Reading Wrap Up (May)

Hello! For the blog post this month I'm going to do some mini-reviews (mostly spoiler-free) of the books I've read since my last reading wrap-up in February. Since that time, I've read 8 more books, bringing my current yearly total to 16. 

• Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev

Goodreads Summary: "Yash Raje, California’s first serious Indian gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants—and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simple mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when a hate-fueled incident at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash’s easy life suddenly feels like a lie, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic. Desperate to keep Yash’s condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust—his sister’s best friend, India Dashwood, California’s foremost stress management coach. Raised by a family of yoga teachers, India has helped San Francisco’s high strung overachievers for a decade without so much as altering her breath. But this man—with his boundless ambition, simmering intensity, and absolute faith in his political beliefs—is like no other. Yash has spent a lifetime repressing everything to succeed. Including their one magical night ten years ago—a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens the life he’s crafted for himself. Exposing the secrets might be the only way to save him but it’s also guaranteed to destroy the dream he’s willingly shouldered for his family and community . . . until now." 

This is the third installment in Sonali Dev's Jane Austen-meets-Bollywood series, and is based on Sense & Sensibility (one of her most underrated works, in my opinion). Many of the characters had appeared or been mentioned in the previous books, and it was fun to continue to explore the universe Dev has created. Yash's promotion to main lead allowed the reader to get a deeper perspective of his personality underneath the sheen of perfection we'd seen in previous installments, and I liked how India's calm and rational personality contrasted those of the female leads we had read before. I appreciated that the foundation of their romance was based in emotional intelligence and mutual friendship than the hate-to-love spark and exes-to-lovers tropes used in the previous books. Their relationship felt the most natural and realistic of all the couples overall. I do have to admit that because they were so mature as people and their connection felt mature as well, as a result the dramatics and obstacles to them getting together officially felt a bit unbalanced. Likewise, the pacing of the book felt very slow and gentle despite some of the very intense plot points we were getting (a shooting, a fake relationship, panic attacks, etc.)--it appears that the author tried to mitigate this by skipping ahead to the characters' discussions of certain incidents after they'd already happened rather than showing those scenes, but unfortunately it did make the book feel repetitive and almost unfinished.

I had a huge problem with the book's equivalent of the Willoughby/Marianne/Colonel Brandon triangle--the storyline felt rushed and disconnected from our main couple's situation, which not only goes against the source material but also contributed to the plot issues. In my opinion, there was some mishandling of certain social issues (race, immigration, SA, blended families/cultures, transracial adoption, and homophobia)--which has honestly been the case in every book  in the series so far. 

• The Emma Project by Sonali Dev 

Goodreads Summary: "No one can call Vansh Raje’s life anything but charmed. Handsome—Vogue has declared him California’s hottest single—and rich enough to spend all his time on missions to make the world a better place. Add to that a doting family and a contagiously sunny disposition and Vansh has made it halfway through his twenties without ever facing anything to throw him off his admittedly spectacular game. A couple years from turning forty, Knightlina (Naina) Kohli has just gotten out of a ten-year-long fake relationship with Vansh’s brother and wants only one thing from her life…fine, two things. One, to have nothing to do with the unfairly blessed Raje family ever again. Two, to bring economic independence to millions of women in South Asia through her microfinance foundation and prove her father wrong about, well, everything. Just when Naina’s dream is about to come to fruition, Vansh Raje shows up with his misguided Emma Project... And suddenly she’s fighting him for funding and wondering if a friends-with-benefits arrangement that’s as toe-curlingly hot as it is fun is worth risking her life’s work for."

Since I'd gotten through 3/4 of the series, I decided to just bite the bullet and power through the last one...and I can honestly say it was my least favorite. It's supposed to be based on Emma, but I would say the likeness is loose as best. The plot, although disjointed, has some elements that are reminiscent of the original, but I can't say I recognized Jane Austen's influence in the characters themselves and their relationship. 

Naina (who is the Knightley equivalent here) was somewhat of a villain in the third novel, and although the author attempts to humanize her through an admittedly very sympathetic backstory, she does not do enough to explain either how she has changed since then or provide a new angle so the reader can understand how her actions fit within the character she has always been. The Naina in this book is not the Naina from the previous novel, but there is no indication that the consequences of those actions have inspired a change in her--it appears the only reason that her misdeeds are referenced is to explain the bullying she faces at the hands of Yash's family, who apparently blame her for the fake relationship she and Yash mutually agreed to even though he appears to have zero beef with her and only happened because of her sexist, abusive father...? Yeah, it doesn't make much sense. In order to make Naina a victim we can root for, the author both ignores her actions from the previous book and demonizes the women in Vansh's family to the point where they are simultaneously interchangeable and out of character. 

Vansh is Emma-like in that he likes to meddle for what he believes is a good cause, although unlike Emma he faces zero consequences for his actions, and to my recollection there are no Frank Churchill or Philip Elton characters to humble him. The age gap between him and Naina didn't bother me as much as the gap in their individual maturity, and I found the constant "she's lusting after him, no really!" to be a boring and unconvincing indication of romantic attraction. The author decided to employ a friends with benefits situation (which I cannot IMAGINE happening between Emma and George Knightley) but the characters felt so flat and ill-matched that their romantic chemistry wasn't very believable to me. To be fair, I'm not the kind of reader who enjoys spicy scenes, so maybe that preference stopped me from buying in to their romance. 

The Harriett equivalent was fine, Naina's issues with her mother were minimized and swept under the rug in very much the same way as Ashna's issues with her mother were in book 2, and the one scene by the pool closet was entertaining. The secondary romance between Sid and Esha was cute and frankly better than the main romance but it did seem rushed and underbaked. Esha suddenly losing her visions and being able to go outside clashed with her mysterious and vaguely divine presence in the previous novels, and I think if the author wanted to show that development in her character, she should have made that her main plot so she could really flesh it out. 

• Good Morning, Love by Ashley M. Coleman

Goodreads Summary: "Carlisa “Carli” Henton is a musician and songwriter hoping to follow in her father’s musical footsteps. But, biding her time until she makes it big in the music industry, she works as a junior account manager at a big-name media company to cover her New York City rent. Carli meticulously balances her work with her musical endeavors as a songwriter—until a chance meeting with rising star Tau Anderson sends her calculated world into a frenzy. Their worlds collide and quickly blur the strict lines Carli has drawn between her business and her personal life, throwing Carli’s reputation—and her burgeoning songwriting career—into question."

Firstly, what I enjoyed about Good Morning, Love was the atmospheric writing--there were so many details and characters that helped paint a picture of the New York music scene and Carli's life. Were there some characters that maybe didn't have a strong presence and cutting them wouldn't have made a difference? Sure. But overall, I liked the immersive nature of the writing style and how it made the setting come alive. 

The problem with this book is the romance--specifically, the male lead. From the beginning, Tau is pushy, aggressive, and dismissive of Carli's boundaries. Yet, his actions are framed as a positive indication of his personality: he's a go-getter, he does whatever it takes to get what he wants, and he doesn't hide or downplay his interest like some guys. It was sad to see Carli, a talented, hard-working, and self-assured woman putting in the work to reach her goals, be worn down and eventually give in to a guy that seemed so selfish and insincere--I kept waiting for the bomb to drop that he was playing her the whole time. There also seemed to be some sexism woven into the plot--men (especially male music artists) who cheat are portrayed as men who make a mistake, whereas there are several instances of Carli judging the women who show their interest in Tau as "throwing themselves at him" and demeaning the way they dress and do their makeup. It doesn't help that the plot meanders through several scenes that are treated as pivotal but never seem to go anywhere. The tone of the book also randomly veers into darker territory  near the 85% mark (hint: the underbelly of the successful musician lifestyle) and then boom, suddenly we’re back in a fluffy fantasy, nothing to see here! 

• Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh

Goodreads Summary: "Manny Dogra is the beautiful young CEO of Breakup, a highly successful company that helps people manage their relationship breakups. As preoccupied as she is with her business, she’s also planning her wedding to handsome architect Adam Jamieson while dealing with the loss of her beloved parents. For reasons Manny has never understood, her mother and father, who were both born in India, always wanted her to become an “All-American” girl. So that’s what she did. She knows next to nothing about her South Asian heritage, and that’s never been a problem—until her parents are no longer around, and an image of Manny that’s been Photoshopped to make her skin look more white appears on a major magazine cover. Suddenly, the woman who built an empire encouraging people to be true to themselves is having her own identity crisis. But when an irritating client named Sammy Patel approaches Manny with an odd breakup request, the perfect solution presents itself: If they both agree to certain terms, he’ll give her a crash course in being “Indian” at his brother’s wedding."

This book felt kind of like a Lifetime romcom in book form--and despite my love of Lifetime romcoms, I don't mean that as a compliment. The setup is interesting, but I just can't buy sending a breakup email as the more sensitive option nor that it's the go-to for people in the current tech age, and it's hard to believe Manny doesn't see the red flags in her relationship with Adam when she'd supposedly a breakup expert. To be fair, the red flags come out of nowhere or go from being tiny peccadillos Manny tolerates to being someone that's ALWAYS bothered her/something she NEVER noticed in order to validate her sudden interest in Sammy. Likewise, Sammy claims to be putting on this whole charade for the love of his life only to reveal that she's actually more of a burdensome obligation because he's...uh…just that good of a guy? And we need an obstacle on his end too? Neither Manny nor Sammy feel like fully realized characters by the end, and their relationship suffers as a result. Additionally, there are only a few scenes where the two of them spend time together one-on-one. Manny has to rely more on what Sammy's family tells us about him than what we learn about him face to face, and what time they spend together in the earlier chapters is mired with negativity--there are several baffling instances where they have a perfectly normal conversation and somehow one person's casual response will be met with the other person suddenly yelling at them and storming out. I think the author was going for the hate-to-love trope but it felt more like the characters hated each other for no reason. The ending also felt super rushed and the timeline was definitely in question (iykyk). 

The side characters fell into two categories: lovely and complex to the point that they made the main characters even more lukewarm and underwritten in comparison, or cartoonish stereotypes (that, in my opinion, veer into homophobic, racist, and fatphobic). Manny has a couple of white male gay best friends who are interchangeable personality-wise except for one's habit of making racially-motivated puns (at one point he refers to Sammy as Dosa Daddy). The one character explicitly described as being fat is also loud, obnoxious, and perpetually single. Most the characters who are described as being "in touch with their Indian-ness" also speak in broken English and are obsessed with status and money to the point of being worthy of the author’s judgment...although strangely when Manny prioritizes those two things, that's fine. It's sad because I was really looking forward to the book's exploration of the diaspora and Manny learning that she doesn't need to be a certain way to claim her identity as an Indian woman but also that she can learn about her culture and find community in that. Unfortunately, the stereotyping undermined that journey for her, in my opinion. 

• Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Goodreads Summary: "After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed."

I don't normally read within the fantasy genre, but one of the booktubers I watch (caricanread) so thoroughly recommended this book that I decided to take a gamble. And wow! This book felt appropriately like a comforting cup of coffee on a rainy day. There's enough plot to keep the pace moving forward, but overall it's just cozy vibes, a found family of lovable characters (THIMBLE), a romance reminiscent of an inevitable sitcom couple, and a mysterious but vaguely recognizable world with just enough magic to sew up any plotholes. I enjoyed myself immensely and recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun time! 

• The Love Con by Seressia Glass

Goodreads Summary: "Sometimes Kenya Davenport believes she was switched at the hospital--how else could a lover of anime, gaming, and cosplay come from STEM parents? Still, Kenya dreams of being able to turn her creative hobby into a career. She finally has a chance to make it big when she joins the reality show competition Cosplay or No Way. There's just one catch: the challenge for the final round is all about iconic pairs, and the judges want the contestants' significant others to participate. Unfortunately, Kenya is as single as can be at the moment. Luckily her best friend, Cameron Lassiter, agrees to be her fake boyfriend for the show. Roleplaying a couple in love will force them to explore what they're hiding under the mask of friendship. Can Kenya and Cam fake it until she makes it, or will she be real about her feelings, knowing it could cost her the best friend she's ever had?"

I enjoyed the setup of this book and found the characters' relationship sweet and believable. The author did a great job depicting Kenya's struggles as a fat Black woman in cosplay, specifically how the reality series portrayed her a certain way. The way those events factored into the plot was well-done. I will say that I was a little confused about why they kept acting like they weren't a couple after they  crossed the one boundary they had set in the beginning that determined what was real and what wasn't, but otherwise I enjoyed the buildup of chemistry and will-they-won't they. Not going to lie, this book relies heavily on tropes, but I enjoy that. Now, some of the flirting in later chapters was a bit cringey for my personal tastes, but at least I only had to skip about 8 pages of spice (a certain line clued me in to what was about to happen). The resolution with the parents felt a bit anticlimactic for me, but I liked the final scene a lot. 

• Polite Society by Mahesh Rao 

Goodreads Summary: "Beautiful, clever, and very slightly bored, Ania Khurana has Delhi wrapped around her finger. When Ania finds love for her spinster aunt, she realizes her potential as a force for good. For her next match, Ania sets her sights on Dimple: her newest, sweetest, and, sure, poorest friend. But her good intentions may be misdirected, and when her aunt's handsome new nephew arrives from America, the social tides in Delhi begin to shift. Surrounded by money old and new, navigating gossip, scheming, and an unforgettable cast of journalists, socialites, gurus, and heirs, Ania discovers that when you aim to please the human heart, things seldom go as planned."

Is it weird that I loved HOW this book was written but I didn't love WHAT was written? Rao's translation of Emma's plot and characters into the world of the uberrich, elite class of Delhi was captivating and detailed, and there were many moments I enjoyed a piece of snappy dialogue and dry wit or felt the punch of a particularly devastating reveal. The issue is, although Emma is social commentary dressed as a romantic comedy, Austen clearly cares for her characters and endears them to the reader while also passing judgment on their bad choices. In contrast, Polite Society's bleak ending, harsh twists, and selfish, irredeemable cast of characters made this book feel more like contempt dressed up as satire. I understand and agree that the upperclass is rife with nastiness, insecurity, and superficiality, but the repetitive exposure of these qualities with no other action or plot got boring fast. The last-minute romance between Ania and Dev feels obligatory rather than inevitable, the Jane Fairfax equivalent is completely misrepresented, and the author foists not one but multiple examples of SA on the characters (an attempt at sexual coercion, a forced kiss, and several instances of sex under false pretenses) in order to humble them. Personally, I don't enjoy reading books where SA is used as a tool for character development, and even if I could overlook it, the device doesn't produce the desired result: the victims in question don't appear to have changed in significant ways afterwards other than feeling embarrassed that they hadn't seen it coming.   

The only characters I thought were written well were Dimple (the Harriet equivalent), whose inner monologues contained some of the freshest, loveliest lines; and Fahim (the Philip Elton equivalent), whose backstory and characterization made me dislike him and yet also relish the chapters in his point-of-view. 

• Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher

Goodreads Summary: "Growing up the eldest daughter in a large, highly controlled, fundamentalist Christian household, Jessica Willis was groomed to perform, and to conform to her father's disturbing and chaotic teachings. Cut off from anything unapproved by her father, Jessica was persistently curious about the outside world, always wondering what was normal or potentially dangerous about her upbringing. When the Willis family rocketed into fame after their appearances on multiple televised talent competitions in 2014, Jessica and her family landed their own reality TV show and toured across the globe, singing and dancing for millions. The world loved this beautiful family of kids; young and vivacious, the Willis's presented themselves to be extraordinary and happy. But the older and wiser Jessica got, the more she had to face that what was going on behind closed doors would forever be escalating."

I was familiar with the Willis Clan (both before and after the truth about their family dynamics came to light) and read Jessica Willis Fisher's shorter, vaguer side of the story on her blog. This book, quite frankly, wrecked me. Fisher's writing is impactful, honest, and beautifully balances emotion with fact. I was so impressed by her interrogation of the nuances of familial abuse and how delicately she dissected such complicated subjects. She has a way of phrasing things where somehow, even though I have never experienced even a microcosm of what she has, I feel what she is trying to communicate on a core level. Yet, at the same time, her words also describe an emotion in a unique way it has never been explained before. It must be noted that the book gets graphic at times, and horrible situations are depicted plainly, leaving her pain exposed. For me, it is one of the best books of the year.