Our Missing Hearts
Celeste Ng
I'm not quite sure how I am going to describe my thoughts on this one... I just finished it last night and it is definitely still simmering in my subconscious, but not for the reasons books normally do
This story is about Bird, a young adolescent boy who is part Asian and lives with his single dad in a dorm in Cambridge. Somewhat dystopian, the story is set in the States but the time period is unclear, and there is significant reference to a fictional Crisis that involves anti-Asian sentiments and forced removal of children from homes that may have controversial (read: unpatriotic) values. Bird's mom disappeared after writing something that was deemed inappropriate under recent guidelines and is connected with spreading ideas that lead to protests. As these protests continue, Bird begins to miss his mother and wants to search for her, but even searching for her is extremely dangerous, as libraries and internet searches are heavily monitored and censored.
It was actually quite fitting that I read this book this month as I am also reading and reviewing lots of banned or challenged books, a theme that is woven throughout this story. I liked that Ng included lots of relevant issues such as questionable reasons for removing children through CFS, racism, anti-Asian policies, discrimination and censorship, problems that have occurred in the past and present and could easily occur in the future, while also making a fictional set of events and problems so that this book tells its own story. That being said, I did find this one less interesting that her other books. I really struggled to stay with it through the middle 2/3 of the story. In fact, I think the best part of the book was the last 20-30 pages. I'm not sure what it was that made me struggle to find it as "riveting" as the cover purports this book to be. Perhaps I needed the mother's story/perspective earlier on? Maybe the slow reveal of information was just a bit too slow? Whatever the reason, I'm still glad I read it and would still recommend it, but not as highly as I would recommend her other books.
I had started reading Let em Go by Casey Watson quite a while back, and I think once I started getting swamped with ARCs to read on my kindle, I put it aside and never ended up finishing it. Once I read a Cathy Glass book last week, I decided now was a good time to go back and finish this one since I realized how much I missed reading fostering memoirs!
Let Me Go tells the story of 13 year old Harley, a girl who has some major mental health issues and a history of suicidal ideations and self-harm tendencies. Casey and her husband, Mike, have just said good bye to two young children and are looking forward to a break from fostering and to welcome their newest grandchild, when they get the call to come pick up Harley from a psychiatric hospital as she is being discharged and has no where to go. Supposed to be only a short 28-day placement, Casey and Mike quickly realize that everything with Harley is not quite what it seems. From missing person reports to supporting Harley through multiple self harming incidences, this month is full of dichotomies for the Watsons, both long and short, stress-filled and yet boring. But as the month comes to a close, Harley's story finally comes into full view and it is more painful than anyone could have imagined.
Casey Watson is a great author and has long been a favourite of mine. From her time working in a school with troubled middle schoolers to her many fostering memoirs, I've really enjoyed reading her work and this book was no exception. While it was familiar, I decided to go back to the beginning so I wasn't struggling to remember the details from what was likely about 2 years ago, and I'm glad I did. It was a quick read and a very interesting one, so it was no problem to re-read what I had read. This one should definitely have some content warnings as it is filled with discussion of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, but that is also what makes it so interesting and informative. Another great book to move from "currently reading" to "read"!
Not quite ready to come down from the valentines-shaped chocolate sugar high? Still need a little bit of heat to get you through the rest of this cold month? You need to check out My Lucky Star by @enniauthor!
Imagine having a celebrity doppelgänger. Now imagine a hot TV star asking you to impersonate that celebrity to save his career...
Failing to make it as an actress, Aria Dunne is back in her hometown of Napier, working as a location scout. No more unattainable dreams, just casual clothing and low expectations. Until she finds a Turkish TV star hiding out in the historic hotel she needs for her client.
Cem Erkam is desperate for good publicity after a drunken night ends with compromising photos. With his family banking on his success, he hatches a wild plan – a fake relationship with the New Zealand woman who looks like his old co-star. He just needs to keep his hands off her since they have no future. That’s what everyone’s saying, and they’re right. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to stick to the script.
My Lucky Star is a story about rediscovering passion when your dreams have failed you. It is a sweet story with likeable characters, beautiful settings and just the right amount of predictability, tropes and plot twists! I enjoyed this one and it would definitely recommend it for romance lovers. I loved learning a bit more about Turkish culture and loved both settings.
Thanks to the author and to @verseventurestours for transporting me from the cold of Winnipeg to New Zealand and Istanbul with this spicy, slow-burn romcom!
I shared this one as my #currentread last week and am excited to give a full review now that I am done.
The Other Side of Together by @emandnicwrite is a YA with dual POV, featuring Marcus and Mei Li, two 18 year olds with their sights set on graduation and getting through the last few months of school. Despite living across the street from each other for most of their lives, Marcus and Mei Li live very different lives and have rarely crossed paths. This soon changes when Marcus becomes infatuated by this mysterious young woman who might just make him consider going against his dad's wishes and falling in love. Mei Li has some dark secrets that she struggles to share with Marcus, even as she starts falling for him, and it isn't long before the dangerous situation she is in starts to come to light.
I enjoyed this book, it had a lot of the passion and first love excitement of a typical YA, but was also quite G-rated. At times I found the narration slightly juvenile, especially the "conversations with their eyes", and felt it almost read more like a late Middle Grade/Middle Years book, though I think some of the content might be a little inappropriate for younger readers. That being said, I appreciate the innocence of the characters and the fact that not all 18 year olds are having sex. Described as "clean steam", a term I hadn't come across before, this is a perfect choice for young romance readers who aren't ready for or don't want to read anything too sexual, even the two sexual abuse scenes are not graphic. I also appreciate the diverse representation, as well as the way the authors showcased the difficult lives many immigrant families face and how they included some content related to abusive relationships, sexual abuse, gangs and human trafficking. Overall I think it is a great YA and one I would definitely feel comfortable recommending to young adult readers!
Thanks to @verseventurestours and @monsterivypublishing for giving me the chance to read this book!
I stumbled on this one playing a bit of Kindle-roulette when choosing my next read early last week. This is a non-fiction story is about the Hmong people from Laos who are forced to flee their country following the American withdrawl of military support shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. After forced conscription under a previous leader, the Hmong people find themselves on the wrong side of the new leader and it is proving to be a very dangerous time to live in Laos. The story follows the life of Ai (also named Ia) who grows up as one of the youngest in her family and female, but is also a very efficient and effective business person, even from her first business venture, farming opium, at age 11. Unfortunately, due to her gender and status, she must figure out how to avoid becoming the third wife to a much older man she is arranged to marry, and in the end regrets who she quickly elopes with as a young teen. Somehow Ia and her husband survive (as does their rocky relationship) first, an escape to Thailand, then decades in an under-equipped and over crowded refugee camp, and finally to the United States where they manage to raise 11 children. All through the story we see Ia's persistent resiliency and motivation for a better future in everything she does, despite almost killing herself in many dangerous situations. It's a gruelling story but also a remarkable one!
This book is described as reading like a novel, and at times I would agree, but at others it very much feels like a historical text. I appreciated the background about the history, culture, geography and political information, as I went into this with almost no prior knowledge, but at times it was a bit excessive. I also felt like the first 1/3 or so of the book was the most interesting, her time trying to survive in Laos and Thailand. When I was about 35% in I thought, "what could the rest of this book even be about? It's already 2016!" I'm not sure if it was that the book was too long, if the second half of the book just was dragged out, or if there was just too much detail throughout, but I did find that my interest in the book dropped off as I went through it. I am glad I read it though, as I learned a lot about a time in history and a culture that I know very little about. The writing is extremely detailed and easy to follow and the author clearly is well researched and created a thorough retelling of this incredible woman's story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
Happy #MiddleGradeMonday! Today I'm sharing a book I just finished last night, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (adapted for young readers) by @authorhbmoore and @allison.hong.merrill
I didn't realize at first that the version I was reading was the one that was adapted for younger readers, though it definitely makes sense. This YA/Middle Grade historical fiction book tells the story of a young girl named Tien Fu who is sold at age 6 in the 1890s in China and eventually ends up in a mission home in San Fransisco's Chinatown. Midway through the story there is a dual POV added, when Dolly, a young woman who comes to teach sewing at the Mission house, enters the story. Through these two perspectives we see both the challenges faced by young girls who had been sold and trafficked, as well as the greater societal views of the time. It is a fairly quick read, and with minimal discussion of prostitution and crime, it is appropriate for readers, especially if being read as part of an English or Social Studies class in school. I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it. I would say it would be a good fit for readers in the grades 6-10 range. I will now have to check out the original edition meant for adults! Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher, @shadowmountainpub for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
February 18, 2023
I had been meaning to read this one for a while and I am glad I finally got down to it. I probably should have read the subtitle, "Disability Justice in the Church" as I didn't realize quite how much religion and disability specifically in the church setting the book would have, but that being said, I did appreciate this perspective. Kenny does a great job bringing in a perfect mix of religious content, disability rights/advocacy and pop culture references (my favourite was of course Leslie Knope with the sloth from zootopia coming in a close second). I also liked the analogies and descriptions she used to make readers understand her perspective. One example that stood out to me was the microaggressions as mosquito bites analogy because it shows that while they may be easily dismissed as not a huge deal, over time they add up (or if you're like me and are allergic to them, they swell up and definitely don't go away easily, so I definitely understand this idea of microaggressions not being so easy to ignore). I also liked her anecdotal ideas like people dragging out vowel sounds in words signals awkward feelings and how "faking disabilities" is a more common trope on tv than I would have realized, and in that, how harmful that is. Her facts and messages were also really important. She said that 67% of people feel "uncomfortable" talking to a disabled person, and as awful as that sounds, I wonder if it is actually an underrepresentation...
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about disability advocacy and rights, as well as for anyone who might want to rethink the way that the Church and religious people often view people with disabilities. It is well written and has some really great information as well as other thought provoking reflection opportunities. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this one!
February 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this YA book about disability advocacy and head injuries in sports. Micah was a football star with a proud dad as coach, but a car accident changes everything and soon Micah is in a wheelchair suffering from inexplicable pain and nausea and most people think he's faking it. I love that this book has all of the features of a good YA, romance, teen problems, bullying/discrimination, while also show casing several important ideas related to disability, including inaccessibility, saviour complexes, mental health, stereotypes, disability discrimination and new perspectives. I also think that the use of grief, problems with advocacy in the medical system and concussion management, which are areas that are not often showcased in adult books even, much less in YA, and yet important areas to consider and discuss. I liked that the author chose to have Micah be abled bodied and a jock in the past because it really gives a unique opportunity for an able-bodied person to see life through the perspective of someone with a disability. I also love that multiple characters in the story had disabilities, but were generally shown in a very positive light, aside from specific scenes related to discrimination, which is a good contrast to many stories where people with disabilities are seen using tropes and stereotypes. I really loved the relationship with Evie, especially closer to the end when their relationship was truly tested, Overall, this is a very well written YA with some really complex ideas and discussions that are important for both adults and teens to consider. I would highly recommend this book and could see it being a valuable addition to high school libraries and potentially class reading lists. There is a tiny bit of fooling around and mention of drug use, but definitely not a huge deal, and I think that the YA content in general would be just enough to draw in teens and still send these valuable messages.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this excellent book!
Ohhh this one was sooooo good! The Real Deal by Caitlin Devlin is a two timeline fiction about a group of young teen girls who are cast on a reality tv show (much like Dance Moms) and the fame and trauma that inevitably ensue. The second timeline is about a decade after the show ends, and explores a "reunion special" where the former child stars come back together.
As a Dance Moms fan I could not put this book down. There were so many similarities, but also enough that it was clearly a different story. I loved that it was focused on the girls as opposed to the moms and the mentor. While I found the first couple chapters a bit confusing, once the story gets going it unfolds in an addictive and unpredictable way. Anyone who enjoys reality tv or "behind the scene" docuseries/memoirs/podcasts etc. will love this book, despite being fiction it is very realistic and will definitely give reality junkies like me their fill. This one is out now so don't wait, grab your copy now!
Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher @amazonpublishing for giving me the chance to read this fantastic book!
Check out my blog tour posts on A Good Enough Mother and A Not So Bollywood Meet Cute
Check out my Banned Books Blog Post to see my thoughts on The Handmaid's Tale, A Stolen Life, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Hate U Give and more
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