Book Lover, Bookstagrammer, Blogger
This post is a little different from what I normally do on my blog. Thank you Mehek from The Critiques of a Fangirl for tagging me!
Before we start, here are the rules of the tag:
🎃 Answer all prompts.
🎃 Answer honestly.
🎃 Tag 1-13 people.
🎃 Link back to this post.
🎃 Remember to credit the creator (Anthony @ Keep Reading Forward).
🎃 Have fun!
Now that the rules are out of the way, let’s go!
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What would you give for a chance to live your dreams?
For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right?
Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise.
Title: Shine
Author: Jessica Jung
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Rating: ⭐ 4/5
K-pop is not as glamorous as people think, and Rachel Kim learns this the hard way. As a K-pop (and Girls’ Generation) fan, I was so excited when I heard about Jessica Jung’s book. And it delivered!
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After their world-famous actor mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Manon and Thaïs left their remote Mediterranean island home—sent away by their pharma-tech tycoon father. Opposites in every way, the sisters drifted apart in their grief. Yet their mother’s unfinished story still haunts them both, and they can’t put to rest the possibility that she is still alive.
Lured home a decade later, Manon and Thaïs discover their mother’s legendary last work, long thought lost: White Fox, a screenplay filled with enigmatic metaphors. The clues in this dark fairytale draw them deep into the island’s surreal society, into the twisted secrets hidden by their glittering family, to reveal the truth about their mother—and themselves.
Title: White Fox
Author: Sara Faring
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s (Imprint)
Rating: ⭐ 5/5
“These woods can be treacherous. You never know which trees will curl their roots around your ankles, which foxes will prance right down a foxhole with you in tow.” – Sara Faring, White Fox
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And just like that, the month of August has come to an end!
Despite feeling like I lived through the longest March ever, August brought a new sense of peace (?) for me. My love for fantasy books was revived, summer class stress disappeared, excitement for the fall season rose, and I turned 22!
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A PRINCESS
A STABLE BOY
A QUEST
When her father dies, Princess Amarande is given an ultimatum: Marry the leader of one of the four neighboring kingdoms, or lose her crown—and possibly her life. And to force her hand, her beloved, the stable boy Luca, is kidnapped.
But Amarande was raised to be a warrior, not a sacrifice.
And nothing will stop her from saving her true love and rescuing her kingdom.
Title: The Princess Will Save You
Author: Sarah Henning
Publisher: TorTeen
Expected Publication: July 7, 2020 (available now!)
Date Read (finished): July 13, 2020
Rating: ⭐ 4/5
This book is a story about love, identity, and epic girl-power!
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Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.
Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.
Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they’ll never forget.
Title: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky
Author: Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing
Expected Publication: July 21, 2020
Date Read (finished): June 15, 2020
Rating: ⭐ 5/5
Pinky and Samir are definitely one of my favorite enemies-to-lovers couples. Or is it more accurate to say frenemies-to-lovers?
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When life happens and you can’t be in Santa Monica for YALLWEST…
…YALLSTAYHOME saves the day!
Two weeks ago, I was able to attend YALLSTAYHOME from the comfort of my bed. The book festival did an amazing job shifting to a virtual set-up in such a short amount of time. Lots of giveaways were held throughout the two weeks leading up to the event, and panels were extended to include the full weekend. There were even extra events, including an Instagram Live of Soman Chainani learning TikTok dances.
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Hey everyone!
I hope you all are doing well. It may seem tough right now, but remember that good times are on the way.
With events cancelled and many of us staying home, we need something to satisfy our adventure-seeking hearts. I may not be able to get your travel plans back, but I hope these reading recs ease some of your wanderlust.
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*Note: This post MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS and cause smiling, squealing, and the need to (re)read YA books.*
Happy Valentine’s Day!
As a single, book loving fangirl, there is no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a book, dessert, and friends. Bonus points if the dessert includes chocolate and the book has a ship that you just can’t jump off.
There are so many book romances that I have fallen in love with over the years, but I tried my best to narrow down my favorites. I usually have a hard time with posts like this because I find it unfair to the characters I haven’t met yet. My list is also totally biased to the fantasy genre since I tend to read more fantasy books.
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Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents’ house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That’s when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she’s started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.
This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever… or is it?
Title: 10 Blind Dates
Author: Ashley Elston
Date Read (finished): December 5, 2019
Rating: ⭐ 4.5/5
This was the perfect read to kick off December!
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