Crazy Bao You

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Thank you NetGalley and the author for having this available as an ARC.

This book involves slight catfishing, a viral meme, an Etsy shop, instagram DMs, friendship, family, laughter, past trauma and individual growth. It’s a romance, but is also about one woman’s battle, to get over her own fears that have stopped her from evolving.

I was smiling so much during this read because the MC Kimmie had me laughing so much. Whether it was her random thoughts or witty retorts, she was a delight to read. Matt is a hot fireman that would pique anyone’s interest, but he was caring and down to earth. I liked how their relationship developed online and it was more than just looks. The connection was a genuine one.

This was such an easy read and well paced. I felt like I had some form of reaction within each chapter whether it was fun, cringey, heartfelt, awkward… and I remember having a few “oh no” moments. Definitely was a refreshing story - very lighthearted, but when those serious moments came, it was done with understanding and care.

Loved the author’s writing and want to check out her other work. Definitely recommend!

Different For Boys

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Thanks Tandem Collective and Walker Books for my review copy.

I can’t say that I would know what it’s like to come to terms with one’s sexuality and the prejudice that can come with identifying in whichever way you choose.

Throughout this story, Ant our MC, shows us that he comes from an area where being queer, isn’t necessarily going to be accepted. He has love for his friend Charlie and he can’t define if what they’ve done together counts as losing his virginity. It’s all very secret and Charlie’s homophobic language suggests that he can’t accept this within himself and/or he thinks he wouldn’t be accepted in the outside world. There’s so much internal conflict within him.

Ant is such a sweet human. Even after Charlie loses it at him, basically outing Ant at school, Ant chose to keep Charlie’s secret. Definitely some heartbreaking scenes during that moment and it makes you sympathise with those who may have to deal with such situations in real life. I think our world is very accepting these days, but there will always be someone out there in the community, who will make their hate known for those who are just trying to be comfortable in their own skin and their sexuality.

This is a very short YA story with much self discovery. The ending was a sweet interaction with Ant and his friend Jack. I also loved Freddie who was full of acceptance. What I loved about Ant was his patience throughout all that happened with Charlie. It was an emotional read and is more suited for teenagers and above.

The Right Swipe

This book is a 3.75 for me.

I liked the premise taking on modern dating with an initial ghosting that sparks the interactions between the two main characters Rhi and Samson. In this instance, Samson actually did have a family emergency which made him forget a second date with Rhi, and in retaliation she blocked him, so no further contact could be had. Rhi also is a CEO of her own dating app. She wants to take her dating app Crush to the next level by buying its competitor Matchmaker. By chance, Samson’s aunt is the owner of Matchmaker. Rhi isn’t big on second chances though fate would have her cross paths with Samson once again.

This book was unexpected because I was anticipating a fluffy type of romance book. I go into most books blind and had no idea what to expect with this. I was pleasantly surprised with some serious real life issues that this book covered. Rhi’s narcissistic boyfriend and abuse from a person in a position of power was well written and allowed her to slowly open and face this issue throughout the book. Power to the women who have the strength to do this and find the support they need. It was hard for Rhi and she soon realised she was never alone.

Then Samson’s pursuit of CTE support in NFL. His narrative also strikes up a conversation of head trauma injury in sports. I had to google the acronym to research it myself. In Australia, with the sports I watch, they take concussions seriously and if players get knocked out, they don’t get forced to play without proper approval by the teams doctor. I can’t say I know much about it in the US or other countries and the seriousness each sports take. This story definitely opened my eyes where ongoing research in this area allows how sports can impact the brain. You definitely wouldn’t think that a romance book would have this plot, but it was a change from my normal reads and an impactful one!

The chemistry between Rhi and Samson was there from the start. It was unfortunate circumstances and lack of communication that led to them talking to one another. As they got to know one another better, Samson had so much patience even if Rhi didn’t always let him in. Sometimes we just have to listen, be there for someone and let them open up in their own time. Rhi definitely had her barriers up to protect herself from not being hurt.

I loved Aunt Belle. She was unconventional in how she operated her business which I liked reading. You didn’t really know what to expect from her. Thought Rhi’s friend Katrina was such a great support with some wise advice. And I wish I could have an assistant like Lakshmi who can literally foresee everything in my life and guide me through it!

Overall, I enjoyed this read and would love to check out this author’s other work. Read this as part of a tandem collective and collective voices readalong and it was definitely worth it!

Pineapple Street

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I read this book as part of a readalong. It was hyped up and I was genuinely excited to get into it. Unfortunately it fell flat for me and as I got 100 pages in, I didn’t really know where the story was going. I honestly would have DNF, if it wasn’t for the readalong and then I was just sticking around to see if the characters would grow. To me, there was no real plot.

The story follows a super rich family - the Stocktons who come from generational wealth. The story is told from three perspectives. We have Georgiana and Darley who are the daughters, and then, Sasha who is their sister in law, marrying their brother Cord. Georgiana is the youngest sibling working at a nonprofit. Darley skipping her inheritance to give to her children rather than making her husband Malcolm sign a pre-nup. Sasha marrying into wealth and not wanting to sign a pre-nup (which seems like an issue for some Stockton family members).

Much of the story centres around class and privilege. Their social circles are that of other rich white people. The Stocktons lack communication on anything that matters. They sometimes come across as clueless and uncultured. When I was reading their challenges, I felt at the same time, they weren't really problems that weren't easily solved through their wealth and/or communication. A BIPOC character is added maybe to check off a box, but he could have been white, as it didn't really make much of a difference to the story, in my opinion.

Georgiana, the youngest of the family, unbeknownst to her, starts having an affair with a man Brady from her office. Even after finding out, she tries to stop it from continuing, then doesn't. When Brady dies in a plane crash, she starts spiralling from grief, turning to pills and alcohol. We are meant to feel sorry for her, but I still think her continuing an affair was wrong. It was unfortunate that he died, but if he didn't, I don't know that she would have grown as a person at the end. It was definitely a wake up call when her drinking and pill consumption gets out of control. She then becomes inspired for change by someone else, starts her personal philanthropic journey, but would she have done that out of her own merit and mindset? Probably not. I'm glad she got the therapy she needed to handle her grief.

Darley - what a frustrating character. Wonderful that she "gave up" her inheritance for love, but Malcolm her husband had a good job, so was she really giving up anything? She was still living it up and when he lost his job, I couldn't help but think, so what? Darley not telling her parents, didn't really make sense. They're rich, they have connections. Her parents could have easily set them up with some other rich people, to help her or Malcolm gain a job. What made me mad about her, was that people would make inappropriate comments of her children. Malcolm being Korean, meant they had biracial children. Darley would just get mad if people called them "exotic" or made some other inappropriate Asian reference. We live in a world where educating others goes a long way. She could have stuck up for her children a bit better or changed the narrative. I’m of Asian descent, so reading this was frustrating. Seen it so many times when it’s happened to me personally.

Sasha was probably the only likeable character for me. I thought her connection with Cord was cute. Cord was annoying at times, as he came across as living in his own bubble and had poor communication skills, which is apparent with every family member. It was unfair for certain Stocktons to label her a gold digger, when she already had a life on her own without their money. She tried hard to fit in and they were sometimes very unwelcoming. I liked that she still did art with her friends, grew from her trauma and set boundaries with Cord at the end. She needed him to be on her side on things that mattered for her. Also really loved when she lost it at the Stocktons towards the end, so they could come to some realisations of their own.

Overall, I thought the writing was good and flowed really well. I just wanted more from it - more humour, more plot, more meaning, more character development, more of an ending... It was like the book was always teetering on becoming more but never quite going over that edge to wow us.

Don't understand how this is rated so highly, as it makes me wonder if I read something different to others.

Lessons For Broke Georgia

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This book was eye opening to how we can get ourselves into sticky situations surrounding money. Our MC Georgia is left with a massive debt when her cheating ex-fiancé racks up thousands of charges on her credit card. Her trust was abused and after finding out all these secrets her ex Basil kept from her, Georgia’s left with figuring her life out. The story covers her navigating life, love and relationships whilst she comes up with creative ways to clear this debt.

I found this read funny but also relatable. It does make you think about how you can be wiser with money and how we can easily mismanage our finances. Georgia really stuck to her guns in not borrowing from others and took responsibility to figure it out. I know when I've been in situations like this, I start to figure out how I should manage my money better.

I really enjoyed the subplot with Georgia's mother who seemed sketchy and randomly disappeared. When she was always asking to borrow money from Georgia or her brother and never seeing that money returned, this led to my assumptions. I thought maybe the mum was a con artist or she owed money to loan sharks, but honestly didn't guess the twist at the end. No one could have seen that coming.

I enjoyed the interactions Georgia had with her brothers and friends. Had quite a few laughs through their conversations. Georgia's dating encounters were also hilarious moments - the poop scene especially! Her ex Basil was a complete mooch and he just felt like he was totally not her type to begin with. I also enjoyed her supportive friends throughout the read.

Overall I had fun whilst reading this and it felt like a friend telling me about their life with all the mishaps and triumphs.