synopsisJustyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up--way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack. my thoughtsThis is a must-read for everyone who's a high schooler and older! It's a very powerful, relevant book. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't stop and there were times when it had me in tears. But, it's so eye-opening that it's a book I'd give everyone to read. It's a story that shows you can be doing everything right and follow all the rules but it might not be enough if you're a Black person living in the US. This is my first time reading Nic Stone's novel and I just have to say - I can't wait to read the sequel which is called Dear Justyce. I LOVED how Justyce wrote to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to cope with his trauma and it's a very inspiring take. my rating
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synopsisA marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together. An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are. But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry. When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break. Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her. Then her path crosses with Adam’s. Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister. Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father. Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals. Until a marvel and an oddity occurs… Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting. Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting. my thoughtsFirst off, I have to say that I've had the pleasure of interviewing S.K. Ali before and she's one of the nicest authors I've "virtually" met. You can find a link to that interview by going to my last tab and clicking on my portfolio. I've re-read this multiple times and I fall in love with the characters each time. I love that readers got a glimpse of how the main characters spend Eid together in the future as an Eid gift to the readers from S.K. Ali. Alright, alright, back to the review. Islamophobia is the first thing that's introduced in the story, but I like that it wasn't done in a cliche form. The story starts off with Zeynab being expelled from school for a comment she made after a teacher made Islamophobic comments. I was initially worried about how this story was going to go but I loved how it was resolved and the different events that took place because of it. Another thing I adored about this book was that the protagonists came from different backgrounds and that absolutely nothing felt out of place! I hope that one day I can write characters as loveable as the ones in this book. Secondly, the representation of such a diverse community was incredible! I also loved that we got to know each of the character's quirks, what they thought about each other, and how even the side characters like the Emmas had a role. Additionally, the disabilities were represented in a way that made the story feel real and I loved everything about that. My only con is that I would've loved to see what went down at the school board. You'll know what I mean when you read the book. In case you didn't know, Love from A to Z recently got a new paperback issue and if you'd love to know more about why it's one of the best love stories I've ever read then you should definitely check it out! Available at Barnes & Nobles and other locations. my ratingby sarah jane riverages 18+ onlySeriously, only read this review if you're 18 or older. Thanks.
SynopsisTwo people brought together by chance. Both finding something they don’t know they need. A sweet romance about finding a home in the heart. Kara All I want is one last summer of fun with my best friend, Toby. Blue Oaks Theme Park seems like a perfect place to work while blowing off some steam. It’s our last summer before university and we want to make every day count. The thing I didn’t consider was being attracted to my new boss. But it’s just one summer. One quick fling. What harm can it do? Bear Returning home is something I can’t avoid. My dad wants me to start getting serious about my future, while I want to spend the summer teaching kids skateboarding. As always, he gets his own way, but when a cute brunette – literally – knocks me off my feet, I’m finding the theme park interesting in a whole new way. A summer romance. Totally insubstantial. I can handle that. Right? my thoughtsThis was a cute YA contemporary romance I recieved for a blog tour. I think it's perfect for fans who want a ya rom-com that also tackles other topics. The only thing I didn't enjoy about this is the fact that it's written in past tense. I generally enjoy reading books in the first person's perspective so this threw me off a little. Overall, it's a sweet heartfelt romance and I'm looking forward to reading Danielle's other books! My ratingAlright, so while I did enjoy reading this book, it had a really slow beginning and it took me awhile to get into it. It wasn't until sometime later that I actually enjoyed it. Overall, I think if you genuinely adore rom-coms, then this is perfect for you! It also kind of reminded me of the movie Silver Linings Playbook but with its own twists.
So I'll try to include both a spoiler-free version and a spoilers discussion! ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ SPOILER-FREE ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ To start off, there's a lake house involved, a butterfly habitat, and a summer by the lake. In the e-novella, Love at First Fight the gang goes to an escape room for Valentine's Day where readers are reminded of the enemies to lovers trope that will be introduced again in 10 Things I Hate About Pinky. Synopsis: Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe. Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady. Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they’ll never forget. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ SPOILERS ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ I recieved a complimentary ARC of this book for this blog tour. ALL opinions are my own! I'm a massive fan of Sandhya Menon's books and she's definitely an author that I would love to have all of her books on my shelves. As of right now, the ones that I own are on my kindle. When Pinky and Samir were first introduced in There's Something About Sweetie, I thought these two would never get along. They reminded me a bit of Blair and Dan from Gossip Girl. I was sure it wouldn't happen between them until I read 10 Things I Hate About Pinky! I loved that we can see that Sandhya Menon is a twilight and Downtown Abbey fan through her references of them within her series. This is a book that'll make you fall in love with all of these characters. It also reminded me a little bit of Sarah Dessen's Along for the Ride and Lock & Key books. Samir's character arc was incredible and I loved seeing Pinky's relationship with her parents evolve throughout the book. I felt like we see how Pinky seems so strong and she puts up a good front until readers get a glimpse into her home life. I think it was great to see how each of them were slowly starting to fall for the other one despite the fact that they couldn't stand each other at first. I also love Pinky's relationship with her step-dad. I loved how Sandhya made these characters feel so real and loveable even with their flaws. I would have LOVED to see Pinky visit Samir's home at the end of the book or something or maybe even just a phone call between Pinky and Samir's Mom. Other than that, I really loved the book and rated it five stars! my ratingQ: How did you come up with the idea for 10 Things I Hate about Pinky? A: I knew at the time I wrote There’s Something about Sweetie, which was the Dimpleverse companion novel that came before 10 Things I Hate about Pinky, that the two protagonists would be Pinky and Samir. What I didn’t know was what the plot would be or where the story would take place. At the time that I was making those decisions, it was right in the middle of summer and I totally gave into my love (some might say obsession) with summer! That’s why the book is set at a lake house on Cape Cod, features a light house and a butterfly habitat, and has plenty of summery scenes (including of the make out variety!). :) Q: What was your favorite scene to write in 10 Things I Hate about Pinky? A: Oh my gosh, so many! Like I said before, I absolutely let my inner summer-lover run wild. There’s a scene where Samir and Pinky (who fake date in the course of the book) practice kissing in a tree that I absolutely looooved writing. There’s a scene where they cook together that my design team loved so much, it almost made the back cover! And I also really just loved in general showing what I like to call Samir’s sneaky hotness. I wanted readers and Pinky to realize at the same time that this seemingly goody-two- shoes guy is actually kind of really hot, and my favorite thing has been getting emails from early readers saying precisely that! Q: Will there be any more novels in the Dimpleverse? A: Well, never say never, but I did picture 10 Things I Hate about Pinky as the last story in that universe (*sniff*). Who knows what the future holds, but for now, I think I’ve said my goodbyes. I hope readers enjoy this final chapter in the universe! My Ideal CastingTiya Sircar as Dimple Shah. Sircar has already been in The Good Place and I feel like if I were to cast her for a movie or show adaptation for this series, it would be because she kind of reminds me of Dimple Shah. Dhurv Uday Singh as Rishi Patel. I've seen him in Good Trouble and from his interviews, he seems like he would be the perfect Rishi Patel. Avan Jogia as Ashish Patel. I've seen him in Twisted and Victorious so I think he'd be a perfect Ashish. YouTube star Nabela Noor as Sweetie Nair. After watching her videos over the years, I feel like she would be the perfect. I could see her portray the confident, beautiful, and sassy Sweetie. Danny Pudi as Samir Jha. Danny Pudi is an incredible actor and I feel like he'd be able to portray Samir really well. He's had cameos in Gilmore Girls and is best known for his role as Abed in Community. Jameela Jamil as Pinky Kumar. Jameela is an activist IRL and I feel like she'd be able to act as Pinky because they have similar personalities. playlist |
AuthorAn avid reader, mocha iced coffee drinker, and Kdrama obsessor. Archives
December 2020
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