It’s Not Like It’s a Secret audiobook

About: It’s Not Like It’s a Secret is a fiction novel written by Misa Sugiura. It will be published on 5/9/17 by Harper Teen, 400 pages. The genres are GLBT, Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, and Romance. This book is intended for readers ages 13 and up, grades 8 and up.My Experience: I started reading It’s Not Like It’s a Secret on 3/31/17 and finished it on 4/3/17. This book is a great read! It’s fast paced, easy to read, and relatable. It has diversity like The Upside of Unrequited and light hearted like To All the Boys I Have Loved Before. I like the humor & diversity in this book. This book also have the feels of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by having foreign languages in the mix.In this book, readers will follow Sana Kiyohara, a 16 years old Japanese American high school student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (yay! I used to live there! And yup I know about Wisconsin Dells & Lake Michigan :-)) being the only Asian girl who couldn’t fit in to the Midwestern Famer’s Daughter. She feels secluded not only by her looks but also by her strict parents. Then her family relocated to California where everywhere she goes, majority of the people are minority (Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, etc). She finally has friends who understands her because other Asian parents are strict too. Through discovering where she can fit in, she’s also discovering herself. In the meantime, she also accidentally found out a secret and hesitated whether she should come forward or keep it hidden. Her mom always taught her to “gaman” which means to endure when face with difficulties. This book also introduces stereotypes, racisms, and poetry.This book is very relatable to many Asian readers but also a good reminders to the general population. The stereotypes labels about people are ongoing and this book just brought it out in the open for discussions. I like learning about Japanese cultures in this book and how alike they are to other Asians. This book is packed with a lot of happenings. There is no dull moment. I’m not good with poetry and the poems in this book are explained and I like that. I like Sana and all that she’s exposed to. I highly recommend the read to everyone!Pro: friendship, humor, diversity, acceptance, stereotypes, fast paced, page turner, poetry, relatableCon: noneI rate it 5 stars!***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Misa Sugiura, publisher Harper Teen, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review. Please assured that my opinions are honest.xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com

This was AWESOME. It's one of those YA books clearly written by an adult who actually spends time with teens. The characters were messy and made LOTS of mistakes, perhaps most of all the main character Sana. I LOVED the queer girls of colour romance and I really appreciated the book's complex look at racism, stereotyping, relationships, and culture. And Sana's journey to learn to stop lying and hiding from the problems in her life was too real. I saw a lot of my younger (and sometimes current) self in her.

MISA SUGIURA SAID GAY RIGHTS HELL YEAHrtc < 3/gays be like "me and this girl have been exchanging emily dickinson poems in each others' lockers and staring at each other for prolonged moments of time in my room, do you think she likes me?????"anyways i'm only 55% through this but oh my god guys i have NEVER shipped a couple harder... (ppl do say it gets worse in the second half though so i am very afraid)

Misa Sugiura is a beautiful writer, and this book is wondrous, engaging, important, and will be beloved by many.

Wow. I am blown away. This was a challenging book to read, but the realistic and frank discussions about racism and prejudice were refreshing, difficult, but necessary. - To address the elephant in the room: yes, this book does has several instances of racism towards Mexican individuals and there are some parts that are certainly difficult to read. However, I felt like the racism was either challenged or addressed, either in-text, through internal monologue, or clearly through subtext. - Sana was a fantastic protagonist. She is confused, ignorant, lost, and makes many mistakes, some of which I can see some readers seeing as unforgivable. I see Sana as a very realistic teenager and someone who doesn't know what is right, and I think that vulnerability made her a brilliant character.- The discussions around sexuality were nuanced and complex, especially when intersecting with culture as well. - All the characters in this book were developed, fully realized, and interesting, especially Sana's family and their dynamic.Full review to come.

I appreciated hearing Sana's voice in this story. Her relationship with her culture and her mother are complicated. She is a 16 year old girl struggling to find her niche in high school. She would like to have a tribe of friends that understand her, someone to love her and to make real connections to the people in her lives. I see Sana as someone who is brave. She makes mistakes, has flaws, and misperceptions about her peers, her parents and her love interest. I see that she does grow. She challenges herself to step outside her comfort zone to be more open, truthful and to make amends with her friends, Jaime and her mother. Ultimately, she is rewarded with connection to those she loves. There are many difficult topics that the characters navigate and by choosing to share their own perspectives and experiences they help others to confront their own misperceptions. Through sharing, all the characters learn, grow, make connections and appreciate one another's uniqueness. Ideally, isn't that what we should all be striving to do?

My friend Rebecca gave this to me as a birthday gift last year. This was a really tough week for me, so I finally picked it up off the shelf because I knew she had inscribed it (as I do with my book gifts!), and I wanted to reread the lovely, lengthy message from her and then dive into a YA book. Whether it’s fluffier or heavier, there is something about YA I find very reassuring when I’m down. Something about the way that authors have to consider carefully how they engage with and portray these issues for readers who might be encountering or going through similar issues for the first times in their lives. Young adult fiction isn’t simpler or lighter or less complex than other types of fiction. With the many layers and nuances of It’s Not Like It’s a Secret, Misa Sugiura demonstrates how, if anything, the opposite is often true.Sana Kiyohara leaves behind her life in Wisconsin for the more cosmopolitan California. For the first time in her life, she is living somewhere with other Asian people of various backgrounds, including people her age to spend time with. She finds herself part of a “group”, making friends she never thought she would have. And from her attraction to her best friend in Wisconsin and now a new friend in California, Sana’s thinking she’s gay. This is all a lot for a teenager to deal with, for sure, but to make matters more complicated, Sana thinks her dad is having an affair—but her mom seems characteristically unconcerned by any hints Sana drops.I liked It’s Not Like It’s a Secret because it isn’t just about Sana’s particular struggles. Sugiura encompasses a lot of characters’ struggles. In addition to Sana’s experiences, Sugiura explores what life is like for a married immigrant Japanese couple, particularly one who is a stay-at-home mother who has, all her life, built her life around the idea of enduring. Sugiura also explores the variety of ways in which teenagers respond to their parents’ attitudes and methods of upbringing. Finally, with the main climax of the novel is a potent reminder that even when you have the best of intentions, it is still possible (even easy) to cross lines that shouldn’t be crossed.Sana’s relationship with her mother fascinates me for several reasons. Obviously, I’ve never been a participant in a mother–daughter relationship, so portrayals of this in fiction and in my friends’ lives help me better understand this unique bond. Sana’s mother obviously wants what’s “best” for Sana, yet her methods for encouraging and instructing her daughter don’t always resonate with Sana’s more American upbringing. While these kinds of intergenerational stories of immigrant families aren’t exactly rare, Sugiura is specifically examining what it’s like for a Japanese woman to raise an American-born daughter, and that’s an experience I haven’t read much about. Sana doesn’t exactly resent her mother’s behaviour at any point; she seems rather mature, actually. It’s more that she just gets frustrated, as a teenager (or, let’s be honest, child of any age) is wont to do when a parent isn’t acting the way they’d like.Sugiura also deals deftly with race and racism, examining the ways in which non-white people can still engage in racist behaviours and inadvertently normalize or support white supremacy. Sana is Japanese and therefore falls victim to the “model minority Asian” stereotype, which is in stark contrast to Jamie’s Mexican heritage causing teachers and other authority figures to doubt her or even suspect her of criminal activity. It takes a while for Sana to recognize her privilege relative to Jamie’s friend group. There are a couple of fairly unsubtle scenes, and there are also a few scenes that are more subtle and interesting in the way the conversational dynamic turns against Sana, and as the narrator, she privately relates to us that “oh shit!” feeling when she realizes she is in the wrong.Sugiura recapitulates this when we reach the climax and Sana does some not-so-nice things she later regrets. I really like that Sana is a flawed protagonist who messes up badly. The ending is, as Sugiura lampshades through one of her characters, a little too much like a movie. It isn’t really my jam, but if it’s yours, you’re welcome to it! I prefer, though, the way that Sana has to grow and come to terms with the fact that you can’t hit an undo button on life: your future actions don’t erase your mistakes; they only let you build on top of them. Watching Sana get rebuffed the first few times she tries to make nice is slightly painful and awkward, but it’s also a necessary part of the narrative. And I like that Sugiura resists the temptation to make Sana or Jamie the villain and the other one the wronged party. While that’s definitely a narrative in some real life relationships, often the situation is a lot more complex, and the economy of fiction doesn’t always capture that as well as It’s Not Like It’s a Secret does, both between Sana and Jamie as well as in the situation with Sana’s father.It’s Not Like It’s a Secret features queer characters and characters of various racial backgrounds—yet this isn’t really a book about coming out (although Sana does) or a “book about race”, if you know what I mean. These are issues among other issues within the story, and I like that, in this way, it rather normalizes these concepts. Coming out stories are important, but so are stories where the protagonist’s queerness is just another part of their adolescence they have to figure out. Similarly, I love books that tackle race and racism head-on—but I also like when they confront it as part of the fabric of the narrative, much like race and racism are an unfortunate thread in the fabric of our society.In short, this is a book that accomplishes the goals it very clearly sets out to accomplish. It’s not perfect: on an individual, scene-by-scene level the writing doesn’t always work for me. Most of the characters, despite having distinctive personalities, feel like they fall into stock roles quite easily. Nevertheless, these quibbles fade into the background when I consider my overall impression of the story. It’s Not Like It’s a Secret is one of those books that is more than the sum of its parts.

I’m actually giving this 4.5 stars, but since Goodreads doesn’t do half stars (I still don’t understand this) I went with 5, because I really liked it, and I want to encourage more people to read this. This books is BEAUTIFULLY DIVERSE. These are the kinds of books we need that include LGBTQ+ narratives and that discusses important topics like racism and equality. It’s a really great YA contemporary, and I truly believe it needs more readers and attention. Also, I loved all the characters and I genuinely wanted to be friends with Sana and her group of friends.The only reason I gave it 4.5 instead of 5 is just because a few parts seemed a little slow-moving, but that totally could have been the mood I was in while reading this, and not the book at all. Either way, I want you to read this book.

Her life’s mirror and my life’s bane.Genre: Young Adult/LGBTBet you weren’t expecting to see me reviewing a romance novel were you. A COMING OF AGE ROMANCE AT THAT.And yet, here I am.This has been on my TBR for quite some time and I’m so happy I finally got to it because it was such a delight to read! It really stirred up some emotions for me since it’s touching up on some real life experiences I’m hitting as of late and I’m tired of fleeing from them and this is also a LGBT novel that features girls of different races which I ADORE. Telling you right now, this book is a must read.So, what is It’s Not Like It’s a Secret About? Come closer, my children. Gather around.Sana Kiyohara and her family have just moved from Wisconsin to sunny California. She’s the daughter of Japanese parents and is quickly embraced by the fellow Asian students at her class which is a change from all the white friends and “not so casual “ racism she endured in her old hometown. Sana settles down into her new home and quickly realizes that while these changes are good they are also confusing. She has a crush…A big one, on fellow student Jamie who also happens to be a girl. And if her questioning her own sexuality isn’t enough for her hormones Sana is dealing with the possibility that her beloved father might be having an affair.Can Sana come out to her mother AND tell her that husband is cheating?What in the Sweet Valley High???This book *chef’s kiss*Sana is awesome. Point blank period. She’s a character who has her faults and we groan as she goes through the motions and makes her mistakes because oh…OH, honey, she will make them. She’s 16 for gods sake. But she’ll learn and she’ll grow. I made so many at that age. I threw a full Snapple at one of my besties sigh. Not my finest moment.Wrangling with your sexuality and your feelings for somebody at that age is so tough. At any age honestly. It’s hard to express yourself because the fear of rejection is so hard and so real. Especially when you are LGBT. I loved how Misa Sugiura conveyed so much of the Japanese culture in this book through language and instances. It was really nice to see POC lesbian characters. Jamie herself is Mexican American 🙂 so it was perfect all around.I feel that all of the other characters were great especially the teens. Goth Caleb…I loved him since he was introduced as Goth Caleb.It is not often you see this especially in the Young Adult genre but she wrote it beautifully.I feel she especially wrote the racism very well too because it happens far too often whether it is intentional or not casual or not.Love is beautiful. Love is not easy.Love can be roses and as soft as petals.And it can be barbed wire and a dull rusty nail.I’ve experienced both instances.I’ve been loved unconditionally and I’ve been cheated on.The world still turns unfortunately.It’s just life. This book took me back to me and my high school crush who I’ll always love no matter how often he annoys and pisses me off. Life.This is a great coming to age young adult romance. It reminds me of when I came out to my mother. I was around the same age of 16 🙂 and yes, she was very loving and supportive and I was beyond happy. I’ll definitely be checking out more of the author’s work and I hope you check out this book!The sun slides across the sky, the moon waxes and wanes, and I endure. I survive.

Thanks to this book for leading me to the writing and poetry of Sandra Cisneros.

Everyone should read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*spoiler-free*I apologize for all spelling errors in names, I listened to the audiobook (which is fantastic).Ughhhhhhhh I haven't finished a book in soo loong.So I had exams for the past several months, on and off again, while getting ready to graduate. But now that I have graduated (oh my God, what am I doing with my life), I'm trying to get back into reading. This was the first book I managed to finish.So, another reason why I wasn't reading was the fact that I was breaking up with someone while exams were going on and I felt guilty and terrible. I guess I'm reading mainly queer books with a lesbian love story to make myself feel worse because I just got out of one.Okay, I can talk about this book.I've wanted to read this book ever since I found it randomly one day on Goodreads. There are way too few queer books with two women in the lead, and if you have any favorites, please tell me about them.Things I liked:-Caleb. He was really nice and made me laugh almost every time he appeared.-the High School setting in California and how it contrasted to Sana's old school-that it included several forms of representation: there were Jaimie and her friends, and Sana and her friends. The book made a distinction between how people are treated given the way they looked, which is sadly true but often gets overlooked, and also how different cultures exist in modern America.-the poetry aspect. I like poetry.Things I didn't like:-the relationships in this book seemed very unhealthy. That's the best I can do on a spoiler-free basis-attempted conversion, even if it was "fun" and "harmless" (huge air quotes)-some people and plot lines just stopped in the middle of the book, never to be seen or resolved again.-some things (like racism) were addressed but not really concluded: the person in question admits that they were wrong but is never seen trying to better themselves: same goes for the unhealthy relationshipsAll in all this seemed like a solid four-star-book, but there is one thing in particular I want to talk about. This will get rambly: feel free to skip it. I relate to Sana a little more than is healthy (in the way she keeps most things secret): she sees a message from another woman on her father's phone at twelve and pretends it never happened. She feels hurt in her relationship sometimes but never actually says anything, always hoping it will simply blow over so that she can go back to her life. I am like that.I talk a lot and always (which is why my reviews are mostly ramblings), but I never say anything if something bothers me. It took me about three weeks to talk to my partner about the fact that I was not comfortable in our relationship: I never told her why. I couldn't say stuff like, you condescend to me and talk over me all the time and it makes me feel inadequate, or: you don't respect my opinions at all, or simply, I don't feel the way I used to feel about you anymore. All of these things could be fixed or at least explained by talking which I never did. I waited until my mental health was basically torn to shreds and at that point, I only wanted out.I regret the way I broke up very much. If she'll ever speak to me again, I'll tell her that, but she won't. Just like Sana, I tried to postpone problems and ignore them, hoping that they'll go away on their own, but they don't. If you have a problem, especially if it includes someone else, talk to them. Don't let it build or else the problem will get bigger and you'll have an even harder time dealing with it, and you might regret the way you do. This is a message that the book gives too: be honest about your problems. It helps.Okay. That's that. That was incredibly personal and probably boring and I didn't talk about the book much.But if you want a cute queer female-lead romance with a few deeper, more personal parts, do read this book. It's good. I liked it.