Strangers at a Wedding | Review: The Wedding People by Alison Espach

I think I’ve been reading less compared to last year, but in return I’ve discovered a lot of great books that have become new favorites. The Wedding People by Alison Espach is one of them. 

Phoebe Stone is a professor who has run off to the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. Her husband has left her and she’s decided to have one last getaway before ending it all. When she arrives however, she finds herself in the middle of a weeklong wedding celebration. She ends up forming an unexpected friendship with the bride Lila, while also getting to know the other people in attendance. As the week carries out, Phoebe begins to have a new outlook on life, rediscovering parts of herself that she never knew existed, but might have always been there.

I know I have been saying this a lot, but I really love this book. It’s humorously honest and introspective featuring a cast of characters that could exist in real life. I was hesitant to pick it up at first because I worried that it might be too dark, but it ended up pleasantly surprising me as I found myself laughing and relating to much of what Phoebe and Lila were going through. Once I neared the end, I wanted to go back and read it again.

I love Phoebe and Lila’s relationship throughout, especially the conversations they have. I think the fact that they are strangers, with or without judgment, is what made them want to confide in each other rather than go to the people who know them. Lila is young and entitled, but I could see there is a loneliness to her that Phoebe connects with or at least understands. For Phoebe as well, Lila bolting into her life throws her in for a loop, but also brings her back to life (quite literally too). They make an impact on each other’s lives more than they realize.

Then, there’s Phoebe and Gary. I don’t want to spoil too much on what happens between them because it’s some of the best parts of the book that align with its themes. I’m already smiling just thinking about that “Free the books” scene. 

This is a 10/10, 5 star read for me. It’s everything all at once about life and chance encounters and how much that can change or affect us.

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A Valentine's Day to Remember | Review: The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

If you’re looking for a book to buddy read with a friend that has romance and is most wholeheartedly about love, then I would recommend Beth O’Leary’s The No-Show.

While I suggest going into The No-Show blind, its basic premise is that it follows three women, Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane, who have each been stood up by the same man on Valentine’s Day. As we get to know each of them and their relationship with him, it is gradually revealed how they are all connected and that there is so much more to the person they have been falling in love with.

This was actually the first Beth O’Leary book I read and it was a good one to start with. When I read it with Mel @bruhasbookshelf earlier this year, we had a lot of fun theorizing and sending each other gift wrapped messages that hid potential spoilers as we tried to figure out where the story was going. 

With that in mind, this is a book where you have to let the story unfold as much as you want answers. It starts off a little slow, but in no way is it dull, especially as we learn more about Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane, and all the pieces start to come together. I really love getting to know them and found their characters to be very well developed alongside their relationship with the man they’ve been seeing. The story is more about them before it’s about him.

It’s a lovely and tender novel, which makes the ending all the more beautiful that Mel and I were left in tears (I say this hopefully without spoiling too much). I’ve actually considered rereading it again in a different way to see if there was anything I missed or to see the story in a new light. I read the physical copy of the book, but near the end I listened to the audiobook as soon as Mel told me it was narrated by multiple people, including Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood herself) and Luke Thompson (Mr. Benedict Bridgerton, I swoon!). 

💭 Have you read any of Beth O’Leary’s books? Which one would you recommend to read next?

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Rewriting a New Ending | Review: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

I love this book so much.

How to End a Love Story was my most highly anticipated read this year. It’s a romance that features an Asian FMC, which I always love, and it’s written by the very talented Yulin Kuang, who is also adapting Emily Henry’s Beach Read into a movie. After finishing it and taking a few days to process it, I can confidently say that it is my favorite romance and one of my new favorite books.

Helen Zhang is a best-selling author whose YA books are about to be adapted for TV. When she arrives in Hollywood to work with the showrunner and screenwriters, she is unexpectedly reunited with Grant Shepard - a popular classmate she went to high school with, who was involved in the tragic car accident that resulted in her sister’s intentional death. Helen wants nothing to do with Grant, while he hopes for them to at least work amicably together. As they get to know each other over time, growing close and reflecting on the past and their shared grief, there’s a chance and risk that they could be something more.

Grief is complicated, especially when it’s intertwined with love and accepting it back. The writing brings this through and handles it with as much care and honesty, as well as looking at all its intricacies through Helen and Grant. Both of them are bound by tragedy and are still trying to heal and mourn while reconciling with their own guilt. What’s unexpected is the love and trust that forms between them. Seeing how it plays out is the book's biggest strength with their chemistry being the best part of it. 

Their first meeting is met with ambivalence, but with curiosity. Then, as soon as they gradually become friends, reminiscing about high school (because how could you not after all these years) - all bets are off! It’s endearing, nostalgic and gets quite spicy though I can’t complain. 😏

With Helen, I found myself relating to her a lot and knowing what it means to be the eldest daughter. It bears a heavy weight alongside being the “good girl” or the responsible one, especially in an immigrant family. Much of my annotations for her were “this is me coded.” It’s also interesting in comparison to Grant, who is always held with such high regard because of his genuine charm, when he actually feels he doesn’t deserve it. He has his own pain and doubts apart from how people see him. I think it’s why he and Helen can read each other so well.

Every time I come across this book, I can’t help but harken back to everything I felt reading it. It had me head over heels to literally sobbing (more like ugly crying over Ch. 32 😖). After rereading it, I’m still not over it nor do I want to be. It’s too good to let go.

- A Couple of Favorite Quotes -

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Every Heist Has Its Pros | Review: Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan

Pub Date: March 5, 2024 🎉 

I love a good heist, especially when it’s as fun as Sophie Wan’s Women of Good Fortune.

Lulu is about to marry Shanghai’s richest and most eligible bachelor, much to her dismay. She isn’t in love with Harv, but their marriage would be a financial gain to help out her family as well as avoid being considered a “sheng nu” (a woman passed the appropriate age for marriage).

Meanwhile, Lulu’s friends Jane and Rina are also in their own predicament. Jane feels like she’s in a loveless marriage forced upon her because no other man would marry her for her looks. Rina has put aside love and starting a family to focus on her career, but has been constantly passed up for promotion in favor of her male colleagues. If they had it their way and their own money, they would each go after what they really want. Together, they end up hatching a plan and forming a small crew to steal the red envelopes at Lulu’s upcoming wedding. 

I love Sophie Wan’s debut novel. It takes a cultural look into customs and expectations of women, but gives its three main characters a chance to break away and take back control of their lives through a heist. The whole idea and execution felt like something straight out of an Ocean’s Eleven movie. I liked seeing the details come together and was excited to see how it would all come through. The two additional members of the Leftover crew, as they called themself, also rounded out the team well. 

I also really like how Wan explores each of the women’s own dilemmas, including how the people they care about will be affected. Not everything is simple as planned and we see what is at risk for all of them, with even their friendship put to the test, as relationships begin to develop and what they each thought was so important is called into question.

I would have liked to have known more about some of the other characters in the end, but despite this I had a great time reading it. It’s perfect for fans of Ocean’s Eight, Bridesmaids, and Crazy Rich Asians.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House Books for the eARC!

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Mindful Book Buying - And These 3 Were Worth It!

I’ve been trying to be mindful about how many books I buy this year, and have to say that these three were worth the purchase. 

I recently read Lang Leav’s Others Were Emeralds on Libby while on vacation and I was so completely absorbed by the writing and the story that I’m still thinking about it. I immediately bought a physical copy (thank you to my cousin for the birthday gift card!) so I could properly tab and annotate some pages. *Full review to come*

And since I still had some leftover birthday money, I also bought Ticket to You by Florence Fields. This is an indie pub that has been on my radar, and is said to be perfect for fans of Emily Henry, about a fashion journalist and a photojournalist who end up traveling to Europe together to save their careers.

Lastly, I came across Wild Life by Opal Wei at an airport bookstore and @ambershelf’s review convinced me to pick it up. I immediately started reading it and am really enjoying it. Some reviewers have likened it to the Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby, so that’ll be fun to read the more I get into it.

What is a book you recently bought and read?

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First Reads of 2024

After finishing Ruthless Vows, I immediately started reading The Seventh Veil of Salome after winning an ARC giveaway from Silvia Moreno-Garcia (I got so excited when I realized it was signed 🥲).  

This is one of my most anticipated reads about a woman who is cast to star in a biblical epic movie about Salome. The novel shifts between key characters in Hollywood who are tied to the production and Salome herself. I can say after a couple pages of geeking out over the references to Hollywood’s Golden Age and being invested in the story and its characters alone, that this is very likely to become one of my new favorite reads. I'm already thinking about some recommended movies that will go great with it.

My main goal for this year is to read a majority of the books I own - and there are plenty! One of the books that I bought a while back and have been meaning to read is The No-Show, which I’m buddy reading right now with a friend over on Bookstagram. It's said to be an emotional one about three women who have been stood up by the same man on Valentine's Day and how it goes an unexpected route. After so many theories on how these women are connected, and to just now discovering the audiobook has Evanna Lynch (a.k.a Luna Lovegood) and Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) as narrators, I'm at the edge of my seat to find out how it all comes together. 

What are you currently reading? What are some books you want to read this year?

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An Ode to Girlhood | Review: Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

This is a book I want to give to my cousins and friends to read; the Filipinas and brown girls and daughters of immigrants and to those who grew up in New York and in the effervescent neighborhood of Queens.

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades reads like poetry in its reflections of girlhood, the trials of adulthood, and the weight of it all as a young woman of color, that feels personal and familiar. The writing is evocative as Palasi Andreades captures the running inner thoughts of her amalgamated characters in these vignettes of time as they navigate life and its pressures, while also trying to hold on to themselves and their roots. 

There are the friends you grew up with and the antics you would get up to thinking it would always be like this, unaware of how you will slowly become strangers. Applying to high school and then college outside of Queens and the pull between the allure of the city and the streets where you live. The overbearing mother who chastises your choices, constantly reminding you of what they sacrificed, but doesn't give enough credit to your dreams that are bigger than what they expected. How we rediscover our identities after visiting the motherland, seeing both worlds blend our past and our present. The questions we ponder and ask ourselves about who we are now and who we are after.

There are so many passages that stood out that I want to save them all. These are just a few lines that resonated with me:

“‘A career in healthcare is the best you could have,’ our mothers, medical professionals themselves for twenty-five, thirty years, assured us… Our tears, pathetic and hot, slide down our cheeks. A practical, safe job for a dutiful daughter.” 

“Funk when we feel we are never, will never, be enough.” 

I really love the chapters “Duty,” “Art,” “Trish,” and “Our Not-Reflections,” with “A Trip to the Motherland (Fatherland)” and “The Things We Carry” being my favorite. Yet every page is poignant, embedded with subtle but heavy emotional chords.

Brown Girls is one of those books that I’m still thinking about long after I finished reading it and where in more ways than one I felt seen.

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Who Has The Right To Tell a Story? | Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Even though I read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang almost a month ago, I still think about it from time to time. It’s utterly wild and unputdownable that I had to let it sit as soon as I finished it. 

June Hayward is an unsuccessful writer envious of her “best friend” and fellow author, Athena Liu’s thriving career. After witnessing Athena’s sudden death, June steals Athena’s finished manuscript of a historical novel she had been working on about Chinese laborers in World War I. June may not understand the cultural context behind the work, but she takes it upon herself anyway to claim that she wrote it. She reinvents herself from June Hayward to Juniper Song as the book is published and praised. Soon enough however, the backlash begins from accusations of plagiarism to appropriation. Despite it all, June is willing to do whatever it takes to defend the career and success she believes is rightfully hers.

While I was reading Yellowface, I went through a range of emotions. First, I was annoyed at June for her ignorance and how she played herself as a victim. Then I was stunned and irked by how she and her publisher blatantly edited Athena’s novel to make it more streamlined in their view that in turn made certain aspects of it stereotypical. By the end, I was chuckling at the absurdity of June’s actions and thoughts because her self-righteousness and persistence for something she never earned to begin with was ridiculous.

Satires are hard to write and Kuang accomplishes what she wanted to convey as she examines racism, appropriation, while holding up a mirror to some of the problems in the publishing industry and the toxicity of cancel culture. It left a lasting impression on me that as taken aback as I was, it’s not at all new or surprising. Although the story starts to slow down once it hits its peak, I did find it fascinating how June is not the only character at fault, but Athena is as well. It brings in an even bigger exploration about who exactly has the right to tell a story, especially when it’s not theirs to tell. 

There is a lot that can be unpacked from reading Yellowface and it makes me want to read Babel, which is also by R.F. Kuang, and Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou all the more.

⚠️ Content Warning: racism, cultural appropriation, sexual assault, depression, suicidal thoughts

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The Love You Deserve | Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

“I promise that someday you’ll find the love you deserve, but it might not be when or how you’re expecting it.” 

It has been such a good reading year so far and there have been a couple of books that have surprised me, including this one. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld was one of my most anticipated reads, and I ended up enjoying it so much more than I expected. 

Sally Milz is a writer on a popular live comedy show called The Night Owls, that airs every Saturday night (sound familiar?). She has given up on falling in love, preferring to focus on her career instead. Then, when news breaks that her friend and TNO cast member, Danny Horst, is dating a beautiful actress who just hosted an episode, Sally is frustrated but not at all surprised. It’s become a recurring event at TNO especially, for gorgeous successful women to date average men like Danny, but as Sally has come to believe would never happen if the roles were reversed. That is until singer, Noah Brewster, arrives to host TNO. A genuine connection begins to form between them as they prepare for Saturday’s live show, but Sally is unsure whether to believe if it’s actually real. After all, this would never happen to someone like her… right?

Romantic Comedy is witty, smart, and feels like something Nora Ephron would have loved and adapted. The behind the scenes leading up to TNO’s live show was interesting to read and now makes me see Saturday Night Live in a whole new light. At the same time, I also really like Sally and Noah and how Sittenfeld develops their relationship that feels real and authentic, even in the chapters set during the pandemic. There is a kind of push and pull between them alongside the banter and emails exchanged where I get the sense that they are into each other, but are just unsure if the other would reciprocate. This isn’t a typical romance book, but a realistic take on comedy, romance and what we expect for ourselves and breaking them. 

I’m so happy that I got to buddy read this with Jenn, who also recommended Colin Jost’s book since I enjoyed this one.

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An American Girl | Throwback by Maurene Goo

This is my new favorite book of all-time. At most, in the top 3 and I don’t think I will be over it any time soon. If you love mother/daughter stories, the 1990’s, or are a huge fan of Back to the Future, then you will most definitely love Maurene Goo’s Throwback. 

Samantha Kang is a Gen Z teen in 2025, who hasn’t quite figured out where life is headed yet. She often argues with her first-generation Korean American mother, Priscilla, who had a very different high school experience when she was a teenager. After an argument with her mom that leaves her stranded, Sam books a ride via a mysterious rideshare app that ends up taking her all the way back to the year 1995, where she meets a 17-year-old Priscilla. Sam may be stuck in the past with outdated views and tech as she helps her mother win homecoming queen - a defining moment that changed Priscilla’s relationship with her own mother, Sam’s grandmother Halmoni - but, she also begins to realize that there is more to her mom than she thought, as well as what her own future may be.

I absolutely love this book! I cried seeing Sam and Priscilla’s relationship grow and the impact they had on each other that becomes, quite frankly, timeless. As a mother/daughter story, I like how Goo looks at it through a time traveling perspective. By being in the past and witnessing first hand who Priscilla was and the relationship she had with Halmoni, Sam begins to understand why certain high school aspirations like popularity and becoming homecoming queen mattered so much to her mom. There is an idealism to it tied with a youthful first-gen optimism of the American Dream. It’s a simple but indelible reminder how parents were teenagers once too with hopes and dreams.

Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies. So, to see it in a similar form set during a decade I grew up in and featuring Asian characters instantly stole my heart. It’s nostalgic in reminding me what that era was like (for better and for worse), and at the same time feels so relevant. 

Throwback is a must-read that everyone needs to pick up soon! It’s funny, sentimental, relatable, and will make you want to hug your mom a little bit tighter.

Additional Thoughts:

• The other characters apart from Sam, Priscilla, and Halmoni are just as great.
• There is a subplot involving a time-crossed romance that makes the ending even more perfect.
• Don’t overthink too much on the science of time travel here. Just know that much of it is similar to how it was handled in Back to the Future but without The Delorean and Sam having to worry about if she will be born.
• The pop culture references had me laughing, especially through Sam’s honest POV. I will now be using “Jordan Catalano bad news” when referring to questionable men.

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Another Beginning | Happy Place by Emily Henry

It’s been a while since I last read a book by Emily Henry - and gosh did this pack a punch! I had forgotten how well she writes such raw emotions with underlying themes that go alongside the main story and its characters. Happy Place may be considered a second-chance romance on the surface, but it felt so much more than that. This was all about friendship, love, and what (or who) makes you happy. 

Happy Place follows Harriet and Wyn and their tight-knit group of friends, Cleo, Sabrina, Parth, and Kimmy. Harriet and Wyn have been together since college and have loved each other since then, until they decided recently to break up, ending their engagement. As a tradition for the past several years, Harriet and Wyn and their friends gathered together at Sabrina's family cottage in Knotts Harbor, Maine. This year however, turns out to be the last time they will spend at the cottage. Not wanting to reunion this time together, Harriet and Wyn agree to hide their break up from the group and pretend that they are still together until the week is over. The more they spend time together and reflect back on their relationship, those feelings they thought had been gone or tried to suppress may still be there - or maybe had never even left.

Before I gush about this book, I want to mention first that out of all the Emily Henry’s books I’ve read, Beach Read is my favorite (People We Meet on Vacation is second and I have yet to read Book Lovers). It was the first book of hers I read that blew me away because of its emotional depth on grief and loneliness that coincided with the romance. I say all of this because while I was reading Happy Place, it reminded me of why I loved Beach Read and why Emily Henry has become an author I will often go back to. 

What she does with Happy Place is a perfect balance between looking into what makes you happy and changes that come as we get older, whether it’s our relationship with our friends, our partner, or even ourselves. Apart from Harriet and Wyn, the rest of their friends felt so distinctive and very much a part of the central story. The dynamic between the group also makes you understand why Harriet considers them as family and why there is a lot to lose if everything isn’t perfect during this pivotal week in Maine. Friendships change as we get older. Everyone has their own lives, and everyone grows a little distant with time, making you long for how it was before. A happy time, a happy place.

Wyn is every part of Harriet’s happy place. There is an overwhelming love she will always feel for him that although it ended, simple brushes of intimacy whether physical or emotional is like Darcy’s hand flex in Pride and Prejudice. As a second-chance romance, it felt realistic. The pining and tension are there, but I didn’t connect with Harriet and Wyn compared to Emily Henry’s characters from her previous books. It’s likely because I was more focused on the bigger story than the romance. 

I love Happy Place for all it gives that will surely resonate, and I’m so glad I got to buddy read it with @kaysnovels.

Additional Thoughts:

• There are too many great quotes to mention, but two of my favorites are 
• "'End of an era,' I say. 'Nah.' His eyes slices sideways. 'Another beginning.'" 
• "Everything is changing. It has to. You can't stop time. All you can do is point yourself in a direction and hope the wind will let you get there."
• Near the end, I would have liked if Emily Henry went into more detail about Harriet's relationship with her parents and sister, Eloise. However, I understand that this story is more about Harriet, Wyn, and their friends. I think in Book Lovers she goes into sibling relationships, so I am more than eager to read it now.
• There is a reference to Beach Read in Happy Place that I love and makes me want to go back and revisit the connection. 

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Happy Place Movie Recommendations

There are so many movies that come to mind when I think about Happy Place. Most of these films are about friendship, especially as you get older, and others reflected Harriet and Wyn in some way or other another.

Movies About Friendships, Reunions, and Life's Changes

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by Sanaa Hamri

Starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel

One of the themes that resonated with me in Happy Place was how as we get older friendships change and that it won't always be like how it used to be. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 touches on this as we watch Carmen (America Ferrera), Tibby (Amber Tamblyn), Lena (Alexis Bledel), and Bridget (Blake Lively) grow and tackle adulthood, while slowly drifting apart, similar to what Harriet, Cleo, and Sabrina have to grapple with.

Miss You Already (2015)

Photo courtesy of Entertainment One

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

Starring Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore, Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine

If Happy Place hit you emotionally just by the friendship alone, then Miss You Already will hit you just as hard. The movie follows best friends, Milly (Toni Collette) and Jess (Drew Barrymore), who have always been there for each other since they were kids. Now, after Milly has been diagnosed with breast cancer, they will have to come to terms with what they have each been dealing with and a possible future without one another.

One Day (2011)

Photo courtesy of Focus Features and Universal Pictures

Directed by Lone Scherfig

Starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson

In Happy Place, when Harriet looks back  on her memories to when she was truly happy, she savored those early days between her friends and Wyn before life got so complicated. One Day also evokes those similar feelings through friends, Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess). Despite all the highs and lows of adulthood and the mistakes they make throughout the passing years, they often find themselves drawn back to each other as their lifeline.

Indian Summer (1993)

Photo courtesy of Touchstone Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures

Directed by Mike Binder

Starring Diane Lane, Bill Paxton, Elizabeth Perkins, Alan Arkin

This is the first movie that came to mind when I started reading Happy Place. The film focuses on a group of former campers who are invited to return to the summer camp they attended decades ago before it officially closes. While there, they reminisce on the summers they spent, that include reliving some of the camp activities. Throughout the reunion, they all end up thinking about the past, their lives now, and where they go from here.

The Big Chill (1983)

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan

Starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline

Although Happy Place is about a group of millennial friends, The Big Chill is not too far off in following a group of "baby boomers" who reflect on their current lives after being a part of the political activism of the 1960s. The tone is a little different from Happy Place, but it highlights moments when the friends are together like no time has passed, such as a famous scene featuring them dancing in the kitchen.

The Romantics (2010)

Photo courtesy of Paramount Famous Productions

Directed by Galt Niederhoffer

Starring Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin, Malin Akerman, Adam Brody, Diana Agron, Jeremy Strong

Based on the novel of the same name, The Romantics is about seven college friends who reunite  when two of them are about to get married, despite some complicated feelings surrounding the nuptials. Although, there is a romantic entanglement featured here as opposed to in Happy Place, the friendship dynamic and camaraderie within the group reminded me of Harriet’s interactions with her friends.

Movies That Reminded Me of Harriet and Wyn

The Parent Trap (1998)

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Directed by Nancy Meyers

Starring Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson

I'm pretty sure this is everyone's comfort movie (it's Nancy Meyers after all). Apart from Hallie and Annie (Lindsay Lohan) twin-swapping in order to get their parents back together, it is also at its heart a second chance romance like Happy Place. There are moments between Nick Parker (Dennis Quaid) and Elizabeth James (Natasha Richardson) that exude the longing and love they always had for each other that never went away.

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

Photo courtesy of Touchstone Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures

Directed by Andy Tennant

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen, Jean Smart

Sweet Home Alabama is a quintessential 2000s romcom that is also a second chance romance film of its era. Melanie (Reese Witherspoon), who has tried to move away from her southern roots, returns to her hometown seeking a divorce from her estranged husband, Jake (Josh Lucas),  before she marries the wealthy son (Patrick Dempsey) of the Mayor of New York City. Instead, she comes to not only accept where she came from, but rediscover the love she left behind.

The Longest Ride (2015)

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Directed by George Tillman Jr.

Starring Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood, Jack Huston, Oona Chaplin, Alan Alda

This movie is not just here because I imagined Scott Eastwood as Wyn. Two relationships are told in this Nicholas Sparks adaptation, between art student, Sophia (Britt Robertson), and bull rider, Luke (Scott Eastwood), with flashbacks to the past recounting the marriage of Ruth (Oona Chaplin) and Ira Levinson (Jack Huston/Alan Alda). Both relationships have their hurdles, but despite the odds they often find a way back to each other.

The Story of Us (1999)

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by Rob Reiner

Starring Bruce Willis, Michelle Pfeiffer

Throughout Happy Place we go back and forth between the past and present seeing Harriet and Wyn's relationship span from their first meeting in college, followed by their years together as a couple, and what lead to their breakup. The Story of Us does something similar (in a format harkening back to When Harry Met Sally...) as it looks back on Ben (Bruce Willis) and Katie's (Michelle Pfeiffer) fifteen years of marriage during a trial separation, while their kids are away at camp.

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Directed by Robin Swicord

Starring Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Hugh Dancy

This adaptation of the Karen Joy Fowler novel is about a book club who get together to read Jane Austen. Amongst each of the characters' individual stories tied back to Austen's books, Prudie (Emily Blunt) and Dean's (Marc Blucas) relationship is a reflection of Persuasion, a classic second chance romance. There is one line Prudie delivers to Dean about Persuasion in particular that carry undertones of wanting to save their marriage, much like how Harriet still loved Wyn and never wanted to let him go.

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Starring Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie

The tagline for this movie, "The journey between popping the question and tying the knot," made me think of Harriet and Wyn. This comedy is about a happy couple who get engaged, but postpone their wedding multiple times due to various unforeseen circumstances. It's a fun movie that looks at a relationship as a whole, from the good, the bad, to the sacrifices and compromises in between, becoming a true test to how it will last through it all.

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Home Again | All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

I always love how bookstagram has a way of introducing you to books and authors you never thought to pick up. All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata is one of those books. 

I had stumbled upon it a few times, but never thought to read it until I saw how much @bruhasbookshelf and @_reedfish really loved it and more so when I saw @allysbookshoparoundthecorner included it in a post casting Pedro Pascal in books (if that was not enticing enough 😏). Now having read it, I know it will be a book I’ll look back on and recommend. It's partly a romance, but at the heart of it all is a well developed story about finding yourself and home again.

Aurora De La Torre has decided to return to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It was a place she once called home many years ago before her mom disappeared while hiking, and where she hopes to start anew following her divorce from a famous musician. Never did she expect however, that in this small community she would have a new found family, let alone find love by way of a game warden named Tobias Rhodes.

At first, I worried that this was going to be too lengthy at 500+ pages, but as the story got going I didn’t mind it. I noticed how much Mariana Zapata takes the time to really develop and flesh out her characters realistically without it feeling like it dragged on. I got to know who Aurora was and saw her growth throughout. Her hiking trips were not only a way for her to feel close to her mom, but were also a reflection of her own self-journey to who she once was and towards who she is now. I also loved how she reconnected with her old friend, Clara, while forming new friendships with Amos, Jackie, and Rhodes.

I think what I loved most though, was how Mariana Zapata gradually builds Rhodes and Aurora’s relationship. There is a trust that forms naturally before they fall for each other, that takes its time to breathe without forcing it or speeding it up too quickly. It's a slow burn to say the least, but the development is worth it because in that time you feel a genuine connection between them.

After enjoying this so much, I’m already looking forward to reading the rest of Mariana Zapata’s books, but All Rhodes Lead Here will probably still be my favorite.

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It's Now or Never | A Thousand Miles to Graceland by Kristen Mei Chase

Not many people know this about me, but I was a HUGE Elvis Presley fan when I was about 14 years old. I would listen to his music timidly on my iPod and did my own research about his life after watching the TV biopic starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I was lowkey obsessed and to this day, “Suspicious Minds” and “If I Can Dream” are still some of my favorite Elvis songs. So, I was very excited to read Kristen Mei Chase’s A Thousand Miles to Graceland. A story featuring an Asian American mother and daughter going on a road trip to Graceland - sign me up!

The book had heavier themes than I expected going in, but I appreciated the story and its focus on Grace and her complicated relationship with her Elvis-obsessed mother, Loralynn. From an initial standpoint, the two women are vastly different and you believe that is the crux of their relationship. Loralynn is outgoing and zany, preferring to wear bouffant wigs and sequins emulating Elvis’s spirit and that era, whereas Grace prefers a safe and simpler livelihood much different than her mother’s. As the story progresses however, you begin to learn that there is a painful past that still affects both women. They each have handled it differently, but throughout this literal journey to confront their shared traumas, I found Grace’s growth into coming to terms with her childhood, and slowly learning more about her mother and accepting her as she is, raw and real. This felt like a personal story and it didn’t hold back in showing how difficult it was to heal from old wounds and the work it takes to rebuild that relationship between a daughter and her mother.

The road trip was a great setting for this story. I liked the unique places they visited as well as some of the stopovers from El Paso to Memphis. My favorite was when they got stuck in Louisiana and met a father and daughter, who were almost a reflection of Grace and Loralynn once they confronted their problems. I kind of wanted more Elvis references (as if this book didn’t have enough), but after reading, I now want to visit Tupelo and see Elvis’s house and the diner he frequented, along with Graceland, of course.

⚠️ Content Warning: domestic abuse, racism, cancer, death of a parent

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Who Are You Gonna Call? | Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Funny, relatable, and could definitely see this as a movie. 

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto was a good book to start off the new year with. Prior to now, it had been lingering on my shelf for almost two years and I figured it was about time I read it.

Just in the first few chapters, I easily connected with Meddy. Apart from how she tends to overthink when she gets worried (which is totally me), her close relationship with her mother and her aunties was familiar. There is this sense for some, especially in Asian households like mine, where you feel obligated to your family because of your relationship, tradition, or culture. So, a lot of your decisions tend to sway towards wanting to please them and be there for them, but also feeling like you have to hold back your true self. I felt this through Meddy and why she made the decisions she made. I kind of wished Sutanto delved into it a little bit more than a few quick interludes in between the humor and action of the story to fully acknowledge it or spend time to reflect on it. However, I liked how this book was never meant to be that heavy, but fun and light despite the whole dead body situation of course.

The central plot itself, surrounding Meddy and her family trying to deal with the man she accidentally killed on a date with the night prior, while at the same time catering a client’s wedding, was hilarious. A true bonding moment, if you will 😂. I laughed so many times and even the slight twists and turns related to the actual wedding had me surprised and amused. It almost felt like a romcom from the 2000s, especially with the return of Meddy’s ex-boyfriend, Nathan, getting involved in the madness. He doesn’t get enough credit for being a total book boyfriend.

I really enjoyed this one a lot and I can’t wait to see how Netflix adapts this into a film. I’m also looking forward to reading Four Aunties and a Wedding now.

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23 Books for 2023

One of my main goals for this year is to read most of the books I own, and there are plenty! Some are by authors I love or sequels I did not get to read yet. Others were bought out of pure curiosity. And the many more were recommended by the wonderful bookstagram community (seriously, it's a great community and they all have such good taste. I sincerely mean that).

Here are 23 books I want to read in 2023, in no particular order. 

1. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
2. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
3. Mustique Island by Sarah McCoy
4. Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
5. Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
6. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
7. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
8. A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
9. The Shimmering State by Meredith Westgate
10. Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson
11. Two Doors Away by Elle Spellman
12. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
13. Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu
14. Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum
15. Ramon and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
16. Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea
17. The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
18. The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
19. Space Hopper by Helen Fisher
20. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
21. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
22. The Martian by Andy Weir
23. Artemis by Andy Weir

Have you read any of these? Do you see any favorites?

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New Year, New Reading Intentions

What book are you starting the new year with?

I’m finally picking up Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto after saying multiple times how I would read it soon (since 2021 to be specific). It’s great so far and I can kind of see myself in Meddy, especially when she worries. I’m so curious about what's going to happen after just a few chapters in.

My hope this year is to get through all the books I own. I bought so many books last year (with several more from Book of the Month) and I realized that I haven’t gotten through most of them. It's not exactly going to be a book buying ban, but more of me trying to prioritize the ones I own first before anything else. 

Last year I read 43 books, which is more than I’ve read in previous years. This year, I will not be setting a reading goal as I want to just focus on reading without having to forge towards a specific number.

We’ll see how all of this goes, but I have a good feeling about 2023 🤞 

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Our Infinite Days | Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Okay, I get it now. This book is amazing.

I’m still trying to process what I just read, but it was wholeheartedly a beautiful and moving story about friendship and time using video game creation as a metaphor for life and all its complexities. That was my takeaway from it. I’m sure like so many others who have read it saw something else (kind of like the Magic Eye that was mentioned in the beginning), but you cannot deny that there was so much depth and care in every page and every sentence Gabrielle Zevin wrote. It was subtle at times, but completely felt throughout the entire novel.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is about video games, but most of all it is about love and friendship. Before they were known as the designers behind some of the greatest video games made, they were just Sam Masur and Sadie Green. Two friends from childhood who stopped speaking after a miscommunication, but reunited years later by happenstance when they decide to work together on a video game. From that moment forward, the course of Sam and Sadie's lives were forever changed. Along with their dear friend, Marx Watanabe, the trio go through the grief, heartache, and loss grappling with their past, present, and future. "Yes, it is a love story, but not one you have read before."

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Who Am I? | Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

Have you ever loved a book so much that you started taking your sweet time reading it? That’s how I feel right now with Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean. I’m not ready for this book to end and to let any of these characters go.

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