A review by liralen
Now and Zen by Linda Gerber
2.0
Nori is off to Japan, by choice but not enthusiastically. She's less an exchange student than she is participating in a multicultural summer course, but she's hoping to connect with a bit of knowledge...and bit of heritage...and of course a lot of cute boy.
Now and Zen marks my halfway point through the S.A.S.S. series, and I'm finding -- unsurprisingly -- that I'm a lot happier with the heroines who are invested in the academic side of things and do not get caught up in a love triangle. There are plenty of interesting cultural tidbits here, but they tend to be overshadowed by Nori's very obviously going-nowhere relationship. (When you're lying to a boy to keep him interested, and he keeps fetishising geishas and the idea of you as a geisha, it's time to re-evaluate.) I wish she'd had more time to process family stuff and do a bit more maturing.
More general look at the series here.
Now and Zen marks my halfway point through the S.A.S.S. series, and I'm finding -- unsurprisingly -- that I'm a lot happier with the heroines who are invested in the academic side of things and do not get caught up in a love triangle. There are plenty of interesting cultural tidbits here, but they tend to be overshadowed by Nori's very obviously going-nowhere relationship. (When you're lying to a boy to keep him interested, and he keeps fetishising geishas and the idea of you as a geisha, it's time to re-evaluate.) I wish she'd had more time to process family stuff and do a bit more maturing.
More general look at the series here.