Review: The Noh Family ~ Grace K. Shim

 

 

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Format I Used: Audiobook
Pages: 384
Running Time: 10h:4m
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
 

Okay okay okay, this played out exactly like a K-Drama in my head. And that was obviously done on purpose and the whole point of the book, and I kind of adored that aspect of it.

I loved the whole premise of this book and how it was giving me Cinderella and The Four Knights Vibes (ish. vibes ISH) even though it was really nothing at all like that. I loved all the mentions and references that I actually understood!

One thing I didn't understand was just how naive Chloe was... or I guess, it was the fact that she was just so eager and willing to trust people she didn't know. AT ALL. Over her mother. Yes there were things that her mother did that could have been handled better, but to trust complete strangers... yikes. Also there were so so so many red flags. I would have been suspicious of what was going on from the start, especially because things were way too fabulous... I was ESPECIALLY suspicious of halmeoni. It's the matriarch/patriarch of the family that you almost always have to watch  out for.

It ended so abruptly, and I don't feel like anything was resolved. It left me feeling more lost than ever. I'm hoping that means that there's going to be a second book that gives us more resolutions.

It sounds like I disliked this book doesn't it? That's not the case, but some things just stood out more to me so that's what I decided to talk about.

ARC Review: Tokyo Dreaming ~ Emiko Jean

 

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Format I Used: Audio ARC
Pages: 336
Running Time: 9h:12m
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Publication Date: May 31, 2022

 

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, which isn't surprising, because I also enjoyed Tokyo Ever After quite a bit.

I enjoyed watching izumi grow up a little bit more, and figure out how to make things work while still staying true to what was in her heart. It took her a while to figure it out, but she got there in the end. I love that family played such a big part in this book, and that she was able to figure out the situation with the Shining Twins.

Also, when Izumi knocked over the fancy pants vase that was a bazillion dollars (I'm exaggerating... but not really) I laughed out loud and said "oh boy, she just pulled a Haruhi Fujioka" and then thought about it far too much during the rest of the book, which was fine.

 

 

 

I was a little bit distressed at the thought of a love triangle (which is surprising because I love Love Triangles) Because I was not looking forward to the drama and heartache I was sure was going to happen. But the drama didn't happen. Izumi handled herself and the situation very well.

My choice would have been the opposite of hers, but I understand why she made the choice that she did, and I'm also very glad that she was able to stay friends with *spoiler redacted*

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an audio ARC

Did It Make Me Cry? No

Review: Tokyo Ever After ~ Emiko Jean

 

 

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Format I Used: Audiobook
Pages: 336
Running Time: 9h:33m
My Rating: 5 stars
Publication Date: May 18, 2021

 

I actually really liked this book overall. It was Princess Diaries meets Crazy Rich Asians. It's a fast, fluffy read, but it does have some serious elements that are dealt with.

The cover is gorgeous, and I enjoyed watching Izumi grow and learn more about herself and her family.

Akio's name is pronounced and spelled so close to AKITO (someone from Fruits Basket) and I don't like Akito... so it took me a minute to get over that in my head.

I appreciate that Izumi's grandma and grandpa were more accepting of her than I thought they would be. I was thinking that I was going to spend the whole book hating them because they didn't like her because of her commoner upbringing/child out of wedlock

Also, props for my last name being in this one too. AND the narrator pronounced it correct, and not the Americanized way.

Did It Make Me Cry? No

Review: It All Comes Back To You ~ Farah Naz Rishi

                                     Image from Goodreads. Click on cover to read more about the book.

Format I Used: Audiobook & E-book
Pages: 432
Running Time: 11h:7m
My Rating: 2 stars
Publication Date: September 14, 2021

I mean... It was okay. I didn't appreciate all the lying and the underhanded sneakiness that went on. I know Kiran was trying to protect her sister from getting hurt, but she went about it in all the wrong ways.

There were a lot of things going on in this book, and it was sometimes hard to keep track of it, AND because there were so many things happening, not everything had the chance to be fully explored and fleshed out.

Also, this is marked as a romance, and it kind of is... But it kind of isn't either. The ending of this book had me feeling kind of meh.

This book wasn't my favorite, but I'm not saying it's a bad book. Give it a read and decide for yourself. You may love it!

Did It Make Me Cry? No