Book Review Tuesday (9/3/19)-This Time Will Be Different

Hello there, fellow bibliophiles, and welcome to this week’s Book Review Tuesday–the first BRT of September 2019!

I just finished this one up a little under a week ago. Going into it, I’d heard a boatload of praise from it…plus, that ✨GORGEOUS COVER…✨

*ahem* moving on…

This Time Will Be Different  is such an important book for our current climate; not only is it a book about fighting against all forms of discrimination, but one of forging your own path and going where your heart tells you to go. A very impactful and moving novel.

Enjoy this week’s review!

This Time Will Be Different

Seventeen-year-old C.J. Katsuyama has always felt torn about her dreams; her mother constantly pressures her to be a perfect, straight A student and a future programmer, but her heart lies in Heart’s Desire, her aunt’s flower shop that traces its history back to her first-generation Japanese immigrant ancestors. At Heart’s Desire, C.J. truly feels at peace, and though she hasn’t perfected her craft of making the right bouquet for every occasion, she’s quickly learning, and to her, that’s what matters.

But in a sudden turn of events, C.J.’s mother proposes to sell Heart’s Desire–and to the same company that, many years earlier, cheated it away from her immigrant grandparents. Now, C.J. feels that she truly has something to fight for–but will her efforts be in vain?

Man. I haven’t read a book quite like this in a while.

This is, in every sense of the word, a beautifully feminist novel. Not only does the plot center around dismantling racist cultures, it also tackles other, equally important topics, such as LGBTQ+phobia, the problem of the white savior, and (briefly) teen pregnancy. It all felt very real, from the relationships the characters have to the high school environment. I found myself rooting for C.J. (weeeelll…most of the time, I found her to be a tad impulsive and insensitive at some points, but it was somewhat warranted) on every page. Unputdownable and unforgettable. Not perfect, certainly, but something that everyone needs to read, especially in this day and age.

This Time Will Be Different is a standalone, but Misa Siguira does have another novel that came out a few years back, It’s Not Like It’s A Secret. I’ve been meaning to read it for years, but it’s never available at the library…woe is me… 😦

Thank you so much for reading this review! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourself!