New releases!

 

Asking for a Friend
By Kara H. L. Chen
Publisher: Quill Tree Books (July 23, 2024)
Language: English
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0063237881
ISBN-13: 978-0063237889
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Grade level: 9 - 12

 Publisher’s Blurb:

This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.

 Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:

She is the world’s foremost expert on love.

She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.

When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior.

Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview.

With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book, but it stressed me out! Also, I don’t think the blurb really does it justice.

Juliana feels all the pressure to live up to the expectations of not just her Taiwanese-American family, but the whole Taiwanese expat community. Which means winning the business competition that her beloved father founded basically on his deathbed.

The pressure is even worse, since her big sister—gasp!!!—dropped out of med school because she was pregnant and unmarried. Juliana’s mother basically pretends the sister doesn’t exist.

As Juliana and Garrett work together on the competition and at the Taiwanese Community Center, Juliana learns that maybe it isn’t all about living up to expectations. She learns that her father maybe wasn’t so perfect, and that she’s allowed to want things for herself. It’s a difficult lesson for her to learn, and it’s full of big feelings that she isn’t always ready to feel.

Seeing the enormous pressures that Juliana’s mother and community placed on her was super stressful for me. I just wanted to give her a hug. Watching her grow and learn that there’s more than one way to do things, and more than one way to be, was a satisfying journey. The conflicts in the story pushed the plot along; her actions were realistic based on her circumstances. Of course, as an adult reading the book, I was ready to yell a few times, but I’m not exactly the target market. I feel like Juliana doesn’t reach a true resolution with her mother, but it’s a lot to expect.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Parental death. Unwed pregnancy. Same-gender couples. Lying to parent. Social pressure. Some swearing. Kissing.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like stories about over-achievers and having to deal with parental pressure. Those who like coming of age stories, or stories with a competitive element.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses
By Katrina Emmel
Publisher: Delacorte Romance (July 23, 2024)
Language: English
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 0593708148
ISBN-13: 978-0593708149
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: 870L
Grade level: 7 - 9

 Publisher’s Blurb:

A swoon-worthy YA rivals-to-lovers romance between a Nebraskan cowboy and California girl, thrust together on the Oregon Trail.

Anything’s possible under a prairie sky…

Riley Thomas is feeling stuck—she’s moved from California to Nebraska, she’s on a weeklong Oregon Trail family bonding excursion, and her luggage is lost. There’s no one her age on the trip except a tall, dark and irksome cowboy who wrongly assumes she has zero ability to handle the great outdoors. She can’t wait for this misery to end—even though going “home” isn’t even possible anymore.

Lone wolf Colton Walker loves the simpler life of the plains and his family’s tourism business that helps protect them. He’s a stand-up guy—not a love ‘em and leave ‘em type like his rival, Jake. And he knows better than to take his chances with a prairie princess like Riley.

But Riley’s got more sense than Colton thinks--and he’s not nearly as inflexible as he seems. And under a wide prairie sky of puffy clouds and bright stars, everything comes into focus--including a cowboy’s heart.

Katrina Emmel’s Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses will take you on a sweeping journey across the American prairie . . . once you love a boy in a Stetson, you’ll never be the same.

 My Thoughts:

Imagine having to move to a different state right after your junior year of high school! (Actually, one of my speech and debate students this past year did exactly that.) That’s exactly what happens to Riley, and even though she understands her parents’ reasons, she is NOT happy about it.

 Even worse: during the week between arriving in their new state and having their furniture catch up with them, they’re going on a pioneer wagon train reenactment! Riley is even less happy.

 And when her suitcase doesn’t catch up with her…yeah.

 Told both from Riley’s and Colton’s POV, this story is about first impressions. Neither of them got a very good first impression of the other. Colton thinks Riley is a spoiled city girl, and she think he’s a judgmental jerk.

 As their week on the prairie progresses, they discover that they’re both wrong. I really love the scene where they go fishing for dinner—probably my favorite in the whole book.

 As is the standard, there are misunderstandings and mistakes. Of course, if one important fact had been communicated far earlier, we’d have missed the third-act breakup and subsequent resolution.

 Background and secondary characters were all well-done. Dialogue rings true. And the descriptions of the beauty of the prairie were lovely.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Family drama (minor). Misunderstandings. A big flirt. Kissing. Some dangerous situations.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like American history (particularly the Western pioneers), nature, and, of course, stories about high school love.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Bodega Cats: Picture Purrfect
By Hilda Eunice Burgos
Illustrated by Siara Faison
 
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (July 23, 2024)
Language: English
Hardcover: 144 pages
ISBN-10: 1250903742
ISBN-13: 978-1250903747
Reading age: 7 - 10 years

Grade level: 3 - 4

 Publisher’s Blurb:

In the Heights meets Front Desk in this heartwarming and funny illustrated story about the friendship between a bodega owner's kid and his newly-adopted furry friend, with a focus on family and community.

Miguel Rosado wants nothing more than to see and draw the world… or, at least anywhere beyond the four walls of his family’s bodega in Washington Heights. Too bad his mami and papi have him working long hours after school, hoping he’ll appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made to keep the store afloat. For street-savvy and newly-adopted cat Lolo, that sounds just perfect if it means he’s far, far away from the hungry, lonely nights he once spent in the freezing cold outdoors.

But when Miguel ditches his responsibilities and lies to his parents about joining art club, his dream of juggling it all comes crashing down. Lolo will have to decide if he's willing to be there for his new friend Miguel through anything―even venturing back into the frightful outdoors and busy New York City sidewalks. Can they trust each other enough to take on this adventure together?

 My Thoughts:

I have been a fan of the Bodega Cats Instagram account for years. Bodega cats serve an important function for the little neighborhood bodegas in big cities by keeping the stores free of vermin. So when I saw “bodega cats” in the title, well, I had to request it!

 This sweet middle-grade story is about Miguel, who really wants to be an artist, and his Dominican immigrant parents who want him to have a better, more stable life. As with so many of the MG and YA stories I’ve read lately, this one also focuses on a child who is trying balance parental expectations with what they truly want for themselves.

 The illustrations frequently take the form of Miguel’s comics about his life. They are fun and energetic and definitely add to the storytelling. The story is told from both Miguel's and Lolo's points of view.

 The story was a very quick read for me. I think both the material and the actual writing would be easily accessible for grades 4 and up. For me, an adult reading a story meant for children, I was really struck by the parent angle on this. I understand the desire to give your kids a good life, but it has long been my philosophy that our children aren’t our possessions, and we must listen to what it is they want out of life. Advise, don’t demand! So many of these fictional parents need to learn that lesson.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

An animal is in danger. Miguel lies to his parents about an after-school club. An elderly person starts a fire.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who like animal stories.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.