The Oks Are Not OK by Grace K. Shim

“Seventeen-year-old Elena Ok (pronounced Oak) has mastered the art of being both a Los Angeles party girl and financially savvy influencer, but her family doesn’t see the brilliance behind her carefully curated image. Instead, they endlessly praise her older brother Gavin, whose most impressive achievement is consistently forgetting his homework. All of Elena’s hard work and social clout disintegrates when the Oks, founders of the wildly popular (and now bankrupt) fast fashion brand It’s Ok! (pronounced “OKAY”), lose their fortune overnight.

With their empire crumbling and an investigation underway, the Oks flee to Blaire, CA—a farming town that’s as glamourous as Temu. Mr. Ok, a now disgraced retail mogul, and Mrs. Ok, a now also disgraced fashion-forward matriarch, realize they’ve spent decades perfecting their public personas at the expense of actually knowing their kids. Meanwhile, Elena and Gavin are stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to distract them from their family’s unraveling dynamics—or each other’s annoying habits.

But life in Blaire isn’t all bad. As the family reconnects with their Korean farming heritage, Elena discovers a hidden the Blaire Fair, the local market brimming with untapped potential. Applying her business savvy, she helps the small-town vendors thrive and sees how they put their profits back into the community. For the first time, Elena begins to question her own definition of success.

The Oks are Not OK offers humor and drama to tell a story about family, self-discovery, and the fine line between building a brand and building a life.” - taken from Goodreads.

The Oks lose everything when they must declare bankruptcy. The only things they are left with are daughter Elana’s earnings as a social media influencer and a tiny house in a backwater town. Can this family find a way to pivot to survive living in small town Blaire while repairing their relationship?

Visit Grace K. Shim’s website. 

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

“Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by “Alex.” Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever-it-is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.” - taken from Goodreads.

Why did I wait so long to read this book! Mink and Alex are online acquaintances who share a love of movies. Bailey, AKA Mink, moves across the country to live with her father who has to live in the same town as Alex. She doesn't tell Alex that she has moved because she wants to work out a plan to try and find him first. Bailey gets a job at a local museum where she meets Porter Roth, a boy who immediately infuriates. Soon. Bailey/Mink finds herself drawn to Porter while pulling away from Alex. But what happens when her real life and on life persona collide? A cute romance story. 

Visit Jenn Bennett’s website.

 

From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn

 

“If Rika's life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale--being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts' business--she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn't quite fit the princess mold.

All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America's reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of hope and happiness--searching for clues that Grace is her long-lost mother, exploring Little Tokyo's hidden treasures with cute actor Hank Chen, and maybe...finally finding a sense of belonging.

But fairy tales are fiction and the real world isn't so kind. Rika knows she's setting herself up for disappointment, because happy endings don't happen to girls like her. Should she walk away before she gets in even deeper, or let herself be swept away?” - taken from Goodreads.com

Rika feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere. Orphaned at birth, she lives with her doting aunts and cousins. Biracial, she is often made to feel out of place in her Japanese American community. When she bumps into a famous movie store at a parade, Rika’s life is turned upside down when she realizes that her mother may be alive after all. With the help of the handsome Henry Chen who just so happens to be filming a movie with her supposed mother, the two go on a quest to uncover the truth. Rika must confront not only her own insecurities but fight against a racist bully and society's preconceived notions in order to uncover her own happily ever after.

Visit Sarah Kuhn’s website.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

 

“High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo--his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance--“Date Korean”--which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful--and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love--or himself--at all.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Frank Li (Frankly, pun intended) is a first-generation Korean-American. His parents are racist, having disowned his older sister for marrying a black man and believing that Frank should only date fellow Korean teenagers. He knows that his parents will never tolerate him dating his white girlfriend. So when the opportunity arises to fake date a friend in the same situation that he's in, it seems like the perfect plan.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading a Korean-American male POV, especially after reading I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee. This was a heartwarming story about trying to be true to oneself while still upholding your parents’ beliefs.

Visit David Yoon’s website.

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After book 1)

 

“Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.

In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.

Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book definitely lived up to all of the hype surrounding it. Izumi Tanaka and her mother live in Northern California. A high school senior, her mother doesn't talk about who her birth father is. One night at home with her friend Noora, they discover an inscription in a book by her mother's bed that is signed and dated the same year she was born. Noora decides that she is going to find out who this mystery man is. What Noora uncovers is that Izumi is the spitting image of the Crown Prince of Japan. When Izumi reaches out to her father, little does she know the firestorm her newfound identity causes.

 Definitely one of my top reads of 2021. 

Visit Emiko Jean’s website.

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

“The woods
The stars
And the boy who broke her heart”

“Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was a unique take on a romantic tale of friends/neighbors becoming significant others and the many uphill challenges they faced to finally be together again. Thrown together during a glamping trip gone wrong, Zorie and Lennon soon find themselves stranded in King’s Forest National Park. Their friends abandon the two of them after Zorie and her friend Reagan have words. With nowhere really else to go, the two hike through the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to reach Condor Park, where Zorie is to meet a friend for a star watching party. The further they hike, Zorie and Lennon reveal the pain from the past year being apart and realize their feelings for one another still remain. 

What truly makes the story different is that the author drew several maps outlining Zorie and Lennon’s journeys. Definitely loved reading this book! 

Visit Jenn Bennett’s website.

Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (Gold Seer trilogy book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Walk on Earth a Stranger, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book.

Check out Epic Reads if you need a recap on the first book.

“After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Where book one was all about the journey across the country to California, book two has Lee and her surviving friends trying to take a claim and find gold. Uncle Hiram isn’t going to let her get away and will stop at nothing to control Lee and make his own fortune. Fast paced and full of action, our heroine finds out the true meaning of friendship and personal freedom.

How far will Uncle Hiram go to control Leah? Are sparks building between Leah and Jefferson? Can Leah and her friends hold onto their gold claims and make it rich? What happens when Leah is offered her one chance of escape?

Leah’s story will be concluded in 2017 with book three. Visit Rae Carson’s website.

On the Fence by Kasie West

HEADS UP! Even though you don’t need to read Ms. West’s previous book, The Distance Between Us, you will recognize some characters and places from this book.

Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds is known as Charlie to everyone. With three older brothers, Gage, Jerom and Nathan, and raised by a single father, she knows more about being a boy and sports than being a girl. Braden Lewis, the boy who has lived next door for the past twelve years, is like brother number four. As an only child with a verbally abusive father, he is always hanging around. He and Gage are best friends. Her mother died when she was six and her dad has never remarried. She and her brothers are ready for summer break to begin. When their father comes home from work in a bad mood, he only has eyes for Charlie. He isn't happy that she received another speeding ticket and didn't tell him. As punishment, he is going to make her pay for not only this ticket but the last one as well, plus the extra cost in Insurance. Not having that kind of money, her dad tells her to get a job. She refutes that a job will interfere with sports practices and camps. He tells her that she will have to figure that problem out because he isn't backing down.

Gage goes to Old Town with Charlie to look for a job. He is scoping out the girls while she picks up applications. Charlie goes into one store and meets Skye Lockwood. Skye isn’t hiring but she sends her down two doors to Linda’s Bazaar, a clothing store. Linda will put her to work Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as Saturday mornings for a total of eight hours. She knows that Charlie really isn’t interested in a job and that she was put up to this. Linda tells Charlie that she will need some better clothes for work. She will help her pick them out and her first two week paycheck will cover the cost. On Charlie’s first day, Linda gives her all kinds of outfits to try on. Charlie doesn’t feel comfortable  and Linda decides on what she will wear. Charlie trains for her job and at the end of her shift, she changes back into her old clothes. Linda asks her why but Charlie doesn’t tell her that she doesn’t want her father and brothers to see her this way. Linda thinks her mother would like to see her dressed up. Knowing how Linda “mothers” Skye since her mother left her when she was young, Charlie doesn’t want to see her pity when she tells her about her mother. She lies and says that her mother is a tomboy like she is.

That night, Charlie has a nightmare about the car accident that killed her mother. Not wanting to go back to sleep, she heads out to the backyard. At 3am, she is surprised to witness Mr. Lewis just coming home. Not long after, lights in the neighboring house come on and the yelling begins. She is stunned when the back door flies open and Braden comes out. Charlie watches him through the slats of the fence that separate the two yards. She speaks to him and he think it is Gage. He comes over to the fence and finds her. He sits with his back to the fence and Charlie does the same. They begin by talking around the events that led them to the  fence and the conversation soon turns into a competition of sorts about how well they know the each other. Charlie realizes that even though Braden is her brother’s best friend, she really doesn’t know everything. The competition ends when his dad starts yelling again and Braden starts to head back inside to see if he can get him to go to bed. As he is leaving, he tells Charlie that their conversation isn’t over and that he will be victorious in the end.

At work, Linda tells Charlie that she is thinking about selling makeup in the store. The distributor wants to hold a class on Saturday to drum up business. Linda thinks that Charlie will be the perfect model and will split any commission she makes with her. Charlie reluctantly agrees thinking that she can quit sooner with the extra money she could make. Since Charlie is underage, her mother or one of her parents will have to sign a liability form. Linda says that she should invite her mother to the class. Feeling guilty, Charlie continues with her lie and says that her mother is working on Saturday. She comes home to find her “four brothers” playing a game inside the house. Braden grabs her as she comes in and tells her what is going on. They need to keep quiet so as not to be found. With her pulled up against him, Braden can smell the perfume that Skye sprayed on her. Charlie notices how close they are before Gage tells them that if they were playing the game, they would both be “dead” by now. She is shaken by how close they were touching.

Working two nights a week interrupts Charlie’s running schedule and hence her ability to sleep fitfully from pure exhaustion. Charlie and her father are awkward around each other when they are alone and girl stuff needs to be discussed. Not wanting him or her brothers to know about the makeup class, she forges her mother’s signature to the consent form. Looking out the window, she sees that Braden’s light is on in his room. She send him a text to see if he wants to meet for a fence chat. Sitting back to back against the fence, Charlie tells Braden that she is feeling guilty about lying to her boss without telling him what she has lied about. Braden tells her that it is okay unless it is something that will continue to eat at her. They return to their competition/conversation and Braden mentions that Charlie doesn’t like girls who wear certain articles of clothing. She tells him that it should be a rule not to date someone like that. Braden comments that she has never given him dating advice before. Charlie admits that she knows the type of girls he would date and Braden thinks that she doesn't know what type of girl he wants to date. Charlie tries not to read anything into it.

The makeup class is a success but Charlie cannot wait to take it off. Amber, the distributor, invites her to lunch with a couple of her friends, but she begs off. Amber will not take no for an answer next week. Linda takes a photo of Charlie’s makeup to take home to her mother before she wipes it off. Looking at the photo at home, Charlie is shocked to see that she looks just like her mother’s wedding portrait hanging in the hallway. She hides the photo when Gage bursts into her bedroom. Gage says that he will find out what she is hiding one day. The next night at work, Linda presets Charlie with a check for her cut of the commission. She says that it was such a big success, she has printed fliers when Charlie’s photo on them to advertise. Charlie hopes that no one will recognize her.

Will Charlie find the courage to ask her family about her mother’s death? How does Linda discover the truth about Charlie’s mother? What does she say to Charlie? Does Charlie become more comfortable with the feminine side of her or will she just always be a tomboy? What happens when the men in Charlie’s life discover what she is doing for her job? Will they finally see Charlie as a young woman? And will Charlie be able to admit her growing feelings for the boy next door and will he feel the same way?

Visit Kasie West’s website.

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater (The Wolves of Mercy Falls book 3.5)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Shiver, Linger and Forever, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story about one of my favorite fictional couples for you.

“Can this sinner be saved?”

Isabel Culpepper and her family left Mercy Falls, Minnesota for Los Angeles, California to attempt to start a new life after the death of her brother Jack. Finishing the last five months of her senior year of high school is the least of her worries. Her parents have separated and she and her mother live with her mother’s sister and her daughter. With few friends, Isabel works as a model for a fashion designer. She has the aloof personality down pat. She has attempted to get over Cole St. Clair, whom she left behind in Mercy Falls where he had become a wolf. She wasn’t expecting Cole to come crashing back into her life.

Cole St. Clair has drastically cleaned up his rock star life since he was bitten and became a wolf. Booze and drugs no longer give him the release that shifting into wolf form does. He is back in California to not only restart his musical career but make amends with Isabel. Signing on to be the star of a web show where the stars are known to become train wrecks, he is determined to be a success instead. When his initial meeting with Isabel doesn’t go as planned, will Cole be able to win her back or will he slip back into his former rock star life?

One of my favorite book couples, I was extremely excited to read more about Cole and Isabel’s story. Snippets of Sam and Grace’s life back in Minnesota are sprinkled throughout the story.

Visit Maggie Stiefvater’s website.

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Ezra Faulkner's life drastically changed just weeks before he finished his junior year of high school. Class president and captain of the tennis team, he and his girlfriend had a disagreement and Ezra went to a party by himself. Expecting to meet Charlotte there, he is shocked when someone tells him to go look in one of the bedrooms at the house where the party is being held. There he finds his girlfriend with another guy and he makes the long trek back to his car after he interrupts them. Stopped in a blind spot, a SUV runs a stop sign and plows into Ezra's car. Everyone at the party scattered when the police arrived in fear of being caught for underage drinking. Not one of his friends rode in the ambulance with him. His mother put on her makeup and jewelry before coming to the hospital when called. In the blink of an eye, Ezra’s life has changed. Once the popular kid at school, Ezra now has a shattered knee that will never be the same. Ezra's tennis career is over and his future uncertain.

Now, no one expects anything from Ezra. On the first day of his senior year, his most humiliating moment occurs at the opening pep rally. Using a cane, Ezra has no one to sit with and must sit on the front row with the teachers. His former best friend Toby sits with him. The two drifted apart at the beginning of seventh grade; Ezra was an athlete and Toby soon joined the debate team. Striking up a conversation, Toby realizes that Ezra is uncomfortable as the athletic teams, including the tennis team are announced. He makes a crack comment and a teacher throws them out of the gym. Ezra is grateful and Toby asks if he will think about joining the debate team.

His first class, AP Euro is taught by his former tennis coach and even though the situation is beyond Ezra's control, it seems as if Mr. Anthony has it out for him. He does notice that there is a new girl in the class who stands out in her attire. She is dressed in a men's button down shirt with jean shorts and carries a worn leather satchel. Definitely not trying to fit in, Ezra is intrigued by her deep blue eyes and red hair. She asks where to find her second class and even though it is the same one he has, he declines to escort her. Ezra struggles to walk with his cane and doesn't want anyone to see him. Knowing he is no longer part of the in crowd, he finds another place to spend lunch, not realizing how truly awful coming back to school would be after his accident.

Ezra arrives early for his senior Spanish class. Soon some of his former teammates come in and sit next to him. They begin talking and offer to share some of their takeout lunch with him and ask if he would like to join them tomorrow. Charlotte enters and comes over to talk with the other boys. He soon realizes that not only is Evan the new tennis team captain but dating Charlotte as well. He has effectively stepped into Ezra's old life. Charlotte ignores him either out of pity or guilt, he isn't sure. Comments are made when the new girl walks into class. Mrs. Martin has everyone to pair up for introductory interviews. Everyone will introduce their partner to the class en espanol. Where the guys were friendly with Ezra just moments ago, he is now the odd man out and finds himself with the new girl. She tells him that her name is Cassidy and that she use to go to a boarding school. She spent the summer in a high school program at Oxford University studying Shakespeare. Ezra has never really been out of the country. They make it through the introductions.

Ezra is invited the next day to have lunch with Toby and his group of friends. Cassidy joins them. An eclectic mix of teens, Ezra has a clear shot of his former table with his friends. The same friends who texted him all summer to join them on outdoor excursions he couldn't physically do and never visited him at the hospital. The sight of Evan and Charlotte all over each other stings and he realizes that they have been together for a while. Even more shocking is the fact that Toby knows Cassidy. She is an excellent debater who always won the competitions. Toby is surprised that the two of them know each other.

One evening after a meeting with his senior advisor, Ezra is no longer sure of his future. Before the accident he was the golden boy who colleges would be recruiting him to play tennis. Now he is unsure. He sees Cassidy in the parking lot coming from her own meeting with her advisor. They begin talking and Ezra notices for the first time how beautiful she is so unlike the other fake looking girls at their school. He asks where her car is and she says that she rode her bike, trying to reduce her carbon footprint. Before he can think about, Ezra offers her a ride home; carpooling reduces the footprint as well. He is afraid a coyote may come down into the neighborhoods on her way home. She readily agrees.

In the car, Cassidy comments how she likes the Ezra who isn't afraid to talk better than the closed of Ezra at school. He is startled that she has noticed. After the third degree by the gate guard at her subdivision, she immediately suggests that they go to the park. After Ezra pushes her on the swings and he points out his bedroom window, the park lies in between their respective houses, he phone buzzes. It is her mother. Not use to living at home and checking in, Cassidy leaves on her bike. Ezra watches her knowing that in a million years a girl like Cassidy would never be interested in a boy like him.

As a joke, Toby signs up Ezra for the debate team when the coach passes around an interest page. He sees his name and writes Cassidy's down as well. When the two of them are called early from their lunch, it is to let them know that the coach has already signed them up for a competition the following weekend. Cassidy is furious when they leave. She no longer wanted to debate. The only way to now refuse is to publicly forfeit. Ezra had no idea how she felt and he admits to signing her name on the page. Her anger turns to Ezra. He walks with a limp and a cane; people know why he no longer plays tennis. She doesn't want to explain why she no longer debates to people she has just met. Ezra feels awful.

Later that night, Toby's group of friends has invited Ezra to join them for a movie screening at the high school. Cassidy is already there when Ezra arrives and the movie has started. He spends the entire night secretly watching Cassidy. She seems so sad and he wonders what has happened in life. He is surprised when Cassidy comes over to talk to him when the movie is over. He says that is surprised that she is talking to him. She lets him know that she is over being mad. She is going to prep him so that he can win the debate competition.

What happened to Cassidy that she quit debating? Does Ezra win the debate competition? Will Ezra's accident and injuries turn out to be a positive turning point in his life? What does his future hold? Can he go from being Eastwood's most popular golden boy to finding who his true friends really are? Will Cassidy be able to return Ezra's feelings? And what happens when their friendship hits a major bump in the road?

Visit Robyn Schneider's website.