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A review by kaikai1618
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura
**********SPOILERS AHEAD**********
I really enjoyed this book and I think it will be staying with me. I went into this novel feeling happy and feeling like HERE finally a book that I can relate to even if I'm whatever I am and I'm not sure how much I like girls.
I felt a relation to this character as an Asian American somewhere in between. Not born in Asia and growing up in that culture and not white. It was the identification with other people with the same ethnicity as you because of shared culture and ways of growing up, and the ways of trying to fit in with everyone. I found myself educated and pleasantly surprised to find how this book gave a perspective on race and racism that effects people in everyday life.
Not only did this give me more insight on the stereotypes that are followed, but also on the complexity of people and relationships. Infidelity was touched on and fleshed out as not being so simply black and white. We had Christina who comes off as cold but is a loyal and hardworking person. I love how all the characters were realistic and many of them had dimension to them.
Another thing I loved about this book was the poetry. I love poetry and this was so interesting and unique in how the poem ms were involved in the story. I really enjoyed that part especially with the book that Jaime and Sana would write in.
I had a good cry with this book. There are a lot of books that make me tear up or maybe cry a little, but I have never cried this much while reading a book since "I'll give you the sun" by Jandy Nelson that I read last year. That was a while ago. I guess there are so many sad and tragic books, but something about the way Sana confronts her dad, the way things ended with Jaime, and the way that Sana's emotions were portrayed just had me crying a lot. I ready the author's note about how these are topics that people can walk with everyday, but not mention because they're uncomfortable. People don't want to discuss things, and nothing changes. I read this book with the audiobook and kindle, and I think that though sometimes the girl's voices could be screetchy sometimes, there was so much emotion portrayed in narrator in hard scenes that it really made the experience more emotional for me.
I think that when it came to Sana, I knew I wasn't exactly like her, but I understood a lot of what she thought. I feel like I rarely find books with a main asian narrator, let alone one who had struggles with her sexuality. I found her younger voice and thought process to be something I could understand even if there are thoughts and actions she has that of course don't always reflect my own. I think that her flaws and slow development was realistic. I'm not a lesbian, but the way that she was in a place that is pretty accepting of LGBTQIA+ people but was still unsure about herself and scared was something that resonated with me. It was so hard for her to stand up for once. She's constantly not saying anything, or saying the wrong thing. She's ignoring things or stalling for things that she needs to take initiative on. I think by the end of the book Sana finds herself more and she mends her relationships.
Sana finally takes that initiative and she reads that poem out loud. I feel this moment for her. I felt so much in this book and I just feel like this was especially a good read from the way it made me think. I didn't always like Sana's choices, but in the end I understood her and felt the humanity in her fear. I understood.
And it's been a long while since I felt like I could see some of myself in a character.
Thank you. When I read this book I finished with a feeling of resonation and a ring of a truth to mull over. I'll be thinking for a while.
I really enjoyed this book and I think it will be staying with me. I went into this novel feeling happy and feeling like HERE finally a book that I can relate to even if I'm whatever I am and I'm not sure how much I like girls.
I felt a relation to this character as an Asian American somewhere in between. Not born in Asia and growing up in that culture and not white. It was the identification with other people with the same ethnicity as you because of shared culture and ways of growing up, and the ways of trying to fit in with everyone. I found myself educated and pleasantly surprised to find how this book gave a perspective on race and racism that effects people in everyday life.
Not only did this give me more insight on the stereotypes that are followed, but also on the complexity of people and relationships. Infidelity was touched on and fleshed out as not being so simply black and white. We had Christina who comes off as cold but is a loyal and hardworking person. I love how all the characters were realistic and many of them had dimension to them.
Another thing I loved about this book was the poetry. I love poetry and this was so interesting and unique in how the poem ms were involved in the story. I really enjoyed that part especially with the book that Jaime and Sana would write in.
I had a good cry with this book. There are a lot of books that make me tear up or maybe cry a little, but I have never cried this much while reading a book since "I'll give you the sun" by Jandy Nelson that I read last year. That was a while ago. I guess there are so many sad and tragic books, but something about the way Sana confronts her dad, the way things ended with Jaime, and the way that Sana's emotions were portrayed just had me crying a lot. I ready the author's note about how these are topics that people can walk with everyday, but not mention because they're uncomfortable. People don't want to discuss things, and nothing changes. I read this book with the audiobook and kindle, and I think that though sometimes the girl's voices could be screetchy sometimes, there was so much emotion portrayed in narrator in hard scenes that it really made the experience more emotional for me.
I think that when it came to Sana, I knew I wasn't exactly like her, but I understood a lot of what she thought. I feel like I rarely find books with a main asian narrator, let alone one who had struggles with her sexuality. I found her younger voice and thought process to be something I could understand even if there are thoughts and actions she has that of course don't always reflect my own. I think that her flaws and slow development was realistic. I'm not a lesbian, but the way that she was in a place that is pretty accepting of LGBTQIA+ people but was still unsure about herself and scared was something that resonated with me. It was so hard for her to stand up for once. She's constantly not saying anything, or saying the wrong thing. She's ignoring things or stalling for things that she needs to take initiative on. I think by the end of the book Sana finds herself more and she mends her relationships.
Sana finally takes that initiative and she reads that poem out loud. I feel this moment for her. I felt so much in this book and I just feel like this was especially a good read from the way it made me think. I didn't always like Sana's choices, but in the end I understood her and felt the humanity in her fear. I understood.
And it's been a long while since I felt like I could see some of myself in a character.
Thank you. When I read this book I finished with a feeling of resonation and a ring of a truth to mull over. I'll be thinking for a while.