Hi my friends! It has been a whirlwind of a month — I hope that you’re all doing well! This past week I’ve had family visiting so I’ve been pretty busy. Because of that, I thought it would be a great time to do some mini reviews! So, grab a cup of your favorite tea and get cozy.
Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer L. Chow
I love a good cozy mystery and thoroughly enjoyed Death by Bubble Tea! Death by Bubble Tea is the first book in Jennifer L. Chow’s LA Night Market series, and I thought that it was a great introduction to the series.
I really liked Yale as the main character! I liked that she wasn’t on social media at all (though that could never be me), her love of books (especially Pride and Prejudice), and her devotion to her family. She was a great contrast to her food blogger cousin Celine, and I really liked the way the two played off one another. Their differences in lifestyle definitely influenced the way they approached solving the murder and I loved seeing the two reach common ground. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops over the course of the series.
As so much of this book centered around food — which is one of my favorite things about cozy mysteries — I loved that Chow included recipes in the back, and I can’t wait to try some for myself. I enjoyed Death by Bubble Tea a lot and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Two cousins who start a food stall at their local night market get a serving of murder in this first novel of a delicious new cozy mystery series by Jennifer J. Chow, author of Mimi Lee Gets a Clue.
When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide to a relative she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Not only that, but her father thinks it’s a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Yale hasn’t cooked in years, and she hardly considers Celine’s career as a social media influencer as adequate experience, but because she’s just lost her job at her local bookstore, she feels she has no choice.
Yale and Celine serve small dishes and refreshing drinks, and while business is slow, it eventually picks up thanks to Celine’s surprisingly useful marketing ideas. They’re quite shocked that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit–literally–when one of their customers turns up dead. Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they’ll be serving is time.
Links for Death by Bubble Tea: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra
We all know how much I love Shakespeare, and I’m a huge fan of Much Ado About Nothing, so obviously, I was very excited to read Ben and Beatriz. Well, unfortunately for me, the excitement did not last long once I started reading it.
I started the audiobook one night when I couldn’t sleep, and although I wasn’t enjoying the first three or four chapters, I thought I would keep going since sometimes books can have a bit of a rough start and get better. In hindsight, I absolutely should’ve stopped reading because I was miserable.
I really hated the characterization — Ben and Beatriz were annoying, self-centered, self-righteous, and insufferable. I understand that the whole premise for the two is enemies to lovers, but when they can’t say one word to the other without getting into a screaming match about nothing it gets old really quickly. The two had no chemistry and often said that neither had redeeming qualities (mostly it was Beatriz saying that about Ben) so I couldn’t see why they would even want to get together. Then, once they did, all they did was have sex — which became absolutely exhausting.
Ben was one of those “But I’m a Nice Guy” characters, which made me the human equivalent of the swirly eyed emoji, but when his childhood best friend (Meg) was clearly in trouble and he knew it, he did nothing. Not sure how you can be a good guy, like he claims to be, and completely ignore when someone you claim to love is being manipulated, gaslit and abused. I didn’t really have any issues with Hero, I think I sympathized with her more than any other character, but I couldn’t for the life of me understand what she saw in Claudio after we learned more about their relationship.
All I can say is, Shakespeare, bestie, I am so sorry.
There’s nothing like falling for your worst enemy.
Beatriz Herrera is a fierce woman who will take you down with her quick wit and keen intellect. And after the results of the 2016 election worked hard to erase her identity as a queer biracial woman, she’d be right to. Especially if you come for her sweet BFF cousin, Hero. Beatriz would do anything for her, a loyalty that lands Beatriz precisely where she doesn’t want to be: spending a week at the ridiculous Cape Cod mansion of stupid-hot playboy Ben Montgomery. The same Ben Montgomery she definitely shouldn’t have hooked up with that one time… The things we do for family.
White and wealthy, Ben talks the talk and walks the walk of privilege, but deep down, he’s wrestling with the politics and expectations of a conservative family he can’t relate to. Though Beatriz’s caustic tongue drives him wild in the very best way, he’s the last person she’d want, because she has zero interest in compromising her identity. But as her and Ben’s assumptions begin to unravel and their hookups turn into something real, they start wondering if it’s still possible to hold space for one another and the inescapable love that unites them.
This retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is both razor-sharp and swoon-worthy: the perfect love story for our time.
Links for Ben and Beatriz: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Counselors by Jennifer Goodman
Although not perfect, I thought that The Counselors was a very enjoyable summer camp mystery! I found some of the mystery aspects to be a bit predictable, but the story itself I felt was well done, and was definitely intriguing considering I finished it in one day.
Something I particularly enjoyed about this book were the dynamics. I loved the bond that Goldie, Ava and Imogen created through Camp Alpine Lake. It was very sweet, and while the mystery of how [redacted] was obviously a huge driving force of the novel, the bond and friendship between the three girls was 100% the heart of the book. I also loved that the story was told in dual timelines since that allowed readers to learn more about the girls and their experiences at camp, and the events that led to the murder of [redacted] as it was happening, as opposed to just being told what happened.
I really liked that it wasn’t a very gorey or graphic story —- I personally don’t have an issue with those things in mystery novels, but some people do and I think that The Counselors would actually be a great option for those looking for a non-graphic mystery novel.
Sisters by choice.
That’s how Goldie and her best friends, Ava and Imogen, define their friendship, which formed years ago at Camp Alpine Lake.
This year, Goldie is back at camp as a counselor, desperate for summer to start and for Ava and Imo to arrive. With the dark secret Goldie’s been keeping, she’s more in need of their comfort than ever. When the boy who broke Goldie’s heart, turns up dead in the lake, this last summer before college is completely upended—and Goldie learns that she’s not the only person at camp who has been lying. Asking questions offers Goldie no answers, only danger and betrayals deeper than she ever imagined.
Links for The Counselors: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Project by Courtney Summers
I’ve been meaning to read The Project for a long time and finally got around to it over the weekend, and I’m really glad that I did. Firstly, the audiobook narration is incredibly well done, and if you’re an audiobook person, I highly recommend reading The Project in that format. I definitely had high hopes for this one after really loving Sadie, and while The Project is very different, I was just as riveted as I expected to be with a book by Summers.
I loved that the story was told from dual povs and alternating timelines — this allowed the reader to really see patterns in the main character Lo, and her sister Bea’s situations. Stories about families and complicated family dynamics always appeal to me, and that’s definitely a big throughline of The Project. It was so clear that Bea and Lo and such a deep love for one another and it broke my heart to read about how this Cult — The Unity Project — tore them apart. Very early on I knew what had happened to Bea, but that didn’t make it any less heartbreaking once Lo found out the truth.
Ultimately, this is a story about power. How far people are willing to go to have it, and how others are influenced by power. Lev, the leader of The Unity Project, is the exact type of character (and man) that absolutely disgusts me. Every time he spoke I was truly repulsed — he’s predatory, manipulating, and he knows how to gaslight all these people, but especially young women, into believing in his rhetoric. There were so many times (especially in part 4) that I was screaming at the characters because I couldn’t believe that all of them were falling for his tricks. When the truth was finally revealed I could’ve jumped for joy.
I really couldn’t put this one down, and I’ll for sure be checking out Courtney Summers’ backlog.
Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence.
When Lo’s given the perfect opportunity to gain access to Bea’s reclusive life, she thinks they’re finally going to be reunited. But it’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t want to be found, and as Lo delves deeper into The Project and its charismatic leader, she begins to realize that there’s more at risk than just her relationship with Bea: her very life might be in danger.
As she uncovers more questions than answers at each turn, everything Lo thought she knew about herself, her sister, and the world is upended. One thing doesn’t change, though, and that’s what keeps her going: Bea needs her, and Lo will do anything to save her.
From Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hit Sadie, comes her electrifying follow-up—a suspenseful, pulls-no-punches story about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister no matter the cost.
Links for The Project: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
And there you have it! Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear your thoughts on them if you have! Until next time!
