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booksadoodle's review
4.0
Perfect time of year for a Lunar New Year rom-com! This is a cute story of love, second chances, ambition, and families. Cecily is poised to start the new year with a list of resolutions to better her life after a failed engagement left her broken hearted and she buried herself in her career. Jeffrey is at the early stages of trying to build his career after deciding that he couldn't be a doctor and left medical school, his family's dreams, and Cecily. What will it take for him to win another chance with her? Both characters are smart and witty, and the dynamic and banter between the two gave me some great LOL moments. The tales of the family dynamics are hilarious in any ethnicity, and easily relatable. The narrator did a great job keeping me engaged and entertained. A little funny, a little sentimental, a little spicy, this is a good one to check out for this time of year! Thanks so much to Lisa Lin, the publisher, Dreamscape Media, & NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC audiobook!
fivecatsinacoat's review against another edition
The narration was not very good and the characters were unlikable. The "romance" felt forced and I can't see these two ever together. There was no spark!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
mags83509's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lovely people falling in love for a second time. I appreciated that these characters felt like they were actually in their 30s. I felt like as someone in their 30s they were on par with where I am in life and they didn’t have everything figured out. I also definitely felt their stress when they interacted with their parents. Overall a sweet read.
tightlyunraveled's review
4.25
Thank you Lisa Lin and Tule Publishing for an ARC of this lovely book!
For Cecily, the new year is a chance to make some changes for the better. But her resolutions don't go quite as planned and while she doesn't give up, let's just say when you have a family like hers, sticking to those goals is a little harder.
To start off, I really enjoyed seeing Cecily and Jeffrey celebrate Lunar New Year with their respective families but also see some of the larger community activities. The abundance of food made me hungry but food is their love language and I loved seeing the whole family get involved, even if reluctantly. 😅
But family can also be hard and both Cecily and Jeffrey struggled with their parents' approval. Cecily is a successful lawyer yet her mother was always disatisfied about *something*. Jeffrey took the less conventional path and became a screenwriter and despite creating a name for himself, his parents still (not so subtly) wished he followed a more stable path. Their parents always meant well but the effect can be demoralizing. And this felt relatable bc no matter what we tell ourselves, it's hard to shake the desire for parental approval.
My favorite part had to be all the banter! The banter between Cecily and her friends (all the good-natured teasing!) and certainly the banter between Cecily and Jeffrey (all the sass and wit!). And Jeffrey winning Cecily back? So cute! Bc the lengths he went to? Let's just a certain celebrity made a cameo to help play matchmaker. 😉 All the fun aside, I really appreciated that Cecily and Jeffrey tried to talk through their feelings and problems. They weren't perfect but if you can relate to their family dynamic, you know communication was not exactly a practiced skill.
CN: open-door romance, emotional abuse, panic attack, mentions of fatphobic remarks
For Cecily, the new year is a chance to make some changes for the better. But her resolutions don't go quite as planned and while she doesn't give up, let's just say when you have a family like hers, sticking to those goals is a little harder.
To start off, I really enjoyed seeing Cecily and Jeffrey celebrate Lunar New Year with their respective families but also see some of the larger community activities. The abundance of food made me hungry but food is their love language and I loved seeing the whole family get involved, even if reluctantly. 😅
But family can also be hard and both Cecily and Jeffrey struggled with their parents' approval. Cecily is a successful lawyer yet her mother was always disatisfied about *something*. Jeffrey took the less conventional path and became a screenwriter and despite creating a name for himself, his parents still (not so subtly) wished he followed a more stable path. Their parents always meant well but the effect can be demoralizing. And this felt relatable bc no matter what we tell ourselves, it's hard to shake the desire for parental approval.
My favorite part had to be all the banter! The banter between Cecily and her friends (all the good-natured teasing!) and certainly the banter between Cecily and Jeffrey (all the sass and wit!). And Jeffrey winning Cecily back? So cute! Bc the lengths he went to? Let's just a certain celebrity made a cameo to help play matchmaker. 😉 All the fun aside, I really appreciated that Cecily and Jeffrey tried to talk through their feelings and problems. They weren't perfect but if you can relate to their family dynamic, you know communication was not exactly a practiced skill.
CN: open-door romance, emotional abuse, panic attack, mentions of fatphobic remarks
amberinpieces's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Alcohol
leigh_loves_books's review
Too much graphic sex. I prefer a clean romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Should've DNF'd. Bad values (your career = your worth, unhealthy relationships), middling plot, no endearing characters, no spicy stuff. Points for cultural representation I guess?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content
beyondevak's review against another edition
4.0
Quick Summary: A second chance with boldness romance
My Review: The Year of Cecily by Lisa Lin was an inspiring call to women everywhere. It proclaimed a year of the best. It was about wanting the best for self, wanting to follow one's best passion pursuits, wanting the best desires to be realized, and wanting the best things because of it being deserved. I adored those messages.
About the Story: While this story presented an Asian American family, it sounded like the families I grew up around. It was a community of people and personalities that were all too familiar. I could relate to every aspect of what was presented. Because of that, it made the story that much more believable. The frustrations, joys, conflicts, and successes gave great insight into both leads. It was easy to see how what they had experienced in their families and in their community shaped them.
About the Characters: Cecily was a strong woman. I loved her strength and conviction. She worked hard and was driven. She had goals. She was honest with herself about what she had to deal with. She didn't shy away from grasping what she wanted with both hands. She dealt with her family with grace and patience, especially her mother. Her character showed growth.
Jeffrey was firm in his zeal to win back the heart of Cecily. I admired his tenacity. He was just as feisty as her and wasn't afraid to call her on her stuff. Even with that, he knew when to give her space and not pressure her. He was not ashamed to show his vulnerability...in the end. That made him more appealing. His character had some growing to do, but in the end, it was evident that he progressed as needed.
About the Romance: Cecily and Jeffrey knew each other so intimately. I loved how she had an unconditional approach to supporting him. I appreciated how he cared for her in totality, even her prickly parts. Despite what they had endured and the time that had passed, their soul attraction and emotional investment in each other remained. Their chemistry was evident from the first point of contact at the airport.
My Final Say: This story was colorful, textured, and very satisfying. I loved that the characters were mature adults who had lived life and gained some experience. Readers who enjoy second chance romances will really like it.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Audiobook: Yes
Series: Yes
Status/Level: ⚡
Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own and were voluntarily submitted.
My Review: The Year of Cecily by Lisa Lin was an inspiring call to women everywhere. It proclaimed a year of the best. It was about wanting the best for self, wanting to follow one's best passion pursuits, wanting the best desires to be realized, and wanting the best things because of it being deserved. I adored those messages.
About the Story: While this story presented an Asian American family, it sounded like the families I grew up around. It was a community of people and personalities that were all too familiar. I could relate to every aspect of what was presented. Because of that, it made the story that much more believable. The frustrations, joys, conflicts, and successes gave great insight into both leads. It was easy to see how what they had experienced in their families and in their community shaped them.
About the Characters: Cecily was a strong woman. I loved her strength and conviction. She worked hard and was driven. She had goals. She was honest with herself about what she had to deal with. She didn't shy away from grasping what she wanted with both hands. She dealt with her family with grace and patience, especially her mother. Her character showed growth.
Jeffrey was firm in his zeal to win back the heart of Cecily. I admired his tenacity. He was just as feisty as her and wasn't afraid to call her on her stuff. Even with that, he knew when to give her space and not pressure her. He was not ashamed to show his vulnerability...in the end. That made him more appealing. His character had some growing to do, but in the end, it was evident that he progressed as needed.
About the Romance: Cecily and Jeffrey knew each other so intimately. I loved how she had an unconditional approach to supporting him. I appreciated how he cared for her in totality, even her prickly parts. Despite what they had endured and the time that had passed, their soul attraction and emotional investment in each other remained. Their chemistry was evident from the first point of contact at the airport.
My Final Say: This story was colorful, textured, and very satisfying. I loved that the characters were mature adults who had lived life and gained some experience. Readers who enjoy second chance romances will really like it.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Audiobook: Yes
Series: Yes
Status/Level: ⚡
Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own and were voluntarily submitted.