SOPHIE LI

Hello everyone,

How are you all doing? I know I’ve been a bit MIA here. Life’s been busy and I’m still trying to find a good blogging-reading-writing-life balance. Now that baby’s on board, and I’ve decided to pursue writing seriously, time is limited and I have to pick and choose my priorities. I enjoy blogging and it’s taken a long time to build this blog up to what it is now, and I don’t want to give that up. But the reality is that now my “me” time is limited, and I want to use it to do something I love, something fun. That’s what’s been putting me off opening up WordPress and starting a new blog post, because… blogging had become like a job for me, and it wasn’t something I did for me anymore.

I’d like to change that though. I’ve always liked the idea of having an online corner of the universe, and being able to keep in touch with blogging friends who share similar interests, but just… less pressure. I’d like to blog less frequently, and choose to write blog posts that mean something to me instead of just for the sake of writing something.

Speaking for myself of course. A not-so-new but still sleep-deprived mom who’d like to get a book published one day 🥲

Even though blogging’s been slow, I’ve read lots of books. I realized that I’m more eager to read books when I know I don’t have to write a review about them later hahaha. I also enjoy being able to dive into the story without that “inner reviewer” making an ongoing commentary about plot, character development, world building etc (although, the inner reviewer has never left me.)

Here are the books that I’ve read in the past few months. I’ve definitely been in a YA/adult rom com mood these days as you can see in my book choices.

Middle Grade

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Scritch Scratch — This MG horror story gave me all the chills. I think MG horror is probably all the horror I could do.

Archimancy (Shadow School #1) — Another MG horror story. I couldn’t get into this one as much but overall it was a fun read.

Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1) — This book is worth ALL the hype. It has all the Nevermoor and Harry Potter vibes (give me a magical boarding school novel anytime). At first there were some plot points that were REALLY reminiscent of Nevermoor, but a plot twist towards the end really distinguished this as a story of its own. Definitely worth a read if you’re into MG fantasy.

YA

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Kate in Waiting — I could NEVER resist a Becky Albertalli book and this one did not disappoint!!! I loved the sharp, snappy voice of the main character and her banter with her BFF and romantic interest.

Happily Ever Afters — I loved that this book was about a young writer finding her inspiration, which was so relatable for me. Staring at a blank Word document? Story of my life!!!

Always Never Yours — I know I’m late on this bandwagon but UGH how come I didn’t read this one sooner??!?! It’s SO good. The best part? The super ADORABLY squishy Owen who is Japanese!!! I’d love to see more Asian male MCs in romance.

If I’m Being Honest — I had to read this one after finishing Always Never Yours. The tone is a bit more serious compared to Always Never Yours, and I liked that there was more of a family element in addition to romance.

Adult

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Act Your Age, Eve Brown — This is actually my favourite of the Brown Sisters series. Eve Brown’s character development and her budding relationship with Jacob felt organic and not forced. I also liked that there is an autistic character in this book, although I cannot speak to the accuracy of representation.

The Flatshare — I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two MCs in this book. Despite the scandalous book description, the story’s actually quite tame because it took a while for the characters to meet each other lol. I also adored the male MC who is introverted and kind.

That’s all! Let me know what you’ve been reading these past few months. Have you read any of these books too?