rep in the story of an Asian woman
