Title: As Kismet Would Have It (Dimple and Rishi #1.5) Author: Sandhya Menon Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary Publisher: Simon Pulse Source: Purchased Format: Ebook Release Date: April 30, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Will Dimple and Rishi find their happily ever after? Find out in this funny, romantic, endlessly charming e-novella sequel to the New York Times bestseller When Dimple Met Rishi!
Dimple Shah has a lot of opinions about marriage, but they boil down to this: It’s not for her. Sure, she loves her boyfriend, Rishi, but why does she need to validate that with an institution that has historically never favored the woman? Why go through all that hassle?
Rishi Patel deeply disagrees. He believes in the power that comes with combining love and tradition, and when the time comes, wants nothing more than to honor those things in a huge celebration with his friends and family. He knows Dimple loves him, but in hearing her rant about how marriage is a “construct of hegemonic masculinity” for the millionth time, a small, niggling part of him worries that it’s not the institution of marriage Dimple has a problem with; maybe it’s him.
The two lovebirds find themselves at a philosophical impasse. Can they find a way to work it out, or does kismet have other plans?
Review:
Dimple and Rishi have been together for a year. Rishi is looking forward to getting married, but Dimple is hesitant. She loves Rishi but she doesn’t want to get married. They have a couple of conversations about marriage over the months, first at a jewelry store when they look at engagement rings and then at the wedding of one of Rishi’s relatives. It all ends with the same conclusion: Dimple doesn’t want to get married. This leads Rishi to wonder if she doesn’t want to marry anyone or if she just doesn’t want to marry Rishi.
I loved seeing the characters Dimple and Rishi again in this story. This story is set between the books When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something About Sweetie.
These characters were more mature than they were in their first book. This story ends a year after the first book, so they are in a different place in life. Rishi is thinking about his future, which he wants to begin by marrying Dimple. Young adult characters don’t often talk about their future adult lives, because they’re busy living in the present. This story showed young characters that were maturing into their adult lives.
This story is a must-read for fans of Dimple and Rishi!
What to read next:
There’s Something About Sweetie (Dimple and Rishi #2) by Sandhya Menon
Love at First Fight (Dimple and Rishi #2.5) by Sandhya Menon
Title: Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (illustrator) Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: September 29, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
From bestselling and award-winning husband and wife team Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, comes an innovative, beautifully illustrated novel that delivers a front-row seat to the dramatic events that led to African Americans earning the right to vote.
“Right here, I’m sharing the honest-to-goodness.” -Loretta
“I’m gon’ reach back, and tell how it all went. I’m gon’ speak on it. My way.” -Roly
“I got more nerve than a bad tooth. But there’s nothing bad about being bold.” -Aggie B.
Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B., members of the Little family, each present the vivid story of their young lives, spanning three generations. Their separate stories – beginning in a cotton field in 1927 and ending at the presidential election of 1968 — come together to create one unforgettable journey.
Through an evocative mix of fictional first-person narratives, spoken-word poems, folk myths, gospel rhythms and blues influences, Loretta Little Looks Back weaves an immersive tapestry that illuminates the dignity of sharecroppers in the rural South. Inspired by storytelling’s oral tradition, stirring vignettes are presented in a series of theatrical monologues that paint a gripping, multidimensional portrait of America’s struggle for civil rights as seen through the eyes of the children who lived it. The novel’s unique format invites us to walk in their shoes. Each encounters an unexpected mystical gift, passed down from one family member to the next, that ignites their experience what it means to reach for freedom.
Review:
Loretta, Roly, and Aggie were three generations of a Black family who lived in the American south in the early 20th century. They each had different perspectives on their lives, which they tell in their monologues in each part of this book. Loretta lived with her father and two sisters, on a farm where they picked cotton. They weren’t officially slaves, but they were often treated as if they were. One day, Loretta and her sisters found a baby in a field, who became their brother Roly. During Roly’s childhood, they were able to buy their own piece of land. When Roly got older, he married and had a daughter named Aggie. His wife left when Aggie was a newborn, leaving Aggie in the care of Roly and Loretta. Aggie grew up in the 1960s, so she had a completely different perspective on the world than her older relatives.
Most of the stories that I’ve read about slaves or their ancestors have been for adults, so I loved that this one was for children. There were some tough scenes, such as when Loretta’s father was insulted by his boss or when their farm was attacked just because they were Black. These are important parts of history that need to be taught to everyone.
Even though these three storytellers were from the same family, they had different perspectives on the world. Loretta had seen her father suffer, and she had suffered herself while picking cotton. Roly was just a few years younger than her but he had a different upbringing. He had a more comfortable life, looking after the animals on their farm, and he wasn’t interested in moving higher in the world. Loretta was inspired by the civil rights movement of the 60s and wanted to make a change in the world. Though they were from the same family and lived in the same place, the time period that they were living in changed the way they viewed the world.
This is a beautiful and important children’s book.
Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Wunderkind PR for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (illustrator)
Have you read Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Here are my first lines:
“Kell wore a very peculiar coat.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab.
Goodreads synopsis:
Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.
Have you read A Darker Shade of Magic? What did you think of it?
Title: Rent a Boyfriend Author: Gloria Chao Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: November 10, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.
Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.
Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.
When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.
But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?
Review:
Chloe’s parents are pressuring her to marry their wealthy friend’s son, so she rents a boyfriend to bring home for Thanksgiving. Rent for Your ‘Rents is a company where you can fill out a questionnaire and rent a boyfriend who will fit all the requirements that your parents want in a partner for you. Chloe ends up bringing Drew to her parents’ home. Drew is an artist who is estranged from his family, so he is available to work as a fake boyfriend on holidays. As the Thanksgiving holiday progresses, Chloe and Drew get closer than he usually gets with his clients. Then, they start texting after he leaves. They start to fall for each other, which could become a problem since their relationship was built on lies.
The fake dating trope is one of my favourites so I was so excited to read this story. The tension from the fake dating comes from both people lying about their relationship. There were many secrets and lies in this story. Chloe was hiding Drew’s real identity from her parents. Drew was lying to all of the parents of his clients. Chloe’s parents were even hiding a few secrets of their own. These secrets created lots of tension when they were revealed.
This was a really fun story. There were a couple of tough moments, especially when Chloe’s parents weren’t treating fairly, but most of the romance was so cute. Chloe and Drew were meant to be together right from the beginning. They had similar relationships with their parents, though Drew ended up being kicked out of his parents home and Chloe was still visiting her parents while she was in university. They were both strong young adults, who knew they needed to follow their hearts to be happy.
I really enjoyed this story!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon
Have you read Rent a Boyfriend? What did you think of it?
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is Jane in Love by Rachel Givney.
Goodreads Synopsis:
If Jane Austen had the choice between the heart and the pen, what do you think she would do?
At age twenty-eight, Jane Austen should be seeking a suitable husband, but all she wants to do is write. She is forced to take extreme measures in her quest to find true love – which lands her in the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Magically, she finds herself in modern-day England, where horseless steel carriages line the streets and people wear very little clothing. She forms a new best friend in fading film star Sofia Wentworth, and a genuine love interest in Sofia’s brother Fred, who has the audacity to be handsome, clever and kind-hearted.
She is also delighted to discover that she is now a famous writer, a published author of six novels and beloved around the globe. But as Jane’s romance with Fred blossoms, her presence in the literary world starts to waver. She must find a way to stop herself disappearing from history before it’s too late.
A modern-day reimagining of the life of one of the world’s most celebrated writers, this wonderfully witty romantic comedy offers a new side to Jane’s story, which sees her having to choose between true love in the present and her career as a writer in the past.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: Tsarina Author: Ellen Alpsten Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: November 10, 2020 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
St. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna, as ambitious, ruthless and passionate as Peter himself.
Born into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter’s powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life—the lavish feasts, glittering jewels, and candle-lit hours in Peter’s bedchamber—she knows the peril of her position. Peter’s attentions are fickle and his rages powerful; his first wife is condemned to a prison cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. And now Catherine faces the ultimate test: can she keep the Tsar’s death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself?
From the sensuous pleasures of a decadent aristocracy, to the incense-filled rites of the Orthodox Church and the terror of Peter’s torture chambers, the intoxicating and dangerous world of Imperial Russia is brought to vivid life. Tsarina is the story of one remarkable woman whose bid for power would transform the Russian Empire.”
Review:
In St. Petersburg in 1725, the Tsar Peter the Great is dying. His second wife, Catherine, is by his side, but he doesn’t have a clear heir. As the Tsar dies, Catherine needs to keep his death a secret while she figures out how to rule the country as a Tsarina. This story shows Catherine’s life, from when she was a washing maid, to when she was saved by the Tsar and made Tsarina Catherine.
This was quite a “rags to riches” story. Catherine was born in a small hut, where she was later sold as a washing maid. She was abused, but after many attempts to escape this life, she stumbled onto the Tsar’s war camp. Her life was changed when she caught the Tsar’s eye and began a romance. It is mostly based on Catherine’s real life, though some parts had to be filled in for the story.
Some of scenes in this story were graphic and disturbing. There was rape, domestic violence, abuse, and murder. The women in the story experienced every kind of pregnancy complication, including most of the twelve children that Catherine gave birth to dying either at birth or shortly after. There were plenty of these scenes, which could be disturbing, but they showed how dangerous life was for a woman during that time period, no matter her social standing.
This was a long story that gave many details about Catherine’s life. However, by the end, I was glued to the page and wanted to keep reading more. The ending was intense and surprising to me because I wasn’t familiar with this time period.
I enjoyed this historical fiction story. It would be great for anyone interested in Russian historical fiction.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
About the author:
ELLEN ALPSTEN was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands. Upon graduating from L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, she worked as a news anchor for Bloomberg TV London. Whilst working gruesome night shifts on breakfast TV, she started to write in earnest, every day, after work and a nap. Today, Ellen works as an author and as a journalist for international publications such as Vogue, Standpoint and CN Traveller. She lives in London with her husband, three sons and a moody fox red Labrador. Tsarina is her debut novel.
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Admission by Julie Buxbaum. The expected publication date is December 1, 2020.
Goodreads Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.
It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She’s headed off to the college of her dreams. She’s going to prom with the boy she’s had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.
As she loses everything she’s long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?
Title: Cone Cat Author: Sarah Howden, Carmen Mok (illustrator) Genre: Children’s, Picture Book Publisher: Owlkids Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: August 15, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
One day, Jeremy wakes up at the vet’s with a giant cone around his head. In a momentary existential crisis, he resigns himself to his new role as clumsy, smelly Cone Cat. That is, until the cone becomes instrumental in lapping up the last few bites of cereal on the breakfast table.
Surprisingly, Cone Cat can do a lot of things old Jeremy couldn’t. He can hunt spiders with ease, collect stuffing from the couch, and disguise himself as a bowl to steal a scoop of ice cream at a birthday party. When the cone is removed the next day, Jeremy starts to miss it. Will he ever get another chance to indulge in the tricks he pulled off as Cone Cat? It doesn’t take him too long to find out …
With lively illustrations and plenty of wit, this hilarious picture book about adapting to seemingly im-paw-ssible situations is sure to please kids and cat-lovers alike.
Review:
When Jeremy wakes up at the vet’s office one day, he is wearing a cone. He realizes that he is no longer Jeremy. Now he will be known as Cone Cat. He can’t do the things he’s used to doing, like hunt bugs around the house, scratch the furniture, or eat from his dish. He feels strange in the cone, until he realizes he can do things differently with the cone. He can tip a bowl into the cone to eat inside it. He can scoop the bugs into his cone so that he doesn’t have to hunt them. Life is different with the cone, but he figures out a way to adapt to it.
This is such a cute picture book! Anyone who has a dog or cat who has had surgery or an injury, has probably had to use the cone, or as we call it in my house “the cone of shame.” It’s sad to see how depressed the animals get while wearing the cone, but it is for their own good so they can heal.
Jeremy the cat learns to adapt to his new life wearing the cone. He had to look on the bright side and figure out how to live his normal life. For example, he couldn’t drink from the cereal bowl on the table, but he could tip it into his cone and drink it like that. Jeremy didn’t know that the cone wouldn’t last forever, so once he got used to it, his owner was able to take it off and he could return to his old life as Jeremy.
I loved this adorable cat picture book!
Thank you Owlkids for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Cracking the Case of the Missing Egg (Farm Crimes!) by Sandra Dumais
Catkwondo by Lisl H. Detlefsen, Erin Hunting (illustrator)
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Book Titles That Would Make Great Song Titles. Here’s my list:
1. Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks
2. A Phoenix First Must Burn by Patrice Caldwell (editor)
3. Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
4. Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare
5. Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy
6. The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor
7. Smash It! by Francina Simone
8. The End of Her by Shari Lapena
9. He Started It by Samantha Downing
10. The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh
(All photos taken from Goodreads)
What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?
Jill's Book Blog 