Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com. Our love of lists inspired this weekly meme, and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our topic based on that topic. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have any ideas for the prompt. This week, our topic is an old TTT Topic Topic freebie, and so I’m going with genre tropes I love which I’ve seen used before. I’m focusing on Romance today.
1- Online but they know each other in real life
Rec: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
2- Grumpy X Sunshine
Rec: The Love Hypthosis by Ali Hazelwood
3- Enemies to Lovers
Rec: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
4- Misunderstandings
Rec: Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
5- Freinds to Lovers
Rec: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz,
6- Fake Dating
Rec: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
7- Siblings Best Freind
Rec: Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur
8- There’s Only One Bed
Rec: Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
9- He falls first
Rec: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
10- Soul Mates
Rec: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas
Let’s Discuss
What are your favorite romance tropes? Do you have any recs for me based on mine?
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. Our love of lists inspired this meme and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list inspired by that prompt. This week our topic is Favorite Heroines, and I’m very excited to share my list.
Middle Grade
1- Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.
I just love her sass, and how much she cares about Percy and her friends so much.
2- Natalie from The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz.
I love Natalie and her passion for theater and speaking up for herself.
YA
3- Kate from Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli.
This might be more of a vibes thing. I loved Kate’s passion for musical theater and those around her.
4- Claudia from Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills.
Claudia is a sweetie and I just love her so much.
5- Tash from Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee.
Tash is such a fun character, and the first character I saw with Ace Rep in a book.
6- Millie from When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord.
Again, this might be more of a vibes thing for me, but I loved her love for theater and the romance between her and Oliver
7-Delilah from Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant.
Delilah was so cool, and so into music. I just loved her so much,
Adult
8- August from One Last Stop by Casey McQuison.
I love her and how nerdy she is. I love her story as well.
9- Gideon from Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series #1) by Tamsyn Muir
This was not a book that was on my radar at all, but I loved Gideon and her sassy banter so much. I’m almost done with the third book, and so far, Gideon the Ninth is my favorite by far.
10- Delilah from Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care(Bright Falls #1) by Ashley Herring Blake
This was my favorite romance of the year last year, and it’s definitely because of the lead character. Delilah was so sassy and knew exactly what she wanted from her life. I also loved her romance with Claire.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme is based on our love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make a list based on the prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have an idea for the topic that week. This week it’s a love freebie for Valentine’s day, so I wanted to do a list of my favorite couples.
1- April and Marcus from Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
2- Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper by Alice Osemen
3- Jude and Carden from The Folk of Air Trilogy by Holly Black
4- Freye and Rhys from A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Holly Black
5- Deliliah and Claire from Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
6- Deiliah and Reggie from Reggie and Deiliah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
7- August and Jane from One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
8- Simon and Bram from Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
9- Gideon and Harrow from The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
10- Claudia and Gideon from Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday thatartsyreadergirl. This meme was born out of a love of lists, and brining the book blogging community together, Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list based on that prompt, We also have the option to do our own thing if we don’t have ideas for the prompt that week. This week, our topic is 2023 Debuts! I love supporting new authors, so I was excited about this. Books came from-https://2023debuts.com/home.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Jana will post a prompt each week, and we readers will make our post based on that prompt. We also can do our own thing if we don’t have ideas for the topic that week. This week, our topic is a freebie, so I decided to do some comfort reads for me.
1- Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee- YA Contemporary
2- Heartstopper by Alice Osemen- YA Contemporary Romance (Graphic Novel)
3- Spoiler Alert by Oliva Dade- Adult Contemporary
4- Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake- Adult Contemporary Romance
5- When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord -YA Contemporary
6- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid- Adult Historical Fiction
7- 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston – YA Contemporary Romance
8- Geekerella by Ashley Poston-YA Contemporary Romance
9- Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills-YA Contemporary
10- The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz- Middle-Grade Contemporary
From debut author-illustrator duo Vivienne Chang and Eugenia Yoh comes a humorous and heartfelt reverse immigration story that will resonate across cultures and show us how a place can become home.
This is not my backyard barbecue. This is not our car, these are not my fireflies. This is not my farmer’s market and… This is not my home.
When Lily’s mom announces their family must move back to Taiwan to take care of her elderly Ah Ma, Lily is devastated to leave behind her whole life for a place that is most definitely nother home. But Lily soon realizes, through the help of her family and friends, what home means to them. And perhaps someday—maybe not today, but someday—it might become her home too.
Favorite Quotes
“And the Fireflies at Parsley Park?”
“We have to go back to take care of Ah Ma.”
“This is not my home.”
“I miss home, Lily said in a quiet voice.”
“I’m sorry. I know this is not you’re home.”
“Mamma? Yes? This is My Home.”
Review
Rating: 4 stars
Characters
This was a children’s story with memorable characters. Lily was a fantastic main character, and I could relate to her in a few ways. Lily was brave because as much as she didn’t want to leave her home to go back to Thailand, she did and she was open to trying new things. I loved how much Lily grew at the end of this story.
Plot
This is Not My home had a simple story for kids, but it was one that was easy for kids and adults to enjoy. Lily is going through a change and needs to leave the only place she’s ever known. On the opposite side, Lily’s mother missed Thailand, and she was very excited to go back home, and find part of herself in the country she left again. In the end, this brought Lily and her mother back together, because they both had a connection to a place that they loved. I loved this story because it brought Lily and her mom closer.
Writing
This is Not My Home had a writing style that was simple and easy to follow. The light tone works perfectly for this story. There were also some serious moments in this novel because it talks about leaving a place you love, and the only place you’ve ever known, This is Not My home could be read by kids by themselves, or as a book with their family.
Art
This is Not My Home was illustrated by Eugenia Yoh, and I loved the style. Art plays a big part in children’s books because a lot of the story is told through art. I loved the color palette of this story, and how the art worked with the story.
Enjoyment
I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to fans of children’s novels and reverse immigration stories.
About the Authors
Vivienne Chang and Eugenia Yoh met at Washington University in St. Louis. Eugenia studied Communication Design and now works at Chronicle Books. Vivienne studies Economics and is still stuck in St. Louis. They hope to continue telling stories that simplify seemingly universal ideas through humor. When they are not discussing their next book concept, they can be found at a lake, a library, or in the yogurt section of Whole Foods. Who is this dog? We do not know. We found her in North Carolina.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This meme was born out of a love of list,and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our list based on that prompt, We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have ideas for the topic that week. This week, our topic is: Favorite new to me authors of 2022.
1- Ashley Herring Blake (Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care)
2- Tamsyn Muir (Gideon the Ninth)
3- Racquel Marie (Ophelia After All)
4- Sabaa Tahir (All My Rage)
5- A.J. Sass (Ellen Outisde the Lines)
6- Alice Osemen (Heartstopper)
7- Jenifer Dugan (Hot Dog Girl)
8- Claribel A. Oretega (Frizzy)
9- Malinda Lo (Last Night at the Telegraph Club, A Scatter of Light)
10- Matthew Mercer & various (Vox Machina Origins Volumes 1-2)
A fun, fast-paced novel about friendship, family, fighting for what’s right, and standing out from the crowd while standing up for yourself.
Twelve-year-old Brooklyn Ace is ready to take the Valentine World Scouts by storm and build her own cookie empire. She nearly won the top cookie selling spot last year and is determined to make her mom—who recently passed away—proud by coming in first this time around. With her fabulous best friends by her side, Brooklyn knows she’ll become Santa Monica’s District Cookie Queen. The crown is practically in the bag.
Then Piper Parker arrives.
Piper has a rich dad, a fancy hotel, and a drive to steal the cookie crown right off Brooklyn’s head. Before long, most of the seventh grade is under Piper’s spell. But Brooklyn is in it to win the biggest cookie war the school has ever seen. With the help of her cookie squad, her rockstar grandmother, her super cool therapist, and a lot of self-love and inner growth, maybe—just maybe—Brooklyn can end up a winner after all.
Quotes
Then there’s sleeping in, and waking up to brunch, which means pancakes or French toast for breakfast, which c’mon, is basically dessert.
I’m always here if you want to talk about your feelings. They’re here, and they matter.
Lyric shoves me out of the way and screeches into the screen door, “calling the cops on a bunch of scouts? What do you think we’re going to do, start a campfire on your lawn and make s’mores?”
Brooklyn, I know it’s hard to open up to someone you don’t really know and to tell them how you’re doing. That’s totally understandable if that’s even how you’re feeling.
And no, it isn’t my mom’s voice out there convincing everyone to buy cookies from me. It is mine.
But you used everything you’ve learned from her and put it all into being the best version of yourself- and she’s a big part of that.
Review
Rating: 5 stars
Rep: BIPOC, Mental Illness.
Characters
Cookie Monsters had fantastic characters to me. Brooklyn had been through a lot in the last year, and she was just trying to do well in the cookie-selling competition in memory of her mother. Piper Parker was the antagonist, and you didn’t know much about her story until late in the book, but she was an interesting character for me as well. Brooklyn had her squad of friends who sold cookies with her, and they were all a lot of fun to read about because they each had their own interests that made them unique. Brooklyn’s grandmother and her father were great supporting characters, and I loved seeing them pop up throughout the story.
Plot
The story of Cookie Monsters was more than just characters selling cookies. For me, it was about finding yourself and embracing who you are as a person. I loved how hard Brooklyn worked to sell cookies, she was doing it for her mom, but she was also doing it for herself because she knew that she could do it and wanted to prove to herself that she could sell cookies. Over the course of the story, Brooklyn’s confidence grew, and by the end of the book, I was so proud of her. Cookie Monsters was also a story of mental health and asking for help from friends and family when you need it.
Writing
Even with Middle-Grade Novels, writing still plays a big part in the story. Erika J Kendrick is a fantastic writer who wrote Cookie Monsters with a lot of heart. During the light light-hearted scenes in the novel, as a reader, I was having fun, and laughing because the characters were having fun, and enjoying the company of each other. This novel had some very intense and heavy scenes as well, and during these scenes, there was a tonal shift, and you could tell that the characters were having a big moment as well.
Friendship
Brooklyn had her squad, and they were all so sweet. Each girl really cared about Brooklyn, and they were always there to support her when she needed it. Each girl in the squad had their own things were dealing with, and with the help of her friends, they wear able to come out stronger on the other side. Brooklyn was a cheerleader, and I loved seeing Magic and the Honeybees in this book as well.
Enjoyment
I loved this novel a lot. I had a lot of fun reading it, and it was the perfect mixture of a fun story and a heartwarming story. Anyone who likes Middle-Grade novels should check out this one.
About the Author
Erika J. Kendrick is an acclaimed writer, a national speaker, and a mental fitness expert. She earned a psychology degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Erika was an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls before writing her novels, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader (Random House) and Appetite (Random House). She is currently touring her debut middle grade novel, Squad Goals, with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The spinoff, Cookie Monsters, is set for a summer 2022 release.
After battling her brain pain, Erika founded Mental Fitness For Life where she launched her latest Mental Fitness book tour, “Who Moved My Happy?” While talking to audiences of all backgrounds and ages, Erika shares her story of brain pain and inspires hope by creating safe spaces for life-saving conversations. She has presented and guest lectured at colleges and universities as well as the US Army and US Air Force, national sororities and fraternities, middle and high schools, conferences, retreats, and national organizations, large and small. Erika has toured with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and is a speaker with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) where she has been inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Erika is a recipient of several “Who’s Who” honors, a Rising Icon honor, and several Awards of Excellence. Erika has taken the stage for TEDx, appeared on Good Morning America – The Third Hour (GMA3), NBC News, CBS News, The Wendy Williams Experience, national television and radio segments, and a host of other media outlets. She has been featured in several publications, including Page Six of The New York Post, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and various other magazines and digital media.
Hi! Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @wishfulendings.com. This meme was originally created by Jill @breakingthespine. The purpose of this meme is to feature a release, usually pre-publication, that we can’t wait to read! This week, I’m featuring a YA Romance that sounds right up my alley. All information comes from Goodreads!
Title: The Love Match
Author: Priyanka Taslim
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: Janaury 3rd 2023 from Salaam Reads/ Simon Schuster
Synopsis
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice in this delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security—just as she’s falling in love with someone else.
Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style.
Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.
But life—and boys—can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.
Why I want to read this
Well, this book caught my attention because it’s described as To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice. The romance seems sweet, and I can’t wait to meet Zahra, Harun, and Nayim. Also, I’m from New Jersey, and we don’t get a lot of books set in this state.
Hi! Next year I’ll be participating in the Clear Out Your EReader Challenge. What started off as something that was just Ereaders has grown to incorporate more books. I’m excited to do this challenge for the first time next year. Read more information and sign up https://momwithareadingproblem.com/2022/11/coyer-upside-down-2023-sign-up/ .
Paiges of Novels 