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A review by lauren_miller
Love Languages by James Albon
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As someone who speaks two languages and is attempting to learn a third, the utter chaos that was the mix of languages throughout this story hit superrr hard. Like, those visuals are what my brain feels like sometimes. I found the gradual development of understanding between Sarah and Ping to be very organic and fun to watch. Sarah's moment of realization that she was instinctually starting to think in Cantonese was so perfect—I remember the first time I ever dreamed in French and was conjugating in my sleep; it was such a cool yet also surreal experience!
That said, I didn't really find there to be romantic chemistry between Sarah and Ping at all. Even their friendship felt very slow to start. Ultimately, they felt like close friends, or the platonic equivalent of the "they were roommates" meme lol. So if you're inclined to pick this up because of the queer romantic subplot, you will likely be disappointed. And I also didn't love the art style, but that's just a preference thing. On the flip side, if you're someone who's really interested in languages or cross-cultural exchange, I would recommend picking it up!
As someone who speaks two languages and is attempting to learn a third, the utter chaos that was the mix of languages throughout this story hit superrr hard. Like, those visuals are what my brain feels like sometimes. I found the gradual development of understanding between Sarah and Ping to be very organic and fun to watch. Sarah's moment of realization that she was instinctually starting to think in Cantonese was so perfect—I remember the first time I ever dreamed in French and was conjugating in my sleep; it was such a cool yet also surreal experience!
That said, I didn't really find there to be romantic chemistry between Sarah and Ping at all. Even their friendship felt very slow to start. Ultimately, they felt like close friends, or the platonic equivalent of the "they were roommates" meme lol. So if you're inclined to pick this up because of the queer romantic subplot, you will likely be disappointed. And I also didn't love the art style, but that's just a preference thing. On the flip side, if you're someone who's really interested in languages or cross-cultural exchange, I would recommend picking it up!