8 Asian Books on my TBR for Every Reading Mood 💕

Hello fellow bookworms ❤ In honor of Asian Heritage Month (which takes place in May) I wanted to share the Books by Asian Authors on my TBR that I most want to read right now! I picked out 8 books to highlight in this post and thought it would be a great idea to attribute them to a certain reading mood they fit. In the past years I have become more of a mood reader than ever before and I thought it would be helpful to have a wide variety of books to choose from when it comes to their vibes/mood – so I always find something to read that suits me 🥰 If you’re looking for recommendations I did a post with my favorite books by Asian Authors last year and also shared more resources/rec lists 💕

😭 Sad/Heartbreaking 😭

You’ve Reached Sam (Dustin Thao) ➽ I was fortunate enough to get an eArc of this book and I hope to read it this month, as I already saw many positive reviews! According to my fellow reviewers this book will break my heart, which is not surprising, given what it’s about 🥺 You’ve Reached Sam is about a young girl called Julie, who just lost her boyfriend Sam to an accident, but has the unexpected chance to talk to him again when she calls his old cellphone. It’s a bittersweet situation, as this won’t bring Sam back and Julie still has to deal with her grief. I’m personally ready for some tears and will keep tissues nearby 😥

🥺 Emotional/Reflective 🥺

Darius the Great Deserves Better (Adib Khorram) ➽ This is actually the sequel to Darius the Great Is Not Okay, a book I highly recommend as it touches upon being biracial, family and friendship dynamics and living with depression. It also fits the emotional/reflective theme as it really touched me by how authentic and raw it was. I was super happy to see that there was a sequel planned as I love Darius and would like to follow his new journeys, this time more about first love, heartbreak and growing up. I cannot wait to dive back into this world and see Darius and his friends & family again 🥰

🥰 Swoonworthy 🥰

Make Up Break Up (Lily Menon) ➽ I know I just recently talked about Sandhya Menon’s adult debut, but it immediately came to mind when I thought about a swoonworthy book! Make Up Break Up is about two rivaling app developers who compete in a pitch contest and have completely different life philosophies. I love me a good enemies to lovers romance and have thoroughly enjoyed Menon’s YA romances, so I’m excited to follow her into the adult age category 💗 I suspect that this will be a bit more steamy because it’s adult, so swoony fits perfectly as a mood!

😱 Dramatic 😱

Tokyo Ever After (Emiko Jean) ➽ This book is close to coming out (May 18) and it already was on my most anticipated releases list, as the premise sounds so fantastic! Tokyo Ever After is about Izumi, who finds out that she’s actually a long lost Japanese princess and is now expected to fit into the royal world in Japan 😱 I can already feel the oncoming drama, as there is talk of hungry paparazzi and cunning family members that the main character cannot really trust. I’m also incredibly excited for the bodyguard romance that was teased, it’s such a good trope ❤

💗 Romantic 💗

XOXO (Axie Oh) ➽ I adored Axie Oh’s sci-fi debut (Rebel Seoul – highly recommended!), so her newest release immediately found its way on my anticipated releases list! XOXO comes out July 13th and is about a young cello prodigy who finds out that the stranger she connected with is a member of a big K-Pop band … who is forbidden from dating anyone. I hadn’t read a book about k-pop so far, but I know that it’s a beloved and big fandom, so I’m curious to learn more! The forbidden love trope is also one of my favorites, so I cannot wait to see where this story goes 🥰

😊 Inspiring 😊

I’ll be the One (Lyla Lee) ➽ This is actually another k-pop book that I have seen is very beloved! The cover alone is portraying such happiness and positivity that I was immediately drawn to it 💛 I’ll be the One is about Skye, who wants to become the first fat K-pop star by winning an internationally televised competition! Skye has to deal with the “fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry” but from what I can tell this is a very body positive book, as the main character is determined to show that fat girls can do anything they like!

⚔ Adventerous ⚔

We Hunt the Flame (Hafsah Faizal) ➽ I had We Hunt the Flame on my TBR for quite some time and I’m still very excited for it, as it sounds like the kind of fantasy book I love! The book is about Zafira, a hunter trying to feed her people and Nasir, the Prince of Death who assassinates anyone who dares defy his father. This already sounds like an interesting dynamic, especially as both main characters are sent on the same quest to find a lost artefact that will undoubtedly bring them together 👀 I have this book waiting for me on my Kindle and I hope that I can read it soon!

💓 Hopeful 💓

Summer Bird Blue (Akemi Dawn Bowman) ➽ I really liked Akemi’s debut novel Starfish (though it also broke my heart) and sadly I wasn’t able to read any more of her books yet! Summer Bird Blue is the one that appeals to me the most right now because it seems like a very emotional story. The book is about Rumi, a young girl who just lost her sister and was sent to live with her aunt in Hawaii. Rumi is still grieving and feeling abandoned, but also finds solace in the boy next door and an old man mired in his own grief. This will be a sad story but it also has a hopeful note of the main character rediscovering herself and returning to her love of music 🥺

Have you read any of the Books on my list? What Books by Asian Authors do you like and what mood would they fit? 💕