this is my favorite Jackie Lau so far by a MILE. the very ending/wrap-up was a little pat, but the time loop was A+++. maybe one of my favorite time lthis is my favorite Jackie Lau so far by a MILE. the very ending/wrap-up was a little pat, but the time loop was A+++. maybe one of my favorite time loops ever. **loved** the two part structure and that a new friendship was the central grounding relationship of the loop, the consistency of her honesty and discomfort, and honestly the food and setting (which I feel is always so strong in her books).
between this and A Quantum Love Story, it's been a great season for time loops!...more
Sweet, contemplative, and a lovely read. normally I really dislike historical fiction with real life characters playing a major role -- I hate not knoSweet, contemplative, and a lovely read. normally I really dislike historical fiction with real life characters playing a major role -- I hate not knowing what's fictional and what's not, esp in terms of conversations and personalities etc -- but I still enjoyed this very much.
I think it's not quite as strong as The Summer We Got Free but it has a satisfyingly YA vibe to it - definitely one I'll be getting for the high school library....more
cute sapphic ya romance. loved the supportive families, the queernormativity and total lack of homophobia anywhere (her mom making that quick pivot oncute sapphic ya romance. loved the supportive families, the queernormativity and total lack of homophobia anywhere (her mom making that quick pivot on the pronouns! ...more
3.5 stars, rounding down because it just wasn't my flavor, not because it wasn't good.
I usually avoid literary fiction because I have a stereotype of3.5 stars, rounding down because it just wasn't my flavor, not because it wasn't good.
I usually avoid literary fiction because I have a stereotype of it being full of middle aged white men in unhappy marriages. This was not that... but it was a young Indian woman in various levels of uncommunicative, unhappy relationships for most of it, and it definitely had that melancholy introspective style that I associate with litfic. I'm so susceptible to mood in books -- it's why I can't read suspense or horror without my anxiety going sky-high -- so I basically felt a sort of muted misery the whole time I was reading this. I stopped for a while and then picked it up again, and I'm happy to report that by the end things were probably going to be ok for her... but for me as a reader, it was a rough time of it. Not my jam, but if you like character studies and have better emotional boundaries with books than I do, it might be yours. ...more
4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 for breaking me out of my reading slump! I really loved this, and it did in fact make me cry at the end.
It's true, it's n4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 for breaking me out of my reading slump! I really loved this, and it did in fact make me cry at the end.
It's true, it's not Kennedy Ryan-level devastation, but I can see the comparison: pain, communication, consent, habits of trauma, people trying their best but not always succeeding. Recommended for folks who loved Courtney Milan's The Countess Conspiracy, as well. ...more
This was such an absorbing, illuminating, powerful read. Straightforwardly written, the kind of book that tells you over and over how people have fougThis was such an absorbing, illuminating, powerful read. Straightforwardly written, the kind of book that tells you over and over how people have fought constantly, so often with so many moments that look like failure, through such bad times... and made it through to something better that was only possible because they never gave up. Lots of feelings on finishing it, but the strongest are respect and hope....more