I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Unfortunately, it's a DNF @ just over the halfway point.

The main characters are only just kind of starting to show some sparks of interest in each other at the halfway point. And up to then, they've had very little chemistry, no real banter, and I honestly just don't even want them together because the guy is such an arrogant, boring ass. He takes over care of his beloved grandmother's dog yet has no respect for it, nor does he make any real attempt to bond with the dog for at least half the book. He's also just generally insufferable and judgmental. And right before I DNF'd, he ran a red light and it's just not addressed at all? Fuck that.

There were some things that I did like, such as the MFC and her relationship with her teenage sisters of whom she has guardianship; the grandmother of the MMC was also a delight. But overall what I read of this was a big disappointment. ☹️

Under the Naga Tail: A True Story of Survival, Bravery, and Escape from the Cambodian Genocide by Mae Bunseng Taing

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.0

Note: I received a digital copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway.

The writing really captured the experience of receiving the oral history of an elder, which I think makes it all the more personal and affecting. But as someone very ignorant of this section of history, the book was majorly lacking in context, making it sometimes hard to follow. Even a little blurb giving some historical context at the start of each section or chapter would have elevated the narrative a lot, in my opinion. (Although a silver lining is that it made me much more curious to read up about the Cambodian genocide, and Cambodia in general.)

True Biz by Sara Nović

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emotional funny informative inspiring medium-paced