April 2022 Reads

What have you read and loved this month? Here are my thoughts on 3 books I finished.

If you're looking for a fun, breezy read, you will likely enjoy "Dial A For Aunties" by Jesse Q. Sutanto. It's kind of like a mashup of Crazy Rich Asians and Weekend at Bernie's LOL. I will admit there were some spots where I thought the writing style and humor felt a little forced but I appreciated the fast-moving dramedy, the centering on Asian families, and the heroine's journey of getting out from under the thumb of familial obligation.

It's almost a little challenging to describe my experience reading "O Beautiful" by Jung Yun, but I guess in a nutshell I felt split between rooting for Elinore, desperately wanting her to get her shit together, and feeling the painful strains of otherism. It was also heartbreaking to read about how a community changes in the face of seeming fortune. It is a beautifully written book that I didn't exactly enjoy but appreciated.

I *squealed* when I saw that Rachel Lynn Solomon had a new book out. I loved "The Ex Talk" and was thrilled to get my hands on "Weather Girl." I had a little harder time revving up into this story (might have been my brain...life has been a lot) but once I was in I was in the zone I loved the characters and the normalization of depression and was rooting for Ari and Russ the whole way. The last few contemporary romances I have read were pretty light on the steam and this one has some hot sex scenes. Was totally into it! LOL.