Tag: contemporary

3 star, YA

ARC Review: Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other) by Livia Blackburne

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

You’ve Got Mail gets a YA twist in this rom-com that spotlights the power of activism and community organizing in the face of gentrification.

Clementine Chan believes in the power of the written word. Under the pseudonym Hibiscus, she runs a popular blog reviewing tea shops and discussing larger issues within her Chinatown community. She has a loyal, kind following, save for this one sour grape named BobaBoy888.

Danny Mok is allergic to change, and the gentrification seeping into Chinatown breaks his heart. He channels his frustration into his internet alter ego, BobaBoy888, bickering with local blogger Hibiscus over all things Chinatown and tea.

When a major corporation reveals plans that threaten to shut down the Mok’s beloved tea shop, Clementine and Danny find themselves working together in real life to save this community they both love. But as they fall hard for this cause—and each other—they have no clue that their online personas have been fighting for years.

When the truth comes to light, can Danny and Clementine still find their happily-ever-after?

Overall Recommendation:

Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other) is an introspective take on Chinese culture and its impact on the diaspora community that settles in a North American city, especially the gentrification of old neighborhoods. The seriousness of the subject matter is routinely balanced out with the levity of tea blogging and many fun facts on the appropriate brewing of tea. I feel more connected to such a story as a Chinese reader, however I do think this story is informational in a way that’ll connect others too.

**Clementine and Danny Saves the World (and Each Other) comes out July 18, 2023**

Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review

Where shall I begin?

First of all, as a Chinese Canadian reader, I feel pretty close to the subject matter at hand. In this story, Clementine and Danny fight against the impending take over by some big corporate group of a strip mall in Chinatown where they grew up in their town. While it may seem the revamping of an old mall would be ideal for the neighborhood on paper, it really can have negative consequences for the regular patrons and shop owners who actually live in the area.

I will admit I have some mixed and conflicting feelings that I do feel the book fleshes out. Danny, as the son of the owners of Fragrant Leaves, the tea shop in said strip mall, has good insight into the loss of such of corporate takeover. Besides losing out their business and livelihood, what makes up the beating heart of Chinatown will be lost. What exactly is that, you ask?

Chinatown isn’t just made up of the independent stores there. It’s in the elderly who regularly hang out in such places to socialize, play mahjong, and drink some tea. It’s in the hardships the immigrating generation conquered or persevered through the losses to come out on the other side. It’s the memories steeped into a place, the tears and sweat poured out within the confines of old decor and non-modernized technology.

Yes, there is loss here, always, when old is replaced with new. However, there is a flip side, and Clementine brings that into perspective. As a daughter of successful journalists who are considered more upper class, she brings ideas of modernization, Asian fusion and social media connections to promote Asian culture, even in the form of the kinds of tea to drink. She sometimes is idealistic and/or ignorant with her ideas that she posts to her tea blog – reviewing tea sounds like a fun topic actually – but I can also see where she’s coming from. Sometimes, change is necessary to adapt. Culture and tradition have its place, but it’s not traitorous to suggest a middle ground for the next generation in the diaspora to learn and love components of Chinese culture. We are the diaspora, after all. Two identities waging war, fitting in both cultures…or fitting in none.

I didn’t love that Danny made it seem Clementine was always in the wrong for her suggestions. She loved Chinatown, and this was her genuine way to try to bring in more people. Not all ideas work, but her heart was always in the right place. I’m not sure if the author also believes Danny’s POV and pragmatism is always right, but my personal take away is it’s always complicated. Some things I love to keep it the traditional way (drinking pu’erh tea with milk or sugar is a big fat NO), but I also love Asian fusion dishes that certain dim sum places offer.

That brings me to the romance. I honestly didn’t feel it. Danny was so awful to Clementine in her blog’s comment section, even though he didn’t know her to be the anonymous tea blogger. And when some of the things she believed about her Chinese culture differed from what he did, he blew up at her. His apology wasn’t enough, especially when he came across as superior because his parents worked physically hard to keep their store afloat. Are you saying Asians who study hard to afford more white collar jobs and therefore have more money only want to gentrify neighborhoods? He got on my nerves with his self righteousness. So no, I didn’t understand the reality of a romance forming here unless Clem changed all her beliefs to fit his.

The activism part of the story was purely informational, and frankly took up way too much page space. We don’t get to see these two characters anywhere outside of volunteering for the Chinatown nonprofit to save the neighborhood. Besides that they care about their neighborhood, there was little else about them we get to see. Additionally, how all their work played out didn’t really satisfy at the climax which made me wonder why so much time was given to this plot element.

All in all, I like the discussion around Chinese culture, tradition versus modernized “influencer” views, and the impact Chinatown has on those around it. I definitely felt seen with my array of emotions stemming from personal experiences in such places growing up. I didn’t love the ending or the romance but I firmly believe it is still a good read for Asian and non-Asian readers alike to learn from and discuss.

5 star, YA

ARC Review: Always Isn’t Forever by J.C. Cervantes

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

From New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes comes a sparkling, unforgettable YA romance, perfect for fans of You’ve Reached Sam.

Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life–instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.

Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can’t deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn’t understand the sudden pull, it can’t be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson–but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?

Overall Recommendation:

Bring your tissues because Always Isn’t Forever will tug at your heartstrings while you’re screaming at yourself to not let your heart beat with hope for Ruby and Hart. Reminiscent of You’ve Reached Sam, an unexpected early death throws a wrench in their plans for their forever future, but these two lovebirds find a way to connect with each other again even after death. Except Hart can’t tell Ruby he doesn’t appear as he used to! I loved the dual POV that gave insight into their love that defies the passing of time and their age. Their journey for even one more moment together had me hogging the tissues in a corner as I gobbled their story in one sitting. 100% worth the read!

**Always Isn’t Forever comes out June 6, 2023**

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review

It’s not a joke when the synopsis compares Always Isn’t Forever to You’ve Reached Sam. The cover gives even the same vibes. But where You’ve Reached Sam hit a little bit of a roadblock for me, this book blew past my expectations and opened my heart (and the floodgates) to Ruby and Hart’s story.

I’m a sucker for romances that hit you deep in the heart and this one is no exception. For a story about death and getting a divine second chance to potentially reconnect, whether you love the book or not hinges on how well you love the two protagonists. I’d say I’m sometimes pretty jaded when it comes to romance stories – I’ve definitely read a lot – but these two teenagers had such a woven and realistic story of love from childhood friends to something more.

The dual POV from Hart (in Jameson’s body) and Ruby gave so much insight to who they each were, but also who the other meant to them. Hart was a songwriter, and his soul was entwined with music and melody that dreamt of their love. While his memories were slowly disappearing, he held on desperately for his memory of Ruby and the music he was in the midst of writing for her at the time of his death. Ruby, on the other hand, loved the water, practically lived in it. After Hart’s drowning, she had to reconcile her love for the water and its hand in taking away the only boy she ever loved.

My heart is still beating rapidly just thinking of their story. The prose and flow had everything to do with it too. Cervantes carved their love story through quick chapters, little memories engraved in their souls, and raw emotions that aren’t always easy to deal with in the face of goodbyes.

Love doesn’t need more than one heart.

If there’s one thing that both Hart and Ruby learned, it was this quote. Oh, my poor heart suffered with Hart as he desperately tried to tell the people he loved, especially Ruby, that he was back. But regardless if she didn’t fully know who he was inside a new body, he knew. And love doesn’t require more than one heart.

Aside from these two whom I fell in love with, there were a few secondary characters making an impact. Ruby’s sister, Gabi, is exactly what I would want in a sister if I were to have one. She pushed Ruby when others may have given up when she went into a sad spiral. They bickered and they disagreed on things but you can tell love was the underlying motive for everything Gabi did for Ruby. And on Hart’s side, let’s just say there’s a fun divine being he befriends who ended up being a nice, more lighthearted character to throw into their mix.

Who surprised me most was Jameson. We can’t forget the boy whose body Hart took. This is NOT like The Host (aka my favourite book ever) where two souls vie for one body. The divine rules for body recycling is interesting, but a body can hold memories so getting to know pieces of Jameson was also amazing. Cervantes has a way of making each character feel real with their emotions and how they grapple with things like grief and guilt and joy.

All this to say, Always Isn’t Forever blew past my expectations. Did I think I would cry? Yes. Did I actually cry? 100 times yes. But it held such a good balance of hope, love, and grief that I could only ever hope to find in a book. If you liked You’ve Reached Sam, I’d say you’d LOVE this one.

4.5 star, YA

ARC Review: The Other Side of Infinity by Joan F. Smith

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

They Both Die at the End meets The Butterfly Effect in this YA novel by Joan F. Smith, where a teen uses her gift of foreknowledge to help a lifeguard save a drowning man―only to discover that her actions have suddenly put his life at risk.

It was supposed to be an ordinary day at the pool, but when lifeguard Nick hesitates during a save,
seventeen-year-old December uses her gift of foreknowledge to rescue the drowning man instead. The action comes at a cost. Not only will Nick and December fall in love, but also, she envisions that his own life is now at risk. The other problem? They’re basically strangers.

December embarks on a mission to save Nick’s life, and to experience what it feels like to fall in love―something she’d formerly known she’d never do. Nick, battling the shame of screwing up the rescue when he’s heralded as a community hero, resolves to make up for his inaction by doing December a major solid and searching for her mother, who went missing nine years ago.

As they grow closer, December’s gift starts playing tricks, and Nick’s family gets closer to an ugly truth about him. They both must learn what it really means to be a hero before time runs out.

Overall Recommendations:

The Other Side of Infinity packs a punch while also drawing a more reflective side in its readers. Following an intriguing protagonist who knows everything, past and future, I loved learning how December sees the world while also figuring out what happened to her mother, the one thing she didn’t know. Balancing both complexities in character with an underlying plot driving the story, there’s something about this book that stays with you long after the final page is turned. A definite must read!

**The Other Side of Infinity comes out April 25, 2023**

Thank you SparkPoint Studio for this copy in exchange for an honest review

What would you do if you knew everything that has happened, and everything that has yet to pass? Do you let these events occur as you know it will, or do you wish you could be more than just a passive observer, especially for bad events?

That’s something that was super interesting about our omniscient protagonist, December. All her life she knew what has happened to other people, both present and past, as well as events directly related to her. Knowing something will happen is largely different from feeling what it would be like in that moment when it is about to happen. And that is how December finds herself changing events by her interactions with Nick.

Before I dive more into Nick and December’s story, I just want to say that Joan made such an interesting analogy about December’s ability. It’s hard to understand from her perspective otherwise, but comparing each memory or event to a gumball in a large jar was super helpful. December just happens to have access to more than only her own past gumballs, but also everyone’s that she can mentally search through if she wanted. I love that analogy and it made December’s POV very enjoyable to read.

The storyline with Nick was what I anticipated. The only reason why this isn’t a 5 star read is the rapidness of their growing relationship. When December knows they’re going to fall in love and Nick just fell super hard super quickly, it doesn’t leave us much room to allow feelings to grow organically with these two at the pace they did. However, I did end up loving their relationship and how they each tried to help the other in their own way.

There is one major plot line focused on each of them. Nick’s guilty conscience as a hero when he might not have deserved all that praise alone took perhaps too much page time, especially the lead up to the big reveal for whatever event in his past that further aggravated his feelings of guilt in the present. I feel more time could’ve been given instead to December’s missing mother, the big Blank Spot among her gumballs of knowledge. What happened to her and why is anything related to her disappearance missing in her ability? I didn’t feel this wasn’t focused nearly as much, and the resolution left me yearning for more.

That being said, I don’t want to give away anything more, but I will add that I enjoyed the ending. I thought it was fairly predictable – if you know other books and what this one is being compared to – but I thought it was perhaps a lovely way of bringing this book to an end. Do I wish for more? Sure. It felt a bit rushed and abrupt at the end with no real build up to this climactic peak, but perhaps that’s just how things were meant to be.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book when I first jumped into it, but I can say it was hard to put down and I’m still processing all of my feelings now that I’m done. I fervently hope you give this book a chance when it comes out! It just may surprise you like it did for me.