Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by. Laekan Zea Kemp | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

Author: Laekan Zea Kemp

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 4/06/21

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Family, Latinx, Coming of Age

Penelope Prado has always dreamed of opening her own pastelería next to her father’s restaurant, Nacho’s Tacos. But her mom and dad have different plans—leaving Pen to choose between disappointing her traditional Mexican American parents or following her own path. When she confesses a secret she’s been keeping, her world is sent into a tailspin. But then she meets a cute new hire at Nacho’s who sees through her hard exterior and asks the questions she’s been too afraid to ask herself.

Xander Amaro has been searching for home since he was a little boy. For him, a job at Nacho’s is an opportunity for just that—a chance at a normal life, to settle in at his abuelo’s, and to find the father who left him behind. But when both the restaurant and Xander’s immigrant status are threatened, he will do whatever it takes to protect his newfound family and himself.

Together, Pen and Xander must navigate first love and discovering where they belong in order to save the place they all call home.

This stunning and poignant novel from debut author Laekan Zea Kemp explores identity, found families and the power of food, all nestled within a courageous and intensely loyal Chicanx community.

Content Warning: depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, family pressure, violence, arson, racism, gross bodily functions/prank wars

There are a bunch of things that stand out to me in this beautiful story but the top two will be family bonds and food.

Pen is a badass in a kitchen, hers or her dad’s restaurant, but outside of the high stress life of the restaurant she suffers from depression and anxiety. At one point she attempted suicide, but she’s now on medication except there are still times she feels like she’s drowning – like when she’s living a lie. All she wants to do is run her dad’s restaurant or open her own bakery but her parents don’t want that dream for it. Pen is so relatable – from how her mental health takes a toll on her life, from trying to be strong in the family and wanting to please people but not pleasing herself. She goes on an amazing journey in this story with her best friend Chloe (the bestest ever) by her side. I love seeing Pen standing on her own two feet even if she has to start from the bottom.

Xander is an undocumented citizen in the USA. His own childhood has been one trauma of surviving day after day without his parents, with only his abuelo (grandfather) and now this new found family at Nacho’s Taco’s restaurant. Even though his father left him long ago, he hasn’t given up trying to find him – a dream that seems to be slipping away. He and Pen become friends and then more because they see each other in their despair. I thought they were cute together and their romance wasn’t the center of the story.

Of course all the Mexican food mentioned in this book made me hungry! Just the way it’s describe and the love that goes into the food just wanted me to be drowning in it. Food is our gateway to the past and our roots! Pen feels that love abundantly. Speaking of roots, I love how layered this story is because it’s not only about Pen and her feelings of not living up to her parents dreams…Xander and many people in this community are undocumented or immigrants. We get a sense of their fears when driving near police, or the villain in the story – the loanshark who bullies and destroys families in the community, people that prey on the struggling already – it made me feel so helpless for them. Even Pen’s dad who is a well known figure in the community always helping and doing what he can isn’t immune to being indebted to a bad man. This is real life for people and it’s scary.

The story about family and community though is what truly resonated with me. How we have to help one another even when things get rough. Family, whether blood or found is important. Pen’s friendship with Chloe was her lifeline – thank god she had a friend like her reminding her that they would get through the tough times, together.

The only thing that turned me off about the book was the employee prank wars. Ugh…all that barfing when they were around each other was just on another level of gross. It showed how close the employees were though lol…like TOO close.

Why you should read it:

heart-wrenching story about family and roots
an amazing personal journey for both Pen and Xander
mental health rep with depression and anxiety

Why you might not want to read it:

some gross pranks – could’ve used less of it

My Thoughts:

Overall, I loved the story, minus the puking up and prank wars among the Nacho’s Tacos staff members. I resonated with the message of family, friendship and food. I felt for Xander’s story about being undocumented and basically an orphan even though his parents were both alive. And I applauded Pen’s journey to stand on her own two feet. It was emotional, funny, and filled with food. Glad I read this one!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

We cook to remember the people who came before us.
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by. Laekan Zea Kemp

The things that scare us aren’t roadblocks but mirrors, and bravery isn’t about shattering our reflection, it’s about having the strength to look.
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by. Laekan Zea Kemp

Luck of the Titanic by. Stacey Lee | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Luck of the Titanic

Author: Stacey Lee

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 5/4/21

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Categories: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Family

Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise, though, she’s turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese people aren’t allowed into America.

But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother, Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is on board, as is an influential circus owner. Thankfully, there’s not much a trained acrobat like Val can’t overcome when she puts her mind to it.

As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, audition for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America.

Then one night, the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val’s dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.

Stacey Lee knows how to write young adult historical fiction where we care about the characters. I especially love that she writes about Asian characters because I am always learning something new! I was a sophomore in college when Titanic, the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio came out and I watched it three times in the theater and countless times after on tv. It is ingrained in me. But Luck of the Titanic tells the tale loosely based on the fact that there were Chinese men and women on board the Titanic. That was news to me so I went into this book very interested.

Valora is half English/half Chinese and is looking for her twin brother. She hitches a plan to get onto the Titanic and does find her brother. The reunion between them is great and this is how we meet the other Chinese men on board and what a cast of characters they are. They grew on me as we learned some of their back stories. The story also mentions The Chinese Exclusion Act which I knew nothing about or if I did learn that in history class decades ago, I have forgotten. But this law didn’t allow Chinese immigrants into the USA for a long time, even though they found other ways to go around it. We get a taste of the discrimination and racism directed towards the Chinese from both the upper class and lower class passengers.

Valora and Jamie’s relationship is the main focus of the story as she tries to persuade him to go to America with him. They have been apart for a long time and with their parents both gone, they only have one another. Valora gets to know Jamie’s friends and they become their own chosen family. Of course they are on the Titanic though…and we know the Titanic means tragedy. So if you are looking for a happy ending, this book is not it.

The whole cast of characters were great and it’s the Titanic so there were all kinds of people on this huge ship. I think we got a glimpse of it in this book.

This was a very fast read, even as it starts slow, you know it’s building to a tragic end with the Titanic about to sink. In the span of time Valora, Jamie and their friends spend on the Titanic they become a family, Valora even experiences the beginnings of what could be love, the twins are united and even perform acrobats like they did as kids – they have a time on the Titanic before tragedy strikes.

Triggers: racism, death

The Titanic movie is ingrained in me so there were times, it reminded me of the movie! Valora getting on the ship by any means like Jack did, Jamie falling for an upper class passenger like how Jack and Rose fell for one another.

It’s a slow beginning with Valora finding Jamie and then Valora trying to convince Jamie to join the circus and move to America with her. I was waiting for the Titanic to hit ice halfway through the book because that is the exciting and tragic parts of any Titanic story but it comes more towards the end. So the ending felt rushed.

It’s a sad ending, bittersweet – there were some happy endings so that’s a good thing, but overall the whole tragedy of the Titanic is sad.

Why you should read it:

The story honoring the 8 Chinese onboard the Titanic is important
you learn a lot
it’s a lovely yet tragic story about family

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning, Titanic doesn’t hit ice until way late in the book
sad ending – the whole Titanic tragedy is sad

My Thoughts:

I ended up reading this book very quickly despite the slow beginning. I think because I know the Titanic story through the movie, I was waiting for the action and the moment the ship started to sink. In the book it doesn’t come until later so I was racing through just to get to it. Though slow, the story about Valora and Jamie is a beautifully sad one about family. When Valora befriends his crew, then the story also becomes one about chosen family. This one is tragic, but beautifully written and we learn more about what the Chinese went through in the past. Stacey Lee is a great storyteller and I look forward to her next book.

📚~ Yolanda

Dial A for Aunties by. Jesse Q. Sutanto | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Dial A for Aunties

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 299

Publication Date: 4/27/21

Publisher: Berkley

Categories: Rom Com, Murder, Mystery, Family, Second Chance Romance, Contemporary

What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?

You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—”Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!“—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

I finally got a chance to read Dial A for Aunties after seeing it all over my bookstagram feed a few months ago. I love the cover and the synopsis is definitely intriguing! It had me at Asian aunties.

The best thing about this book is learning about the immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family and their wedding customs. I love how they switch from Mandarin, Indonesian and English. There was even a word I was familiar with which gave me a very good laugh. The word in Ilocano (a Philippines dialect that my family speak) for eggplant is tarong and in Indonesia it is terong. I thought that was so cool and funny because of how they were discussing eggplant.

The humor with all the aunts was funny and yet chaotic, and at times even triggering – reminding me of my family and their mini dramas. I don’t know how Meddy could deal with being at their mercy though. But family is family and they definitely had on another’s backs in this scenario. Meddy really is a good daughter, she was patient with her aunties and even gave up her dreams of the future for her family.

There is an accidental murder and then a mystery at the wedding in this story. Try hiding a dead body at a wedding? Yeah…you’ll have to read the book to see how that pans out! It reminds me of an 80’s movie called Weekend at Bernie’s combined with Crazy Rich Asians! I could definitely see this book as a movie.

Trigger: sexual assault, car accident, murder

This book is not realistic – at least I hope it never is because we hope Meddy who is in an accident and messed up situation does the right thing and report the body…right? Haha…I was waiting for that moment to happen. But Meddy freaks out and goes to her family instead who come up with some crazy plans on how to dispose the body. It’s wild but it works – like I said above, I could see this as a movie.

What I really wanted more of was Nathan and Meddy getting back together. I loved their back story. So if this had been just a second chance romance minus the dead body – I would have loved it more.

Why you should read it:

quick read, light read, chaotic, humorous, fun
learn about Chinese-Indonesian immigrants and their culture
Nathan and Meddy’s love story

Why you might not want to read it:

hiding a dead body and trying to win back your ex sounds crazy and not cute? lol very weird mix
too many things going on at once

My thoughts:

Suspend your disbelief for this one! Once you do that, it’s wild and chaotic, and sometimes funny. You get to learn a lot about the Chinese-Indonesian immigrant family, which I enjoyed a lot. I also loved Nathan and Meddy, and their second chance at romance and really wished the story was more about that than hiding a dead body but it was entertaining at least. After doing a search it looks like this will be a Netflix movie and I look forward to watching it!

📚~ Yolanda

The Jasmine Project by. Meredith Ireland | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: The Jasmine Project

Author: Meredith Ireland

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 9/7/21

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books For Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Family, Coming of Age, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jenny Han meets The Bachelorette in this effervescent romantic comedy about a teen Korean American adoptee who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a competition for her heart, as orchestrated by her overbearing, loving family.

Jasmine Yap’s life is great. Well, it’s okay. She’s about to move in with her long-time boyfriend, Paul, before starting a nursing program at community college—all of which she mostly wants. But her stable world is turned upside down when she catches Paul cheating. To her giant, overprotective family, Paul’s loss is their golden ticket to showing Jasmine that she deserves much more. The only problem is, Jasmine refuses to meet anyone new.

But…what if the family set up a situation where she wouldn’t have to know? A secret Jasmine Project.

The plan is simple: use Jasmine’s graduation party as an opportunity for her to meet the most eligible teen bachelors in Orlando. There’s no pressure for Jasmine to choose anyone, of course, but the family hopes their meticulously curated choices will show Jasmine how she should be treated. And maybe one will win her heart.

But with the family fighting for their favorites, bachelors going rogue, and Paul wanting her back, the Jasmine Project may not end in love but total, heartbreaking disaster.

This one is cute! It definitely gave me Jenny Han vibes and I love Jenny Han so this was definitely up my alley.

Jasmine Yap is Korean and adopted. Her adopted mom is Italian-American and her father is Filipino-American which makes for a big family. I can relate to the big Filipino family – I have so many first cousins, it’s not funny! I loved the big family parties in the story, and the family meddling and drama is on point, too.

So Jaz is at a crossroads. She’s graduating high school with plans on going to community college and follow in her mom’s footsteps to become a nurse. Also, Jaz is supposed to move in with her high school boyfriend, Paul, until plans change and he gets caught cheating on her. Jaz’s family, and I mean all of them, decides it’s time for her to start dating other guys – guys who would actually show Jaz she’s special.

I could relate to Jaz on the family side of things and going after a dream that seems unattainable. She wanted to stay safe and surrounded by family and I know that feeling because I grew up with so many people around me, it was sometimes scary to leave that. But Jaz grows a lot from dating the other guys, having conflict with the family and resolving those issues. By the end, she’s ready to spread her wings and fly.

As for the dating show part of the story, yes she is dating these boys but she doesn’t know the whole story about how they came into her life. Right off the first meetings I felt the sparks between her and Eugene! He was my choice for her all along for sure. They have a love of food and cooking and he really brought her out of her comfort zone.

Triggers: bullying, low self-esteem, toxic relationship, cheating

Jaz had low self-esteem when she was with Paul. She seemed to go along with everything he wanted, just to please him and it was nice seeing her find out what she wanted and go for it without him in the picture.

Jaz was rightfully mad when she found out what her family did – especially her sister, who had a chance to stop the podcast she made about it. Jasmine really is a sweetheart for taking time to realize why they did it (out of love for her) and forgiving them. I don’t know if I would have been so easy to forgive that quickly.

I couldn’t put this book down because it was entertaining and I related so well to Jasmine. This is a wonderful, heartfelt coming of age story that has a sweet romance, friendship, family and food – so much amazing food that it made me hungry! So if you like food and romance, you will definitely enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

With You All the Way by. Cynthia Hand | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: With You All the Way

Author: Cynthia Hand

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 3/30/21

Publisher: Harper Teen

Categories: Young Adult, Family, Coming of Age, Contemporary

Ada’s life is a mess. She just caught her boyfriend cheating on her after a humiliating attempt at losing her virginity, and she’s had it up to here with her gorgeous older sister’s unsolicited advice.

But things really hit the fan during a family vacation in Hawaii, where Ada discovers her own mother is having an affair. Apparently, everyone is falling into bed with people they shouldn’t. Everyone except Ada. But when Ada decides she’s going to stop trying and start doing—sex, that is—her best laid plan overlooks an inconvenient truth:

Feelings, romantic or not, always get in the way.

That whole drama of losing your virginity can be so different for everyone, for some it’s easy peasy and they can shrug it off, and then there are those who make it into a very big deal – because in my opinion, it is. This story explores all of that awkwardness, the questions, the insecurities that comes with losing your virginity.

Ada almost had sex with her ex-boyfriend who was cheating on her. She talks to her older sister about it, but she’s had her own imperfect situations to do with sex as well. They go on a family vacation to Hawaii because their mom has a work conference there and it’s when Ada decides, this is where she will finally lose her virginity. Things don’t work out perfectly though.

Outside of the whole losing virginity plan that Ada has, she is dealing with some major family issues. Ada thinks her mom is cheating, her mom is very non-existent in their lives since she is a busy surgeon. Ada is also is fighting with her older sister and facing her own insecurities. It’s a very coming of age book that I could relate to – it reminded me of my teenage years minus the Hawaii vacation (I live in Hawaii!). I think all the questions, insecurities, feelings and awkwardness was spot on. Losing one’s virginity is not so easily done sometimes but the questions and self-reflections are good. And yay for these guys knowing condoms should be used – definitely applauded that!

Triggers: cheating

I didn’t really connect to Ada, but that’s okay. I liked that she loved her family and you can tell she is close with her sisters, even though when she is fighting with the eldest one. She does get enough courage to say what she wants to her mom. I wish she wasn’t so obsessed with having sex and making a plan to just get rid of her virginity but I can see why she thought it was a burden to be a virgin.

Ada’s older sister gets involved with someone older than her – she’s 18 and hooking up with a 22 year old but it is sketchy on the guy’s part, especially if they shared a kiss when she was 17. But then again her sister was dealing with her own boy issues.

I liked how this story had realistic sex scenes between teens – not that the deed happens, but all the things that lead up to it. It’s a sex positive book showing all the issues that can crop up when deciding to lose one’s virginity and rushing into it. The family problems are somewhat resolved in the end so in that sense we get treated to a story about a family that isn’t perfect but love is present anyway, as it should be.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Six Crimson Cranes by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Title: Six Crimson Cranes

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Format: ebook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 7/6/21

Publisher: Knopf

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairytale, Family, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Knopf for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

I was hooked from the first chapter and never let go. This is the second series I’ve read from Elizabeth Lim and I will say it again, she writes beautifully. I love how her stories read like fairytales. The story is beautifully written and flows so nicely. As the author states, this is a reimagined story of “The Wild Swans” by Hans Christian Anderson but she wove other Asian folklore into the story which makes it so rich and such a fantastic adventure.

Shiori is the youngest of seven children and being the only girl, she’s been protected and indulged. She loves her family, her six brothers, her doting dad and once upon a time she even loved her stepmother. It’s this tense relationship with her stepmother that sets Shiori on an unexpected and challenging journey. Shiori really grows from being cursed – she sees how she took a lot of things for granted, and how much she loves her family. Now it’s her turn to do her part in saving her brothers. She realizes too late though the person who has betrayed her is the very one protecting her.

There is magic in this book and dragons, especially a dragon named Seryu who has a lot of personality. This is a story about family and the bond they share through thick and thin. There is betrayal. There is also an evil enchanter who wants to free the demons trapped in a mountain and events that take place to ensure it from not happening but the plan goes haywire. And of course there is romance which made my heart melt a little. This book really had everything and I could not put the book down once I started.

Remember how the Spin the Dawn series had demons? This is set in the same world as Spin the Dawn! I loved Spin the Dawn but I didn’t love Unravel the Dusk so I am hoping so hard that the sequel for Six Crimson Cranes doesn’t disappoint me. The ending sets up another amazing adventure for Shiori and I can’t wait to see who the dragon pearl really belongs to!

This is the kind of fantasy I’ve been craving to read lately and it checked all my boxes! An asian retelling of a western fairytale but with dragons, demons, brothers that change into cranes, family love, betrayal, a girl who has magic but is cursed, and a girl who is falling in love with the boy she had been avoiding all her life. I couldn’t put down the book and I already need the second one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Book Review | Don’t Date Rosa Santos

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Don’t Date Rosa Santos

Author: Nina Moreno

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 336

Categories: Romance, Family, Coming of Age, Contemporary, Young Adult

Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea-at least, that’s what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you’re a boy with a boat.

But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about.

As her college decision looms, Rosa collides – literally – with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?

Rosa Santos is supposedly cursed because the women in her family, her abuela (grandmother) and mother, have had devastating events with their loved ones and the sea.

The real curse is the fears that has lived with these women all their lives. The curse is on the verge of breaking them apart.

Rosa is trying to find her way to Cuba, and has chosen a college out of state, far from her abuela. Her grandmother has been her guardian for as long as she can remember, since her mom is always gone, and Rosa is afraid her school choice will anger her abuela. Rosa is that type A person who piles everything on her plate and can get things done! Like the festival they are throwing to help raise money for their town, she is hands-on, a leader and knows her way around planning. Working on the festival also throws her into the path of Alex Aquino, the cute guy that works down at the docks. A boy with a boat – oh no!

Between the curse, wanting to go to Cuba, her issues with her abuela and her mom – Rosa has a lot to juggle. This start off as a light-hearted contemporary young adult novel with some romance, though the romance is actually a slow burn. Alex and Rosa are so cute together. But the real love story resolves around Rosa and her family.

This story is rich in Port Coral life in Florida, Cuban culture (whatever Mimi was cooking I wanted to eat!), and even a little witchcraft. I loved getting to know a little more about Cuba through Mimi. Mimi, her abuela, had to live with her fears and nightmares about her experience fleeing Cuba – trying to protect Rosa from what she went through. I felt for all these Santos women.

And can I just say I love this Port Coral community and how they have these meetings and everyone knows each other. I love the support Rosa has through the community. Of course it sucks to have the small town gossip, because it’s what’s kept her mother away from that town, but overall, they watch over Rosa and it’s sweet.

This book was fun, heart-breaking, emotional and a journey in healing also. Also, I just have to mention I loved the flower details on the pages, it gave it such a summer, tropical vibe.