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A review by jademelody
This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura
5.0
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
It's hard for me to explain why this book is as good as it is. It was hard hitting and presented topics that I typically don't see or hear about in other young adult contemporaries; I loved that it wasn't afraid to address them. This book was unafraid to discuss controversial topics, even though people make their opinions on it clear. It showed vulnerability, realness and acceptance in a beautiful way. That it is okay to make mistakes, and how you put one foot in front and the other, and keep your head held high. There was a romance that was tastefully cheesy, it never had me cringing. The aspect of flowers in this book was amazing and is something I wish more book incorporated. And finally Asian representation and multiple side characters/part of the plot, centered around the LGBTQ+ community!
I wasn't ready to face such hard hitting topics like unprotected teenage sex and abortion in this book. The experience, while I'm unsure, sounds personal and real to life. It makes me wonder if the author has experienced this. If she didn't she wrote this in such a personal way, with genuine reactions and feelings that it felt real. I'm also glad that it wasn't addressed in a shameful way. In my personal opinion, I really enjoyed this addition to the plot and I'm glad that the author included it in the way she did and that it was directed towards a younger audience.
I, along with a few other characters, was rooting for the romance from almost the first interaction between the two love interests. Their chemistry was there and the progression of their friendship into a relationship was tasteful. While Owen, was a history nerd with some quirks, he made this romance tasteful and I respect that because most young adult books that contain a romance make it overly cheesy and insta-lovey; This book didn't do that.
FLOWERS. I love flowers. One of the main settings and plot points of this book is the flower shop owned by CJ's aunt Hannah. The way Hannah cared about each flower and crafted each thing she made with such care made me so happy. I loved that the kinds of flowers and their meanings weren't glossed over, it was such a nice and necessary detail that really gave the story that extra oomph. They even included a flower dictionary of what different flowers represent in the back of the book!!! Ooo my inner nerd is coming into the light here.
Representation is something so critical these days. And people criticize the world of books for not representing specific groups enough. So it is nice to see these underrepresented groups written about in such fantastic books, such as this one! While it is becoming more coming for the LGBTQ+ community to be included in books in different ways, Asian representations (in my opinion, again) still lacks. I am so glad that we had both a main character and her family (and the family legacy) represented by an Asian author!
I had two problems with this book that held it back from being a five star read. The first was that it took a while to capture me. At least the first eighty to one hundred pages I had to sludge along because I was unmotivated to read it, but too stubborn to put it down. I'm glad I kept pushing through because I ended up getting hooked and ended up reading a majority of the book in one sitting! The second was that the main character was really irritating at times. It's like she knew what was good for her but didn't do it despite knowing that! She betrayed her closest friends and their greater good for her own self interest. This really bothered me, as things started resolving she got better. But CJ as a character was the reason all of the friendship drama happened. It could've been avoided if communication had been better between all of them.
I still obviously highly recommend this book because what I find irritating in a book you, or others, might not! And the goods in this one highly out-way the bads.
It's hard for me to explain why this book is as good as it is. It was hard hitting and presented topics that I typically don't see or hear about in other young adult contemporaries; I loved that it wasn't afraid to address them. This book was unafraid to discuss controversial topics, even though people make their opinions on it clear. It showed vulnerability, realness and acceptance in a beautiful way. That it is okay to make mistakes, and how you put one foot in front and the other, and keep your head held high. There was a romance that was tastefully cheesy, it never had me cringing. The aspect of flowers in this book was amazing and is something I wish more book incorporated. And finally Asian representation and multiple side characters/part of the plot, centered around the LGBTQ+ community!
I wasn't ready to face such hard hitting topics like unprotected teenage sex and abortion in this book. The experience, while I'm unsure, sounds personal and real to life. It makes me wonder if the author has experienced this. If she didn't she wrote this in such a personal way, with genuine reactions and feelings that it felt real. I'm also glad that it wasn't addressed in a shameful way. In my personal opinion, I really enjoyed this addition to the plot and I'm glad that the author included it in the way she did and that it was directed towards a younger audience.
I, along with a few other characters, was rooting for the romance from almost the first interaction between the two love interests. Their chemistry was there and the progression of their friendship into a relationship was tasteful. While Owen, was a history nerd with some quirks, he made this romance tasteful and I respect that because most young adult books that contain a romance make it overly cheesy and insta-lovey; This book didn't do that.
FLOWERS. I love flowers. One of the main settings and plot points of this book is the flower shop owned by CJ's aunt Hannah. The way Hannah cared about each flower and crafted each thing she made with such care made me so happy. I loved that the kinds of flowers and their meanings weren't glossed over, it was such a nice and necessary detail that really gave the story that extra oomph. They even included a flower dictionary of what different flowers represent in the back of the book!!! Ooo my inner nerd is coming into the light here.
Representation is something so critical these days. And people criticize the world of books for not representing specific groups enough. So it is nice to see these underrepresented groups written about in such fantastic books, such as this one! While it is becoming more coming for the LGBTQ+ community to be included in books in different ways, Asian representations (in my opinion, again) still lacks. I am so glad that we had both a main character and her family (and the family legacy) represented by an Asian author!
I had two problems with this book that held it back from being a five star read. The first was that it took a while to capture me. At least the first eighty to one hundred pages I had to sludge along because I was unmotivated to read it, but too stubborn to put it down. I'm glad I kept pushing through because I ended up getting hooked and ended up reading a majority of the book in one sitting! The second was that the main character was really irritating at times. It's like she knew what was good for her but didn't do it despite knowing that! She betrayed her closest friends and their greater good for her own self interest. This really bothered me, as things started resolving she got better. But CJ as a character was the reason all of the friendship drama happened. It could've been avoided if communication had been better between all of them.
I still obviously highly recommend this book because what I find irritating in a book you, or others, might not! And the goods in this one highly out-way the bads.