Friends with ARCs | Fable + Shine

Fable (Fable #1) by Adrienne Young

pub 9/1/20 by Wednesday Books
Young Adult - Fantasy
Received ARC from pub for review

First, Adrienne Young gives me the YA vikings story I didn't know I needed. And now with Fable, this fantasy tale filled with pirates and hidden treasure is yet another book I didn't know I needed in my life! Seventeen-year-old Fable is the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows and has spent her entire life on the seas. But when her mother drowns in a storm, her father abandons her on an island filled with thieves and all she can do is survive. After four years of barely making it, she finally escapes with the help of a young trader named West and it's off to find her father. But without much of a plan, nothing quite goes as expected. What awaits her is a close-knit crew that's suspicious of her, her father's growing empire and reputation, adventures, and finding a path all her own. I was immediately drawn into the world and the tenacity of this young woman who would stop at nothing to find her way back to father. My favorite parts definitely involved her and the crew. There's always something so satisfying about seeing the underdog, like Fable, prove her worth and earn hard-given trust. I rooted for her from the start and all the obstacles and twists Young threw her way certainly surprised me. The pace just never stopped moving forward and I can't wait to see how her story concludes in the next book. 

Share a memory of being on a boat/ship | During a girls' trip with one of my friends to Chicago, we decided to buy tickets to the architectural boat tour on a whim. If you love architecture, this is such a beautiful way to see the city. 

Shine (Shine #1) by Jessica Jung

pub 9/29/20 by Simon Pulse
Young Adult - Contemporary
Received ARC from pub for review

I'm not into K-pop but something about this book made me want to read it and I'm glad I did! Even though it's not a new favorite, it's entertaining and gave me an eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be a K-pop star. (Spoiler alert: it's grueling!) For the last six years, seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim has been training with DB Entertainment, one of Seoul's largest K-pop labels, in the hopes of one day becoming a star. It requires constant training on singing, dancing, and how to handle press. It leaves no room for imperfection or dating which works out, because neither is "allowed" anyway. Rachel genuinely loves music and singing but we watch her struggle with the pressures from her family, from herself, and of course, from the industry, especially when the darker side comes out. When she hits it off with K-pop star Jason Lee, he gets her love for what they do and I thought their interactions were really adorable and provided a much needed reprieve from pop star training stress. But that's what stood out to me the most about the book though. The author, Jessica Jung, was a K-pop star herself, and it shows in the writing. I kept getting the sense that the situations and feelings expressed through Rachel's character were coming from a very personal place. To me, that was the core of the story and provided more than enough drama and conflict for one book. There were a couple other side plots that I felt muddied up the main arc and could've been excluded. I definitely kept reading to see Rachel succeed and of course when I reached the end, that's when I realized this was a duology. So keep that in mind!

Favorite KPOP song of song featuring a KPOP artist? | Ice Cream by BLACKPINK featuring Selena Gomez. This choice should surprise no one. 

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Collaborative feature with Alexa. We read ARCs together and post our reviews on the same date.