krystalicia_'s reviews
177 reviews

First things first, LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK WHILE LOOKING AT THE WORDS because truly you are doing a disservice if you don’t listen to Noor’s voice while taking in her words. The language is beautiful, the emotion in each spoken word by the narrators is heartbreaking, and there’s this deep silencing of the world around you you’ll experience as everything is sucked into every thought and feeling of our three main characters. I don’t cry often while reading, but this book brought me there. Salahuddin and Noor will stick with me for a very long time, both in thinking about their relationships with each other, but also their relationships with their families and most importantly, themselves. 

There is so much pain in this book and it’s almost deafening just reading along with the lives of these three souls just trying their best and dealing with the consequences of their actions. Honestly, I will never understand why immigrant parents move to the most isolated, racist, white only cities in the US, but it led these two to each other and Noor to Misbah so can even really be that mad?? Yes, but I’m still grateful they had each other.

This is likely one of my top 5 favorite books of the year but please be advised that this book is a lot. I’m actually really happy this book included content warnings because I’m pretty sure my heart wouldn’t have been able to take it. Love you Salahuddin and Noor and wishing these two characters nothing but the best.

TLDR: very long, wouldn’t read again, but glad I did read it. 

I truly don’t know what I thought this book was going to be, but I can confidently say that this wasn’t it. This book is split into book one and book two which makes sense because it really felt like two separate books. (Massive sidenote: as of writing this review, I read this book two months ago and it just hit me that book one is breast because they talk a lot about boobs and book two is eggs because they talk about fertility and that was extremely clever and makes me enjoy this book a little more. Back to the review.)

I appreciated that this story explores difficult and uncomfortable conversations and took into account how money and social status play into it. I really liked how the book explored the relationship between sisters, as well as mother and daughter and really delved into what it means to be a mother. It’s pretty interesting because I enjoyed the story telling structure of the first book which consisted of our main character’s perspective spliced with journal entries from her niece that’d been visiting her, whereas I enjoyed the actual story of the second book which followed fertility, insemenation & IVF, and the kids that are born from it and the various ways it could impact them. 

While I enjoyed the story, it did feel like it took a while to get through. I read and listened to it at the same time and I genuinely feel like if I didn’t listen to it, I would not have been able to stay focused enough to get through it. 

A graphic novel was the perfect medium to use for this story so I’m really glad I got to take it in this way. The story explores the reality of the digital content we receive in our daily lives whether it be social media or advertisements and TV shows. This story follows Olive, a recent high school graduate preparing to attend art school and is offered an internship before her classes start. Early on, we get a glimpse into her relationship with social media and explore it more deeply during her time as an editing assistant, her work including retouching model photos. At this point, we’ve heard the dangers of unrealistic body expectations and how they impact especially young women, so I could definitely see my self in Olive, especially when I was her age. The story follows her addressing her dependence on social media and how retouching her own photos. Overall, I think a strong message for teens especially to hear and creating it in a visual art form can only help.

Thanks NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for a copy of this book!

This book had no business being so relatable but I appreciate that it did. A couple of key take always before going into a full review:

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was super topical, relatable, and a book that really makes you think from so many different perspectives. It begs the question of how would you react when adversity strikes and is there a singular right way to handle it. I also appreciate that we get to see how these sisters navigate the very white space they live in: one who is very clearly Chinese and one who is constantly told that she’s not Asian enough since she took after her father and how those very physical features impact how they deal with things. It’s an interesting conversation on white privilege, white passing privilege, and how some people react when assimilation can be pushed on children of immigrants. Also, I’m kind of glad that she touched how people of color can still be racist because!!!! That truly needs to be called out. Loved this and excited to read more from Tian! 

Honestly, after such a long stress of emotionally taxing books, this was such a fun little break. One thing about me is that I love musical theater, and I regret it every day of my life that I never got involved in it when I was younger, so reading about these two characters (one with musical theater in her bones and the other a former superstar turned shut in turned instant Broadway heartthrob), I was hooked. As we know, I’m not a romance girl, but I LOVED reading about the behind the scenes business, getting an understanding of putting in a show start to finish, and finally making it to opening night. I was invested in them making this show happen because so many people were depending on it for so many different reason.

I have to say my favorite character was Mateo. I appreciated that he was more than meets the eye and continuously challenged people’s perception of him. Honestly, I would have probably been a big fan of his as a little kid and I know I would have been a bigger fan once he hit the stage. Jazzy wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was nice to see her soften herself over time and actually let something in aside from work. 

All in all, a quick and cozy little read!

This book broke me. Deeply, spiritually, mentally, all of it. This is the first book I’ve ever read from the Guatemalan perspective, which truthfully made it all the more emotional and while I know El Bestia is not how my family made it to the US, it’s still gut wrenching to think about that ever even being a 1% possibility. I think what made this so difficult to stomach was the fact that we were following teenagers, literal children, attempting to escape their extremely dangerous circumstances via and equally dangerous means, and knowing that even if there is a happy ending, can you even call it happy?

This book was painful, gruesome, and emotional. You were in the heads of our two main characters, a young boy with the plan named Pulga, and a young girl (and recent reluctant mother, Pequeña, as they travel from their city in Guatemala through Mexico and eventually across the border into the United States alongside their young friend turned brother, Chico. This is a sad story of three kids being forced to grow up much too quickly, of the desire to keep their innocence while consistently being exposed to the tragedy and injustice that happens around them, and of fighting for the will to live when everything in you is telling you to give up. This book hit me deep, and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about these three. 

This is a Rakhi support page, first and foremost. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made me mad, suspicious, emotional, and proud all in the span of 326 pages and I honestly want more. At its core, this book is about choosing yourself in a world where people will keep choosing for you. It was honestly heartbreaking to see the people that Rakhi thought were her strongest support system consistently disappoint me as a reader. There were some people I never trusted (cough cough Alex), but seeing how everything else played out was the upsetting reminder that money and power will always win no matter how much you try. Seeing the growth Rakhi showed throughout her story and coming to terms with the choices she had to make kept me hooked in.

A quick note for the author: I loved how Patel wrote Rakhi’s actions and internal dialogue. There was no question on what the tone of the book was and seeing her interact with all these people that see her as just some slum dweller rather than the intelligent person she actually is so well told. I also loved the inclusion of the Hindi language in the story. It adds to the storytelling, Rakhi’s voice, and it helps me as the reader get immersed into the culture.

First off, this cover? ‘‘Twas love at first site! This was such an interesting collections of short stories specifically about the Cambodian American experience following the Khmer Rouge genocide. It was a pleasure to watch the stories intertwine with one another and seeing glimpses of the same people through others eyes because it helped developer the characters in a way I didn’t expect when I first picked up this book. 

As with all short story collections, some were stronger than others. For me, the stand outs were Human Development, Somaly, and Generational Differences, and The Shop. Each story took showed it’s own point of view in examining familial relations and the tie to your culture, especially if it’s tied to a place you’ve never seen in person. I’m the first story, Three Women in Chucks, you start this conversation about what’s Khmer and what’s not, and it feels like throughout each of the stories, you’re getting glimpses into that same conversation in drastically different ways.

It’s unfortunate that this was published posthumously because I really enjoyed the writing and the open-endedness of So’s writing. It was truly a collection that had so much potential and I felt that if he had another collection released, it would have been worlds ahead of he had time to craft it. All in all, I appreciate him providing a glimpse into his culture, his psyche, and himself. 

One of my favorite YA of the year? Very much so possible. This is a story of grief but also it’s a story of acceptance and exploration and family and so much more.

We follow Leigh as she’s grappling with the fact that her mother has taken her own life and who’s essence has manifested into a big, red bird. Typically, I wouldn’t be into that, but the way the story os told and how descriptive the scenes are really pulls you in. Leigh grew up never knowing her mother’s family since her mother moved away from Taiwan permanently when they wouldn’t approve of her relationship with her white boyfriend/husband. What follows the death of Leigh’s mother is her finally meeting the family she never knew, working through her relationship with her father, and learning about her mother in a way she was never allowed to before.

The storytelling in this is phenomenal. Leigh is an artist and every feeling is described extensively in color. We get the story told in three different ways (present timeline, Leigh’s flashbacks to her previous years in high school, and the memories of others while she’s in Taiwan with her grandparents). I absolutely adored this I would recommend everyone to pick this up!