READING WRAP-UP (JULY)
Hello! For the blog post this month I'm going to do some mini-reviews of some of the books I've read since my last wrap-up in April 2024. As of July 2025, I have finished 21 books and am over halfway into number 22 (with two TBRs waiting in the wings).
Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida (translated by Haydn Trowell)
Summary: "Set over several nights, between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., in and around Tokyo, this mind-blowingly constructed book is an elaborate, energetic fresco of human nocturnal existence in all its mystery, an enigmatic literary mix of Agatha Christie, Teju Cole, and Heironymous Bosch. On this journey through the labyrinthine streets and hidden corners of one of the world’s most fascinating cities, everybody is searching for something, and maybe searching in the wrong places. Elements of the fantastical and the surreal abound, as they tend to do in the early pre-dawn hours of the morning, yet the settings, the human stories, and each character’s search are all as real as can be."
This charming little morsel warmed me from the inside out. Despite the shortness and sweetness of the chapters, I instantly got attached to the characters (especially Mitsuki!) and enjoyed discovering how all their individual journeys intertwined with one another. Switching from one perspective to the next helped drive the story forward, allowing me to finish it in one sitting. It was fun to just go along for the ride and set aside the urge to figure everything out ahead of time. The intimate, mystical quality of certain events perfectly reflected the sense you get when it's very late at night that something magical is about to happen. There was a moment I was worried that the ending would take a bleaker turn, but luckily everything (more or less) turned out all right!
Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
Summary: "Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning. Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy. But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they've both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time."
As a Tangled enthusiast, you'd think this modernized retelling would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it read more like an alternate universe fanfiction of the source material--down to the tired romcom plot points + flattened "innocent good girl x reformed bad boy" characterizations--rather than as a fully-formed retelling able to stand on its own two feet. There were some positive points: I liked the setup of the road trip and enjoyed the descriptions of the various states, landmarks, and hotels the characters visited. Having chapters from each of the two main characters' points of view allowed us to get to know them equally. The contemporary spin on the story did allow for some creative parallels: the "I Have a Dream" scene unfolds in a charmingly cringe fashion that successfully captures the sunny optimism of the original scene.
That said, I think the authors made it harder on themselves by transferring the story to a modern setting and playing certain darker plot points straight--I had a hard time switching back and forth between approaching situations realistically for certain scenes and then heavily suspending disbelief for others. The characters were written in a similarly disjointed matter--in some chapters, their dialogue and perspectives seemed uncanny to the movie counterparts; in others, they were totally different. I'm not sure if this was because the authors work as a team and perhaps had different visions of Ren and Fitz, but for me it was hard to root for them individually and as a couple because they did not seem fully realized. I was also troubled by how Ren's level of naiveté (to the point of childishness) affected their relationship dynamic. Despite being isolated for much of her life, she is supposed to be an exceedingly well-read and well-educated 22 year old; yet the chapters from her perspective communicate the feelings of an extremely impressionable and easily-manipulated teenager. When first introduced, Fitz is a selfish, judgmental a**hole with an inflated sense of self-importance and a Maximus-sized chip on his shoulder. It was troubling to read how his initial dislike of Ren didn't seem to affect his physical attraction to her--the idea that he can hate her for no reason and yet also want to bang her (almost because of how innocent she is) felt incel-like. He does undergo a personality change over the course of the book, revealing a more protective and considerate side, but because Ren remains so emotionally immature, the dynamic never stops feeling off. To summarize, Falling for You feels more like a modern Tangled AU for the [insert Booktok's favorite toxic rom com ship here] than a legitimate Rapunzel retelling--which might be to someone else's taste, but unfortunately not mine.
The Muse of Maiden Lane (Book #4 in the Belles of London series) by Mimi Matthews
Summary: "Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic… like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her. Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him."
The book's overall message of pursuing one's happiness regardless of the status quo and seeing beauty in the unconventional was lovely. While I liked this finale of the series much more than the previous installment, I do think the author may have gotten a little too distracted with wrapping up the stories of all the other characters--because the central romance includes one character from the Belles of London series and one character from the Parish Orphans of Devon series, the many couples from the other stories in both series make appearances. I've read the other Belles novels but none of the Parish Orphans books, so only half of the cameos made an impact, and even then I felt that they took up too much page time...except Captain Blunt and Julia, who were the highlight!
The sequence of events also seemed to slow down the pacing and stall the romance. Their meet cute in Book 3 was delightful and laden with banter, so was a bit of a letdown to build all up again from square one at Christmas. While the first kiss scene was definitely one of the best (dreamy, magnetic, romantic), it happened so early on! The letters section was arguably the strongest display of their growing bond and candor--I wish we'd started there and gradually revealed the Christmas scenes through a series of flashbacks instead. I was so confused when they were still questioning their feelings for each other in London after that kiss and all those letters. That said, I enjoyed the small sections dedicated to art, artists, and Teddy's preferred style and medium.
In the previous books, Stella's character was a nice girl and a good friend often regulated to the background, so I was intrigued to see her finally take center stage. While I did sympathize with her unique struggles, I have to admit that I don't think she was a fully realized individual--to me, her personality shifted based on the situation to mimic that of the previous heroines, and that made her a bit difficult to pin down. For example, her demeanor at her brother's house read more closely to how Anne acted in Book 1, and seemed out of character for her. Additionally, her troubles at her brother's house seemed devoid of the nuance I've come to expect from Mimi Matthews' conflicts--the brother, his fiancé, and the man they hope to marry Stella off to were cartoonish villains meant to show how terrible her life is in order to validate a reputation-ruining decision. That said, I appreciated that she hailed from a different situation than the other Belles and so she had to make different choices. She deserved a happy ending, and I was pleased to see her get that.
It was a breath of fresh air to have a wheelchair-using leading man in a romance (and one who doesn't magically gain the ability to walk by the end). While he did have a distinct personality compared to the other heroes in the series, I found him a little rougher around the edges. About 85% of his chapters were comprised of him bemoaning his disability or others disrespecting him because of his disability, which was a little depressing because by the end, I felt like I didn't really know him all that well. It was like his entire personality had been overshadowed by this one characteristic, and that made it difficult to fully endorse his relationship with Stella. It did inspire me to root for him though, especially when it came to how unfair his sister and brother in law were!
Additionally, I had a hard time discerning at which point his affection for Stella transitioned from artistic to amorous--his almost fanatical determination to paint her was such a defining part of their relationship, and it would have been nice to see a more concrete change reflected in the chapters written from his point of view. Despite the bumpy ride, I did believe in the relationship--the scene where she helps soothe his leg pains and he is finally vulnerable with her was really sweet.
Twelfth Knight by Alexene Faron Follmuth
Summary: "Viola Reyes is annoyed. Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more “likable,” and school running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she’s ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her―girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself. But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos―Cesario and Duke Orsino―are surprisingly well-matched. As the long nights of game-play turn into discussions about life and love, Vi and Jack soon realise they’ve become more than just weapon-wielding characters in an online game. But Vi has been concealing her true identity from Jack, and Jack might just be falling for her offline."
I really enjoyed this Shakespeare retelling! The gameplay sections were described in amazing detail so they were easy to visualize, and as a DnD newbie, I loved how much page time was dedicated to Vi's affinity (and Jack's burgeoning interest in) cosplay, MMORPG, and fantasy campaigns. The evolution from Jack and Vi's friendship to romance was well-paced and believable, and the characters were realistically drawn and relatable. I particularly enjoyed Jack's arc of regaining his sense of self and discovering what he truly wants--his character was my favorite. The final conflict between Vi and Jack and how they chose to resolve it was also a pleasant surprise--I loved how mature and supportive they were. While there was a little bit of a cliché flavor (high school popularity politics, a prickly female lead who just ~doesn't fit in~, stereotypical football bros and theatre kids, classic "we can have it all" kind of ending), as we got to know most of the characters, our understanding of them expanded beyond the same old archetypes. The author smoothly incorporated important issues like racial identity, feminism and misogyny, queerness, toxic masculinity, parent-child dynamics, social pressures, and how fear of vulnerability can be an obstacle to friendships, without falling into the "after-school special" trap. Instead, she deftly wields these elements to paint a vivid picture of the characters and their struggles.
Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan (ebook)
Summary: "Madhuri Iyer is doomed. Doomed for her upcoming senior year to be a total failure, according to her astrology-obsessed mother, and doomed to a happily ever after with her first boyfriend, according to her family curse. Determined to prove the existence of her free will, Madhuri devises an experimental relationship with the one boy she knows she can trust but also knows she’ll never fall for: her best friend, Arjun Mehta. She believes that if they enter a dating relationship that is as close to "real" as possible (real dates, real conversations, real holding of hands) and then break up on a planned date, she will prove her family curse wrong, thereby also succeeding at something and proving her astrological chart wrong also. But what she doesn't know is that Arjun does have romantic feelings for her, and is secretly hoping that this relationship will finally prove to her what he has always known: that they're meant to be. As Madhuri starts to fall for Arjun, she’ll have to decide if charting her own destiny is worth breaking hearts."
There was some good stuff here: Arjun's familial troubles are interesting in their complexity, and I commend the author for taking a bold route re: the final confrontation between him and his mom. The scenes between him and Madhuri's mom had great energy and chemistry, as did Madhuri's scenes with her best friend. I also enjoyed reading about Madhuri's love for dance and how dancing acted as a conduit between her and Desi culture. The main problem with this book is that it reads like a bunch of unfinished ideas all jumbled together.
Firstly, I think this book would have benefited from another round or two of edits to fully reach its potential. There is an immense amount of telling rather than showing, deflating any sense of suspense. The clunky writing style was very distracting and often contradictory, even when I could guess what the author was trying to say--for example, I knew the line "She struggled to stomach the urge to kiss him" was supposed to indicate that Madhuri desires to kiss Arjun so much that it's hard to resist, but to me, "struggled to stomach" communicates that she thinks it would be gross to kiss him, which is the opposite of what the sentence is trying to convey. Other lines, like "setting his expression into a rock", were not confusing in their meaning but were awkwardly phrased. Craft issues were also reflected in the pacing and structure of the novel--scenes did not build on one another to reach a climax followed by a denouement; the characters simply leapt from one event to the other. This had the added consequence of preventing Arjun and Madhuri from building romantic chemistry by learning how to better understand one another/letting the outcomes of prior decisions inform their choices in order to strengthen the relationship. Instead, their dynamic randomly shifted to match what the scene required--whether that was supportive, smooth, argumentative, or self-destructive--without first establishing a foundation to support why they were acting that way.
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