Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Since You Asked...


DISCLAIMER: Maurene Goo is a good friend of mine, so my opinion on her book is obviously biased. However, I am really picky about the things I choose to support regardless if they're made by friends or not, and there are real reasons I was such an advocate of Maurene's writing from the moment I first read Since You Asked (formerly The Holly Columns).

Imagine Seinfeld... as a Korean American teenage girl in San Diego. That basically sums up my reading experience of Since You Asked, with all its biting satire, hilarious hijinks, and heartfelt family drama. I seriously felt like I was watching a great sitcom about teen life as it is, not as it's idealized or glamorized, and it was oh so refreshing. This is high school -- awkward, ridiculous, and coming off the tail end of childhood.

I honestly wish I had this book to read while I was a teen. I was a mixed race kid of a loving Korean immigrant mother and an alcoholic father, growing up in middle-of-nowhere mostly caucasian Rochester, NY. I really could've used a window into life as a Korean American teen without the Korean-ness making her feel alien or weird, a window that showed how funny and beautiful it is to eat kimchee with Thanksgiving dinner; a window that made fun of how nonsensical high school life was, and one that told me it was perfectly cool to skip Homecoming Dance or feel totally uncomfortable at some kid's house party that was going way out of control.

I feel like there are other kids out there that could use this window too, one that acknowledges that despite all the pressures to be fashionable, well-liked, and getting a date, you're still a kid and that's okay. Far too often it feels like we're pushing our kids to grow faster than necessary, and it's nice to read a book that doesn't do that without it being condescending or sugar-coating anything.

Since You Asked is all of the above, and hilarious to boot. Seriousness aside, the book is just plain fun to read and you're going to love the characters. I can see a lot of appeal to fans of John Green, Maureen Johnson, and even Jeff Kinney's Diary of Wimpy Kid.

This is a stand-alone book, but there is so much potential for Holly's world and her friends. I truly hope a second one is on the horizon, because I could spend days at BHS and I would have a big smile on my face the whole time.

But, as they say on Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word for it!

Read an excerpt

or

Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound.

P.S. Maurene if you're reading this... you're SO GOOD at writing romance!! Holy moly! David and Holly need to get together. :)

6 comments:

  1. Oh Amy, a tear came to my eye. I think you really really understood why I wrote this book and makes me feel like this was ALL WORTH IT! Thank you so much for all your support and helping make this happen!

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    1. Haha Maurene, the book world needs more honest and funny voices like yours. Can't wait to see what you cook up next! ^^

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. Hi Amy! I'm Heather and I have a question about your blog that I was hoping you could answer! If you could email me at Lifesabanquet1(at)gmail(dot)com I would greatly appreciate it!

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  4. Hello,Kim I have no idea whether this comment will reach you or not
    I know that you have put a lot of work on the Rema chronicles and it was a delight to read ,one of the best ever.However I have soo many questions that I just need the answers for .The first one that comes to mind is that I need to know when you will be able to launch The Rema Chronicles:Kingdom of Water.I need to know and more than me , my friend who is a hundred times more passionate about your series than I am.It would be great to know more about Tabby, Phillip, Lina, Pete, General Raed and the grand meridian priestess.Who is Cenri Helvir?Why is he the key to everything?
    Please please please please even if you don't answer these questions please reply

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  5. *Merofian I am so sorry about the autocorrect

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