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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i keep waffling between four and five stars but i did like this a lot. this book really does handle race/racism with nuance and care, especially the ways in which east asians can perpetuate racism against latinx people. i liked that you can see sana turning these issues over in her head - is it racism if the stereotype is something nice? is christina calling her a nerd equally as bad as her implying christina is lazy? i also like how the book addresses her feelings of being an Other in her predominantly white school to not wanting to be 'in the asian girl clique' to realizing she feels comfortable & accepted with them BECAUSE they're asian and finding her place with them.
her relationship with jamie was very genuine and sweet imo, and im side eyeing the people who think it was "rushed." i thought they had good buildup and cute interactions honestly. in general i thought the way the book showed microaggressions and conversations about race and sexuality were realistic and nuanced, with sana's reflections and internal monologue also for the most part being appropriate (in my opinion) as well since she's 16 and grew up around white people. but i like that you can see her considering the debates and the things people say, even if she doesn't reach a conclusion - it makes the reader think about these things as well.
Spoiler
i wish sana had more of a developed realization about why her comments about christina/jj and mexicans in general were racist and hurtful, but at least she does realize her errors in the end.her relationship with jamie was very genuine and sweet imo, and im side eyeing the people who think it was "rushed." i thought they had good buildup and cute interactions honestly. in general i thought the way the book showed microaggressions and conversations about race and sexuality were realistic and nuanced, with sana's reflections and internal monologue also for the most part being appropriate (in my opinion) as well since she's 16 and grew up around white people. but i like that you can see her considering the debates and the things people say, even if she doesn't reach a conclusion - it makes the reader think about these things as well.
Spoiler
i also appreciated how the book touches upon compulsory heterosexuality and peer pressure, which doesn't excuse what she did but i think it's more...understandable to see how something could get out of control because you listen to your friends and you let things happen and then you're too anxious to actually deal with them and set things right.
this book was such an intense dive in the Japanese culture that not many contemporary story portray and how race is important for (old) Japanese and how it is necessary to show good even if it's not the truth.
i loved how Jamie was able to show Sana what life and love is really about and not what she believed to be true watching her parents grow up.
i wanted to shake sana's mom half of the book but it made sense with her way of life and how she was raised by her parents in Japan.
Dana constantly correcting her mom on the correct use of the English language made me laugh.
the honest and raw discovery of Sana's true self while battling with a secret she thought she had to keep was everything i wanted it to be.
i loved how Jamie was able to show Sana what life and love is really about and not what she believed to be true watching her parents grow up.
i wanted to shake sana's mom half of the book but it made sense with her way of life and how she was raised by her parents in Japan.
Dana constantly correcting her mom on the correct use of the English language made me laugh.
the honest and raw discovery of Sana's true self while battling with a secret she thought she had to keep was everything i wanted it to be.
I love so many things about this book: that it stars and centres POC, that the Coming Out Moment isn't the central tension of the book, the kindness the author shows to all the characters. I enjoyed it so much.
this book was a ROLLERCOASTER please stop playing so much with my emotions
Okay, first of all— the love story between Sana and Jamie. THE POWTRY. IM NOT OVER THE POETRY I MEAN I CRY BECAUSE OF THAT. it felt genuine and actually teenager-like, and not how teenagers relationships are portrayed in other books.
There were good characters, good storylines, I laughed, stressed the hell out, got upset, cringed and angry with the things that happened in the book. It was really easy to connect with the characters.
The main thing about this book is racism towards asian people and the black—latinex community. At the beginning I was kind of done with all of that, but seeing how it was handled trough the book, experiencing the racism to our character but also herself having racism behaviors and realizing how wrong she was is something that I felt it was treated in a really good way.
I definitely would recommend it, but not to everyone. Besides that I personally liked it a lot and it’s one of my liked Pride Month reads
Okay, first of all— the love story between Sana and Jamie. THE POWTRY. IM NOT OVER THE POETRY I MEAN I CRY BECAUSE OF THAT. it felt genuine and actually teenager-like, and not how teenagers relationships are portrayed in other books.
There were good characters, good storylines, I laughed, stressed the hell out, got upset, cringed and angry with the things that happened in the book. It was really easy to connect with the characters.
The main thing about this book is racism towards asian people and the black—latinex community. At the beginning I was kind of done with all of that, but seeing how it was handled trough the book, experiencing the racism to our character but also herself having racism behaviors and realizing how wrong she was is something that I felt it was treated in a really good way.
I definitely would recommend it, but not to everyone. Besides that I personally liked it a lot and it’s one of my liked Pride Month reads
I really enjoyed this - I really like Misa Saguira's writing! My interpretation was that the protagonist was being critical of the racism she experienced around her, and the racism she herself perpetuated; and that, in this way, it was an exploration of racism though a minority lens. However, that comes from my reading as a white reviewer, so is the absolute opposite of definitive (or even valid really).
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sana is trash. Had too many plotlines with the racism, cheating, sexuality storylines all in one & didn't really do justice to any of them. Liked the cultural aspects & I guess it would be believable for people-pleaser Sana to be trash in that exact manner, but I didn't enjoy reading it.