What is your opinion?
GEA Review!
"It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read this last, but I ADORE the changes you have made. Mei and Mio feel so 3 dimensional and, well, real. It was so much fun to read through their journey, even through the more emotionally-intense chapters. Your writing style is absolutely gorgeous, your final line of chapter one? CHILLS. I think it was a wise choice to do first person and switch perspectives. Both Mei and Mio feel distinct enough in their voices that I think it works rather well for the narrative, and getting each of their perspectives in respect to their dynamic and their overall narrative is so so interesting and adds such a great layer of depth to them both. Usually I find myself favouring one or the other in stories that try this technique, but this did not happen here! And the fact that Mei has no memory of Mio, but Mio has memories of Mei is such a fantastic use of irony and you use it to its full potential here, which I think is another reason why the dual first person POV works so well! I also loved your subtle integration of sunflowers in here :) I couldn’t find any grammar mishaps as far as I could tell either. Overall, I can see the hard work you've put into this narrative and I had so so much fun reading through this! I also love your music suggestions for each chapter! Fantastic job Jenna, this was such a great read!"
Idk what happened yet, but team Mio all the way
"The story reads like an anime to me, and I mean that in the best possible way. I can’t help but think of some of my favorite romance animes as I read about Mio and Mei, their high school lives in scenic Japan, their funny friends, and their humorous antics while the main leads strive to rebuild their lives after a mysterious accident. What I’ve enjoyed most about the work so far is the heart of the characters. Even though the main leads and their friends all have wildly different personalities, it’s easy to see that they love each other and are all good at heart—even Mio, who’s first introduced as being cold and distant but might be the most self-sacrificing of them all. He’s haunted by his guilt but only ever acts out of concern for someone he loves. Mei is also inspiring. After a deeply traumatic experience, she’s still so sweet and full of light, even with the occasional but understandable outburst given her condition. One thing I think could be worked on is that there’s a little too much exposition throughout. The story’s partly a mystery, so it’s understandable that some gaps need to be filled, but fairly often I think the character’s actions alone are enough to do that without explaining afterwards. For example, very early on in the story, we get the lines “Things aren’t going in my favor, but my childhood friends haven’t given up on me yet. It’s normal for Sasa to switch from supportive to mad when she’s my friend as well as Mei’s. What she and Kyle are trying to do is…” and it continues recapping what’s already been established via their actions. Apart from that, once or twice an idiom was used that I’d never heard before and couldn’t quite understand in context, so it made me wonder if it might be a translation, but a quick google search helped and there were very few technical errors besides that. Overall, I look forward to continuing the story. Like I said, it’s sweet and funny, with just the right amount of mystery to also make it compelling <3 Jenna constantly amazes me with the heart of her works and how she’s able to capture the beauty in both joy and tragedy."
GUT WRENCHING AND DEEP!
"AAAH THIS BOOK (๑ > ᴗ < ๑) I guess this is my first book from Jenna, though I read the other of her book so Jenna's writing is not surprising to me at all. I know that she can write very well, her narratives flow perfectly and anyone reading it will feel like they are sucked inside the story, as if they are there. And you cannot help but fell for the characters right away. In her story Melting Me Softly, she delivers a quirky and witty female character that you cannot help but love, and in this story, she again delivers a charming, quirky, adorable male character with so many emotional baggages that you cannot help but symphatize with him and his sorrow and you will cheer him on to be happy. That is what impressed me the most from Jenna, her ability to create a story that makes all her characters feels like they all come to life, like they are really exist in this world. The emotions in this book is so palpable, it is beautiful, deep, yet sweet and adorable. It is set in high school, succesfully throws me back to few years ago, feeling the joy of youth, the laugh you shared with your best friend, and mysterious guy anyone has ever crushed on for sure. This story brings back old feelings and I guess that is one of the reason I love YA story the most cause I love high school moments. The joke and banter between the characters feels real and very relatable to their age. Sasa and Mei's friendship is described nicely, their dialogues more often than not brings a wide smile on my face. I love how real they feel like. For sure my favorite moment will always be Mio and Mei's, and if you read theirs meet-cute, you cannot help but swooned. Actually good thing Jenna sets this story in Japan, cause Mio feels like a tsundere whenever he converses with Mei, and I always picture handsome manga guy whenever I think of tsundere guy hahaha. Anyway back to the story. I dont have bad words about the story, thorouhgly I enjoyed the ride and I love the plot. I dont have anything to help her improve, as I think Jenna has done very well with this one. I am planning to read this more as I am really invested in Mio and Mei's relationship. This review is for the last 6/7 chapters I read, but I love this story so much already. Prepare some tissue though, I think this story will be quite sad. If you like young adult romance, friendship-to-lovers, some cute moments, and also can deal with some angst, look no further but this one. This book totally deserves every read in the world. What are you waiting for really? Good job, Jenna. I am looking forward to continue reading it. I will put it in my tbr for now (as I do with all of your story hahaa, I always want to read it all I promise! But why why why there are lots of things to do?!)"
POTS Review
"The thing that struck me immediately was the author’s ability to put the anguish of Mio front and center. His huge burden of guilt because of a horrifying accident which he believes he is entirely responsible for, is eloquently expressed. Mei the girl who was so badly injured is left with a brain injury and retrograde amnesia. She doesn’t remember the accident and how it happened or even who is responsible. We get glimpses of their lives pre-disaster, and realize they meant a lot each other, and Mei is starting to understand this, with a kiss being shared between them. Mio doesn’t believe he has a right to be in her life. It creates serious tension. Mei’s friend Sasa is exactly who she needs to help her get back into the swing of school and knows enough about everything to run interference between everyone. It took me a bit to get used to the author’s use of what is close to stream of consciousness as a way to express Mio’s intense feelings and stress, but it really works. I’ve put Pieces of the Sun on my reading list. I’ll continue to read because I’m curious to find out how this resolves itself as Mei regains her memories. "
Beautiful Portrayal!
"First of all I'm so sorry it took me so long to be able to read your book properly but I had been following it for a while and it was so worth it. Moving to the story, I think it's absolutely so adorable and equally intriguing given how well you introduce, describe and fit the characters in the scenes with their respective personalities. Your induced subjectivity is done so comfortably and I never want you to change it. It's absolutely perfect to me, and I only see more and more progress the more you write Jenna!!! I loved loved the beginning memory archives - your vocabulary was well maintained to the places where you did use different words, it just added to the scene/point's degree and I loved that. I always adore glossaries at the end of a book/chapter because it just gives that professional feel you know what I mean??? Overall, stunning work and genuinely a both wholesome and thrilling story line and I can't wait to read it all. I loved it!! GREAT WORK!!! :D "
Adorable...
"Read first 15 chapters so far, and you can count me in as an ardent reader... The story had me hooked on from the very first chapter... The detailed description of their emotions is just so vivacious; words had me going on a roller coaster ride of emotions... The memory archives are undoubtedly my favorite... The way author has veiled away their past under mystery hinting awful happenings is just amazing! Overall an enchanting book with promising romance and a surprising package of emotions! "
Pieces of the sun
"Your writing totally messed with my emotions! I mean, I went from hating those characters to feeling all sad and frustrated for them. But hey, I gotta hand it to you, your style of writing is pretty cool. The pace kept me hooked, although I gotta admit, sometimes I was like, "Wait, what's happening again?" But overall, I'm diggin' the story, man. Can't wait to see what happens next in the upcoming chapters! Keep 'em updates coming!"
Emotional, Strong Beginning
""Pieces of the Sun" has been on my TBR for a while and Jenna did not disappoint. Jumping out the gate, there are little bread crumbs planted to help develop the suspenseful, mysterious underlying tones to the plot--wondering what happened to Mei and what was Mio's roll in it. There are more comedic notes at the front of the next four chapters without taking away from the pain seeping from Mio's character nor the building mystery. Because of the not knowing--from Mei not remembering and Mio not wanting to--everything feels like it could mean something. And I love that. It has you looking at every detail closer. Could this be hinting at something? What about that? I wonder how the third person sections play into the rest of the story. Perhaps each memory archive is in third, though it took me for a moment to see the same character--Mio--having his POV in first person later on in the story. Your command of both first and third were so strong. Mio and Mei both have strong narrative voices that also sound like their dialogue, really bolstering the fact this is them telling the story. Mio's third limited in the first chapter also read like his first person narrative, helping the transition not feel as jarring. There was also a flashback in the middle of Mei's POV in chapter two. I really liked how you transitioned from the first section of her current POV into the flashback--giving and introduction and easing into past tense to help differentiate it--the ending transition felt a little muddled. The last sentence in the flashback "It started with . . . ." was a great transition back, though I wonder if it would stand out more by putting emphasis on it in its own paragraph before going back to the present tense with Sasa ruffling her hair. Speaking of dialogue, that is one of the strongest aspects thus far. Even characters with limited screen time stood out with unique tones and way of speaking like how protective Sasa is and how funny Mio's mom is. You're building these characters so clearly while also adding things like Mei feeling separate from her younger sister because she barely remembers her before the accident, which not only develops her character but reinforces the fact she lost time and how it's affecting her day-to-day life. There were some tiny things I noticed like the names of stores/restaurants being in italics. Perhaps this is a language difference, so ignore this if it is, but usually store names aren't in italics--rather the names of longer works like novels, movies, video games etc. None of it was too distracting. Gosh, these first chapters got me hooked and I can't wait to finish it and find out what happened. Great job!"
Pieces of the Sun
"Very intriguing. I'm anxious to see how the story unfolds."
