pickI‘m glad our library picked this book for One Book One Denver this year so that I finally got around to it. I loved Hsu‘s approach to this memoir about his college experience, his relationship with his friend Ken, and his identity as Taiwanese American. Trying to find his place and who he wants to be in the context of who he is and who others are around him. It felt so relatable despite our different experiences. A sign of a great memoir.
so-soI do like these characters, but their immaturity, while totally age appropriate, was frustrating. Maybe I need to step away from YA 🤔
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Wildfire by Hannah Grace was a cute, medium-paced romance. The beginning and end pulled me in, though the middle dragged a bit. Predictable but still enjoyable, with sweet chemistry between the characters. Spice level about a 3.5—steamy enough without overshadowing the story. A cozy, comforting read if you like your romances familiar but fun.
pickThis book is about Hsu‘s young adulthood and his friendship with Ken. It feels very familiar as a coming of age story. I enjoyed it a great deal.
so-soRating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 ⭐️'s)
Fangirl was okay. It could've been better. I didn't care for the fan-fiction story the protagonist was working on—I wish she worked on her short story for school. I would have loved to see what she would have done with that. I wish she dated Levi sooner, and I didn't care for Raegan's ground rules at the end. If she wasn't comfortable with her roommate dating her ex, she should have said so at the start.
I just finished rewatching TED LASSO and it left me in the mood for MORE SPORTS. I‘ve had ON THE ICE lingering on my Kobo for ages since I wasn‘t wild about another of Amy Aislin‘s books, and I figured I might as well give it a try while I‘m in this mood. It‘s much sparklier than the other one! I do find the excessive American college talk grating, as always (and especially from non-American authors), but the character dynamics are great. Yay!
