Title: Kitchen Chinese
Author: Ann Mah
Genre: Chick Lit
Discovered though: Deb at Bookmagic
This was a totally cute book that I found through Deb at Bookmagic.
Isabelle Lee has just been fired from her job as a fact checker at a glossy magazine in New York City and is at a loss as to what to do with her life. A friend suggests that she move to Beijing, where her older sister Claire has been living for awhile. Isabelle decides that she has nothing to lose and even though she doesn't have a job lined up heads to China. Once in China Isabelle struggles with culture shock, discovering herself, finding out that her sister may not be as perfect as she thought, and discovers that being Chinese American in China comes with a whole host of trouble she didn't except.
Despite the struggle to fit in a foreign land there are pleasant surprises-like her job at Beijing Now, an expat magazine that allows to try new things, and Charlie and Jeff two guys who are very different from each other-but how can Isabelle decide which one likes her for her and not just who she appears to be?
This is a heartwarming chick lit story that will have you craving Chinese food (I was so hungry for Peanut Noodles that I improvised and made ramen noodles at 1:30 in the morning.) and feeling like you are in China. The author describes China beautifully and the tales of culture shock reminded me of when I lived overseas-perhaps that's why I enjoyed this book so much, even though like Deb I thought the book would have been better served without the romance in it. (That part is so predictable even I figured out which way it was headed, and what Charlie's job was.) The back of the book is a bit deceiving, (which describes the story as a" novel about food, family and finding yourself") as there is no hint that this is a chick lit book-which it totally is. If you've ever lived overseas, you'll love this book.
Sigh Meter: Low
Crush Meter: Low-though Charlie is adorable
Sleep Meter: High
Tv Meter: High
Barrons Hotness Meter: Low
Challenges Counted toward:
16/25 read
7/10 Read
