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Book Review – The Lotus Flower Champion

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Title: The Lotus Flower Champion
Author: Pintip Dunn & Love Dunn
Published: October 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars

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Synopsis:

No escape. Follow the rules. And don’t count on reality—in this uniquely vibrant romantasy from NYT bestselling author Pintip Dunn and daughter Love Dunn…

It looks like paradise…only it’s not.

This was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Thailand. One last wish for my dying mama. Instead, we’re stranded on a lush, stunning island with ten strangers—held captive as Thai mythology unfolds around us…and within us.

Now we’re being tested. We’re expected to face our greatest fears—and possible deaths—in hopes of awakening some kind of dormant gift…or curse. One by one, we’re transforming, echoing the strange and sometimes wondrous abilities found in Thai folktales.

But my mama has only days to live, my papa is missing, and I’m forced to trust a group of strangers…including our evasive, dark-eyed tour guide, who resembles a minor god. Toss me in the ocean and feed me to the naga now.

Only I’m no hero. My days are managed by numbers and the compulsions that used to keep me safe.

I have to prove how far I can go. To survive. To protect my family.

And to find a way off this perilous island where everything is a lie…including reality.

“But now I know that numbers aren’t magic. They never have been. They may be a part of my life. But they don’t have to rule me” (chapter 45).

Congratulations to Love Dunn on her debut novel, co-written with her mom, Pintip Dunn. Thank you to Entangled Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This story was such a fun introduction to Thai folktales for me, and had me invested from beginning to end!

Two things that I feel like Dunn and Dunn do well here is give a great representation of OCD and grieving someone who has not passed yet. All encompassed in a story about a magical island and the lengths people will go to survive.

As someone who does not have OCD, I felt such empathy for Alaia as she is forced into a scenario where safety and certainty are non-existent. As she is thrust into situations where her OCD was screaming at her, where she couldn’t get clean enough, where she couldn’t complete her counting rituals to keep her and her mama safe, her emotions were deeply tangible. I do wonder what someone with OCD would think about this portrayal, though, because at the end of the book, it seemed like Alaia’s OCD is practically non-existent. I do feel like her personal growth in overcoming hard situations in the midst of her disorder is believable, and maybe, just maybe, she was able to take some of that magic home with her to help her manage her day-to-day life better, but it really felt almost forgotten at the very end and I had a hard time believing that.

As someone who has watched someone die, had to say goodbye before they were fully gone, Dunn and Dunn handle this theme very well. Alaia’s mama has terminal cancer, all she wants is to go home to Thailand once more with her family to go in peace. All Alaia wants is to make her mama smile 121 times on their trip so that she will feel like she’s given her everything she can before they part. While they are stranded on this strange island, fighting for the opportunity to leave, Alaia is not only battling her OCD, but the ever present grief in knowing when to stop holding so tightly, learning how to function without the person she loves most while she is not yet gone. The emotions in this story are plentiful, painful, and beautiful.

While this is such a beautiful story that I obviously thoroughly enjoyed, I do wish we had a little bit more to make it feel more complete. I wanted a little more character building from the other people stranded on this island with them. I also wanted to know more about Bodin’s family dynamic – granted, I realize why we didn’t get much for a while; there is a great sense of mystery around him – do we trust him or not? But once more is revealed, I wanted just a little bit more: to understand his family more, to help with his character development, to give his and Alaia’s romance a little more sustenance.

Pintip and Love Dunn wrote a very engaging, enchanting story of magic, learned strength, found family, and a deep admiration for the traditional Thai folktales they grew up with.

Book Review – I Hate You, Fuller James

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Title: I Love Hate You, Fuller James
Author: Kelly Anne Blount
Published: March 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads

Rating: 3 stars
Cover: It’s okay

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Synopsis:

I hate you, Fuller James.

I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me.

I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at the middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché.

I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.

I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.

But what I hate the most is that I really don’t hate you at all.

Happy book birthday to I Love Hate You, Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount! Thank you Entangled Publishing and Blount for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A hate-to-love romance AND a sports romance? Two of my favorites. Bring. It. On.

Wren and Fuller actually have a lot in common, they just never knew until they were thrown together in an annoying tutoring set up. Both put family above all else, both are very driven to pursue college and their future careers, both live and breathe basketball. The only difference is, they live in two completely different worlds.

Fuller is the best basketball player this school has ever seen. He’s also part of the popular crowd and the reason Wren gained a horrible nickname and lost her best friend in middle school.

Wren doesn’t mind being an outsider anymore. She’s worked HARD to move past all the bullshit and has two best friends and her family that would do anything for her. Next step is to leave the rest of the people from high school in her dust.

I really loved seeing inside each of their worlds, particularly through the dual perspective writing. Their romance is whirlwind and exciting, I just wish there was a little more build up from Fuller’s side first. We see a glimpse of his tough guy act, but we don’t really see enough to know why it’s there in the first place, or to give more meaning to his softened personality when he starts falling for Wren. He’s fully able to recognize that he’s a big jerk and possibly has a history of being shallow, but why? I wish he had been a little more introspective, and that we had gotten more of a look at his daily life before Wren got stuck with him.

I thoroughly enjoyed two of my favorite tropes wrapped in one for this YA romance. While I wanted more depth and character growth, I still had a lot of fun with this book.

Book Review – The Bookworm Crush

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Title: The Bookworm Crush
Author: Lisa Brown Roberts
Published: October 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 2 stars
Cover: Like it

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Synopsis:

Shy bookworm Amy McIntyre is about to compete for the chance to interview her favorite author, who hasn’t spoken to the press in years. The only way to win into step out of the shadows and into the spotlight, but that level of confidence has never come easy.

The solution? A competition coach. The problem? The best person for the job is the guy she’s secretly crushing on…local surfer celebrity Toff Nichols.

He’s a player. He’s a heartthrob. He makes her forget basic things, like how to breathe. How can she feel any confidence around him?

To her surprise, Toff agrees to help. And he’s an excellent teacher. Amy feels braver–maybe even brave enough to admit her feelings for him. When their late night practices become less about coaching and more about making out, Amy’s newfound confidence wavers.

But does Toff really like her or is this just another lesson?

Thank you Entangled Publishing and Lisa Brown Roberts for an eARC of The Bookworm Crush in exchange for an honest review. I’ve had this sitting on my kindle for a few months now because it was forgotten in the midst of wedding planning, but I actually picked it up as motivation to go to the gym (haha). I think this made me like it a little bit more than I would’ve otherwise because it helped distract me from the fact that I was sitting on a stationary bicycle, sweating my guts out.

I love that there is another book about book lovers for book lovers, and this one with an unconventional match: the surfer god. Amy and Toff’s friendship-to-lovers relationship is cute and flirty and fun. Unfortunately, we don’t go much beyond that. The characters had little glimpses of depth, but we never camped out there, it was mostly just mentioned in passing. The plot was a bit dry in parts, as well, making me wish for more meat to it. I’m still a little confused about why Amy asked Toff to help her with a book contest, but reading about them working together was enjoyable.

One thing I really struggled with is the overuse of pop culture and book references. Obviously some book references would be expected of a girl who spends her life between pages, especially books that are helpful for the plot or character development, but the titles were thrown about willy nilly, making me feel like the author just wanted to see how many book references she could cram in. I’m also really not a fan of frequent name dropping in pop culture references because I feel like it has the potential to age the book badly.

The writing was chunky and a little juvenile for a book with older teens with an active sex life. I have several sentences that I highlighted because they were awkward or just didn’t make sense (the editor in me–oops), but I eventually gave up. Since I was reading the eARC, I really hope more edits were made before the final print, but I was not able to connect enough to this book to have any desire to find out myself. Amy and Toff were a fun, surface level glance, but not engaging enough to think about them after the book is over.