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amandasbrews's Reviews (454)
I got an advanced copy of this book and I'm SO EXCITED! AHHHH
I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily
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I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
wow this book tore me apart i have never felt more seen this is 100% a new favorite
Emotional, heart-wrenching, glamorous, anti-colonialist, beautiful, epic, priceless
Portrait of a Thief surprised me more than any other book that I've read this year. This book is absolutely stunning and I can't believe it exists. The entire book is an absolute love letter to Asian-Americans. I was incredibly underprepared. I went into this book looking for a heist to steal back artifacts that had been stolen from China and came out feeling like I had reevaluated my entire identity as an Asian-American. Grace Li's stunning debut novel is an absolute treasure and should not be missed by a single person.
Quick Summary: Throughout history and even until today, museums have always displayed the spoils of war, conquest, and colonialism. A Chinese-American senior at Harvard, Will Chen, plans to steal priceless artifacts from museums around the world, artifacts initially stolen from China, and return them to their rightful home. He and his gang set out on their own Oceans Eleven worthy heist to make their mark in history and earn fifty million dollars, but the challenges they face force them to confront their own Chinese identity as they attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
This book touched my soul so deeply I can't even begin to explain how important it is to me. Grace Li explores what it means to be Asian American, or Asian diaspora, in such a beautiful way. She explains the constant battle between rejecting your heritage and fighting so desperately to hang on to what you have left and it left a huge mark on my heart. The heist slowly changed from stealing back artifacts that were stolen from China to an exploration of how urgently the characters were fighting to steal back their Chinese heritage that was taken from them, as it is taken from so many of us in ways we never expected. Their desperate attempt to get China to love them back is all too familiar and all too heartbreaking. Being Asian-American we often are told that we are neither American enough nor Asian (insert your own heritage here) enough and these characters embody it so deeply. Continue Reading
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Emotional, heart-wrenching, glamorous, anti-colonialist, beautiful, epic, priceless
Portrait of a Thief surprised me more than any other book that I've read this year. This book is absolutely stunning and I can't believe it exists. The entire book is an absolute love letter to Asian-Americans. I was incredibly underprepared. I went into this book looking for a heist to steal back artifacts that had been stolen from China and came out feeling like I had reevaluated my entire identity as an Asian-American. Grace Li's stunning debut novel is an absolute treasure and should not be missed by a single person.
Quick Summary: Throughout history and even until today, museums have always displayed the spoils of war, conquest, and colonialism. A Chinese-American senior at Harvard, Will Chen, plans to steal priceless artifacts from museums around the world, artifacts initially stolen from China, and return them to their rightful home. He and his gang set out on their own Oceans Eleven worthy heist to make their mark in history and earn fifty million dollars, but the challenges they face force them to confront their own Chinese identity as they attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
This book touched my soul so deeply I can't even begin to explain how important it is to me. Grace Li explores what it means to be Asian American, or Asian diaspora, in such a beautiful way. She explains the constant battle between rejecting your heritage and fighting so desperately to hang on to what you have left and it left a huge mark on my heart. The heist slowly changed from stealing back artifacts that were stolen from China to an exploration of how urgently the characters were fighting to steal back their Chinese heritage that was taken from them, as it is taken from so many of us in ways we never expected. Their desperate attempt to get China to love them back is all too familiar and all too heartbreaking. Being Asian-American we often are told that we are neither American enough nor Asian (insert your own heritage here) enough and these characters embody it so deeply. Continue Reading
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Happy book birthday to Lena Nguyen!!!! I was super drawn in the entire time in this really well researched space horror! I definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a scary space story with robots and mysterious space things!
Wow this book was absolutely stunning, if you have a minute, head over and read me ramble about how good it was. The more I think about it the more I love it. Check it out here. :)
Here's a review preview:
Breathtakingly beautiful, lyrical, stunning, devastating, important
I found Things We Lost to the Water a day before this book was published, through Loan Le on twitter. Considering A Pho Love Story was one of my favorite recent reads (you can read my review here, if you want!), I immediately requested to read it. I didn’t even look into it past the fact that it goes into the immigrant experience of a Vietnamese family. Let me tell you that it did not disappoint. This story was incredible. I soaked in every moment of it with deep emotion and appreciation that this book exists.
Things We Lost to the Water follows a mother and her two sons who escape from Vietnam and make it to New Orleans. It’s an epic family tale, spanning 26 years that tells of how the family grows, falls apart, and grapples with what it means to be Vietnamese in New Orleans.
It’s hard to put into words how great this book was. It’s full of so many small experiences and feelings that to mention every thing would be too much. The book dives into the deep complexities of being forced to leave Vietnam and start a new life for yourself in a new country. A country that doesn’t care about you, but that you find yourself, inevitably, assimilating into. It shows us the feeling of longing for a place and a people you’ve never been through the sons, and the repercussions of wanting to shield your children from your trauma from the mother. Continue reading...
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I received a free copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily
Here's a review preview:
Breathtakingly beautiful, lyrical, stunning, devastating, important
I found Things We Lost to the Water a day before this book was published, through Loan Le on twitter. Considering A Pho Love Story was one of my favorite recent reads (you can read my review here, if you want!), I immediately requested to read it. I didn’t even look into it past the fact that it goes into the immigrant experience of a Vietnamese family. Let me tell you that it did not disappoint. This story was incredible. I soaked in every moment of it with deep emotion and appreciation that this book exists.
Things We Lost to the Water follows a mother and her two sons who escape from Vietnam and make it to New Orleans. It’s an epic family tale, spanning 26 years that tells of how the family grows, falls apart, and grapples with what it means to be Vietnamese in New Orleans.
It’s hard to put into words how great this book was. It’s full of so many small experiences and feelings that to mention every thing would be too much. The book dives into the deep complexities of being forced to leave Vietnam and start a new life for yourself in a new country. A country that doesn’t care about you, but that you find yourself, inevitably, assimilating into. It shows us the feeling of longing for a place and a people you’ve never been through the sons, and the repercussions of wanting to shield your children from your trauma from the mother. Continue reading...
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I received a free copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily
The Red Palace is a book I've been looking forward to for quite a while. I loved June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls and I know she's incredible at creating a very atmospheric and compelling mystery. When I heard this was loosely based on the tragedy of Prince Sado and that June has personally been interested in his story for so long, I was so excited! I loved how the story shared Prince Sado's story in a way that wasn't overwhelming. The way we got an inside look at his life without being too intimate with him was such a compelling way to tell his story. Especially since it is a story where so much is unknown in history.
The way that Hur creates intrigue around Prince Sado's life was so indicative of her curiosity for the story and a great example of how well she can write. I found myself hoping for more glimpses into his life with every single turn. Every clue that we got I just wanted to get closer to the Crowned Prince. The way that June Hur is able to get you just as interested as she is in the Crowned Prince's story is such a gift and I was so impressed.
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The way that Hur creates intrigue around Prince Sado's life was so indicative of her curiosity for the story and a great example of how well she can write. I found myself hoping for more glimpses into his life with every single turn. Every clue that we got I just wanted to get closer to the Crowned Prince. The way that June Hur is able to get you just as interested as she is in the Crowned Prince's story is such a gift and I was so impressed.
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I'm absolutely in love with this book. I cried so much reading this joyful story because it's just done so well. Vietnamese women are chaotic, passionate, strong, and stubborn, and this book showcases them from every wonderful side. Full review to come but I'm positively enamored.
I just learned that this book is a September Book of the Month pick and I've never been so emotional. This book taught me that Vietnamese women are complex, nuanced, passionate, and so much more. This book showed me that I don't need to grow into my Vietnamese-ness, but that I am Vietnamese and that is enough. Thank you Carolyn for writing this beauty. It is one of my all time favorite books.
I keep seeing this book everywhere and it warms my heart to no end to see the amount of love that Vietnamese women put into this book to make it what it is today. This book is something we've needed for so long and I hope it can give to others as much healing as it has given to me.
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Pre-reading comments:
Jan 16, 2022 - you can now request this book on netgalley!!! make sure to request it if you're the early reviewer type
I just learned that this book is a September Book of the Month pick and I've never been so emotional. This book taught me that Vietnamese women are complex, nuanced, passionate, and so much more. This book showed me that I don't need to grow into my Vietnamese-ness, but that I am Vietnamese and that is enough. Thank you Carolyn for writing this beauty. It is one of my all time favorite books.
I keep seeing this book everywhere and it warms my heart to no end to see the amount of love that Vietnamese women put into this book to make it what it is today. This book is something we've needed for so long and I hope it can give to others as much healing as it has given to me.
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Pre-reading comments:
Jan 16, 2022 - you can now request this book on netgalley!!! make sure to request it if you're the early reviewer type
khōréō is the magazine that I never knew I needed, sharing the stories that I didn’t realize could touch my heart so much. I spent a good portion of my time reading this shedding tears alongside the words. There is no way to really explain what it feels like to finally start being seen, and told that it is okay for you to be 100% you, even if you get some of other people’s story wrong. Of course it is an endless and continuous journey, but khōréō has given me a piece of it, and I am in love with that feeling. Thank you.
Read my full review here. Plus read about the incredible authors!
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest
Read my full review here. Plus read about the incredible authors!
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest
This book was SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read my full review here, but here is a preview:
Sweet, romantic, exciting, frustrating, beautiful, and loving
If This Gets Out is way cuter than I anticipated. I really enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the internal dialogue between the two main characters, and I loved how each of the boys had such different personalities. I found myself more than one time smiling at myself while reading because I felt like I was a teen falling in love at the same time. Well done!
If This Gets Out follows an incredibly famous boy band, Saturday, and it’s members. It mostly centers around Ruben, who is gay, but forced to be silenced by the record label, and Zach, who believes himself to be straight, but ultimately just hasn’t explored his sexuality yet. It starts out with these two best friends switching between their perspectives as they steal glances at each other. After they venture onto their international tour, tensions rise and everything changes when they share a stolen kiss.
I love how this was written. This book is co-authored by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, which makes a lot of sense considering how many characters there are. I loved that they ended up dividing the two main characters, so each author wrote one of the main characters. It really allowed them to delve into the characters internal thoughts better and really picture what they would have been feeling. I think it really made for a more organic understanding of each character!Continue reading...
I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr
Read my full review here, but here is a preview:
Sweet, romantic, exciting, frustrating, beautiful, and loving
If This Gets Out is way cuter than I anticipated. I really enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the internal dialogue between the two main characters, and I loved how each of the boys had such different personalities. I found myself more than one time smiling at myself while reading because I felt like I was a teen falling in love at the same time. Well done!
If This Gets Out follows an incredibly famous boy band, Saturday, and it’s members. It mostly centers around Ruben, who is gay, but forced to be silenced by the record label, and Zach, who believes himself to be straight, but ultimately just hasn’t explored his sexuality yet. It starts out with these two best friends switching between their perspectives as they steal glances at each other. After they venture onto their international tour, tensions rise and everything changes when they share a stolen kiss.
I love how this was written. This book is co-authored by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, which makes a lot of sense considering how many characters there are. I loved that they ended up dividing the two main characters, so each author wrote one of the main characters. It really allowed them to delve into the characters internal thoughts better and really picture what they would have been feeling. I think it really made for a more organic understanding of each character!Continue reading...
I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily
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The atmosphere in this book is so impressive, I couldn't look away! Goodreads review to come, check it out early here. :)
Here's a preview:
Atmospheric, spooky, creepy, mysterious, complex, messy, tense
This book was not what I normally read, but it was incredibly surprising to me. The atmosphere that June creates here is so impressive that I couldn’t stop reading, even though I’m a huge chicken and scare so easily.
The Forest of Stolen Girls centers around the case of thirteen missing girls from Hwani’s hometown. Her father, the best investigator in the country, works on this case for years until one day he goes missing. Determined to find her father, Hwani returns to her hometown to discover that the town is holding more secrets than they let on.
The first thing that stood out to me about this book was the way that June Hur builds the atmosphere. It is absolutely stunning. I was immediately sucked into the setting and the spooky feeling, without being too scared, in a good way! It was so atmospheric that I could hardly put it down, because I felt like I was in the town with them! I absolutely loved that feeling of eerie apprehension. I could really feel like I was with the characters, being concerned right along with them. Continue Reading...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr
Here's a preview:
Atmospheric, spooky, creepy, mysterious, complex, messy, tense
This book was not what I normally read, but it was incredibly surprising to me. The atmosphere that June creates here is so impressive that I couldn’t stop reading, even though I’m a huge chicken and scare so easily.
The Forest of Stolen Girls centers around the case of thirteen missing girls from Hwani’s hometown. Her father, the best investigator in the country, works on this case for years until one day he goes missing. Determined to find her father, Hwani returns to her hometown to discover that the town is holding more secrets than they let on.
The first thing that stood out to me about this book was the way that June Hur builds the atmosphere. It is absolutely stunning. I was immediately sucked into the setting and the spooky feeling, without being too scared, in a good way! It was so atmospheric that I could hardly put it down, because I felt like I was in the town with them! I absolutely loved that feeling of eerie apprehension. I could really feel like I was with the characters, being concerned right along with them. Continue Reading...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr