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ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)
Olivia Huang Christenson is taking over her grandmother's matchmaking business based on finding compatible matches in Chinese zodiac signs. Little does she know, the hottest new dating app in town boasts of helping users find love with their lunar signs, founded by LA's most-eligible bachelor Bennett O'Brien. Olivia goes on research-disguised-as-date-outings with Bennett to find out what her enemy is up to, for she is determined to help preserve her Pó Po's traditional approach and NOT fall in love with Bennett.
LUNAR LOVE is a sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut filled with Chinese astrology, desserts, and traditions. I adore Olivia's personality; ambitious, funny, sarcastic, and a little unhinged. While the romance is heartwarming, the debates on preserving traditions while adapting to the digital age stayed with me the most. The juxtaposition between Olivia's personalized matchmaking and Bennett's data-driven dating app is incredibly well done and so fun to read!
As a mixed-race Chinese American, Jessen also incorporates discussions on the nuance and complexity of being mixed-race in a light-hearted manner. I adored the dialogue between Olivia and Bennett when they worry about not being "Asian enough" and wonder if they are "qualified" to bring forth & preserve Chinese cultures. I would've loved to see this topic expanded more in the book.
LUNAR LOVE is an entertaining rom-com filled with banters, meet-cutes, and Chinese foods, and a perfect read for those looking for a light-hearted romance!
Thank you to Forever for the gifted copy.
LUNAR LOVE is a sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut filled with Chinese astrology, desserts, and traditions. I adore Olivia's personality; ambitious, funny, sarcastic, and a little unhinged. While the romance is heartwarming, the debates on preserving traditions while adapting to the digital age stayed with me the most. The juxtaposition between Olivia's personalized matchmaking and Bennett's data-driven dating app is incredibly well done and so fun to read!
As a mixed-race Chinese American, Jessen also incorporates discussions on the nuance and complexity of being mixed-race in a light-hearted manner. I adored the dialogue between Olivia and Bennett when they worry about not being "Asian enough" and wonder if they are "qualified" to bring forth & preserve Chinese cultures. I would've loved to see this topic expanded more in the book.
LUNAR LOVE is an entertaining rom-com filled with banters, meet-cutes, and Chinese foods, and a perfect read for those looking for a light-hearted romance!
Thank you to Forever for the gifted copy.
MA AND ME takes the readers on a deeply intimate journey through Reang's life, a Cambodian-American queer woman navigating her complicated relationship with her mother. Reang's mom fled an arranged marriage but eventually returned to Cambodia due to the Vietnam War. Her family later escaped the Cambodian genocide and arrived in America, only to face the challenges of losing everything they'd built back home and transitioning to a new culture.
Reang focuses on her complex relationship with her mother and the clashes between cultural and personal values. Due to her mom's homophobic views, Reang has a strained relationship growing up and must accept that her mother's love and acceptance are not unconditional. I was profoundly moved by Reang's realization of her parents' limitations–racism, homophobia, and misogyny–and her attempts to maintain a relationship despite their differences.
Another standout to me was Reang's return to Cambodia to learn more about the genocide, connect with her lost relatives and culture, and the survivor's guilt she suffered from these visits.
MA AND ME is a profoundly moving and intricate memoir of family, identity, and the complexities of love. It is a must-read for anyone looking to learn more about the Cambodian-American experience, especially at the intersection of queer identity.
Reang focuses on her complex relationship with her mother and the clashes between cultural and personal values. Due to her mom's homophobic views, Reang has a strained relationship growing up and must accept that her mother's love and acceptance are not unconditional. I was profoundly moved by Reang's realization of her parents' limitations–racism, homophobia, and misogyny–and her attempts to maintain a relationship despite their differences.
Another standout to me was Reang's return to Cambodia to learn more about the genocide, connect with her lost relatives and culture, and the survivor's guilt she suffered from these visits.
MA AND ME is a profoundly moving and intricate memoir of family, identity, and the complexities of love. It is a must-read for anyone looking to learn more about the Cambodian-American experience, especially at the intersection of queer identity.
Daiyu believes she is cursed with heartbreak because of her name. After all, she had to flee home and survive in a city. Just as she finally finds stable work and looks forward to a bright future, Daiyu is kidnapped and smuggled to a San Francisco brothel. During a time when anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across America, Daiyu must find strength within to escape the waves of unimaginable violence.
FOUR TREASURES is an extremely heavy read but an essential one. Set during the late 1800s during the Chinese Exclusion Act, Zhang imagines the lives of Chinese immigrants and their perilous situations based on true events. My heart aches for Daiyu when thinking of all she endured, but it also swells for her courage to do the unimaginable and stand up for her community.
On a side note, I loved Zhang's inclusion of Chinese words and the breakdowns of each character's composition. While it can be a bit jarring when Daiyu reflects on her situation and suddenly wanders to Chinese words, I appreciate the research and historical context.
Without revealing too much, FOUR TREASURES is a depressing read. I'm glad I skipped to the ending halfway through in anticipation of a sad ending; it prepared me for heartbreak. FOUR TREASURES is an impressive debut that resurrects a vital history of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans often swept under the rug.
FOUR TREASURES is an extremely heavy read but an essential one. Set during the late 1800s during the Chinese Exclusion Act, Zhang imagines the lives of Chinese immigrants and their perilous situations based on true events. My heart aches for Daiyu when thinking of all she endured, but it also swells for her courage to do the unimaginable and stand up for her community.
On a side note, I loved Zhang's inclusion of Chinese words and the breakdowns of each character's composition. While it can be a bit jarring when Daiyu reflects on her situation and suddenly wanders to Chinese words, I appreciate the research and historical context.
Without revealing too much, FOUR TREASURES is a depressing read. I'm glad I skipped to the ending halfway through in anticipation of a sad ending; it prepared me for heartbreak. FOUR TREASURES is an impressive debut that resurrects a vital history of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans often swept under the rug.
