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Review: Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

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Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

Bingsu for Two
Sujin Witherspoon
Union & Co.
Published January 7, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Bingsu for Two

This outrageously charming and infuriatingly adorable enemies-to-lovers coffee shop romance is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Better Than the Movies.

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .

My Review

In her debut young adult contemporary romance novel, Sujin Witherspoon makes the unorthodox decision to tell the entire story from a boy’s point of view. At first, I wasn’t sure how this would feel, since the more common approach is to either alternate points of view or tell the story from the girl’s perspective, if the story is a M/F romance. In fact, for the first several pages, I wasn’t sure of the gender identity of the main character.

River is a bit of a cinnamon roll character. He reads the room, tries to anticipate problems before they arise to avoid conflict as much as possible. When we get introduced to his family, we learn why this feels like a good strategy to him. It makes sense, and it makes his jump to working at Bingsu for Two, which is the first place where he has the freedom to be himself without his parents or his girlfriend looking over his shoulder, evaluating his choices.

The narrative thoughtfully explores River’s avoidance behavior and how his new job affects him. I liked that the changes in his life happen gradually, sometimes deliberately. At other times, he shifts his behavior in response to the new environment and only realizes on reflection that he likes the new behavior patterns better.

That sounds like a very clinical analysis, but the book has a lot of fun, goofball moments, too. The cast of characters working at Bingsu for Two banter back and forth and mess around the way that friends do in several scenes. I enjoyed seeing the relationships grow and the sweet way that River and Sarang’s relationship develops.

I think readers who enjoy stories with an inclusive cast of characters with fun and a few sparks will definitely enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
River and his family and Sarang and her family are Korean American. Two girls are in a romantic relationship. Two boys were in a romantic relationship. Sarang references having crushes on boys and girls in the past.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs and some profanity used moderately.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
River and Sarang get into a physical altercation in which she dumps a cup of coffee over his head. He retaliates by dumping a bag of coffee beans down her shirt. A boy kisses another boy without consent.

Someone spreads a rumor that a boy harassed a girl online, asking her to send nude photos of herself.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar

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Rani Choudhury Must Die
Adiba Jaigirdar
Feiwel & Friends
Published November 12, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Rani Choudhury Must Die

In this sapphic dual POV Young Adult romance by Adiba Jaigirdar, Meghna and Rani (ex-best-friends-turned-rivals) realize they’re dating the same guy, so they team up to beat and expose him at a big science competition!

Meghna Rahman is tired of constantly being compared to her infuriatingly perfect ex best friend now rival. Everyone, except, at least, her boyfriend Zak, seems to think that Rani Choudhury can do no wrong—even her own parents! It doesn’t help that Rani is always accepted into the Young Scientist Exhibition, while Meghna’s projects never make it. But this year, she finally has a chance at defeating Rani in something.

Rani Choudhury is tired of feeling like she doesn’t have much say in her life—not when it comes to how her mom wants her to look and act or how her parents encourage her to date incredibly charming close family friend Zak. She would much rather focus on her coding, especially once she places high enough at the Young Scientist Exhibition to go on to the European Young Scientist Exhibition.

When Meghna and Rani figure out that Zak has been playing them both, they decide to do something no one would see coming: they team up. They’ll compete in the EYSE as partners, creating an app that exposes cheaters and a project that exposes Zak. But with years of silence and pressure between them, working together will prove difficult. Especially once each girl starts to realize that the feelings they had for the other may have been more than platonic…

Hey, no one ever said science was easy!

My Review

So far, for me, this type of rivals-to-lovers romance is the sweet spot of Adiba Jaigirdar’s books. The tension between the characters is perfect, the cultural themes are immersive and engaging, and the romance leaves me swooning. I loved The Henna Wars and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, and I will gladly put this one on the shelf right next to them.

The plot of Rani Choudhury Must Die starts off slowly and winds through a bit of setup before it really gets going. We learn about Meghna’s secret dating relationship and Rani’s relationship with the boy her parents expect her to marry… the same boy secretly dating Meghna. Yikes.

We also learn that Meghna and Rani have history. It’s unclear at first what happened and who, exactly, is to blame for the rift between the girls. It’s pretty clear that Meghna’s mental image of Rani differs from her real self, though, and I found myself intrigued by the difference.

It highlights the way that unresolved conflict can leave us with a specific, hurtful image of a person that doesn’t at all match who the person truly is. Yet, while we’re still nursing that hurt and anger, we can’t see that there is a difference. This delicate mining of nuance in relationships is one of my favorite components of Jaigirdar’s books. She does this so well, and her characters are so rich because of it.

The romance between Rani and Meghna is a very slow burn. I loved that, too. It honors the history between the two girls and the complexity of the circumstances that brought them together. I think it would have been hard to tell a compelling story in which they immediately hook up after discovering they’ve been dating the same boy. This really worked and lets readers hope for and root for the romance as it begins to blossom.

All in all, I had a great time reading this book. Fans of slow-burn romance, rivals to lovers, and/or STEM girls definitely do not want to miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The story is set in Ireland. Meghna and Rani are from the same Bengali community in Ireland. Both are dating a boy and are romantically interested in girls.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
References to cultural family events, holidays, and celebrations.

Violent Content
A boy manipulates and uses words to gaslight a girl.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: King: A Life by Jonathan Eig with Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long

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King: A Life (The Pulitzer Prize-winning Bestseller, Adapted for Young Adults)
Jonathan Eig
with Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published January 7, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About King: A Life (The Pulitzer Prize-winning Bestseller, Adapted for Young Adults)

Hailed as “the most compelling account of [Martin Luther] King’s life in a generation” by the Washington Post, the Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller is now adapted for young adults in this new standard biography of the most famous civil rights activist in American History.

Often regarded as more of a myth and legend than man, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was many things throughout his storied life: student, activist, preacher, dreamer, father, husband. From his Atlanta childhood centered in the historically Black neighborhood of Sweet Auburn to his precipitous rise as a civil rights leader on the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Dr. King would go on to become one of the most recognizable, influential, and controversial persons of the twentieth century.

In this fast-paced and immersive adaptation of Jonathan Eig’s groundbreaking New York Times bestseller readers will meet a Dr. King like no other: a committed radical whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime, a minister wrestling with his human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government.

The inspiring young adult edition of King: A Life highlights the author’s never-before-seen research—including recently declassified FBI documents—while reaffirming and recontextualizing the lasting effects and implications of MLK’s work for the present day. Adapted by National Book Award–nominated authors Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, this biography for a new generation is a nuanced, unprecedented portrayal of a man who truly shook the world.

My Review

I don’t read a lot of biographies, but I found it hard to put this one down. The detailed portrait of Dr. King allows reader to go far beyond what the national holiday celebrates and the highlights elementary classrooms teach about the famed Civil Rights leader. It not only reveals a more complete picture of his values, beliefs, and political message, but it shows readers his humanity.

The book includes some commonly repeated quotes from a few of Dr. King’s speeches, adding greater context to his message. One chapter details how the FBI, under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover, tapped Dr. King’s phone before mailing him a recording of some of his conversations along with a letter hinting that the only way out for him was to take his own life.

It’s easy to imagine the moments of glory and the adrenaline rush that must have come from delivering powerful speeches to audiences hungry for his message. The book also shows what his life was like after he walked away from the podium. It reveals his fear as he was arrested and those marching with him faced armed government officials.

The adult version of this biography has already won awards and been hailed as an essential account of Dr. King’s life. I’m really excited that this young adult version makes this information more accessible to younger readers. This is well worth a read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Black American. Eig also focuses on King’s family and other Civil Rights leaders, most of them Black men and women.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to marriage and extramarital affairs. No details given.

Spiritual Content
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was a Christian preacher/pastor who believed that we have a duty to help the poor and disenfranchised and bring justice to all, especially marginalized people. He studied the teachings of Gandhi and strongly believed in nonviolent resistance.

Violent Content
References to Civil Rights protests and marches and violent response by police and government officials, including brief mentions of the use of police dogs, tear gas, and fire hoses to attack people protesting and marching. References to several murders of Black Americans, including Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Emmett Till.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Why We Read by Shannon Reed

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Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out
Shannon Reed
Hanover Square Press
Published February 6, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Why We Read

A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile and Thurber Prize finalist.

We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.

Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes ( Gone Girl , Their Eyes Were Watching God ) to the ones she didn’t ( Tess of the d’Urbervilles ), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the surprising ways in which literature can transform us for the better.

My Review

I finally read this book! I borrowed the ebook version from my library several times and couldn’t finish it within the loan time, so I ended up buying the audiobook version, and that was definitely the way to go for me.

The book’s description calls it “hilarious,” and, while there were some moments that made me laugh, I don’t know if I would call it hilarious. Like, it’s got great humor, but I feel like the author’s goal might be more in the realm of poignance than hilarity, and I think she succeeds at that. She shares experiences she has had as a reader that will be familiar to many bookish people:

  • Weeping over a sad book.
  • The discovery of a favorite author.
  • The sometimes pretentious way that people can be about certain kinds of literature. *cough* Classics. *cough*
  • Trying to navigate one’s personal triggers in literature, especially in what’s assigned in school/college.
  • The impact of grief on the experience of reading or rereading a beloved book.

It was really fun reading a book that so thoroughly examines our draw toward stories and our sometimes complicated relationship with literature and books. I enjoyed the anecdotes from the author’s experience as a literature professor and her memories of her childhood as a reader.

In one chapter, she talks about her grief over the loss of her dad and how that impacted her reading. Wow. That one hit me hard. Her experience really resonated with me in terms of how grief makes it hard to engage with stories sometimes. I remember really struggling after a pregnancy loss because it seemed like every book my daughter wanted to read included a pregnant character or reference to one.

If reading or books have been an important part of your life, I think you’ll enjoy this one. The chapters each focus on a different reason for reading. Some will resonate more with academic readers, but others will resonate perfectly with casual readers or people recognized by their local librarians.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The author is a white woman who was born with hearing loss.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vague references to romantic plot elements from books here or there.

Spiritual Content
Reed writes about her experience growing up as the daughter of a pastor, and her grief over the loss of her father.

Violent Content
Occasional vague references to violent plot elements (such as murder) from books.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

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We Are All So Good at Smiling
Amber McBride
Feiwel & Friends
Published January 10, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About We Are All So Good at Smiling

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.

The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

My Review

I don’t know if there’s anyone else in the world who writes quite like Amber McBride. We Are All So Good at Smiling came out at a time when I was bogged down with other reading projects, but it’s been high on my reading list since it was released, and my expectations were high.

They were met, if not exceeded. How often does that happen?

This is a weird book. It mixes fairytales and a magical landscape into a contemporary setting, almost like Rochelle Hassan does in “The Buried and the Bound” series. Somehow, telling the story in verse seems to make it even more ethereal. It reminded me a little bit of The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero.

Some of the references feel pretty on the nose, such as a fairy boy named Faerry. There are so many layers to the story, though, so don’t be tempted to take things too much at face value.

I loved the creepy forest and the way that Whimsy and Faerry’s journey unfolded in connection with it. The way the fairytale characters appeared and how they changed depending on what was happening was really fascinating. I also thought exploring fairytales alongside mental health made for an interesting juxtaposition. It made me think of some of the moments in the book Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc.

All that to say that I very much got swept away in this remarkable, immersive story. Amber McBride is quickly climbing my list of auto-buy authors because she always delivers such rich, thought-provoking stories. If you haven’t read any of her books, this is a great one to start with. If you like fairytales and/or novels in verse, definitely put this one on your list!

Content Notes

Depression, suicidal thoughts, loss of a close family member, bullying.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Whimsy and Faerry are Black and have depression.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Whimsy practices Hoodoo, as passed down to her by her grandmother. Her family are conjures. Faerry is a fairy with wings few people can see. The story contains magic as well as fairytale and folktale references and characters.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Bullies call Whimsy names and hold her underwater. Other characters harm Whimsy and Faerry, causing cuts to open on their bodies. References to Whimsy being suicidal at the beginning of the story and in the past.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

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The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot #1)
Peter Brown
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published April 5, 2016

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Wild Robot

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.

My Review

Okay, so I’m probably one of the last people to read this book, especially now that it’s been made into a movie. The good news is that making something into a movie usually helps to motivate me to read the book if I haven’t already. I like to read the book first so that my first experience with the story is in the author’s words.

I picked up a copy of The Wild Robot while shopping for my birthday last year. Near Christmas, I found myself in a pretty fierce reading slump, and an illustrated book with short chapters seemed very appealing to me at that moment, so I started reading.

And from the first few chapters, I was hooked on the story. Really, once we got to the animals and their reactions to Roz, I began to deeply invest in what was happening. I love the way that the simple illustrations convey emotion. My heart squeezed at the image of the robot standing at the top of a tree. The robot holding a gosling while he fell asleep was so sweet.

I love the way the book balances an open look at natural order with a more anthropomorphic one about the value of community, familial love, and relationships. The animal characters include predators and prey, and while nobody gets eaten on scene, it’s referenced around the story’s edges. Roz adopts a gosling and raises him until he can join the other geese. She explores what it means to be a mother and what it means to raise someone well.

I enjoyed the different characters and the way they pull together when faced with an unknown threat or pull together to help one of their own community members. This is a sweet story and a pretty quick read. If you haven’t read it yet, definitely check out The Wild Robot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
The main character is Roz, a robot. Most other characters are animals.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A hurricane sinks a ship carrying boxes of robots. Some robots get destroyed before they reach the island. Roz accidentally kills a family of geese. The story references predator animals eating other animals. At one point, robots fight the island’s inhabitants. One uses a gun to subdue others.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.