It's time for the tea!
For the month of August, Becca and I chose Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia as our Online Tea Party pick.
If you are new to Online Tea Party, it is a monthly book club held by Becca and I! Each month we announce a new book and come up with a few questions to discuss it, usually while drinking tea. We have tons of fun and usually end up spending all month fangirling and screaming "FEELS" to each other (okay, mostly me...) We then post our discussion on our respective blogs.
Becca and I had both been looking forward to this book because we heard so many good things about it! I am also an aspiring comic artist and so reading a book that dealt with a protagonist who runs her own webcomic sounded AWESOME!
Well.....the book was way different than I thought. Let's discuss it.
***Spoilers Ahead***
1. Did you like Eliza as the protagonist? Why or Why Not?
Um.....I hate to say this but.....no. I thought Eliza was kind of rude, ungrateful, and really ostracized herself. A lot of her problems were her own doing, in my opinion. One example was how she always thought her brothers hated her, even though they had kept her secret for years, without her even asking. It seemed like any time she got some sass from them, she automatically went to "they hate me so much". Wallace touched on it by telling her that's how siblings are, and she doesn't seem to believe it. She also was kind of a really crappy friend. While her friends were going through their own rough times, she was bemoaning about a guy who really liked her!
2. What part did you like the least?
I really got disliked the camping trip scene. I thought it was kind of sad that the family is bonding and she refuses to join them. I understand she was hurt, and her parents weren't completely clear of blame, but it seemed like she pushed them away a lot during this scene. Plus, she didn't even join in on the food!!!
Also, I had a huge issue with suicide scene, where Eliza nearly attempts suicide at the turn. It seemed all of a sudden and way out of pace for the rest of the book.
3. Have you ever felt completely consumed by a fandom and its community?
Yes! I'm a huge fangirl of so many things. It hink most prominently, Harry Potter. I attended all the midnight releases, owned every bit of memorabilia I could get my hands on, and it was my home during a difficult time in my life. It still is a place I go to when I need comfort. Plus, it was my first venture into fanfic (bad, self insert stuff, ughhh....). I think I tend to always jump full force into my fandoms and it makes me feel connected to this fantastic universe, especially on when days feel lonely.
4. Did you go into the book thinking it would take a dark turn in the second half?
I don't think so. Honestly, I had no idea what I expected to find in this book. I expected the book to focus more on her inner demons, or "monsters", but I don't think I saw the book panning out the way it did.
5. Was it worth the hype?
Sorry, Eliza...not really. I found the pacing kind of off, the characters kind of insufferable, and really wasn't feeling it.
Overall, I was not a huge fan of this book. I received the copy in an Owlcrate, but it's not something I would have bought for myself. I give it a 2.5/5 star rating
If you would like to join in on the fun, comment below or visit us on Twitter! You can also check out Becca's blog here!
Our new books are announced on my Instagram (@raineedayze) so be sure to check it at the beginning of the month!
Always, Raineedayze
Hey guys and welcome to our first "official" Online Tea Party. If you're new here, Online Tea Party is a book club started by myself and Becca from My Life As A Sports Fangirl. Each month, we pick a book and come up with a few questions, preferably while sipping some yummy tea. For the month of July, we chose When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
This book has been all over the internet and both of us were so stoked to finally read it.
Dimple is an Indian girl who is constantly at war with her parents, who want her to find the "Ideal Indian Husband". After her parents allow her to attend a technology-based summer program with the opportunity to develop an app with a tech genius, Dimple thinks they may finally be on her side and give up on the IIH. Unbeknownst to her, Rishi, a very traditional Indian teen, is on his way to the same camp after being told he would be able to connect with his future wife. When Rishi approaches her with "Hello future wife!", Dimple throws an iced coffee in his face and runs away. And that is just the beginning.
This book not only tells a cute romantic story, but it also deals with fitting in, discovering yourself, and figuring out the role people play in their lives.
Dimple is constantly rebelling against the traditional Indian ideal, while Rishi is trying to be the perfect Indian son that he feels his parents expect of him. One of the things I really liked about this book was that it dealt with the conflict that comes from wanting to do what is expected and what you really want in life. Rishi loves art and comics but is going to school to become an engineer because he feels he must keep a sensible job and provide his family with the perfect Indian son, since his brother is more interested in girls, basketball, and is more "American-ized".
Now, onto the questions of the month!
1. Who do you identify more with, Dimple or Rishi?
I think I definitely identify with Rishi more. Not only am I a huge art/comic nerd, I also tend to think with my heart instead of my head. Obviously, Rishi is trying to do the sensible thing career and marriage-wise, but throughout the book, he tends to rely more on how he feels while Dimple tends to hold back in order to maintain order. The dinner scene was where I really felt connected to Rishi because when the douchey rich kids are being gross and racist, he sticks up for himself and Dimple without a second thought. Plus, he has some epic one-liners.
2. Dimple and Rishi attend a program to develop a new app. If you could design an app, what would it be?
I love Dimple's app idea. She chooses to develop a fun game for helping diabetics track their levels and medication, inspired by her father who struggles with diabetes. Since I am in a relationship with a diabetic, I see how difficult in can be to track their health, especially because it feels so ostracizing in our junk food obsessed world. If I could develop an app, I would like to develop an app that would connect two people with like-minded interests with each other through a co-op based strategy game. The app would provide extra rewards for good teamwork, and penalize for bad teamwork.
3. What was your favorite moment?
The Bollywood dance!! I loved that scene and was so excited for Dimple and Rishi to perform it. I looked up the song on YouTube to put me in the right mindset and then jammed out to it all night. The entire talent show was a huge emotional rollercoaster, because after being so excited, Rishi gets in a fight with the douchey guys and I was so scared he would get the team disqualified. Plus, gross sexism from douchey guys was gross.
4. Are you a hopeless romantic like Rishi?
Yes. YA has convinced me that meet-cutes are normal. Plus, I fell in love with my boyfriend the day I met him so I think I'm pretty hopeless. Luckily, he loved me back ;)
5. Was it worth the hype?
At first, I was having a hard time getting into the story, because Indian culture is so incredibly foreign to me. I felt kind of lost at the beginning, especially because I had no idea what some of the phrases meant and was having a hard time figuring out who was who. But this book was totally worth the hype. I adored it so much and give it 4/5 stars.
Did you read When Dimple Met Rishi? Leave your answers or a link to your blog post in the comments so I can check it out! Make sure to check out Becca's post as well!!
Follow me on Instagram (@raineedayze) to see what we read next and feel free to pour yourself a cup of tea with us!
Always, Raineedayze
Guys, I'm so excited to finally announce this!!
So, if you saw my post from Tuesday, you may have noticed that I mentioned a book club. Becca from My Life As A Sports Fangirl and I have started an online book club, tentatively called "Online Tea Party"!
So what does this mean?
Like any other book club, we will choose a book to read and then review it on our respective blogs. We are in the process of creating some fun activities and questions to go along with the books that we choose each month.
---THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!---
This month, we chose "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon.
This book was super fluffy and I really enjoyed being able to read something fun and cute for a change!
The book follows Madeline (Maddy) and Oliver (Olly), two teenagers who meet when Olly's family moves next door. There's only one kind of big problem...Maddy has SCID, a disease that essentially makes her deathly allergic to the outside world. Maddy has spent 18 years living in her house, doing classes online, under 24-hr care from her mother and nurse. But once she gets a taste of what she is missing, Maddy may fall in love with the life that in turn may kill her.
This book was my first venture into Nicola Yoon's writing and although I did enjoy the book, I found it a little cheesy. It was very reminiscent of a John Green novel. Both authors are great writers, however the story does have some parts that are a little unrealistic.
For example, 18 year old Maddy applies for a (pretty incredible) credit card and gets approved immediately, with no credit score, no credit history, and no sort of history in pretty much anything. The twist at the end was also a little unrealistic.
At the end of the book, we find out that Maddy's mom had suffered a mental breakdown due to the loss of her son and husband and has essentially held Maddy hostage her entire life by convincing her she is too ill to be outside. Though it is never addressed as abuse, that is pretty much exactly what abuse is. I found that it was a little odd that Maddy's nurses didn't seem to look too far into her illness to make the discovery themselves.
Another issue I had with the book was the sex scene between Maddy and Olly. Sex in YA has never bothered me but it was a little sudden to go from "I could die by breathing the outside air" to having sex. I feel that there would possibly be some hesitation, some build-up to the decision, but it was pretty rushed and a little clunky.
All in all, I found the book to be a good read if you're in the mood to turn your brain off for a bit and look at incredible artwork.
For fans of: John Green, David Levithan
Overall Review: 3/5
Be sure to check out Becca's review HERE!
Have you read "Everything, Everything"? Let's chat in the comments!
Our next book will be announced on Twitter and Instagram, so be sure to follow us over there!
Always, Raineedayze
