Author: Sara B.

...is a Korean-Jewish American writer, fangirl, and dog mom. She loves romance in all mediums, whether in books or k-dramas -- on a good day, maybe even The Bachelor.
Posted in Book Talk

Mini Review: Breathing Underwater

Posted on by Sara B.

Breathing Underwater‘s gorgeous cover was calling me like a siren — I mean, look at that thing. 😍 But it was the synopsis that really got me. The book, by Abbey Lee Nash, centers on teen competitive swimmer Tess during the summer she’s diagnosed with epilepsy. As she grapples with this news, everything she’s ever dreamed of and planned for her life is screeched to a halt. How can she swim when she’s constantly at risk of having a seizure? But then, how can she not swim, when that’s all she’s ever known?

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Posted in Book Talk

Review: The Getaway List

Posted on by Sara B.

Nothing like a good summer read in the winter time. 😎 The Getaway List is the latest YA novel by Emma Lord (author of the adorable Tweet Cute), as well as the latest book I’ve snuggled up to with hot cocoa this season. The fun vacation vibes of the story is a nice escape, as it follows protagonist Riley fresh out of her high school graduation and desperate for some change. Like, now.

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Posted in Book Talk

Double Feature: You and Me at the End of the World & The Half-Life of Love

Posted on by Sara B.

Y’all, I might have found a new author to add to my “Read Everything They Ever Write” list. Brianna Bourne came in with her debut YA novel You and Me at the End of the World in 2021, and later with The Half-Life of Love this past March — two contemporary romances sprinkled with the right amount of fantasy. I love discovering realistic stories and characters that seem like they’re touched with just a liiiittle bit of magic. Enough to make you want to believe in it.

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Posted in Writer Brain

Saying goodbye to a Friend.

Posted on by Sara B.
(Image: Friends)

Here’s the thing about celebrity deaths — it’s okay for them to hurt. People get a lot of shit for crying over the loss of a beloved celebrity or public figure, because they didn’t personally know them, and it’s not deserved. I obviously didn’t know Friends actor Matthew Perry. I only knew the Matthew Perry I watched onscreen or, more recently, read about in his memoir. But when I first saw the news of his passing, it hit me like I lost a close friend.

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Posted in Book Talk

Review: Together We Rot

Posted on by Sara B.

If there’s one thing that makes me squirm, it’s bugs, and supernatural thriller Together We Rot is crawling with them. I just — I can’t do bugs. *shivers* I can’t, but good writing has a way of pulling me in and keeping me there. Skyla Arndt’s creepy and chilling debut novel follows ex best friends Wilhelmina and Elwood navigating the horrors of a small-town cult. Bugs aside, I am allured by all things dark, and exploring all the mystery and complexity of that, so I was excited to get to the bottom of this cult business.

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Posted in Book Talk

Review: All That’s Left to Say

Posted on by Sara B.

So much to say about All That’s Left to Say. The novel, written by Emery Lord, follows protagonist Hannah MacLaren after her cousin and best friend Sophie dies from an overdose. Hannah’s world is completely shattered, as she deals with this loss and the mystery surrounding it. The Sophie she knew wouldn’t have used drugs, wouldn’t have kept such a huge secret from her. Yet that’s the truth she’s left with. Her grief is big and all-consuming, the only thing driving her forward being her determination to find out who gave Sophie the pills that ended her life.

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Posted in Writer Brain

I am ~obsessed~ with Heartstopper. Halp.

Posted on by Sara B.

**Spoilers to Heartstopper Season 1/Volumes 1-2

I’m not even joking — I’m actually obsessed. I had no idea what Heartstopper was when the Netflix show first came out. But I saw the immediate praise online and eventually learned it was based on a popular graphic novel series by Alice Oseman. Concept-wise, I was in. Two cutie patootie British boys falling in love? A supposed happy counterpart to Young Royals, which broke me only months before? I was Intrigued, with a capital I. Nearly a year after the show premiered, I finally ordered the graphic novels and read the first two (knowing that’s how far season one of the show covered). Aaaaaaand I fell. Hard. About as hard as Nick fell for Charlie.

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Posted in Book Talk

Review: Throwback

Posted on by Sara B.

Throwback by Maurene Goo is a coming-of-age fantasy YA novel about a Gen Z Korean-American named Samantha who travels back to the 1990’s and meets her teenage mother, with the mission to change their future. With that description alone, I was ready to swan dive into this book. It sounded like a wonderful package of the things I love, like a zany k-drama meets 90’s teen movie. And I’m so glad that it fully delivered.

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Posted in Writer Brain

Starting over.

Posted on by Sara B.

With the new year fast approaching (how has it already been a year since my last post? 😵‍💫), it’s a good time to slow down. Slow down and take everything in. Everyday has been life, life, life. Then weekend, weekend, weekend, with some reading or writing thrown in, if I’m lucky. I told myself I would write every weekend, even if it was just a few lines, and it worked for quite a while.

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Posted in Listicles

Things that make me cry. 😭

Posted on by Sara B.
(Image: The King’s Affection)

It’s… been quite a year. I remember 2020 being exceptionally hard, as we were dealing with a lot of changes, fears, and anxieties. But 2021 felt like it went by in a flash, mostly because I’ve kept myself so busy with work. While it actually was a good year for me, filled with many happy moments and accomplishments, I was feeling the need to slow down as the new year came up.

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