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theeuphoriczat's review
4.0
This is a coming of age story set in contemporary China. It follows seven people, 3 relationships and multiple generations as they navigate life, love, heartbreak and love.
There are so many angles I could take this review especially because I loved the story so much but I want to focus on how self-aware and reflective the author was. Sure in the book it plays out as Naomi who uproots her life to move to Shanghai to get married and start a new life only for her to find him cheating on her. Refusing to return home in shame, she decides to build a new life in Shanghai with the aid of her socialite friend Joss who has just gotten married. Joss is being pressured by Tay's (husband) parents to have a child. Then we have Jinsung and Zhangjie who are the older couple, they are finding it hard to adapt to the constantly changing city.
Loved the discussion on the China One-child policy and how that affected gender demographics. Also, the trauma women faced from having abortions of female foetuses. I loved the way culture and customs are highlighted, especially that of people in mainland China and places like Hong Kong.
Overall its a great book on relationships, identity, self-discovery and communication.
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, infertility, abortions, war, sexual slavery and miscarriages.
Thanks to Colored Pages Blog Tours for making this book available to me.
There are so many angles I could take this review especially because I loved the story so much but I want to focus on how self-aware and reflective the author was. Sure in the book it plays out as Naomi who uproots her life to move to Shanghai to get married and start a new life only for her to find him cheating on her. Refusing to return home in shame, she decides to build a new life in Shanghai with the aid of her socialite friend Joss who has just gotten married. Joss is being pressured by Tay's (husband) parents to have a child. Then we have Jinsung and Zhangjie who are the older couple, they are finding it hard to adapt to the constantly changing city.
Loved the discussion on the China One-child policy and how that affected gender demographics. Also, the trauma women faced from having abortions of female foetuses. I loved the way culture and customs are highlighted, especially that of people in mainland China and places like Hong Kong.
Overall its a great book on relationships, identity, self-discovery and communication.
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, infertility, abortions, war, sexual slavery and miscarriages.
Thanks to Colored Pages Blog Tours for making this book available to me.
michellethebookcritic's review
5.0
Love and Other Moods is Crystal Z. Lee's remarkable debut novel on love, individuality, generations, and durability.
Here we develop the narrative of a growing third culture girl, Naomi Kita-Fan, as she navigates the twists/turns of foreign Shanghai after being dumped, having no career, and no boyfriend.
I came into this book assuming it was just an ordinary rom-com. But no! It exceeded my expectations. It went way beyond that. Lee discussed many complicated issues in this book, including (but not limited to) racism, cultural tensions, sexual assault, etc. I'm glad that there's a light shed on these topics, especially in the times we live in right now.
I also loved Naomi's character. I think sometimes certain people base your current status/job in your life on happiness. Naomi certainly didn't remain in the situation she was stuck in, but she did have to go through a lot of pain and struggle. The same goes for her friend, Joss Kong. As much of a socialite she was, Joss had to protect a big secret.
The only problem I had reading this book was having a ton of information stacked on top of each other. And as much as it doesn't overly effect me, I do wish there was an easier way to find out what was what instead of skipping over the subject or giving short descriptions. Nevertheless, it's not a very big problem. Plus, I still want to support Lee's debut as much as possible!
All in all, I highly recommend it. Packed full of relationships, strength, and overcoming societal norms, Love and Other Moods is a book you don't want to miss ~
Here we develop the narrative of a growing third culture girl, Naomi Kita-Fan, as she navigates the twists/turns of foreign Shanghai after being dumped, having no career, and no boyfriend.
I came into this book assuming it was just an ordinary rom-com. But no! It exceeded my expectations. It went way beyond that. Lee discussed many complicated issues in this book, including (but not limited to) racism, cultural tensions, sexual assault, etc. I'm glad that there's a light shed on these topics, especially in the times we live in right now.
I also loved Naomi's character. I think sometimes certain people base your current status/job in your life on happiness. Naomi certainly didn't remain in the situation she was stuck in, but she did have to go through a lot of pain and struggle. The same goes for her friend, Joss Kong. As much of a socialite she was, Joss had to protect a big secret.
The only problem I had reading this book was having a ton of information stacked on top of each other. And as much as it doesn't overly effect me, I do wish there was an easier way to find out what was what instead of skipping over the subject or giving short descriptions. Nevertheless, it's not a very big problem. Plus, I still want to support Lee's debut as much as possible!
All in all, I highly recommend it. Packed full of relationships, strength, and overcoming societal norms, Love and Other Moods is a book you don't want to miss ~
senali's review
4.0
What does it feel like having to live in different countries and you don't know where you exactly belongs to ?
Well, Crystal Z Lee has addressed this question smoothly through her book. "Love And Other Moods" transported me into China and I had a good time there. This book outstands the other books I've read that are set in China because the author has given life to her words in an enchanting way.
THINGS I LOVED
100pagesaday's review
4.0
Naomi Kita-Fan, a Taiwanese-Japanese American finds herself in Shanghai, China after following her long-term boyfriend, Seth Ray there for a job only to have the relationship blow up soon after. Now, with no job and no home in a foreign country, Naomi feels a need to make things work in the enigmatic city. Naomi finds an amazing job planning events for prestigious brands and is placed at the 2010 World Expo. While returning from a work trip, Naomi meets Dante Ouyang, a Chinese man who grew up in England and is returning home from America. Dante and Naomi hit it off, but work obligations, their past and family keep getting in the way.
Love and Other Moods is a contemporary romance that also explores cultural dynamics, family relationships and finding a place of your own. Naomi's character was easy to relate to, even though our lives were very different; she is an adult trying to carve out her place in the world when the ideas of parents and the world are trying to hold you back. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Shanghai, the energy, the mix of old and new, the food, the architecture and lifestyle all came to life through Naomi and her friends in the city. I loved reading about all the different areas of the Expo and what could be found there. Naomi and Dante's relationship was very realistic with plenty of ups and downs. Through their romance, I was able to see the impacts of their different cultural backgrounds. I was painfully unaware of the cultural differences and opinions held between some of the Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese people and the effect it has on society as well as the next generation. Overall, a worldly contemporary romance with amazing characters and diverse points of view.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Love and Other Moods is a contemporary romance that also explores cultural dynamics, family relationships and finding a place of your own. Naomi's character was easy to relate to, even though our lives were very different; she is an adult trying to carve out her place in the world when the ideas of parents and the world are trying to hold you back. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Shanghai, the energy, the mix of old and new, the food, the architecture and lifestyle all came to life through Naomi and her friends in the city. I loved reading about all the different areas of the Expo and what could be found there. Naomi and Dante's relationship was very realistic with plenty of ups and downs. Through their romance, I was able to see the impacts of their different cultural backgrounds. I was painfully unaware of the cultural differences and opinions held between some of the Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese people and the effect it has on society as well as the next generation. Overall, a worldly contemporary romance with amazing characters and diverse points of view.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
cossettereads's review
3.0
i was super excited for this one — even more so after seeing that the director of one of my favorite films (already tomorrow in hong kong) had blurbed it. from the get go, i got some crazy rich asians but with regular people + some already tomorrow in hong kong vibes & loved how shanghai was described. as another third-culture kid, i really related to naomi's struggle, and really enjoyed reading about her struggles/journey into figuring out who she really is.
there were also some things that i just didn't love — the adoption storyline at the end didn't sit right with me. i also didn't think it was necessary to translate every single chinese phrase in the following sentence — among some other more minor things.
content warnings: racism, abuse, absent parent, death of a parent, plane crash, adoption, grief, infidelity
there were also some things that i just didn't love — the adoption storyline at the end didn't sit right with me. i also didn't think it was necessary to translate every single chinese phrase in the following sentence — among some other more minor things.
content warnings: racism, abuse, absent parent, death of a parent, plane crash, adoption, grief, infidelity
bookswithonno's review
4.0
This is one of those books that took me a bit longer to read but that I ended up appreciating a lot after I finished reading it. Mind, I still read this book in a few days but I had to read it in parts instead of being able to fly through it in one sitting and that’s totally fine because I really enjoyed the read. I absolutely loved seeing the characters grow throughout the novel and was super invested in all the storylines. Also, I loved the history and culture present in this book, although I sometimes found it hard to read about the patriarchy that is still very much present in China. While reading, I got transported to Shanghai because of all the vivid descriptions. Lastly, the writing was absolutely beautiful, which led me to mark a lot of quotes and favourite passages.
Trigger warnings: Rape, abuse, death of a parent, infidelity, infertility
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy and thanks to Favourite Pages Book Club for letting me take part in the blog tour for this book. This did in no way affect the honesty of my review.
Trigger warnings: Rape, abuse, death of a parent, infidelity, infertility
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy and thanks to Favourite Pages Book Club for letting me take part in the blog tour for this book. This did in no way affect the honesty of my review.
_tomeraider's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookswithmichellee's review
4.0
4.5
Thank you the author and Feather and Dove Book Tours for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for exchange for an honest review.
Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z. Lee follows the journey of Naomi as she moves to Shanghai, China after her fiancé gets transferred. However, everything goes wrong when they call off the engagement and Naomi is heartbroken and unemployed in the huge city. The novel is full of growth, culture, friendships, and love as Naomi navigates her new life in Shanghai with her best friend and possibly some lovers along the way.
I really enjoyed this book! Naomi is such a fun character and I loved seeing her growth and journey throughout the novel. The book changes point of view various times to focus on other main and side characters. This really helped me find a lot of depth within the book and also expanded the views I had on Naomi and other characters. I found there was a lot of history and culture woven in and I really enjoyed this.
Naomi is a very likable and relatable main character. We see her struggles and her success at different points throughout her first few years of moving to China. I found her to be a very well rounded character and had depth and complexity. The same can be said for a lot of the other characters within the book, such as Joss and Dante. It was great to see a novel sent in China that explored the good and bad sides of living there but also a look into the everyday life of a 20 something year old who has a typical job and relatable love life.
I really enjoyed the romance and relationship featured in the plot and found it really well written. It is filled with ups and downs and is done in a really great way and captures what it's like to be in a real relationship. I also loved seeing relationships with family, friends, and one's own culture and identity being explored.
Overall, a really great read, I can't wait to see what Crystal Z. Lee brings to us next!
Thank you the author and Feather and Dove Book Tours for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for exchange for an honest review.
Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z. Lee follows the journey of Naomi as she moves to Shanghai, China after her fiancé gets transferred. However, everything goes wrong when they call off the engagement and Naomi is heartbroken and unemployed in the huge city. The novel is full of growth, culture, friendships, and love as Naomi navigates her new life in Shanghai with her best friend and possibly some lovers along the way.
I really enjoyed this book! Naomi is such a fun character and I loved seeing her growth and journey throughout the novel. The book changes point of view various times to focus on other main and side characters. This really helped me find a lot of depth within the book and also expanded the views I had on Naomi and other characters. I found there was a lot of history and culture woven in and I really enjoyed this.
Naomi is a very likable and relatable main character. We see her struggles and her success at different points throughout her first few years of moving to China. I found her to be a very well rounded character and had depth and complexity. The same can be said for a lot of the other characters within the book, such as Joss and Dante. It was great to see a novel sent in China that explored the good and bad sides of living there but also a look into the everyday life of a 20 something year old who has a typical job and relatable love life.
I really enjoyed the romance and relationship featured in the plot and found it really well written. It is filled with ups and downs and is done in a really great way and captures what it's like to be in a real relationship. I also loved seeing relationships with family, friends, and one's own culture and identity being explored.
Overall, a really great read, I can't wait to see what Crystal Z. Lee brings to us next!