Tag: parental expectations

REVIEW: Counting Down with You by Tashi Bhuiyan

REVIEW: Counting Down with You by Tashi Bhuiyan

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Karina’s parents are traveling for a month to Bangladesh to visit family, leaving her and her younger brother with their grandmother. And it’s just the break Karina needs. She never realized the anxiety she carries every day until she mentioned to her parents she might not want to go to medical school. She never even mentioned what she might study instead – English – before they completely freaked out. Their rules are plentiful and strict and not open for discussion.

Karina’s English teacher is her favorite, of course. So when she asks Karina to tutor another student, she agrees in order to not disappoint the woman. But she had no idea the student was Alistair Clyde. Ace is an enigma around school. His family is super rich, and his brother is super popular as well as being president of the student body. Ace on the other hand skips class and seems like a bad boy and a loner. Getting him to actually do any work in their tutoring sessions will take a miracle.

Karina has barely gotten Ace to engage in their study sessions when he announces to his family that they are dating. He doesn’t want anyone to know he needs a tutor. But if Karina’s parents find out she is spending any time with a boy, much less a white boy, they will explode. She will lose even the barest bit of freedom she currently has. She should just say no and make Ace deal with his family honestly. But she’s seen the dynamic with his dad and his brother. And she has a bit of understanding of what it’s like in a complicated family. So Karina agrees to go along with things until her parents get back. But as she counts down the days until their return, her heart doesn’t seem to remember that this is all supposed to be pretend.

Review

This. Was. FANTASTIC! Wow! I didn’t expect to be captivated by this so quickly. But the characters are phenomenal! One minute I wanted to hug all of them, but the next I wanted to just stand back and admire the heart and the strength and the fierceness of them.

The book ran me through the full range of emotions. There were tons of laugh-out-loud moments, but there were also tearful ones. And there was one piece that made me want to stand up and cheer. I am so in awe of this story. The minute I finished, I wanted to pick it up and start all over.

Karina and Ace are magical together. I can’t get enough of them. There are some tough family moments here – hurtful, devastating conversations. But as painful as those moments are – for Karina and for Ace – they also shine a spotlight on the inner strength of these teens. There’s a LOT to discuss here. This would be excellent for a book club or a discussion group.

Do not miss this story! (Language, TW: panic attacks, parental shaming)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*

*♥♥♥♥♥+++ = Best of the best!

REVIEW: The Flipside of Perfect by Liz Reinhardt

REVIEW: The Flipside of Perfect by Liz Reinhardt

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Della heads home to Michigan after her summer with her dad and older siblings in Florida, she feels torn. It was a hard summer after the death of Nan Sunny. And now Dell is about to start high school alone, with her older siblings in Florida and her younger sisters still at Trinity. But Dell’s mother misunderstands the struggle and suggests she stop going to Florida. So Dell decides she just has to be extra awesome at compartmentalizing her life. In Michigan, she’s AJ, the uber-responsible daughter, perfect sister, and top notch student leader. In the summers, she can relax and be Della, the baby of the family who is free to cut loose.

Three years later, AJ has become a pro at her double life. But she doesn’t love how it feels. As she approaches her senior year of high school, the pressure is mounting. Her parents in Michigan are pushing internships and extracurriculars that threaten her time in Florida. Her father’s business in Florida is struggling, and Della keeps butting heads with his teen employee. But as life starts to crumble for one of Della’s younger sisters and she is sent to Florida, Della’s two worlds are about to collide.

Review

This had a slow, slow start for me. It made the book feel twice as long as it really was. I was maybe 1/3 or more into it before things started to click. I needed AJ to get to a place where she was honestly appraising her dual life – and the reasons for it – while also digging into what it was costing her. Once that happened, I was hooked. And once her younger sister arrived in Florida and pushed AJ’s self-evaluation that much deeper, I couldn’t put the book down.

I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this early on. I ended up adoring this book. The characters are a delight – even the one who annoyed me early on. There are fantastic messages woven in about emotional health and maturity, communication, therapy, and identity. The core pieces about family and siblings are lovely. Really, there are almost too many terrific pieces to list them all – romance, humor, self-discovery. So satisfying in the end.

Pick this one up! If it feels slow at first, stick with it. This was so good, I would read it again! (Language, LGBTQ+, sexual references, underage drinking, teen pregnancy)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

REVIEW: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Dimple has finished high school and she’s ready to head to Stanford in the fall. For the summer, though, she has her heart set on the app development program at Insomnia Con. Dimple is ready to build her future and experience life. And she has no interest in yielding to her parents’ expectations that she find the perfect Indian husband and settle down.

Rishi is going to be at MIT in the fall, but for the summer he is headed to Insomnia Con to meet Dimple. His parents think they will be perfect together. Rishi knows he has college to finish, but he is fully committed to a traditional Indian courtship, marriage and family.

Judging by the fact that Rishi ends up wearing Dimple’s iced coffee when he introduces himself, it seems safe to assume that Dimple knows nothing of their parents’ plans for them to meet at this summer program. How can Rishi get Dimple to see him as a romantic possibility after that awkward introduction?

Review

This was a treat from start to finish!! I adored Dimple and Rishi! They are smart and funny and so determined. Dimple is determined to live life on her terms. Rishi is determined to live up to his parents’ expectations. I loved that while each of them bent a little in order to build a friendship, they stayed true to their character and ideals throughout the story.

There’s a great thread in this about being true to yourself and embracing your gifts that I enjoyed. Both Dimple and Rishi had things they were passionate about. But one of them was completely sold out to that while the other was trying to run away from it for something more “acceptable.” The journey – and the outcome – were terrifically written!

I’ve been on a romcom reading binge lately, and this was a fantastic piece of that! I also read the companion book There’s Something About Sweetie, and it was also a great read. Highly recommend both books! (Off-page sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥