Sarah Kuhn

Clearly I can’t give it anything less than 4 stars, because I stayed up all night reading it. I continue to adore this world and these characters. While Bea doesn’t have an explicit diagnosis of ADHD, a lot of her behaviors and the language used to describe them are hallmark AHDH. It was really, really nice in ways I am not articulate enough at 3 in the morning to describe to see myself in fiction that way.

I cant give it five stars because I’m getting a little disappointed? show more frustrated? with the queer representation. Yes, there are a ton of lesbian side characters in happy relationships. Yes, Bea is canonically bisexual. And her ending up in a romantic relationship with a man doesn’t change the truth of her bisexuality at all.

I guess the formula just feels really straight? I’d been rooting for a poly relationship with Bea, Sam and Leah, but instead they all broke off into traditional monogamous pairings. There’s no sense of a queer culture that exists independent of straight culture. There’s no sign of any queerness outside of gay/straight/bi — no trans or non binary characters, no poly characters, no asexual characters.

In some ways I feel like it’s weird for me to complain about that, considering that in queer spaces I generally feel like I’m a straight person who just happens to like girls as well as guys. And to be perfectly honest, if there weren’t already so many LGB characters in the series, I probably would be thrilled that there were any. I guess it’s kind of a victim of its own success — with so much great queer representation, it makes me want even more.

And thankfully, there is still time to get it! I was super excited to see at the end that the series will continue. I hope that these additional books will more diversely explore queer identities. show less

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher for promotional purposes.

This was such a cute and heartwarming story!

I loved the representation in this. Both the main characters are biracial. Rika is Japanese and white and Hank is Filipino and Chinese. I am biracial myself (Filipino and white) so I related a lot to them. I really resonated with something Rika said. She states, “But it’s not like white people look at me and think I’m one of them” (pg. 130). I have felt show more that way my whole life.

Also in terms of representation, Rika’s aunts were lesbians which I found very refreshing and important especially in regards to the Asian American community. Often times LBGTQA+ people are not accepted by the Asian American community and this book highlighted that fact.

I liked that the Rika was flawed. So many young adult female leads are written as perfect people, so it was nice to see one who had flaws. It made her feel more realistic.

I also enjoyed that the city of LA was utilized well. Numerous books just use LA as a backdrop but never explore the city. Here, it was given a life of its own and featured lesser known attractions like the old Griffith Park Zoo (I never knew this existed and need to check it out!).

Lastly, going back to Asian American communities, this book delved into the shortcomings of said communities. One character states, “I really wish so many of our communities would just, like, acknowledge that anger isn’t always a bad emotion…You can’t just reject it — you have to let yourself feel it, make room for it, or all that repressing will burn you up inside” (pg 313). That is so true. We are often taught to just hold our anger inside but that isn’t healthy. We can and should be angry. Additionally, the book also talks about shame in relation to not being what is considered to be “perfect” in the community.

Overall, this book was relatable with a super cute romance, but it also struck a more serious note and shed a light on the Asian American experience. show less

This has been on my TBR for way too long. I bought it as soon as it was released and then it languished on mount TBR. But once I started it (finally), I loved it. Superheroes are my jam. Asian superheroes? Sign me up!

This was a tongue-in-cheek superhero story. I mean, you start off seeing a battle against possessed cupcakes, and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. It always manages to just stay on the fun side of utter ridiculousness without going over the top. I loved show more Evie and her evolution through the story.

Also, this book was so important to me. Because REPRESENTATION FUCKING MATTERS. And I was so damn happy that someone who looks like me is portrayed in SFF books, in a superhero story as a main character, and this is explicitly explored the narrative. HELL YES. show less

Recommended by Abby T. and Taylor N.

Seventeen-year-old Japanese-American Rika has never felt like she fit in with her family: her two aunties Suzy and Och and her cousins Belle and Rory are loving and hard-working, but Rika has unconsciously internalized much of the community gossip calling her a mistake, and worse; instead of aspiring to princess-ness like her sisters and getting mushy over rom-coms like her aunts, Rika feels more like a fierce monster woman from Japanese folklore.

When show more movie star Grace Kimura crashes into Rika - literally - during the Nikkei Week parade in Little Tokyo (LA), then disappears, Rika joins forces with an unlikely ally: Hank (Henry) Chen, a young actor she also literally crashed into. In a whirlwind week, the two bond and fall in love, all while searching for Grace. With Henry, unlike with everyone else in her life, Rika is honest about her feelings, and Henry is honest with her as well. The two talk about the difficulties of Asian stereotypes - about the community and inside it - feeling like they don't belong, "Halfsies," anxiety attacks, and anger.

Rika's fairy tale ending is just the right one for her - and her family.

Quotes

It blows my mind that they all have felt this way. That belonging isn't as easy for other people as I seem to think it is. (291)

"...anger isn't always a bad emotion...Sometimes it's there to let you know when something's wrong or to protect you from being mistreated or to tell you that you care." (Joanna to Rika, 313)

...mistakes always tend to happen when you're fighting so damn hard. (382) show less