– I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. –

To be published by Random House on 31 Jan 2017
Goodreads | Amazon

At a private East Coast college, two young women meet in art class. Sharon Kisses, quietly ambitious but self-doubting, arrives from rural Kentucky. Mel Vaught, brash, unapologetic, wildly gifted, brings her own brand of hellfire from the backwaters of Florida. Both outsiders, Sharon and Mel become fervent friends, bonding over underground comics and dysfunctional families. Working, absorbing, drinking. Drawing: Mel, to understand her own tumultuous past, and Sharon, to lose herself altogether.

A decade later, Sharon and Mel are an award-winning animation duo, and with the release of their first full-length feature, a fearless look at Mel’s childhood, they stand at the cusp of success. But while on tour to promote the film, cracks in their relationship start to form: Sharon begins to feel like a tag-along and suspects that raucous Mel is the real artist. When unexpected tragedy strikes, long-buried resentments rise to the surface, threatening their partnership—and hastening a reckoning no one sees coming.

This was the year I got more into book blogging. I used to share musings about small parts of the books I finished–not necessarily on what the book was about but just on whatever I latched on. But lately I’ve been practicing writing book reviews that actually cover what the books were about and/or how they made me feel. This was also the year I joined NetGalley, which I learned about from Heather @ Of Beauty and Happiness. NetGalley is a community of publishers, authors, and reviewers who work together to share upcoming releases. Anyone with a platform (other than/in addition to Goodreads, like a blog or Youtube channel) can be a reviewer. As a reviewer, I am so lucky to be able to receive egalleys to review before publication, and that has definitely encouraged me to read more this year! I’ve read one less book than last year (which was annoying because 28 is a prettier number and it allows me to collage a 4×7 image for this blog post), but I’m happier with my book choices. Less fluffy reads than last year.

– I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. –

Published by Henry Holt & Company on 10 Jan 2017
Goodreads | Amazon

Inspired by the secret life of the author’s grandmother, Lotus follows a young woman as she defies her fate and escapes to the city and all it holds for her—be it love, danger, or destiny.

Surviving by her wits alone, Lotus charges headlong into the neon lights of Shenzhen, determined to pull herself out of the gutter and decide her own path. She’s different than the other streetwalkers—reserved, even defiant, Lotus holds her secrets behind her red smile.

The new millennium should’ve brought her better luck, but for now she leads a double life, wiring the money home to her family and claiming she earns her wages waiting tables. Her striking eyes catch the attention of many, but Lotus weighs her options between becoming the concubine of a savvy migrant worker or a professional girlfriend to a rich and powerful playboy. Or she may choose the kind and decent Hu Binbing, a photojournalist reporting on China’s underground sex trade—who has a hidden past of his own. She knows that fortunes can shift with the toss of a coin and, in the end, she may make a choice that leads her on a different journey entirely.

Written with compassion and vivid prose, Lotus was inspired by the deathbed revelation that the author’s grandmother had been sold to a brothel in her youth. With compelling insight, Lijia Zhang reveals the surprising strength found in those confronted with impossible choices.