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A review by 100pagesaday
Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z. Lee
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.