Book Review: Sushi For One?

I won this book from a giveaway on the author's blog. Yay! I think I won it over the summer and I've finally got around to reading it. I have so many book in my to-read pile, but this one got a good boost thanks to the praise of my friend Kim, who raved about how great this series is. Kim and I are both members of a Christian reading group on Goodreads, called Christian Fiction Devourers, and she and I were discussing how Christian Fiction often is so predictable. The books always seem to be the same themes and types of characters. Most Christian readers are familiar with the Wild West and prairie themes. Poor white woman who has just experienced some mildly traumatic event, must rely on her faith to propel her through life on the vast and lonely prairie where she subsequently falls in love with a kind man (and with a little bit of money to boot!) whom she probably has, for most of the book, disliked. 

Camy Tang is definitely a breath of fresh air. The first thing that drew me to this book was that the main character is Asian and not white. That is beyond unique in Christian book. Another thing that drew me towards this book is that after telling Kim how I often feel like Christian books "dumb me down" and how I feel like I'm reading a few "grade-levels" below my actual reading level, she raved about how Camy's writing does not give her that feeling at all.  She was certainly correct, Camy Tang's writing is smart, sassy, witty, and really humorous. The main character, Lex, is always finding herself in embarrassing situations. The character was reminiscent to me of Janet Evanovich's popular, accident-prone character, Stephanie Plum (whom I adore). However Lex was totally her own person, not like a borrowed, Christian version of Stephanie. 

Honestly, Lex wasn't always likable. I did like her, but she wasn't perfect and sweet all the time, which was a good thing. She was stubborn and frustrating and she herself was frustrated with how life was going. Her grandma, who is like Cruella Deville, is going to stop funding Lex's girl's volleyball team. The team is everything to Lex, she coaches the girls just as her mom did before her death. Grandma will pull funding if Lex doesn't find a boyfriend by the time of Lex's cousin's wedding, which is something like a mere 2 months away. Lex then goes on a man-hunt (literally) looking for someone to pose as her boyfriend, all the while various family members try to set her up with a myriad of total losers. None of which fit her "Ephesians List". On the top of the list is that her boyfriend has to be a Christian, which Lex soon finds doesn't immediately make a man desirable...

I certainly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to eventually getting around to reading the rest in the series. I think I already own one on my Kindle, but it's the third or fourth book. I am giving Sushi For One? 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read that occasionally touches on serious subjects.

Entry: A Number Written in Letters