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A review by chivalricmaiden
Beauty And The Besharam by Lillie Vale
4.0
While I usually avoid drawing comparisons, the parallel between "Enter Title Here" and "Once Upon a Quinceañera" pretty much encapsulates the essence of this book.
Now you may not know this, but this wasn't always a published work. I vividly recall encountering an earlier draft on a certain-website-that-shall-not-be-named during my 8th grade/freshman year. Back then, the narrative was centered around "Keeping Up with the Kapoors," with romance taking a backseat.
At that time in my life, I was a more outspoken, ambitious version of myself, unafraid of challenges. Kavya, the protagonist, resonated with me—she comprehended the nuances of my experiences, from navigating Asian-American expectations to our shared love for art. The anticipation of seeing this story on the shelves excited me, probably more than it should have.
While the buzz surrounds Ian Jun and the delicious dynamic with estranged-childhood-friends-turned-rivals, it's Kavya who steals the spotlight for me.
She serves as an inspiration, prompting self-reflection. I admit to not being in the best place over the past few years, and I sought solace in the familiarity of this book, anticipating a rekindling of my resilience.
However, instead of joy, I found myself grappling with regret.
I'm on a journey (???) of healing, attempting to overcome the guilt of not meeting societal and cultural expectations. The book, unfortunately, served as a reminder of the stark contrast between the achievements of my peers and my own struggles. Kavya, captivating as she is, left me with a bittersweet ache.
Now, the other half of the equation, Ian Jun, the love interest, left me... conflicted.
I'll be blunt — he's cute, but I don't really care for him. The attempt to present him as imperfect, despite his apparent flawlessness, feels forced. His narrative arc, encompassing suffering from success and the loss of his sister Grace, seems contrived for the sake of injecting angst. Not even his comments about "hating being called perfect" and "wanting to be passionate in something" made me feel sorry for him.
His anxiety portrayal was a nice aspect, although inconsistently depicted. Initially suave and confident, then suddenly a bundle of nerves—it was jarring. I grapple with severe anxiety myself, and recognize that anxiety isn't a monolith. However, the portrayal could’ve been handled better. Addressing sensitive subjects like anxiety without undermining their significance is challenging. However, I felt compelled to express this, despite its delicate nature.
In summary, Ian's "setbacks" are reduced to his sister's demise and his anxiety, which doesn't convincingly convey the imperfections of a supposedly perfect character. It's a good thing this book centers around Kavya more than it does him, I suppose. And Kavya is exactly why this book is rated so high.
Kavya Joshi you are MY heroine.
Now, enjoy some miscellaneous thoughts while reading:
- Do these girls even watch Sailor Moon? Like truly?
- These references are shoddily inserted...
- Ian speaking French is a turn off.
- Why do all the Korean characters have English names?? It's not wrong and isn't uncommon in America but...
- The romance scenes are cute, if only I cared more about Ian though lol
- Val is me. Poor Val. My precious girl. You deserve the world.
- I'm sick of cultural misogyny too, Kavs :(
- Is Samer a fellow Muslim?
- Their town must be excruciating small. Like, how are Kavya and Ian's lockers next to each other? And then Claudia's??
- I would love to be a party princess.
- Sometimes I don't know what is the plot is of this book.
- Oh there's a party. Typical.
- We need art in this book. I want to see ILLUSTRATIONS, especially Kavya's works.
- Subplots everywhere and dragged out scenes
_______
[2022]
Me defending this book:
Everyone has that guilty pleasure read. This is mine. Didn't invest myself in this story for the romance even though it's like the main hook. Honestly, I skimmed over the parts with Ian. I was here for my girl Kavya challenging family expectations and her adventures with friends.
_______
[2020]
Um, one of the most beautiful books is being published? Yes please!
Now you may not know this, but this wasn't always a published work. I vividly recall encountering an earlier draft on a certain-website-that-shall-not-be-named during my 8th grade/freshman year. Back then, the narrative was centered around "Keeping Up with the Kapoors," with romance taking a backseat.
At that time in my life, I was a more outspoken, ambitious version of myself, unafraid of challenges. Kavya, the protagonist, resonated with me—she comprehended the nuances of my experiences, from navigating Asian-American expectations to our shared love for art. The anticipation of seeing this story on the shelves excited me, probably more than it should have.
Spoiler
Lots of apologies, Lillie Vale. It haunts me till this day.While the buzz surrounds Ian Jun and the delicious dynamic with estranged-childhood-friends-turned-rivals, it's Kavya who steals the spotlight for me.
She serves as an inspiration, prompting self-reflection. I admit to not being in the best place over the past few years, and I sought solace in the familiarity of this book, anticipating a rekindling of my resilience.
However, instead of joy, I found myself grappling with regret.
I'm on a journey (???) of healing, attempting to overcome the guilt of not meeting societal and cultural expectations. The book, unfortunately, served as a reminder of the stark contrast between the achievements of my peers and my own struggles. Kavya, captivating as she is, left me with a bittersweet ache.
Now, the other half of the equation, Ian Jun, the love interest, left me... conflicted.
I'll be blunt — he's cute, but I don't really care for him. The attempt to present him as imperfect, despite his apparent flawlessness, feels forced. His narrative arc, encompassing suffering from success and the loss of his sister Grace, seems contrived for the sake of injecting angst. Not even his comments about "hating being called perfect" and "wanting to be passionate in something" made me feel sorry for him.
His anxiety portrayal was a nice aspect, although inconsistently depicted. Initially suave and confident, then suddenly a bundle of nerves—it was jarring. I grapple with severe anxiety myself, and recognize that anxiety isn't a monolith. However, the portrayal could’ve been handled better. Addressing sensitive subjects like anxiety without undermining their significance is challenging. However, I felt compelled to express this, despite its delicate nature.
In summary, Ian's "setbacks" are reduced to his sister's demise and his anxiety, which doesn't convincingly convey the imperfections of a supposedly perfect character. It's a good thing this book centers around Kavya more than it does him, I suppose. And Kavya is exactly why this book is rated so high.
Kavya Joshi you are MY heroine.
Now, enjoy some miscellaneous thoughts while reading:
- Do these girls even watch Sailor Moon? Like truly?
- These references are shoddily inserted...
- Ian speaking French is a turn off.
- Why do all the Korean characters have English names?? It's not wrong and isn't uncommon in America but...
- The romance scenes are cute, if only I cared more about Ian though lol
- Val is me. Poor Val. My precious girl. You deserve the world.
- I'm sick of cultural misogyny too, Kavs :(
- Is Samer a fellow Muslim?
- Their town must be excruciating small. Like, how are Kavya and Ian's lockers next to each other? And then Claudia's??
- I would love to be a party princess.
- Sometimes I don't know what is the plot is of this book.
- Oh there's a party. Typical.
- We need art in this book. I want to see ILLUSTRATIONS, especially Kavya's works.
- Subplots everywhere and dragged out scenes
_______
[2022]
Me defending this book:
Everyone has that guilty pleasure read. This is mine. Didn't invest myself in this story for the romance even though it's like the main hook. Honestly, I skimmed over the parts with Ian. I was here for my girl Kavya challenging family expectations and her adventures with friends.
_______
[2020]
Um, one of the most beautiful books is being published? Yes please!