Genre: Young Adult

The Weekly Recap (153)

Posted September 14, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

I’ve gone down the rabbit hole that is all things BTS. I’ve got to be the oldest fan that they have (not true, I see old lady BTS Army TikTok) but dude, they’re a lot of fun. I blame Tae-hyung for wrecking my For You Page on TikTok. It’s all things BTS and Korean Dramas. I’m not that mad about it though because I’ve been enjoying watching all of their content. They’re fun to watch perform and now I’m even more annoying to Brenna because I used to just speak Korean phrases to her but now I sing to her in Korean too. LOL. The other day she was on my Etsy ordering some stickers for her hydro and she said that she’d buy me some so I chose my stickers and had to laugh out loud at our Etsy cart.

These are the stickers she got:

And these are the stickers I got:

She just shook her head and was like, “Mom, why are you like this?” Haha.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (153)Shine
by Jessica Jung
Published by Simon Pulse on September 29, 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge, 2020 New to Me Challenge

Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls Generation.
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.

Get ready as Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Korea’s most famous girl group, Girls Generation, takes us inside the luxe, hyper-color world of K-pop, where the stakes are high, but for one girl, the cost of success—and love—might be even higher. It’s time for the world to see: this is what it takes to SHINE.

I’m picking this book back up. I started it a couple of months ago but wasn’t in the mood to read so I kept putting it down after every other sentence. I’m hoping that my reading slump is behind me now so that I’ll actually finish this one so umm..wish me luck? 🙂

What I Read

The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie | DNF
Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5

I tried reading The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie to discuss with my book besties on our zoom call yesterday but I was just not that interested in reading a historical book right now so I quit that book after 6 straight days of only reading a paragraph each time I opened the book. I jumped into Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews instead and yeah, that was just what I needed to keep my reading slump at bay. However, it was the only book that I read last week.

What I’m Currently Watching

Record of Youth
Do You Like Brahms
My Shy Boss

What I Watched

One Spring Night | 3.75 out of 5
Prison Playbook | 4 out of 5
Burn the Stage: The Movie | 4.5 out of 5
BTS: Global Takeover | 4.25 out of 5

Record of Youth | Episodes 1 & 2: This show started off really strong as I’m already obsessed with the two main characters, already shipping them and waiting on pins and needles for today’s episode. I have to wait until my lunch hour to watch it but I’m actually struggling to decide if I should wait until tomorrow to watch both of this week’s episodes together or not. Who am I kidding, I’m not waiting to see Park Bo Gum in a new episode. Haha, silly me.

Do You Like Brahms? | Episodes 1-4: So I discovered BTS last month after realizing that one of the guys in the band was in Hwarang, one of the dramas that I started watching. I like the character enough that I looked him up in BTS and before I knew what was what, he became my bias in the group (with Suga a very close second bias and I don’t care if that breaks the rules, I love them both!) and I have listened and practiced singing all of the BTS songs that I like and there are a lot of songs that I’ve had to practice. Singing in English is easy but singing in Korean? That’s hard as hell but I’m happy to report that I can sing the shit out of my favorite BTS song, Just One Day. LOL. Anyway, all of that to say that I started this show because the main male lead is a friend of V’s from BTS….that’s why I started this show. I gotta support my biases friends and I’m glad that I did because the pacing of this show is a lot slower than Record of Youth but it’s just as good. It’s more focused on the characters and I’m really, really enjoying this one so far. I’m happy that I have a new episode to watch and I’ll watch that today too. Yippy skippy.

Eye Candy Friday

An Min Hyuk
Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon

What I Reviewed

Midnight Runners | 5 out of 5
Romance is a Bonus Book | DNF
Kill Me, Heal Me | DNF
Playful Kiss | DNF
Descendants of the Sun | 3.25 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (152)
Eye Candy Friday: An Min Hyuk

What I Got

Teach Me (There’s Something about Marysville #1) by Olivia Dade
40 Love (There’s Something about Marysville #2) by Olivia Dade
Swettest in the Gale (There’s Something about Marysville #3) by Olivia Dade
Never Have I Ever (Always Satisfied #3) by Lauren Blakely

What I Got for Review

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

What’s On My Radar for This Week

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
Encounter
Time to Hunt

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

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The Weekly Recap (147)

Posted July 20, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

The Weekly Recap is a weekly feature on the blog where I recap my week in books, in movies, and in TV Shows. If you’re ever curious about what I’ve been up to, these are the posts for you.

It’s been a pretty quiet week for me since Brenna’s been in Colorado for the summer and I don’t have anyone annoying me at every turn. It’s been nice. LOL. I also had some time to catch up with my siblings on Friday with my sister from Vegas in town. We received some bad news about my cousin’s husband, who died from covid-19 this week so that was a bummer. It’s amazing to me that people are pissed about having to wear masks in public here in California. SMH.

Anyway, I didn’t do much but watch Korean Dramas this week but it was still a good week.

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (147)Shine
by Jessica Jung
Published by Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse on September 29, 2020
Genres: Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge, 2020 New to Me Challenge

Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls Generation.
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.

Get ready as Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Korea’s most famous girl group, Girls Generation, takes us inside the luxe, hyper-color world of K-pop, where the stakes are high, but for one girl, the cost of success—and love—might be even higher. It’s time for the world to see: this is what it takes to SHINE.

I didn’t get any reading done this week. A couple of pages at most but I’m liking what I’m reading so far in Shine by Jessica Jung. Those K Pop stars are no joke and their schedules and training are intense. I’m really interested in seeing where this story takes us. I just need to make time to read.

What I Got

Shine by Jessica Jung
Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

What I’m Currently Watching

It’s Okay to Not be Okay (2020)
Suits (2018)

This week’s episodes of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay were emotionally packed and I ugly cried through both of them. I am really, really loving this show and both Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun did such an amazing job engaging my emotions with their acting skills that I am so here for the both of them. I cannot wait to see where the rest of the season takes us but if the first part of the season is any indication, it’s going to be a crazy ride that I am fully on board with.

I started the Korean version of Suits last night and I am super duper excited about it. I adored the American version of this show and the Korean version stars my #3 boo thang, Park Hyun Sik. I completely adored him in Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon and Juror 8 so when I saw that he was on the Korean version of Suits, I knew that I had to find the show and watch it wherever I could. I’m so glad that it’s on Netflix. I’m on episode 5 and so far, I’m really enjoying it. It’s very familiar to the American version but with its own Korean charm and I love me some Park Hyun Sik so I’m all in.

What I Watched

It’s Okay to Not be Okay (2020)
Cheese in the Trap (2016) | 2.5 out of 5
My First First Love (2019) | 4.25 out of 5
My First First Love 2 (2019) | 4.5 out of 5

This week was a good week in K Dramas for me….with the exception of Cheese in the Trap. That show started off so well for me and then it went downhill and kept right on going downhill until it ended and I was like WTF? Wasn’t a big fan of that of that one.

I did really enjoy My First First Love and My First First Love 2. I need to watch more shows and movies with Ji Soo in it. He’s such a delight.

Eye Candy Friday

Park Saeroyi
Itaewon Class (2020)

What I Reviewed

Movie Review: Train to Busan | 4 out of 5
Korean Drama Review: Itaewon Class | 5 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (146)
5 Things I Did During Quarantine
Eye Candy Friday: Park Saeroyi

What Made Me Laugh

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The Weekly Recap (130)

Posted June 3, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

So, Caiden went back home to Utah yesterday. My sister had to check on me this morning because I miss him something fierce. He’s such a joy to be around and even though he’ll be back in two weeks, we were all bummed when he left for the airport last night. We need help, obviously. So because he was leaving us yesterday, he wanted to hang out in my room and I let him do whatever he wanted so when he gave me a box of Snoopy bandaids and asked me to, “Help him”, I helped him stick bandaids all over his body, haha. Not too long after he was done with the bandaids, we snuggled and he fell asleep for his afternoon nap while I watched the Dodger game on my iPad.

My nephew RJ is down from Colorado because he’s got to have surgery to replace the titanium rod that his doctors inserted into his leg after they took the cancerous bone out of his leg. The titanium rod was supposed to be the best of the best but it broke when RJ was at school so he had to drop out of school for next semester to get his health under control. He was bummed about it because he’s going to be in school forever before he can graduate and become the dentist that he wants to be. He’s in L.A. so that we can spoil him some before he goes back home for his surgery. Poor kid.

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (130)If It Makes You Happy
by Claire Kann
Published by Macmillan, Swoon Reads on June 4, 2019
Genres: LGBTQ, Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2019 GoodReads Challenge, 2019 New to Me Challenge

High school finally behind her, Winnie is all set to attend college in the fall. But first she's spending her summer days working at her granny’s diner and begins spending her midnights with Dallas—the boy she loves to hate and hates that she likes. Winnie lives in Misty Haven, a small town where secrets are impossible to keep—like when Winnie allegedly snaps on Dr. Skinner, which results in everyone feeling compelled to give her weight loss advice for her own good. Because they care that’s she’s “too fat.”

Winnie dreams of someday inheriting the diner—but it'll go away if they can't make money, and fast. Winnie has a solution—win a televised cooking competition and make bank. But Granny doesn't want her to enter—so Winnie has to find a way around her formidable grandmother. Can she come out on top?

While browsing NetGalley, this book caught my eye because I think the cover is gorgeous and I’m loving her braids and the attitude she exudes on the cover is something that I’m most curious about. Winnie looks like she’d be fun to read about so I’m picking this one up this afternoon. I’ll keep you guys posted on what I think.

Weekly Book Stats

Books Read: 1 | Books DNF’d: 0
Books Purchased: 0 | Books Received for Review: 0 | Reviews Posted: 3
Highest Grade: 4 out of 5

What I Read

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jaladdin | 4 out of 5

I only read one book this past week because I’ve been busy with work and family stuff so I didn’t have a lot of reading time. Hopefully this week, my reading will pick up. Wish me luck!

What I Reviewed

The Austen Playbook (London Celebrities #4) by Lucy Parker | 4 out of 5
Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre | 4 out of 5
Hot to the Touch (Brotherhood by Fire #1) by Jaci Burton | 3.25 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (129)
The Wednesday Post (12)
My TBR Pile: June 2019

What I Got

Nothing this week.

What I Got for Review

Nothing this week.

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

4 Comments
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The Wednesday Post (11)

Posted April 17, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tessa over at Wishful Endings and it was based on Waiting on Wednesday that was hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

I decided that I’m going to do a mashup of the Can’t Wait Wednesday and WWW Wednesday posts here on my blog. I’m bringing them together and calling it The Wednesday Post. Here’s what I’m up to this week.

WWW Wednesday

What did you recently finish reading?

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5

I’m in a reading slump like no other. I’m hoping that this week is the week that I finally kick it to the curb for good but it’s Wednesday and I’ve only read one book. I enjoyed Magic Burns a lot more than I did the previous book but my reading slump is responsible for why it took me so long to read it. It was a fantastic book with magic, kick-ass heroines, charming side characters and a romance that just won’t quit. I’m so here for all of the Kate Daniels magic that I’ve been hearing so much about. I can see it and I can’t wait for more.

What are you currently reading?

Hook Shot (Hoops #3) by Kennedy Ryan

I started this book this morning and already, I’m hooked. Kenney Ryan writes fabulous contemporary romances that really pull at your heart strings. I can’t wait to dig more into Lotus and Kenan’s romance. I adored them in the other books and look forward to seeing them shine on their own.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang

I can’t wait any longer to get this book read. I need more Asian romances in my life. Kwan, here I come!

Can’t Wait Wednesday

The Wednesday Post (11)If It Makes You Happy
by Claire Kann
Published by Macmillan, Swoon Reads on June 4, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads

High school finally behind her, Winnie is all set to attend college in the fall. But first she's spending her summer days working at her granny’s diner and begins spending her midnights with Dallas—the boy she loves to hate and hates that she likes. Winnie lives in Misty Haven, a small town where secrets are impossible to keep—like when Winnie allegedly snaps on Dr. Skinner, which results in everyone feeling compelled to give her weight loss advice for her own good. Because they care that’s she’s “too fat.”

Winnie dreams of someday inheriting the diner—but it'll go away if they can't make money, and fast. Winnie has a solution—win a televised cooking competition and make bank. But Granny doesn't want her to enter—so Winnie has to find a way around her formidable grandmother. Can she come out on top?

My friend Holly put this book on my radar. First of all, that cover is gorgeous. I love the colors and the cover model is too freaking adorable. Her outfit is super cute and that blurb had me requesting this for review with a quickness. I need to read more diverse stories and this fits the bill well so I’m all about it. This book comes out on June 4th so mark calendars, lovely readers, this one promises to be good one. I just know it!

So, what are you reading this week? Anything good? Anything that you want to rant about?
Are you looking forward to If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann? What other books are you looking forward to releasing this year?

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The Wednesday Post (10)

Posted April 10, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tessa over at Wishful Endings and it was based on Waiting on Wednesday that was hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

I decided that I’m going to do a mashup of the Can’t Wait Wednesday and WWW Wednesday posts here on my blog. I’m bringing them together and calling it The Wednesday Post. Here’s what I’m up to this week.

WWW Wednesday

What did you recently finish reading?

Fumbled by Alexa Martin | The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen

I finished Fumbled last night and The Shameless Hour the night before last night. Both books were great reads and I’m super glad that I requested Fumbled for review. Poppy could have been me. She even talks like me and I really enjoyed seeing her with Ace and Big Ace. The romance was fantastic, the dialogue was real and I really need to go back and read Intercepted. Alexa Martin has made herself nice and comfy on my auto-buy list with just this one book. Total score for me.

Ever since Sarina Bowen put her Ivy Years series on Kindle Unlimited, I’ve been binge reading these books during the day at work. I love this series and it continues to be a favorite of mine. I liked Bella’s story a lot more with this reading than I did the first time and I can’t wait to jump into my work re-read of DJ and Lianne.

What are you currently reading?

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews | Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan

What do you think you’ll read next?

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs | The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Can’t Wait Wednesday

I will always look forward to new releases by Sarah Dessen. She writes the kind of stories that I absolutely love and always want to read. This upcoming release sounds like a great addition to her back list and I can’t wait to dig into my review copy of it. Woot!

The Wednesday Post (10)The Rest of the Story
by Sarah Dessen
Published by Harper Collins on June 4, 2019
Genres: Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Buy It: Amazon|Barnes & Noble
Add It: Goodreads

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?

So, what are you reading this week? Anything good? Anything that you want to rant about?
Are you looking forward to The Rest of the Story? What other books are you looking forward to releasing this year?

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