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ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)
4.25/5 gifted by the publisher
This friends-to-lovers trope, infused with the excitement of fake-dating and the slow-burn of a budding romance, had me hooked from the start. The FMC's struggle to get a medical diagnosis for her chronic illness, a topic unfortunately based on Neilson's personal experience, adds a layer of authenticity. Exploring how chronic illness/disability influences the start of a romantic relationship is another unique angle that I found particularly engaging.
This friends-to-lovers trope, infused with the excitement of fake-dating and the slow-burn of a budding romance, had me hooked from the start. The FMC's struggle to get a medical diagnosis for her chronic illness, a topic unfortunately based on Neilson's personal experience, adds a layer of authenticity. Exploring how chronic illness/disability influences the start of a romantic relationship is another unique angle that I found particularly engaging.
3.25/5 gifted by the publisher
I enjoyed this second-chance romance about a hot-shot Hollywood director and his production assistant. The themes of racism, colorism, and nepotism in Hollywood are intriguing, especially about how light-skinned individuals are used to fill quotas of employing POCs. Some cliches didn't quite convince me of the duo's chemistry, but overall, WITOY is a strong debut. I can't wait to read more from Ariel!
I enjoyed this second-chance romance about a hot-shot Hollywood director and his production assistant. The themes of racism, colorism, and nepotism in Hollywood are intriguing, especially about how light-skinned individuals are used to fill quotas of employing POCs. Some cliches didn't quite convince me of the duo's chemistry, but overall, WITOY is a strong debut. I can't wait to read more from Ariel!
With sparse writing that packs a punch, EDINBURGH follows the life of a shy Korean-American boy from his teenage years being abused by the director of a choir, the death of a victim, and the ensuing guilt that consumes his life. Reading EDINBURGH hurt. And while I can't say it's a good kind of hurt, it pushed me into uncomfortable realms, pondering the line between justice, forgiveness, and morality. Is it still justice if it requires us to become monsters ourselves? Have we truly found peace if we feel solace in seeing others suffer? These questions have been on my mind ever since finishing EDINBURGH.
Written in the style of a movie script, CHINATOWN explores Asian American identity through the lens of pop culture and immigration. Its inventive structure, weaving in and out of multiple narrative layers, truly hit a cord with me. While the themes of assimilation vs. erasure aren't necessarily groundbreaking, I find myself wondering if I'm living my life through someone's predetermined script of what Asians/Asian Americans should look like. CHINATOWN is a brilliant metafiction that's profound yet approachable.
Inspired by the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse in South Korea, EXCAVATIONS perfectly blends history, mystery, and family secrets into a captivating narrative following a former journalist turned stay-at-home mom who ventures to find her missing husband. I'm blown away by Michell's skill in crafting an absorbing mystery about the dark underbelly of Seoul while creating vivid and realistic characters for which I grow to root. While there's a little bit of everything, the angles of student protests post WW2, rampant corruption in a capitalist country, and the secrets we keep in the name of protection are all deeply explored. EXCAVATIONS is the perfect read that will surely bring you out of a reading slump.
The second time is just as good
