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sarah_reading_party's review
3.0
I enjoyed reading Bonnie Gray's memoir. It was a lovely reflection of her life - how God rescued her and helped her grow beyond her circumstances, childhood, and generational wounds. It was a little slow at times, and the self-help aspects did come in stronger than I expected, but this was an encouraging book.
jcd1013's review
2.0
Read as part of my "friend recommendations 2023" challenge.
Apparently this started out as a series of blog posts and that's how it felt as a book - nothing was explored in any depth. It was also exceedingly evangelical and I have no idea how the author felt about anything because she was fine now. The little bits about Chinese cultures at the end of each chapter were interesting.
Apparently this started out as a series of blog posts and that's how it felt as a book - nothing was explored in any depth. It was also exceedingly evangelical and I have no idea how the author felt about anything because she was fine now. The little bits about Chinese cultures at the end of each chapter were interesting.
lovelymisanthrope's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I stumbled across this book in a GoodReads giveaway, and although I did not win, I still wanted to read it. I received it as a gift from my Fiancé for Christmas.
"Sweet Like Jasmine" is a cross between a memoir and a self-help book. Bonnie Gray had a difficult time growing up because of her strained relationship with her mother, her extended family's criticism and expectation, and consequently her own view of herself. Her mother was a mail-order bride from China, who came to San Fransico to marry a complete stranger. Her dreams of a better life in America were quickly thwarted when she realized her new husband was broke. Bonnie grew up believing her father wanted nothing to do with her or her sister, and she believed she owed her mother everything. She sacrificed her own dreams to support her mother because that is what she believed she as a Chinese daughter was supposed to do, and as a devote Christian. Through God and great friends, she was able to find herself and finally make peace with her childhood.
I think first and foremost this book is a memoir. This story chronicles Bonnie Gray's life and gives an intimate look into what it was like for her to grow up as an immigrant's daughter. I do think this type of story has merit and through hearing others' stories, we can learn how to be better versions of ourselves.
This book is heavily rooted in Bonnie's Christianity, and there is a lot of mention of God and how her faith got her through her difficult times. It was through her faith that she was able to forgive her family for mistreating her and she was ultimately able to find herself and build a life she is proud of.
I definitely enjoyed this book and I highly recommend if you are looking for a quick read about self-discovery.
"Sweet Like Jasmine" is a cross between a memoir and a self-help book. Bonnie Gray had a difficult time growing up because of her strained relationship with her mother, her extended family's criticism and expectation, and consequently her own view of herself. Her mother was a mail-order bride from China, who came to San Fransico to marry a complete stranger. Her dreams of a better life in America were quickly thwarted when she realized her new husband was broke. Bonnie grew up believing her father wanted nothing to do with her or her sister, and she believed she owed her mother everything. She sacrificed her own dreams to support her mother because that is what she believed she as a Chinese daughter was supposed to do, and as a devote Christian. Through God and great friends, she was able to find herself and finally make peace with her childhood.
I think first and foremost this book is a memoir. This story chronicles Bonnie Gray's life and gives an intimate look into what it was like for her to grow up as an immigrant's daughter. I do think this type of story has merit and through hearing others' stories, we can learn how to be better versions of ourselves.
This book is heavily rooted in Bonnie's Christianity, and there is a lot of mention of God and how her faith got her through her difficult times. It was through her faith that she was able to forgive her family for mistreating her and she was ultimately able to find herself and build a life she is proud of.
I definitely enjoyed this book and I highly recommend if you are looking for a quick read about self-discovery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Racism and Bullying
Minor: Pregnancy
sarahs_readingparty's review
3.0
I enjoyed reading Bonnie Gray's memoir. It was a lovely reflection of her life - how God rescued her and helped her grow beyond her circumstances, childhood, and generational wounds. It was a little slow at times, and the self-help aspects did come in stronger than I expected, but this was an encouraging book.
karjojo03's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I think I cried thru the first several chapters. This story while not my own is one we can all relate to in part of God finding us and loving us. We can also relate to how Jesus suffered so many awful things so that we never suffer alone.
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