Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

Romance, Young Adult, Graphic Novel

Thoughts:

This is surprisingly deep and very cute. The book seems like a romance and in its essence it is but it also covers a lot about different types of loss and heartbreak and in a way it also addresses different family types. Val has a very strong will and a belief in true love that’s damaged when she finds out that her family has no history of a happy relationship from her grandmother. Seeing her and her father interact with her grandmother shows an interesting dynamic with the way in which grandparents can accidentally burden grandchildren but also how much love is there. It’s also funny to see the grandmother as a complete feeder as many grandmothers are and I got to see more different food to what I’m used to. Comparing this to Les’ gigantic family gatherings with the buffet and Jae’s smaller family and more basic meals shows different family dynamics depending on who the matriarch/patriarch is. We also get to see the impact of loss in these different ways with Val and her dad dealing with the loss of her mum through their bond and Jae’s mum struggling to connect after the loss of her husband showing how easy it is for parents to do one or the other and can show teens it’s not their fault if their family is struggling in the way Jae’s is. The Lion dancing was a fun addition to the book as it is so culturally significant and the dancing itself is present in most of the crucial moments in the book such as the meet cute, the wedding performance and the Lunar New Year. The lions also added a lot of colour and fun into the story and the book itself.

Favourite Quote:

“You will hurt your beloved. Or your beloved will hurt you. Or the world will hurt one of you and the other will suffer, simply because you’ve chosen to love. And sooner or later, the time will come for you or your beloved or your relationship to die.

With love, suffering is simply unavoidable.”

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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