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A review by michellethebookcritic
Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z. Lee
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 ~