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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Incredibly enjoyable from start to finish. A great and relatable queer main character. The plot with her dad was kind of distracting but I would still highly recommend it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism
Pro-voiced review:
Moving to a new place forces you to reinvent yourself. For Sana, this means going to a new high school – and suddenly, for the first time in her life, she has peers who share her cultural identity. She quickly meets a new crush, and this means she is faced with revealing to the world that she is attracted to women. Misa Sugiura’s first book is an engrossing coming of age story, full of the realistic intersectionality of life. Her writing is full of evocative analogies and heartbreaking realizations. Sana struggles with feeling forced into a group based on her heritage, but then feels a sense of community and belonging within that group. Some underage drinking and off-the-page sex make this better for a high school audience, though some mature middle schools will enjoy it as well. Highly recommended for collections serving teens.
A little more:
I was really worried this was going to be a slog. It's thick, and I needed to read it during a time of the year in which I have a lot of other demands on my reading attention. Fortunately, I ripped right through it in a matter of a few days.
I loved how Sugiura didn't back away from the complicated territory of navigating relationships with people from another group of friends. No matter what the dividing line is, every group of humans has their own norms, expectations, values. And entering into an established group can be TOUGH (Raina has flashbacks to angsty patches of her dating history). Add to that the struggle of not conforming to the larger expectation-of-norm (i.e. being gay). And dealing with your friends and family and their reactions to that. Oh wow, have I been there. In some ways I'm still there. So yeah, maybe I'm not the most unbiased reviewer of this book. Some of the (sub?)plots I barely paid attention to (i.e. is dad having an affair).
Oh, one other side note - reading over my age recommendation, it makes me sound more conservative about content than I am. The underage drinking is very early in the book, which played a role in that call. Also, middle school means 6-8th grade in my area.
Moving to a new place forces you to reinvent yourself. For Sana, this means going to a new high school – and suddenly, for the first time in her life, she has peers who share her cultural identity. She quickly meets a new crush, and this means she is faced with revealing to the world that she is attracted to women. Misa Sugiura’s first book is an engrossing coming of age story, full of the realistic intersectionality of life. Her writing is full of evocative analogies and heartbreaking realizations. Sana struggles with feeling forced into a group based on her heritage, but then feels a sense of community and belonging within that group. Some underage drinking and off-the-page sex make this better for a high school audience, though some mature middle schools will enjoy it as well. Highly recommended for collections serving teens.
A little more:
I was really worried this was going to be a slog. It's thick, and I needed to read it during a time of the year in which I have a lot of other demands on my reading attention. Fortunately, I ripped right through it in a matter of a few days.
I loved how Sugiura didn't back away from the complicated territory of navigating relationships with people from another group of friends. No matter what the dividing line is, every group of humans has their own norms, expectations, values. And entering into an established group can be TOUGH (Raina has flashbacks to angsty patches of her dating history). Add to that the struggle of not conforming to the larger expectation-of-norm (i.e. being gay). And dealing with your friends and family and their reactions to that. Oh wow, have I been there. In some ways I'm still there. So yeah, maybe I'm not the most unbiased reviewer of this book. Some of the (sub?)plots I barely paid attention to (i.e. is dad having an affair).
Spoiler
...Although I do want to say I appreciated the poly-ish place we left Sana's family. This was not traditional resolution to the affair plot-line.Spoiler
Oh, one other side note - reading over my age recommendation, it makes me sound more conservative about content than I am. The underage drinking is very early in the book, which played a role in that call. Also, middle school means 6-8th grade in my area.
A cute YA lesbian romance book, with good diversity. I liked that the main character wasn't perfect and it was clear she was still learning and growing.
This book was cute and tackled a lot of important topics, but I couldn't help but feel like the writing was a little weak in some areas.
3.5 Stars
I was really into it the first half. I devoured it in a day. I really wasn't a fan of the cheating plot though; that doesn't tend to be a trope I enjoy. But I really liked the conclusion, especially of the family plot, and I really liked the incorporation of poetry.
I was really into it the first half. I devoured it in a day. I really wasn't a fan of the cheating plot though; that doesn't tend to be a trope I enjoy. But I really liked the conclusion, especially of the family plot, and I really liked the incorporation of poetry.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
I enjoyed this book for the most part; the dip into Japanese culture was interesting, shown through Sana's interactions with her mother and father, as well as her explanation of Japanese food.
This book also explored racism and the idea of belonging in a place where the majority is white and they see you as "other". A topic that has been relevant since the world began, but has been particularly emphasis because of social media. We see that interaction between Sana and the people form her old school, and then once again at her new school, among JJ, Jamie, Christina and Arturo. Sana comes to confront her own prejudice and bias, one she didn't seen until it was pointed out to her.
However what really knocked a star off this for me was the cheating element. I don't know if I have the right to comment on this, but Sana's father being with someone else while still living with her and her mother felt really wrong. I understand that her mother is fine and accepts this but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Additionally, Sana cheating on Jamie and using Caleb almost made me stop reading. Cheating is just one of those plot elements that I highly dislike.
Other than that, I think this book explores racism and prejudice well, particularly the 7-eleven scene with the cop. It was horrible and uncomfortable, but very real and crucial to show.
...or the tenacious survivors I've found here, who reveal their secrets, dreamlike lives to anyone who cares enough to wait for them.
This book also explored racism and the idea of belonging in a place where the majority is white and they see you as "other". A topic that has been relevant since the world began, but has been particularly emphasis because of social media. We see that interaction between Sana and the people form her old school, and then once again at her new school, among JJ, Jamie, Christina and Arturo. Sana comes to confront her own prejudice and bias, one she didn't seen until it was pointed out to her.
However what really knocked a star off this for me was the cheating element. I don't know if I have the right to comment on this, but Sana's father being with someone else while still living with her and her mother felt really wrong. I understand that her mother is fine and accepts this but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Additionally, Sana cheating on Jamie and using Caleb almost made me stop reading. Cheating is just one of those plot elements that I highly dislike.
Other than that, I think this book explores racism and prejudice well, particularly the 7-eleven scene with the cop. It was horrible and uncomfortable, but very real and crucial to show.
...or the tenacious survivors I've found here, who reveal their secrets, dreamlike lives to anyone who cares enough to wait for them.
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes