Thursday, April 27, 2017

Monthly Rewind: April

The majority of my April was spent in Croatia and, wow, this was one of the best trips of my life!

3 Things About My Life This Month

1. I had an absolutely incredible Spring Break in Croatia! I spent ten days in Croatia over Spring Break, with a day trip to Montenegro, and this trip is by far the highlight of my study abroad experience this semester (not to mention a major highlight of my life, too!). I didn't expect to love the country of Croatia as much as I did, but believe me when I say that the beauty is unreal. I also discovered a never-before-known love of hiking and boating, which I myself am amazed by since I'm not the most outdoorsy person in the world. Anyway, long story short: Croatia, I love and miss you.

2. It finally feels like my study abroad experience is coming to an end. I've spent the better part of the past year in Europe and while I'm going to be sad to leave--SO sad because I love just jetting off on a flight to a different country every weekend!--I'm also ready to distance myself from this continent. I think the big difference between travelling around Europe on vacation as a person of color and living for an extended period of time in cities that are not the most diverse while being a person of color are some realities I've faced very starkly this past year. And while Budapest certainly offers more diversity than the small town I was living in last semester, my program this semester lacks diversity and I am so ready to return home and finally not feel like the only brown body for miles.

3. I went to Dublin, Ireland and.... I enjoyed the city of Dublin a lot--the pulse, the energy, the vibrancy of it despite the clouds--but my weekend was a bit of a wash-out since the friend I traveled with proved to be not the most trust-worthy person. I don't want to go into any details, but this was the first weekend travel trip I've taken and regretted taking. I'm sure I'll have many more travel regrets in the future, but this is sadly the first.. But, no fears, I definitely plan on visiting Ireland again in the future to see all the natural beauty this country boasts of!

Top 3 Books I Read This Month

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I had such an amazing reading month in April! All three of these books were 5-Star reads for me and I loved them! The Hate U Give is just phenomenal, a must-read for everyone. Alex, Approximately was so, so cute and I love this book as much as I love Anna and the French Kiss or The Summer of  Chasing Mermaids. It's that good. And, of course, Strange the Dreamer rocked my socks. I love Laini Taylor and need this sequel ASAP!

Most Popular Post

I loved this book so much and I'm so glad this post got the appreciation it deserved! It's such a fantastic sequel, so I recommend picking up this series for this book alone.

Post I Wish Got a Little More Love

In a month where I read almost only 5-Star reads, When Dimple Met Rishi didn't stand out...much. But I still adored this novel, especially the authentic representation of South Asian culture! I hope more readers will gravitate to this one because the diversity is off-the-charts good as are the parental relationships.

Obsession of the Month

Umm.. Croatia!!! Duh! In general, I feel as if I'm now obsessed with the Balkan region and I desperately want to return, especially to Bosnia and Herzegovina but I'd love to re-visit Croatia and Montenegro, not to mention make it out to Serbia as well. The history and culture of this region just fascinates me and I love that so much of it is untouched; the natural beauty is stunning.

3 Things I'm Looking Forward to Next Month 

1. Malta!!! I technically am leaving for Malta in April, but I return in May so...it counts, right? I'm traveling to Malta with my "squad" of seven and this is the first time I've ever done such a long journey with such a huge group of people, so I'm really looking forward to it! Plus, I've heard only good things about this beautiful island nation and cannot wait to experience it for myself!

2. Short weekend trips to Stockholm, Sweden and Vienna, Austria! These are the last two trips of my time here, in Europe, but I'm so excited for them both! I'm visiting a family friend's daughter (who I've never actually met) in Stockholm but we've been talking for the past year and she seems so wonderful! I'm really looking forward to meeting her and seeing yet another Scandinavian country and capital! I'm also excited to finally be visiting Vienna, which is only a short train journey away! I'm traveling here with a friend from the program and we're going to paint this beautiful city red, I just know it! ;)

3. HOME! Wow, I miss my mom, you guys! She visited me half-way through my semester last year, but it's going to be a full four and a half months since I last saw her! I'm really excited to be going back, though, since my uncle is also going to be visiting the weekend I land so it should be a really fun and family-filled time, which I am definitely craving after being away from home for so long.

How was your April? Did you do anything special to celebrate Easter? What are your upcoming plans for May? Did I miss out on any good books while I was obsessing over Croatia? Let me know in the comments below--I'd love to read what you think! 

Thursday, April 20, 2017

ARC Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon


Title: When Dimple Met Rishi

Author: Sandhya Menon

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: May 30th, 2017

When Dimple Met Rishi isn't a perfect debut, but it has so much going for it with its South Asian leads that I want to focus on the good, more than the bad.

First off, my biggest misgiving going into this is that the premise is based on our eighteen-year-old protagonists being set up for an arranged marriage by their parents. So, let me clarify exactly what the synopsis of this story fails to explain in greater detail: Dimple has just been accepted to Stanford and desperately wants to spend her summer at a prestigious program in SFSU designing her own app. She's surprised when her parents agree as easily as they do to drop the money and foot her summer dreams, especially since her mother wants her to find a good husband (Ideal Indian Husband, actually) in college. When she gets to SFSU, however, she realizes that her parents old friends son, Rishi, is also there and unlike her, he's actually been told that their parents are considering getting them married and see this summer as a chance for the two to see if they're compatible or not. It's a little out there, IMO, but it's handled well since Dimple is career-driven and quickly dispels any notions of marriage the moment she meets Rishi.

From that unlikely start, the novel proceeds much like any contemporary romance--only so much better, really. Rishi has grown up in a wealthy household, appreciating his roots and staying true to them at every turn. Dimple, meanwhile, grew up middle class with a stay-at-home mom who had far too much time to focus solely on her daughter's appearance. Dimple feels stifled by the culture her parents push on her but through her interactions with Rishi, she grows to understand their perspective more--just as Rishi understands Dimple and her experience. Their conversations are a wonderful window into the South Asian American experience and while I didn't identify with just Rishi or just Dimple, I identified with many of the topics they covered and feelings they shared.

I especially love that Menon doesn't hesitate to include Hindi, Bollywood film references, and traditional Indian food in a very organic way throughout the novel. It doesn't feel forced and absolutely adds to the story. Further, Dimple and Rishi's parents are a huge part of their life and I love that they continue to play a big role in the novel, especially as we get both Dimple and Rishi's perspectives in this, so we get to see both sides of that parental relationship. Other positive aspects to this one? A diverse cast, ses-positive YA, and a really lovely exploration of Indian culture and the ways it can be confusing but also empowering to young South Asian teens.

Where this story falters for me, however, is in the execution of its romance. I enjoyed the love story, but I didn't fall head-over-heels for it and I found the inevitable break-up and resolution to be rather contrived and unnecessary. I loved the inner-conflicts that both Dimple and Rishi face individually during the course of their relationship, but the actual romance and backdrop at SFSU and secondary character drama didn't do much for me, personally.

That being said, I'm still thrilled to see a novel that breaks barriers with South Asian leads. For me, this is HUGE. Being able to see parts of your relationship with your parents or your immigrant experience in a book is not something I'm familiar with, so for that alone I think Menon succeeded. I hope she continues to write about South Asian Americans because I'm definitely on board for her next book, and her next book, and her next.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Review: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton


Title: Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, #2)

Author: Alwyn Hamilton

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Wow, did Alwyn Hamilton up her game with this sequel or what? I liked Rebel of the Sands just fine, but I felt as if it could've benefited from a thorough round of editing--the plot could have been tighter, the secondary relationships could have been more fleshed out, etc. But Traitor to the Throne is seamless, balanced by non-stop action and supported by a large cast of secondary characters who refuse to fade into the background. Amani is our courageous heroine, as always, but I loved seeing her friendships with the other rebels and the relationships she had forged in such a short amount of time. The rebels are the backbone of Hamilton's fictional country, but they are also at the heart of this story--and I felt for their cause, so deeply.

The plot of this novel, too, feels so much more focused with Amani clearly helping the rebel leaders and whisked away to the palace, as the synopsis reveals, through unexpected circumstances. We see Amani forced to confront both her past and her present in this story as she works through her own flaws and past regrets. It's challenging to see Amani lost and alone, at times, but her persistence to keep surviving is admirable and she's become one of my favorite heroines with this novel. I also love that there are so many different forms of feminism in this story. Hamilton shows us the strength of being a lady in the harem, a beloved sister, and a rebel--a woman's role in life does not limit her power or her struggle for freedom. Amani and the women of the harem she meets in the palace have so much more in common than they first imagine and I really appreciated that Hamilton took the time to flesh out these woman-to-woman relationships and build them without their reliance on men or relation to men.

Hamilton's prose is also stunning throughout this story. She litters the novel with anecdotes and legends, building this world more thoroughly for us, as well as introducing a political mix by giving us insight into neighboring territories while Amani resides in the palace. It's a fascinating and complicated world and I am eager to see how the issues brought up in this story are resolved in the finale. The romance, though taking a back-seat, is very much alive and while Jin and Amani are separated for most of this story, it never bothered me the way such plot devices typically do. It felt very appropriate both for the plot threads and for Amani's growth and I am excited to see how all these relationships--from her romance to her friendships to her loyalties to the rebels--play out in the sequel.

This was simply such a fantastic, un-put-down-able story and Hamilton did not disappoint in the least. I loved Traitor to the Throne so if you're on the fence about this series, or even just on the fence about continuing, I promise you this sequel makes it all worth it.