Glimpsed - G. F. Miller (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 15/2/2021

Author: G. F. Miller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Date of Publication: January 5, 2021

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Favourite Pages Book Club)

About the book:

Perfect for fans of Geekerella and Jenn Bennett, this charming, sparkly rom-com follows a wish-granting teen forced to question if she’s really doing good—and if she has the power to make her own dreams come true.

Charity is a fairy godmother. She doesn’t wear a poofy dress or goes around waving a wand, but she does make sure the deepest desires of the student population at Jack London High School come true. And she knows what they want even better than they do because she can glimpse their perfect futures.

But when Charity fulfils a glimpse that gets Vibha crowned homecoming queen, it ends in disaster. Suddenly, every wish Charity has ever granted is called into question. Has she really been helping people? Where do these glimpses come from, anyway? What if she’s not getting the whole picture?

Making this existential crisis way worse is Noah—the adorkable and (in Charity’s opinion) diabolical ex of one of her past clients—who blames her for sabotaging his prom plans and claims her interventions are doing more harm than good. He demands that she stop granting wishes and help him get his girl back. At first, Charity has no choice but to play along. But soon, Noah becomes an unexpected ally in getting to the bottom of the glimpses. Before long, Charity dares to call him her friend…and even starts to wish he were something more. But can the fairy godmother ever get the happily ever after?

Review:

        Magic, teenager, happy ending --- yup! terrifying combination and that is what bought me. If you ask me whether I have ever spared a moment on fairy godmothers, that will be a big no. Wishes yes, but not them as flesh and blood beings with aspirations for their own happy endings. How does it feel to be a forever sidekick, never a heroine?

      Meet Charity. Our modern-day fairy godmother utterly devoted to the well being of her Cindies. The moment she glimpses their fortune, she is on it to make it a reality. Well, until her recent project backfired and is being accused of manipulating her Cindies' desires by Noah. That begs the question: Is the line dividing a fairy godmother and an evil witch really that thin?

        To tell you that this book has bewitched me from the very first page is an understatement. Hooked as if by enchantment, I even prioritised it over my work (I hope none of my colleagues will chance upon this post 😟) So what did I love? It's fast-paced, funny and does touch upon all teenage angst and drama without a single dull moment. Charity, once unleashed, is a storm that cannot be contained and her narration perfectly captures this persona. And the love story? So cute and adorable that you may forget your age (if you are as old as I am that is). Haven't I tempted you yet?

Favourite quotes:

"Sometimes an uncomfortably long pause is the thing that really draws people out"

"The fairy godmother doesn't get her own story. She just pops into other people's stories once in a while. We're the Universe's designated side characters"

"Mothers are just people with their own set of problems"

"If you spend your life trying to protect yourself from getting hurt, you'll end up missing the best parts. Some people are worth breaking your heart over"

Meet the author:

G.F. Miller can write 80,000-word novels but ask her to sit down and write 250 true and meaningful words about herself and she is likely to have an existential crisis. Who am I, really? She ponders. What do I want to be known for? Does anyone even read the back flap or visit author websites?

But eventually, she will pull herself together and tell you that…She married her college sweetheart and is mom to three littles who routinely make her heart burst and her head explode (it’s a messy business, love). There are puppies big and small residing at her house (you’ll be seeing a lot of them if you follow her on Instagram). She’s been to a dozen countries, but not nearly as many as she would like. She loves learning all the things. She cries at all the wrong times. She makes faces at herself in the mirror. She believes in the Oxford comma. And she’s always here for a dance party.  

While the stories she has brewing in her soul vary wildly from one another, there are three things they will always have in common: love, snappy dialogue, and happy endings.

A Pho Love Story - Loan Le (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 14/2/2021

Author: Loan Le

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: February 9, 2021

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

(This review part of the blog tour organised by The Coloured Pages Tours)

About the book:

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favourite employee. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams of pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighbouring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighbouring restaurants.

Review:

        There is no need to wonder why 'Romeo and Juliet' is still popular. Times might have changed but we have similar scenarios even now, apparently. And thus we have 'A Pho Love Story' . .  oh, don't worry . . . with a happy ending. After all, anything can be resolved if you can talk it out.

        I am neither Vietnamese nor American but anyone from Asian families can really relate to Loan Le's debut. The family rivalry is one thing and along with that is the pressing matter of following your dreams. Its all charming and inspiring, but by the end, it all comes down to one thing: economic security. Can we really blame their parents for looking out for their children?

        Reading the way Bao and Linh weave through this complex family situation was altogether rewarding and amusing. Linh is an aspiring artist and consequently bears the burden of her parent's expectations due to her talent in academics. Bao, on the other hand, is another story. He revels in being mediocre and that strategy eventually allowed him to walk on his chosen path without much family drama. Fewer expectations, fewer demands and more freedom. Isn't that clever?

        But my most favourite part is the Vietnamese food and culture referred throughout the story, like the right kind of spice to a curry. Struggles in a foreign country, racist remarks and language barrier all plays its part and one cannot but salute both these families. 

        And I cannot forget Chef Le, our 'little' meddler. He surely is a force to deal with and the parts he were in is the quite memorable ones. His life, in a way, represents the future that awaits our cute couple. Whether it is love or career, a little bit of courage can surely make a change.

Favourite Quotes:

"It's generally accepted that in families like ours, the older kids have it way harder. We're the guinea pigs in a real-world lab"

"I never thought I'd ever feel weak-kneed -- that is for damsels in distress or elderly people with low blood pressure -- but I guess it's the same for first kisses"

"The feeling of lying has become all too familiar. It's not the nervousness of hiding something now -- it's the shame that weighs me down, more and more."

"But in anything you love, isn't there always some bit of sadness, some essence of suffering? That, to me, is what makes art worth it"

Meet the author:

Loan Le is the youngest child of two Vietnamese immigrants hailing from Nha Trang. She holds an MFA degree in fiction from Fairfield University, also her undergraduate alma mater. A Pushcart Prize–nominated writer, her short stories have appeared in CRAFT Literary, Mud Season Review, and Angel City Review. Loan is an editor at Simon and Schuster's Atria Books imprint and lives in Manhattan. A Pho Love Story is her first novel. Visit her website at writerloanle.com and find her on Twitter @loanloan. 

 

The Gilded Ones - Namina Forna

Date of Reading: 5/2/2021

Author: Namina Forna

Publisher: Delacorte

Publication Date: February 9, 2021

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

About the book:

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one is quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.

Review:

        There are not many books that have trigger warnings on the front. Well, this is my first and I would be lying if I say this story has not shaken me to the core. Deka might be a fictional character but the world Namina Forna draws is entirely our own and her protagonist is representative of all the women who are chained and who love their chains considering them to be dignified ornaments.

        Deka is a girl from Irfut, a deeply patriarchal village where women wear masks from the age of sixteen once they complete the ritual of purity. Her mother was a southerner and she has inherited her dark complexion. All these years she has been dreaming of being accepted by the villagers when her blood flows red. Then she can wear masks and marry someone from the village. That is all she ever wanted.

        Her world turns upside down when she shows the ability to command the death shrieks, the fearsome demons attacking their country and as expected her blood is gold. Her only way of atonement is to serve the emperor as a soldier, once her allotted time is over, she will be absolved of her impurity. There begins her unexpected journey which brings her closer to the truth of what she is.

        It was hard for me to warm up to Deka in the beginning, a girl so adamant in believing the terrible customs doled out by religious authorities. Will she ever change and find strength in her difference? But each day in training awakens her to new capabilities that she was forced to shut down previously. We proceed with her, sharing her agonies and self-doubts because after all, this is also our story.

        A truly evocative novel which will undoubtedly be one of the best books 2021 offers. And the book, though a part of the series, wraps up nicely too without any cliffhangers.

Meet the author:

"I always wanted to write a book that showed girls that they could be heroes, that they could fight for what's right."

Namina Forna is a young adult novelist based in Los Angeles and the author of the epic fantasy YA novel The Gilded Ones. Originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, she moved to the US when she was nine and has been travelling back and forth ever since. Namina loves building fantastical worlds and telling stories with fierce female leads.