The follow-up to WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI andTHERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE follows Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results.
Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.
Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.
Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they’ll never forget.
My Review
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY is the first book by Sandhya Menon that I’ve read. I’ve heard great things about her other books, and have meant to read them, so when I got the chance to read this one, I was super excited.
First off, if you’re unfamiliar with Menon’s books (like I was), you can read this one without having read the others. There are some references to characters from the other books, but this book stands on its own.
I think this book totally lived up to the series hype. I loved Pinky’s quirkiness and passion and Samir’s awkwardness and insightfulness. I loved the fake dating. The family relationships were great, too. I especially loved the way the story explored Pinky’s relationship with her mom and things Pinky didn’t even realize she was doing to make that worse.
Also, the dramatic opossum! I love that Pinky rescues her and names her and walks her in a harness. It was weird and adorable and just SO Pinky.
The story has a lightness to it that I definitely need in my life right now. I found myself giggling and grinning through scenes and staying up to read just one more chapter (and another and another).
I think readers who love romantic comedy with family presence will love this fun, fake dating adventure.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation Main characters are Indian-American.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Strong profanity used about a dozen times.
Romance/Sexual Content References to sex. Kissing between boy and girl.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content References to teens drinking alcohol.
Note: I received a free copy of 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.
By now you’ve probably already heard the news that the release date for Disney’s Mulan is getting pushed back indefinitely. I’m so bummed about this! I don’t go to the movies all that often, but this one has been at the top of my must-see list.
So here’s a thing that I’m pretty embarrassed about: I grew up as a Disney girl, and Mulan is one of my favorite movies they’ve made, but it wasn’t until I started to hear buzz about a new live-action remake that I learned that Disney’s inspiration for the story of Mulan actually comes from a Chinese folk song from the North Wei Dynasty.
I shouldn’t have been surprised– Disney didn’t make up The Little Mermaid or Cinderella, either, you know? I guess I just never really thought about the origin of the story until I heard about the live-action remake and the controversy surrounding who was writing Mulan retellings– and whether white writers should be the ones telling this Asian-inspired fantasy story or whether it should be told by Chinese writers instead.
UPDATE: I wrote this post before the movie came out and before I learned of some of the controversy over its filming. It has been bothering me for a long time that I haven’t acknowledged that here. Here’s some information about why people have decided to boycott the movie because of the filming location and China’s treatment of Chinese Uighur Muslims.
So…. Perhaps instead of watching the movie, check out and buy these books inspired by Asian myth, folklore, and legend that were written by Asian authors.
Reading Asian-Inspired Fantasy by Asian Authors
All of that started me thinking about books by Asian authors and as I started reading, I began to fall in love with books inspired by Asian history, folklore, and mythology that are written by Asian authors.
The good news is this: there are some amazing books that, like Mulan, are inspired by Asian history and folklore and are just waiting for us to snatch them off the shelves and read them.
I’ve broken the list into two sections: series and stand-alone books. Check them out, let me know what you’ve read, and please tell me if I’ve missed any titles that should be included! I searched quite a bit before making my list, but I’m sure there are a few I’ve missed and I would love to add them.
Asian-Inspired Fantasy Series
Some of the series listed here (such as Shadow of the Fox) require you to read the books in order, but others (like The Star-Touched Queen) are much more loosely connected and allow you to read whatever appeals to you in whatever order. Check them out and see what meets your preferences. Also– for the books I’ve reviewed, you’ll find detailed content at the bottom of my review post, so be sure to click over to the review and look for that if it interests you.
Note: Many of the links below are affiliate links, which don’t cost you anything to use, but when used, help support this blog.
What you need to know: Hailed as Mulan meets Project Runway. The series is also set in the Silk Road era and full of Chinese culture. It’s got magic, forbidden love, and unforgettable characters. One of my favorite books of 2019. Read my full review.
What you need to know: Forbidden romance, political intrigue, magic gone awry. A girl touched by a demon and forced into an engagement with the emperor to keep the peace for her people. This is at the top of my To-Be-Read list.
What you need to know: Two sisters with very different preferred weapons: one uses a sword, the other, words. Loads of political intrigue, battles, strong heroines. It’s beautiful. Read my full review.
The Empress of Flames
What you need to know: I’m pretty sure the release date for this book was originally early this year, but it’s since been pushed back to March of next year, which is super sad! I wanted to at least mention it in this list, since I’m really excited to read it. You can add it to your reading list and learn more on Goodreads.
What you need to know: Inspired by Indian folklore. Friends to Enemies to Lovers. A female rebel assassin. Forbidden magic. Adorable romance. Read my full review.
What you need to know: Rebels in disguise, political intrigue, and adorable romance. Just a warning, this one will make you really want to read book three! Read my full review.
Girls of Paper and Fire Series by Natasha Ngan
Note: I haven’t read this series yet, but I have heard the content needs some trigger warnings for sexual abuse, violence, and animal cruelty.
What you need to know: F/F romance. Hope and recovery from trauma. Fierce girls refusing to accept a society that treats them as less-than. Beautifully rendered Asian mythology.
What you need to know: Explores themes about morality during war. Continues the journey of healing for women who’ve experienced trauma. Features strong, warrior women. F/F romance. Asian mythology.
What you need to know: Described as a “richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia” on Goodreads. Enemies to lovers. Witty banter. Read my full review.
What you need to know: A cursed princess who turns out to be the only one who can save everyone. Steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. Total must-read. Read my full review.
What you need to know: Less a sequel and more a companion novel. Filled with the same gorgeous writing and world-building as the Star-Touched Queen. Enemies to lovers. Witty banter. Filled with eerie mythological creatures. Read my full review.
What you need to know: Based on Japanese folklore. Enemies to lovers. Unlikely allies embarking on an impossible quest. Absolutely charming characters. Read my full review.
What you need to know: Read the other books in the series before this one– lots of it focuses on the final battle, so it won’t be as easy to follow or understand if you haven’t read earlier books. Based on Japanese mythology. Fierce heroine who never gives up and refuses to sacrifice her friends. Fantastic conclusion to an incredible series. Read my full review.
What you need to know: Based on Korean folklore but told in modern-day Seoul. An opposites-attract love story about a fierce girl and a cheery, charming boy. Fantastic grandma/grandson relationship.
What you need to know: Expected publication in August 2020. Promises new dangers and romance. Based on Korean folklore but told in a contemporary setting.
What you need to know: A dark, Asian-inspired fantasy origin story of the Wicked Queen in the Snow White fairytale. Desperate, creepy magic. Compelling anti-heroine. Read my full review.
What you need to know: I’m not sure if this book is part of the series exactly– Goodreads lists it as book 2.5, so it takes place between the other two books and maybe more of a companion novel? Same beautiful Asian-inspired fantasy story-world.
What you need to know: Features the creepiest trees you’ve ever read. Seriously spooky! Celebrates the bonds of sisterhood/friendship. Packed with fantastic banter and sarcasm. High energy plot that will keep you turning pages. Read my full review.
Books two and three are currently untitled, but expected to follow. I can’t wait!
Standalone Asian-Inspired Fantasy
Sometimes a series feels like a big commitment, especially when the books are so closely tied together that you can’t read one without reading the others first. These are two standalone novels inspired by Chinese history, culture and mythology that are a perfect choice for readers who aren’t up for the commitment of a whole series.
What you need to know: Coming-of-age story about a child bride in medieval China. Based on history, culture, and mythology. Haunting and unusual. Reminded me a little bit of the story of Mulan in that it features a a strong heroine in a time period and culture where she feels entirely out of place for her strength. Read my review.
What you need to know: Chinese-inspired fantasy. Features a strong heroine willing to risk everything in the pursuit of justice. Thrilling courtroom drama. Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it’s uncertain whether there will be a follow-up novel.
What you need to know: Set on the Silk Road and featuring Middle-Eastern mythology. Brilliant characters– especially the female characters. Might be better classified as new adult than young adult.
What are your favorite Asian-inspired fantasy books?
Have you read any of the books on the list? If you’ve thought of other Asian-inspired fantasy that I should add, please leave me a comment with the title and author. I would love to add to my list!
Inez Finley is just like most ten-year-olds. Her life is filled with love from her family. Mainly from Grandma Esther.
Her parents love her, too, but Grandma is the only one Inez can truly talk to about the dreams she has.
Especially after one of them comes true on the schoolyard. She is the only one who understands what Inez can see and what the woman in the old photo in Dad’s office has to do with it.
My Review
It’s not often that I review serial or short fiction, but in this case, I wanted to help out a fellow book blogger and share something about her book.
“Wicked in Rhyme” is four chapters introducing Inez Finley, a bright, empathetic girl with vivid dreams. Even in these first few chapters, Inez’s special relationship with her grandmother comes through. There’s also a really fun element of mystery and intrigue as Inez realizes her dreams aren’t just dreams. But unlocking their secrets won’t be easy.
I found myself drawn in and deeply interested in Inez’s story and her dreams. I would definitely read more of her story.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation Inez is Black.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Inez has a dream that something bad happens to someone, and then it does.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content None.
Note: I received a free copy of “Wicked in Rhyme” in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.
Ninety-four countries. Thirty-one schools. Two bullets. Now it’s over…or so she thinks.
Sophia arrives in Montana with the promise of a normal high school experience. But after a turbulent few years abroad with her diplomat parents, forgetting the past is easier said than done. After all, “normal” high schoolers aren’t trained in several forms of combat.
Then Sophia meets Aksel and finds herself opening up in ways she never thought she could. Except Sophia’s past is about to catch up with her, and she must confront who she really is, why she was betrayed, and what she is capable of in the name of love and survival.
Full of heart-stopping action and breathtaking romance, this cinematic debut features a girl willing to risk everything to save the life she built for herself.
Red Sparrow meets One of Us Is Lying in this action-packed, romance-filled YA debut about a girl trying to outrun her past.
My Review
My favorite part about GIRL FROM NOWHERE is the pacing. All the way through, it has this tense, cliff’s edge feeling to it. I needed to know what was going to happen to her. I loved her struggle between her instincts for protection and her desire to be a normal girl in a small American town.
The toughest part of the book, for me, is that I found it hard to buy into the idea that she’d be as knowledgeable and trained as she is and only be a teenager. Being fluent in the number of languages she was, and on top of that being an expert on weapons, combat, wilderness survival, etc. It seemed like she would have had to be older to have expertise in ALL those things. Aksel seemed like he should have been older, too.
For the most part, though, I was happy to give into a willing suspension of disbelief and follow the wild ride of the story through all its twists and turns. I think fans of GENUINE FRAUD by E. Lockhart or FLOW LIKE WATER by Mark Burley will enjoy this world-crossing, intense book.
Content Notes for Girl from Nowhere
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Representation Most characters are white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Mild profanity used infrequently. A few insults/curses in other languages.
Romance/Sexual Content – Trigger Warning Kissing between boy and girl. References to threats of rape. (No details.) One boy presses Sophia for closeness that she doesn’t want– putting his arm around her and trying to get her to get in his car with him. He says unkind things to her after she refuses.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content – Trigger Warning A grizzly bear starts to attack a girl. An avalanche traps two people in a car. References to kidnapping and torture. Some brief scenes showing kidnapping. A man tortures a prisoner, beating and shooting him when he doesn’t give up information.
Several gunfights in which multiple people are killed. Sophia keeps a gun under her pillow and a knife on her for protection.
A woman is forced to jump from a plane without a parachute.
Drug Content None.
Note: I received a free copy of GIRL FROM NOWHERE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.
Night is Kia’s favorite time, when she freeruns to outdistance the memories of abuse she suffered as a young child. But when former reality television star Terrence Jones arrives at their school as the new head track coach, things begin to change in unpredictable ways.
Kia tries out for the team to fit in, but just as she’s gaining a new sense of normal, her abuser steps back into her life. Not only that, but being on the track team causes even more turmoil. Why does the assistant coach, Cassandra Clark, dislike Terrence Jones so much, and even more troubling, why does Coach Clark dislike her so much?
As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, Kia realizes she has to choose between running from her past or saving a child from the same sort of abuse she suffered. But will she have the courage to do so?
Set against the backdrop of the sport of freerunning, Kia must decide whether she will continue running or face her past abuser in order to save another child.
My Review
I feel like this is going to be a difficult review to write– not because the book was bad, but because I am still sorting through my feelings on it.
First, what I liked: the easy friendship between Thorn and Kiana was great. I loved the way they stuck up for each other and bonded over their shared love of freerunning. I liked that the story wasn’t about them developing a romantic relationship.
The family relationships are complicated (in a good way). Kiana’s mom isn’t making good choices, but she reads as a desperate woman who’s barely keeping her head above water. That’s no excuse for the things she does, but it makes her a complex character.
As I read, I felt the sinister nature of the relationship between Kiana and her grandfather. There are no graphic descriptions of him hurting anyone, but I had no trouble believing him capable of it. And the way he flipped things around to deflect blame from himself and used charm and fake innocence to avoid judgment or consequences was super creepy. Believable and creepy.
On the other side, the story raises a couple of issues that get left unaddressed. In one scene, Kiana’s grandfather leads a little girl from the church toward his car, claiming he has permission to take her home. The children’s director tells him no one is authorized to do this without having written consent from the parent first.
Not long after that, Kiana’s coach insists on giving her a ride home from the church because it’s dark out, and he feels it’s unsafe for her to walk home.
Kiana also discovers her grandfather lurking around her school and track meets, and immediately she feels creeped out by this. In one scene, her track coach finds Kiana and Thorn freerunning in a sketchy part of town.
In both of those sets of instances, both men do very similar things. Obviously Kiana’s history with them makes a huge difference in how she feels about this, but I wished that the story drew a more clear line on what’s safe versus unsafe behavior. I felt like, though his motives seemed to be pure, Kiana’s coach should not have crossed those lines.
I think having those two characters– the coach/hero and the creepy grandfather both committing some of the same actions is what made it stand out to me.
Overall, though, I enjoyed reading a story that followed a girl interested in freerunning and track. I think fans of THE THING WITH FEATHERS by McCall Hoyle will find FREERUNNER to their liking.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation Kiana’s mom is white and she believes her dad is black. Her grandfather sexually abused her when she was younger.
Profanity/Crude Language Content A couple of racial slurs and references to them.
Romance/Sexual Content References to sexual abuse. No graphic descriptions. Reference to a couple being caught having sex (not shown).
Spiritual Content Kiana joins a church group and learns about trusting God from her track coach.
Violent Content Multiple references to sexual abuse (not graphically described). References to physical abuse and brief descriptions of a woman killed by her abuser. Reference to a group attacking a man in prison, leaving him in critical condition. A man kidnaps a girl. Someone dies falling from a building.
Drug Content A woman drinks beers after work.
Note: I received a free copy of FREERUNNER in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.
GROUNDHOG DAY gets a hilarious French twist in this delightful upper middle grade novel about first crushes and friendship when an eighth-grade class trip to Paris goes horribly wrong and the worst day of one girl’s life keeps happening over and over.
Fourteen-year-old Eve Hollis is ready to push through her fears and finally let her crush know how she feels. And what better place to tell him than on top of the Eiffel Tower in the City of Love? But things don’t go as planned, and Eve is sure she’s had the worst day of her life— until she wakes up the next morning to realize the whole disaster of a day is happening again. She’s trapped in a time loop.
Desperate to make it stop, Eve will have to take some big risks and learn from her mistakes or she’s destined to live the most awkwardly painful day of her life over and over again, forever.
My Review
A summer trip to Paris with friends, a mysterious curse, first love– this makes such a fun summer read. It’s a quick read, too– I think I finished the whole book in about two hours.
One of the things I like best about PARIS ON REPEAT is that it isn’t a simple love story. The critical lesson for Eve to learn isn’t as simple as she first thinks. Through repeating the same day over and over, Eve gains some new perspective on herself and her fears. When she becomes stuck on the same day, she grows bolder, trying new things, looking for ways to help the people she meets along the way. She also notices others in the group in ways she hadn’t before, recognizing hurts and insecurities and things in common with someone she thought was a sort of competitor.
On the whole, I had a lot of fun reading PARIS ON REPEAT. It’s a perfect book for readers who are looking for a summer adventure that celebrates friendship and being brave. I think readers who enjoyed CHIRP by Kate Messner will want to give this one a read.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 10 to 12.
Representation I don’t really remember any race details.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Eve sees a boy and girl kissing.
Spiritual Content After making a wish, Eve becomes cursed to repeat the same day over and over until she learns some things. A woman who sells love locks gives her hints about how the magic of the curse works and how to break it.
Violent Content Pickpockets steal items from Eve and a man visiting the Eiffel Tower.
Drug Content None.
Note: I received a free copy of PARIS ON REPEAT in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.
