"Spectacular" by Stephanie Garber

Spectacular (Oct. 22, 2024) by Stephanie Garber.

   Rosie Fowinkle, illustrator.

<This is a standalone holiday novella.>

Welcome to Valenda, capital city of the Meridian Empire. It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve. Empress Scarlett Dragna loves this time of the year, and she’s planning a spectacular Holiday worthy of a city seeped in magic and enchantment. There are life-size gingerbread houses emitting cinnamon smoke and falling snow inside the castle that never lands on the floor nor musses one’s coiffure. Plus, Julian is looking ravishing. Green is absolutely his color. Scarlett’s younger sister, Donatella (Tella), is searching for the perfect gift for Legend and stressing about it. Legend is aloof which isn’t unlike him. Perhaps he’s envious of the magic of the Holiday when he’s himself magical, but he doesn’t care for the Great Holiday or any of its Eves. Tella’s search for the perfect gift takes her to Garland Street, one that only appears on Great Holiday Eve Eve. She’s snuck away, yet again, from her guards. Here be clockwork boys, beautifully poisoned candy, a mischievous snow globe and a shady avenue in the same city currently boasting magical decor. The Great Holiday is setting up to be full of merriment, magic and mayhem.

            I still find Tella to be like a spoiled child who always gets her way and doesn’t know how to solve the smallest crumb of a problem. She continually annoys me, but my opinion shouldn’t stop anyone from reading this holiday novella. It is steeped in holiday merriment and has me wanting to decorate for Christmas and bake Christmas cookies. It swirls and twirls with magically festive world-building. Fowinkle’s illustrations are lush and gorgeous. There’s sugar and spice and poison. There’s whimsy and wonder and magic. It’s a short tale meant for the Caraval fandom, holiday enthusiasts and fairytale dreamers everywhere.

            Book One: Caraval

            Book Two: Legendary

            Book Three: Finale

"Hangry Hearts" by Jennifer Chen

Hangry Hearts (Mar. 18, 2025) by Jennifer Chen.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Move over Capulets and Montagues, because the Taiwanese American Wus and Korean American Hurs are here (here being Los Angeles) with their five-year-old feud that the families treat as though happened last week. The matriarch grandmas (ahma = grandma in Chinese and halmeoni = grandma in Korean) don’t talk about The Incident, but when Julie Wu and Randall Hur realize they’re crushing hard on each other, the divide the feud fuels feels even more gargantuan. Their families’ constant bickering at the Pasadena Farmers Market on Saturdays – easily the most coveted day to sell – briefly finds the Wus and their Yum Yum Dim Sum stand moved to Sundays, much to the Wus’ anger, placing full blame on the Hurs and their Sebae stand. Julie and Randall are paired together on a community-service project for school with ultra-rich London Kim, whose family sells the most popular soju (a Korean alcoholic drink that is clear like water). London is clearly crushing on Julie, but with Julie’s interest in Randall, she knows she’s got to let him down kindly. The drama comes to a head when Julie’s almost criminally snoopy brother discovers her and Randall’s relationship. Can these hangry hearts be mended or has the rift boiled over for so long that anything salvageable has long since melted?

            Food feuds and family-friend fallout simmer through much of this YA contemporary romance featuring Asian Americans, second chances and so many foods that I want to consume (like tteokguk, twisted taro buns, hakka mochi, scallion pancakes and ALL of the dumplings). Julie and Randall have a history, but it is complex. Julie knew Randall before he was trans, and they don’t want to disappoint their grandmothers, whom they love so much. This tale of star-crossed lovers will appeal to romance fans looking for transgender and/or POC representation. Young romance, family and food combine to create a lush story that’s made with skill, drama, and, oh yeah, love.

            P.S. I need to experience fan tuan (sticky rice rolls that are classically savory, but can be made sweet).

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 12

I’ve done companion novel posts in the past, but not one specifically nicknamed Novellas (includes short stories). I don’t think this will be a regular post annually, but I wouldn’t be opposed.

The Housemaid’s Wedding (Nov. 4, 2024) by Freida McFadden.

<This short story fills the gap between Books 2 and 3.>

It’s her special day, the day she’s marrying the man of her dreams, and it starts with a death threat. Wilhelmina “Millie” Calloway has helped multiple women get away from abusive men, so threats aren’t uncommon in her line of work. But, come on, it’s supposed to be the happiest day of her life! Between the threat and a very important dress not fitting perfectly as it did a week ago, problems are being had. Millie tells herself she will tell her fiancé, Enzo Accardi. Tomorrow. All she has to do is fit into her dress, get married and contend with an unplanned obstacle, one that wants her dead.

            While not my usual way, my first book by McFadden is her short story. The hard part about short stories is that they can feel rushed and contrived, and that’s how this one felt. I know that her novels are hugely popular (I work in a library and see this firsthand), so I’m disappointed by this short story. Sure, there’s a thriller element, but the danger never feels intensive, and the wedding takes up nothing more than a piece of a short chapter. I would not spend money on this unless you’re a diehard McFadden fan. Consider checking it out from the library, as I did.

Book 1: The Housemaid

Book 2: The Housemaid’s Secret

Book 2.5: The Housemaid’s Wedding

Book 3: The Housemaid is Watching

The Shifting Current (May 2, 2023) by Dani Pettrey.

<This is a companion novella ending a series.>

When the call comes from Tom Mahoney, his high-school-buddy-turned-hometown-sheriff, Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Special Agent Logan Perry is on the next flight to Silver City, New Mexico, with his teammate, CGIS Special Agent Emmy Thorton, the woman he also secretly loves. His grandfather’s been murdered in his own home in [fictional] Cauldron Creek. It looks like a robbery gone wrong. Their prime suspect is a female drifter who’d been staying in one of the guest bunkhouses. She always seems to be one step ahead. They suspect there’s at least one other person involved who’s male. Emmy’s grateful to be along to assist the investigation however she can without overstepping their bounds (since it’s not their jurisdiction). Logan thinks she’s there to be his teammate as she would on any assignment, but she secretly loves Logan and considers him to be husband material despite his playboy past. If they want a chance to grow their relationship, they’ve got to catch the killer before they become the next victims.

            Although I miss that this isn’t a full-length novel, this is a compact, romantic suspense tale of the Coastal Guardians series. It’s got grit to balance the pain, love and friendship to outweigh hatred and vileness with faith to cover everything. A little rushed, I felt, because of the short page count, but Pettrey still manages to include a solid plot, clean romance and danger that you know will be turned into a happy ending. After all, how can it not when the book includes the occasional Stetson hats, Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots and horses?

            Book One: The Killing Tide

            Book Two: The Crushing Depths

            Book Three: The Deadly Shallows

What Does It Feel Like? (Oct. 8, 2024) by Sophie Kinsella.

<This is a standalone novella.>

She’s a bestselling novelist whose books have been movies and garnered her walks on red carpets, photos with celebrities and time on movie sets. She buys a Jenny Packham dress, because “an occasion will present itself.” That’s Before. Then After arrives, and Eve Monroe awakes in a hospital bed with a brain that’s forgetful. She’s made her success with her words, and now she looks at a picture of a shirt and calls it a bag. She relearns how to walk and reminds herself that she has five children, her husband’s name is Nick, and what are the lyrics to ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ again? With her lacking short-term memory, many days are the first time she learns that she has glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that does not have a good prognosis. All she wants is to keep going. That is her happy ending.

            Author Jodi Picoult states that, “This is the bravest book you’ll read all year,” and she may be right. While Eve Monroe is a fictional character, this story is the author’s. Sophie Kinsella has been battling glioblastoma and has survived longer than the average. This contemporary, adult fiction novella is funny in parts, sad in others, but is full of optimism and love throughout. Kinsella’s work of autobiographical fiction is a story of triumph, courage and strength, but vulnerability, too. It stirs the soul and encourages us all to live our best lives. This book is a gem, and I’m so glad that my coworker, Maggie, recommended it to me. Let it embolden us to be glowing beacons in heavy darkness, in our lives and the lives of others!

"Wish Upon a K-Star" by Kat Cho

Wish Upon a K-Star (Apr. 29, 2025) by Kat Cho.

<This is both a standalone and spin-off novel.>

The world’s biggest K-pop group, WDB, is dealing with dating scandals, and Moon Minseok – otherwise known as Moonster to his fanbase – has to step up and take charge of the group’s image, even though he’s not the leader. Shin Hyeri is a veteran to scandals. Once part of the now-disbanded K-pop girl group Helloglow, she was pitted early on against fellow member Kim Ana. Netizens have labeled her a bully and a nepo baby, claiming her inclusion in the group was only due to her idol brother, Hyejun, of the K-pop group AX1S. When a scandal arises involving Minseok and Hyeri as co-hosts at a K-pop midsummer festival, it’s decided that going on Korea’s popular variety show, Our Celebrity Marriage, is the key to saving both of their reputations. On this show, celebrities get fake married and participate in newlywed challenges. The plan is simple enough: pretend to get along, create swoony moments for the fans, win back those fans and move on with their lives, Minseok actively back with WDB and Hyeri gaining momentum as an up-and-coming K-drama actress. Will their fake marriage lead to true love? Or will the weight of scandal lead them to shame-faced ruin?

            A K-popping K-drama this contemporary romance YA definitely is. I didn’t feel the swoony tone or romcom vibes that are likely the author’s aim, but my opinion shouldn’t stop any readers of any K-pop or K-drama fandoms from enjoying this story. It’s overall written well, the author highlighting the less glittery and glamorous side of the K-pop world. She takes on sasaengs (obsessive fans) and anti-fans, gender double standards and the overwhelming pressure on idols to be perfect. The chemistry between Hyeri and Minseok is obvious, and there is some kissing, but Hyeri’s anxiety is so next-level that the “romance” feels weak. The main characters are both charming, their journey rocky but not without hope. When it comes to Hyeri, I simultaneously want to shield her from brutal anti-fans, shake her for always cowering in front of her selfish, overbearing mother, and talk until I’m blue in the face if it’d help her see her self-worth. It’s fiction, but it’s not only literary clickbait for real-life idols, and that’s alarming. No one should have to put up with that “just because” they’re famous.

            Also by Kat Cho: Once Upon a K-Prom