Zoulfa Katouh's sophomore novel The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue takes readers on a magical journey of healing where a seventeen-year-old girl uses a magical sketchbook to reconnect with her mother and her culture. Jihad has always been told that her family has gifts from Syria - from her mother's ability to speak with jellyfish, to her aunt who can sense the future, to her sister's uncanny affinity for order. Her gift came in the form of colors and she used to be able to see everything just a little brighter. After her mother's death plunged her world into shades of grey, a future at art school seemed impossible. 

When she's enrolled at the elite Braxton Academy to finish her senior year, she begins to hope for a brighter future, where Braxton's prestige could help her achieve her dream of attending Opus School of Art. However, her religion and name quickly sets her apart and makes her target amongst the other students. When she finds a sketchbook in her mother's desk that was made from a tree in her mother's hometown in Syria, Jihad slowly begins to rediscover her voice and color through paintings that depict her mother's story of leaving her home behind to start a new life in a city that ultimately failed her.

published June 2nd, 2026 - 368 pages - e-arc on behalf of Toppling Stacks Tours purchase on: bookshop* | barnes and nobles | amazon

I was fully prepared to be bawling because Zoulfa Katouh pretty much eviscerated me with her debut novel. The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue dives into themes of grief, religious intolerance, racism, and hate crimes against the Muslim community in New York City. 

From the less than warm welcome she receives from Braxton Academy to her stilted relationship with her father and sister, Jihad's grief becomes part of you as the reader and you feel the heavy weight of her despair through the first half of the story. As she slowly finds healing through her art, it truly felt like the colors came back and the novel itself bloomed. I felt her pain the same way I felt her anger and frustration at being stereotyped for her name - the same way I felt her loss at being torn between being American and wanting so desperately to connect with a culture that feels so foreign. 

Zoulfa Katouh manages to capture this balance of longing and anger that Jihad struggles with so perfectly. Her feelings felt justified and for every piece of injustice she experienced, my heart broke for her a little bit more. Seeing the rude remarks from her classmates followed by each betrayal from her closest friend revealed the unfortunate truth about America's white-centric societal values and its blatant Islamophobia. There were times I genuinely had to stop reading because I got so angry at the sheer audacity and privilege of the white upper class. The one bright light that helped Jihad cling to sanity came in the form of a golden-retriever boy named Jamie. I was initially kind of anxious about him but I shouldn't have doubted Zoulfa's character writing because he was truly such a green flag. I definitely appreciated that their friendship never made an attempt to overshadow Jihad's healing journey and instead he became a sense of safety and support for her to lean on as she reclaim her mother's stories.

To quote the editor's note at the beginning, this book truly "tore me apart and stitched me back to together." The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue left me seeing the world with just a little bit more color and a strange desire to go to an aquarium to speak with the jellyfish.

all images are from unsplash - all rights to the original photographers - luna park | red paint | pho | washington square park

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

a huge thank you to Topping Stacks Tours for providing me with an e-arc - all thoughts are 100% my own. please click on the tour banner to view the other stops!

 If there's one thing that will revive my basically non-existent reader hobby, it's the yearly Asian readathon hosted by readwithcindy every May for AAPI month. I usually fail but last year, I actually stuck with my TBR and completed all the prompts so I'm feeling tentatively hopeful that I might be able to do the same this year (despite my reading being actually abysmal this year). Also, the prompts are inspired by K-pop Demon Hunters so how could I not at least make a TBR to motivate myself?

1. HOW IT'S DONE: Read a book written featuring a confident, skilled, or highly capable main character OR a book that teaches you something
I actually don't have a specific book picked for this prompt but I'm pretty sure that one of the books on my tbr is going to teach me something or have a capable main character.

2. GOLDEN: Read a book about a character chasing a dream OR a book that has gold on the cover
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang 
A PhD student travels with her academic rival into hell to save their professor
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
A girl becomes a palace concubine to save her family and finds herself in the middle of a fight for the throne
Author(s) Representation: Chinese

I would ideally love to read both but only one would actually count towards the readathon since both authors are Chinese.

3. SODA POP: Read a book that is light and fun OR a book with stylish, bold elements (cover design, story setting, fantasy magic, writing style, etc.)
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura
A bookstore that only appears during the cherry blossom season that offers solace and healing
Author Representation: Japanese

4. FREE: Read a book written by an Asian author where characters balance two different identities OR fighting a hidden/internal struggle
Behind Five Willows by June Hur
Korean-inspired homage to Jane Austen following a reader and writer secretly fighting against government book banning
Author Representation: Korean

5. YOUR IDOL vs. WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE: Read a book written by an Asian author that has dark themes OR a book about friendship or chosen family
Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
A gothic fantasy where a young women who can see the dead enters a contract with the Saint of Silence to save her brother's life
Author Representation: Iraqi

Salt Swept by Katalina Watts
A ragtag crew on a quest to find a hidden treasure in the middle of a raging whirlpool, but they need to find a boat and learn how to sail it first
Author Representation: Filipino

In honor of Valentine's Day and February being the month of love, I figured it was only fitting to recommend some books to my new comfort show whose characters and romance literally had me beaming at my computer screen like an idiot. 

After seeing so many edits for The Best Thing on Instagram, I finally caved and got an iQiYi subscription to binge the drama and it's quite possibly one of the most wholesome shows I've watched in a long time. As someone who struggles to stay committed to series of any format, I watched the entire 28 episode series in 2 weeks so it's safe to say that this was a 10/10 experience and I need to make it my entire personality.

For someone who loves a good romance, it was incredibly hard trying to narrow down my favorite romantic relationships and find a thread of similarity that I could stretch to match what He Suye and Shen Xifan had. Of course, we have to mention Suye's gentleness and patience towards Xifan that literally had me in a chokehold - the truest of green flags for sure. If you haven't read Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan and you only look at the synopsis, this recommendation feels like it's coming completely out of left field but I promise if you stick with the story, you'll understand the similarities between Suye and Zhangwei. 

I really leaned on the themes of "if he wanted to he would" and "get you a man who yearns" because the other two recs embody that perfectly. Preston from A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid and Cyrus from Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang are quite possibly two of my favorite male love interests that I've read about. Preston and Effy's relationship gave me the same gentle comforting vibes that Suye and Xifan's did, especially through the lens of the female character needing to heal and learning to love. On the other hand, Cyrus is just textbook Suye, the man literally waited years to confess his feelings to Leah and that's dedication that Suye would be proud of.

Trying to find books on my TBR that I hope will give me the same butterflies proved even harder. This process is incredibly non-scientific and just based on vibes, but I will report back (hopefully) to let you know if these titles fulfilled their duty. Behind Five Willows by June Hur is the author's newest release (for May 2026) after A Crane Among Wolves which I loved. Her characters have consistently just revealed the softest parts of a relationship that hit me in the feels and I really hope this one does too. While the time period and story line are far from a comfort rom-com, I do hope that Daehyun and Iseul become new comfort characters for me.

Did I also just swap an Ann Liang / Sue Lynn Tan book with another? Yes I did because they truly write the best characters and romances. I've had Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan on my tbr for months after it came out last year and am really trying to finish it before the end of February. As for I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang, I have no comments other than my sister went absolutely feral for Chanel and Ares and the fact that I have an e-arc from netgalley and I haven't read it yet is a crime against humanity she's 100% holding against me.

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The new calendar year brings lots of hopeful intention and despite the fact that we are halfway through the first month, I'm desperately clinging to that hope. I truly miss having bookish interactions and the excitement of reading in general so I'm hoping that 2026 is the year where I can gently reintroduce reading into my daily life.

read with intention
My original goal was simply - read more -  but that seemed a bit too broad and stressful so we're rephrasing it to read with intention. Like everyone else, I have a never-ending tbr which feels more overwhelming than exciting most days. Instead of staring at the list without knowing where to start, I'm giving myself the goal to complete two books a month which averages out to a book every other week. This will hopefully give me the illusion of structure while allowing periods of break in between if I finish a book quickly.

get two book bingos
I found a list from the 52books challenge and created a bingo chart in my reading journal. I've been wanting to try a reading challenge of some sort and this one was the perfect combination of structure with the 52 prompts and personalization because I only picked 24. I don't think it'll necessarily be challenging to get two bingos through the year but I'm hoping it can be an option for a starting point if I ever fall into a slump and don't know what to pick up next.

use my reading journal consistently
Speaking of reading journals, I love journaling and really fell off of that habit in 2025. Both my reading and memory journals barely got any love and I could tell it was taking a toll of my mental health. I'm simplifying everything this year and taking it back to the basics. I want my reading journal to be my physical tracker and my go-to place when I finish a book instead of rushing to log it onto an app. I'm also trying to take a step away from Goodreads and am aiming to balance my digital tracking between Fable and Pagebound to see which one sticks better. Fable is more popular but I'm liking Pagebound's interface a bit more at the moment so we'll see - bottom line is, I want my physical journal to be the priority overall.

read at least 10 books on my physical tbr
I ended up making a spread in my reading journal of all the books I own physically that I haven't read yet and the number is quite staggering. I already have close to no shelf space so it's time to be really intentional with my physical shelves and either read the books I own or finally admit to myself that it's time to pass them on. I might do something like a random wheel generator to help start the process because just staring at the list makes it difficult to decide where to begin.

read 200/365 days
I originally saw this goal on Dylan Joseph's 2026 goals video and really like how he framed developing the habit of reading consistently. Instead of holding myself to a strict regimen of reading x amount of minutes every day, which I failed miserably at last year, I'm giving myself a more attainable goal. Sometimes I might not have the energy to read 15-30 minutes but if I pick up a book and read something, that checks off this goal and we'll tally all the days up at the end of the year to see if we hit the 200 day mark.

listen to five audiobooks
I listened to a grand total of one audiobook last year and not even in full. While I did dive a bit more into bookish podcasts, I do miss the anticipation of listening to a book on my daily commutes. I have a bunch of titles saved on Libby/Hoopla and want to challenge myself to actually pick up those titles - it also gives me an excuse to use my library's digital resources more.

First-generation Asian American experience stories will always have my heart and this one was no different. Navigating life after the death of her older brother, Stella is terrified of going to college. With her family orbiting each other life ghosts in their grief, the family's move to sunny California feels like another attempt to separate themselves from the reality of their loss. In attempt to help her submit college applications, Stella's parents enlist the help of her childhood friend Alan to take her on a tour of the UC schools - the only issue, Stella hasn't spoken to Alan in years and the last time they saw each other left their friendship in pieces. 

published September 30th, 2025 - 304 pages

That starting paragraph might be a bit too dramatic, especially that last line. In all seriousness, All the Way Around the Sun delivered on everything that I was looking for based on its synopsis. We get to explore so many of my favorite themes in young adult stories from childhood friendships, mending parental relationships, the strength of familial bonds, and of course, the Asian American experience. 

With him, I always found some way to say yes.

This was initially pitched to me as being perfect for fans of Ann Liang's Never Thought I'd End Up Here and if you loved Leah and Cyrus, you're going to love Stella and Alan. They have the same childhood friends arc that ended in misunderstanding and are given a second chance at friendship in their high school years. With Stella and Alan, the memories of their childhood highlight their comfortable understanding of one another - something that even years apart couldn't erase. I loved how respectful Alan was despite all the misunderstandings, how he admitted his errors and how he sought to prove his steadfast dedication to Stella even if that meant giving her space.

Finally taking a minute to sit down and go through the last few books I finished in an attempt to get back into the rhythm of reviewing & sharing my thoughts on the internet. I feel like I've been having too much of a perfectionist mindset towards reviewing and my blog in general so trying something a little simpler to rekindle the spark.

published May 20th 2025  -  400 pages

Easily one of the internet's most anticipated releases of the year, The Knight and the Moth is the start to Rachel Gillig's newest The Stonewater Kingdom duology. The novel opens with a kingdom held in the grasps of religious fanaticism and the journey of a devout Diviner named Six who joins the quest of a newly crowned king determined to prove his worth. This has the classic tropes of enemies to lovers, a quest with magical objects, and Rachel Gillig's eerie gothic prose that brings readers into the misty moors of Traum.

Woven with rich thematic material, The Knight and the Moth introduces the fragile juxtaposition between control and oppression. Blind faith and loyalty are challenged when the diety-like Omens begin to fall. As Six starts to unravel what she thought was the foundation of her role in society, her exploration of identity and free will become a catalyst to revealing how far one is willing to go to obtain the worship of others. Being the first Rachel Gillig novel I actually finished (one day I'll go back to One Dark Window), this novel highlighted just how immersive her writing can be. 

The story was full of concepts that checked off many of the internet's latest buzz words and that in part made the reading experience so much fun. It took the classic hero's quest for magical artifacts and incorporated religious elements that drove the plot forward. The repetitive nature of the quest was broken up by insightful commentary namely through my newest favorite character, a bat-like gargoyle who calls everyone Bartholomew. Truly, a good star on my rating is there because of him and he is also the sole reason I want to continue with the duology. As the characters underwent their first transformation arc, we are left with broken alliances and uncertain futures which sets the stage for more secrets and scheming to come.

published September 2nd, 2025 - 544 pages

A gentle romantic story will always be what my heart craves and Rebecca Ross's Wild Reverence checked all the boxes for me. As someone who enjoyed Divine Rivals but didn't quite get on the same hype train for Iris and Roman, this prequel officially sold me and I admit, I get it now. Wild Reverence takes readers back to the world of Cambria but this time through the eyes of the gods and goddesses themselves. If there's one thing Rebecca Ross can do, it's writing a love story that truly feels like it transcends all time and this delivered on all accounts.

Matilda and Vincent exist on opposite realms, one a goddess and the other a mortal - pretty much a classic tale of star-crossed lovers. Yet their initial connection through dreams creates a tether between their souls that brings them back together no matter how far they are apart. From childhood friends to unlikely allies to something more, their relationship grows so beautifully, highlighting a mature and thoughtful respect and genuine love between the two characters. Their contrasting societal roles help to usher along two different but intertwined plotlines that center around the never-ending schemes of the divine and the balance of action was so perfectly done.

This also managed to answer so many questions I had with Divine Rivals because we get to see the backstory to some important figures that shape the trajectory of the original duology. I liked how story itself was able to stand alone but we also get little easter eggs that OG readers can appreciate. We get to explore how fragile immortality can be - with the constant schemes and betrayals of the Skywards and Underlings, power is defined through one's ability to remain relevant. However, Matilda is viewed as a nobody at first with only six-points to her star but as the story progresses and her powers reveal themselves, we're faced with the bigger question of whether that prized immortality is worth it in the end.

I genuinely found myself thinking about the characters so much afterwards and dare I say, it makes me want to read Ruthless Vows even though I pretty adamantly told my sister I wasn't going to pick it up. To tide myself over, it might be time to check out Rebecca Ross's backlist instead.

If you've read these titles, I'd love to know what you thought!
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Ann Liang is synonymous in this household with adorable fluffy rom-coms that leave you smiling like an idiot while simultaneously bringing on the tears for perfectly putting into words the experience of being a child of immigrants. Never Thought I'd End Up Here offers a gentle reconciliation towards the experience of growing up between two different cultures and the journey it takes to discover one's unique cultural identity.

pages: 320 | source: netgalley, colored pages book tours
publication date: June 03, 2025
tags: young adult, contemporary, romance, asian-rep
rating:  7.5/10

B O O K S H O P *    |    G O O D R E A D S    |    S T O R Y G R A P H    
links with an (*) are affiliate where, when used to purchase gives me a small commission to support my blog at no extra cost to you!

huge thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours, Ann Liang, and Scholastics Press for a chance to participate on this tour! be sure to check out all the amazing stops!

This Monster of Mine is for all the readers who love a morally ambiguous cast of characters that actually tackle the injustices of society. A dark and bloody story (please check all the trigger warnings ahead of time) that tackles the question of what it means for justice to be delivered while adding a little sprinkle of revenge and an enemies to lovers subplot. 

 pages: 418 | source: own, physical/fairyloot
publication date: April 1st, 2025
tags: fantasy, adult, 
rating: 6.1/10

B O O K S H O P *    |    G O O D R E A D S    |    S T O R Y G R A P H    
links with an (*) are affiliate where, when used to purchase gives me a small commission to support my blog at no extra cost to you!

With my incredibly fast reading speed averaging two books a month (please note the sarcasm), I'm here to bring my overly ambitious May tbr for the annual Asian Readathon hosted by Read With Cindy. May is AAPI Heritage Month and every year I mentally prepare myself to participate...only to fail miserably, but it's a new year so we're trying again. 

This is definitely one of the most ambitious tbrs I've set for myself in a while, especially since this post is going up almost halfway through the month and I have yet to complete a book (in my defense, I'm in the middle of three). If you are participating this year, please let me know what books are on your tbr and maybe, just maybe, I'll check back in at the end of the month and we'll be pleasantly surprised by my end result.