All's fair in love, war and noodles . . . If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and spark and fire. She loves art, and she dreams of making a career of it one day. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including expecting her to work practically full-time at their family’s pho restaurant. For decades, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh have resolved never to befriend each other, for fear of pushing too far and bringing on undue heartbreak. But when a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao closer, sparks fly . . .
Tag: Book review
Green Rising – Lauren James
Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet. On the face of it, the three have very little in common. Yet when Hester and Theo join Gabrielle and legions of other teenagers around the world in developing the strange new “Greenfingers” power, it becomes clear that to use their ability for good, they’ll need to learn to work together. But in a time of widespread corruption and greed, there are plenty of profit-hungry organizations who want to use the Greenfingers for their own ends. And not everyone would like to see the Earth saved…
August Book Haul!
Another month, means another book haul! Last months haul was small, this months haul is quite a bit bigger. Throughout August I hauled 14 books even though I wanted to buy an awful lot more. This haul consists of a few pre-orders, some presents for myself and some gifted to me by publishers. Here is my August book haul!
Lies Like Wildfire – Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
The monsters have known each other their whole lives. This is their final summer before college - time to hang out, fall in love and dream about the future. Until they accidentally start a forest fire which destroys their hometown and leaves death in its wake. Desperate for the truth to remain hidden, the group make a pact of silence. But the twisted secret begins to spin out of control and when one of the friends disappears they all become suspects. We know how it starts but where does it end?
What I Read in August?
August has been long but it is has been a very busy month and I have read a lot of books. Throughout August, I have read a total of 14 books, which is incredible for me. So, I am back with another what I’ve read this month post! I have some thoughts that I wanted to share on the books I read throughout August. Here is a bunch of mini reviews for the books I read in August!
How to Kill Your Family – Bella Mackie
I have killed several people (some brutally, others calmly) and yet I currently languish in jail for a murder I did not commit. When I think about what I actually did, I feel somewhat sad that nobody will ever know about the complex operation that I undertook. Getting away with it is highly preferable, of course, but perhaps when I’m long gone, someone will open an old safe and find this confession. The public would reel. After all, almost nobody else in the world can possibly understand how someone, by the tender age of 28, can have calmly killed six members of her family. And then happily got on with the rest of her life, never to regret a thing.
Take Me With You When You Go – David Levithan & Jennifer Niven
Subject: You. Missing. Ezra Ahern wakes up one day to find his older sister, Bea, gone. No note, no sign, nothing but an email address hidden somewhere only he would find it. Ezra never expected to be left behind with their abusive stepfather and their neglectful mother - how is he supposed to navigate life without Bea? Bea Ahern already knew she needed to get as far away from home as possible. But a message in her inbox changes everything, and she finds herself alone in a new city - without Ez, without a real plan - chasing someone who might not even want to be found. As things unravel at home for Ezra, Bea confronts secrets about their past that will forever change the way they think about their family. Together and apart, broken by abuse but connected by love, this brother and sister must learn to trust themselves before they can find a way back to each other.
Love & Other Natural Disasters – Misa Sugiura
When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fake one wasn’t what she had in mind. That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and…heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer. Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to show Willow she’s better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into something real. But as the lies pile up, it’s not long before Nozomi’s schemes take a turn toward disaster…and maybe a chance at love she didn’t plan for.
The Things We Don’t See – Savannah Brown
When fledgling singer Roxy Raines vanishes from the tiny resort of Sandown, the island's locals refuse to talk about it to any outsiders, dismissing Roxy as a teenage runaway. Thirty years later, seventeen-year-old Mona Perry is convinced there's something more sinister at play. Armed with a suitcase and a microphone - to record her findings for her podcast's listeners - the troubled teen is on a deadline: one hot summer is all she has to get to the bottom of Roxy's story. But as Mona gets drawn into the strange goings on of this isolated community, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. Least of all Mona's own past, and the disappearance of someone else, someone much closer to her... How far will she go to uncover the truth?
Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest – Aisling Fowler
Set in the snowy northern forests of an imagined prehistoric world, Fireborn is the middle-grade debut of the decade. At turns exciting, funny and heart wrenchingly sad, it marks the introduction of an unstoppable new voice in children’s storytelling. Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters and keeping the peace, and she won’t get to choose a new one until she has earned it. But when the Lodge’s walls are breached for the first time, and a little girl is taken, Twelve is the only one interested in going after a child . . . Teaming up with Dog, the Stone Guardian of the Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world.
