Review: Anna K

Anna K: A Love Story

by Jenny Lee
ebook, 480 pages
Published March 3rd 2020 
by Flatiron Books
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | 

Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather a sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K.: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina―but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak. 

For starters; the original Anna Karenina is a complex tragic love story. This one is a hormone-charged YA with so many unbelievable shallow and spoilt rich kids running around drinking, doing drugs, partying and ultimately ruining each other lives. Pure escapism but requires a lot of suspension of belief.

Can't Wait Wednesday #92

Can't Wait Wednesday is a wonderful meme hosted by Wishful Endings based on Waiting on Wednesday created by Jill from Breaking the Spine where we highlighted an upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating. 

10 Things I Hate About Pinky

(Dimple and Rishi #3)

by Sandhya Menon 

Expected publication: July 21st 2020 

by Simon Pulse 

Goodreads | 

The follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie follows Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results. 

Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.

Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.

Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they'll never forget.

The first book in the series was so adorable! I'm hoping this will also be the same. 

Diversity in YA Books

I love the fact that there are more and more YA books with a non-white main character in the market right now. For years, I was raised with a steady diet of blonde, blue-eyed characters that sometimes seemed unrelatable for people of color like me. I think it's refreshing to see books featuring a non-white girl on the cover not just because I'm Asian but there are stories to be told from a different point of view.

These are some of the books that I've read so far that represent such diverse characters. What are your favorites? Any recommended YA book with diverse characters? 

I do wish that there are more coloured protagonist in YA fantasy. For now, there seemed an abundance of African/Korean/Chinese/Indian American main characters in YA contemporary but not in fantasy. So writers/publishers out there, listen up! We need more diversity in YA fantasy, ok! 

Can't Wait Wednesday #91

Can't Wait Wednesday is a wonderful meme hosted by Wishful Endings based on Waiting on Wednesday created by Jill from Breaking the Spine where we highlighted an upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating. 

The Boundless (The Beholder, #2) by Anna Bright 
Expected Publication: June 9th, 2020
HarperTeen
Goodreads | 

When Selah found true love with Prince Torden of Norway, she never imagined she’d have to leave him behind. All because the Beholder’s true mission was a secret Selah’s crew didn’t trust her to keep: transporting weapons to the rebels fighting against the brutal tsarytsya, whose shadow looms over their next port of Shvartsval’d. A place Selah hoped she’d never go. But gone is the girl who departed Potomac filled with fear. With a stockpile of weapons belowdecks and her heart hanging in the balance, Selah is determined to see the Beholder’s quest to its end. 

The book has such a stunning cover! It took me some time to warm up to Selah since she's such a damsel in distress. But after finishing the first book and finding out about that twist, in the end, I just can't wait to get my hands on this one. 

Review: The Beholder

The Beholder (The Beholder, #1)
by Anna Bright
ebook, 435 pages
June 4th, 2019
by HarperTeen
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | 

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

I ended up liking this book which is quite surprising since the female protagonist came off as a sheltered, naive weakling in the first few chapters. And the premise of setting on an adventure to desperately seek a potential suitor just offend my feminist inclinations. (Sorry not sorry). But along the way, our weakling finally learns to stand up for herself. Thank god. And the potential suitors certainly have quite a few tricks up their sleeves which make this story a lot more interesting.

Review: Yes No Maybe So

Yes No Maybe So
by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed 
ebook, 448 pages
Published February 4th 2020 
by Balzer + Bray
ARC from Edelweiss  
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely. 

This has to be one of the most adorable teen romance I've ever read! Jamie's super awkward, dorky personality and his crazy family just made me smile so much. I ship Jamie and Maya so hard. Although that kiss might be controversial for Muslims. The cross-cultural romance and the political setting might raise some eyebrows but I love how it's handled. I've never read any book by Becky Albertalli before but after this, I definitely will.