30 July 2013

Three-Blog Hop Wrap Up Review + Giveaway: Since You Asked by Maurene Goo

Since You Asked
by Maurene Goo
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Published: June 25th 2013 by Scholastic
Format Acquired: ARC from publisher/Jess of The Reading Nook (thank you!!!)
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository


Story. Of. My life. Maurene Goo couldn't have made a better protagonist. I'm not sure if it's my Asian tendencies (whatever that is hah) or that I can still remember what it felt like to be fifteen. Either way, I could easily relate to Holly and that made reading Since You Asked twice as enjoyable. The humor alone was enough to keep me interested but with a main character like Holly, everything was so much more hilarious.

The story follows Holly Kim, a fifteen year old Korean-American, who lands her own column in the school newspaper after accidentally submitting an article which she added her own snarky flair to. The story takes place within the span of a whole school year where Holly and her equally sarcastic but funny friends try to survive their sophomore year. In the columns that Holly writes, she contemplates on the mundane school events and things teenagers typically go through.

I absolutely love how real Holly is. Yes, she’s always sarcastic and snarky but truth be told it’s only common among teenagers, especially fifteen year olds. It’s the early years of being a teenager where there’s way too much angst – the awkward years where you feel so misunderstood and you constantly feel so angry at your parents (oh the drama!). Holly’s definitely the epitome of a typical teenager. She’s the kind of teenager who’s more inclined to observe than to participate because she’s neither a total outcast nor a popular kid so she’s somewhere in the middle of things. A lot of times I laughed out loud at all of Holly’s thoughts about highschool because it felt like something I said or would’ve said six years ago (oh my god. SIX years ago?!). Aside from that, I enjoyed Holly’s Korean family dynamics because a lot of it is something that I could definitely relate too, me being Asian and all. It was funny how Holly and her friends described the most mundane, weird or frustrating things she went through with their own brand of humor.

I also liked how varied the events in the book were given that the story happens within a whole school year and yet it didn’t feel so crammed. I liked the overall flow of the story as well as how Holly’s witty monthly columns summed every season up. There’s also this one side story that leaves a hint of romance and possibly even a sequel….? *grins* I personally would like to see how that’ll pan out so I hope this isn’t the end for Holly and her friends. An overall entertaining and light read from start to finish, Since You Asked is a great debut from a promising writer.

My Rating

About the author
Maurene Goo

Maurene Goo was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she navigated her childhood by practicing extreme bossy lord-dom over her many cousins. She studied communication at the University of California, San Diego, and received a master’s degree in publishing and writing at Emerson College. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a very old cat.


Blog Hop Schedule
July 24th
Sab the Book Eater --- YOU ARE HERE. Hurray! :D

July 26th

July 28th
An ARC of Since You Asked 
Wayfarers (like the ones on the cover)
A bag from a company in SD!

A tote bag and a hardcover of Since You Asked
A fox tote

Photos of some of the prizes:


Philippines only


  1. First, your review's so funny! I love all the side comments you made. And YA! <3 I've read so much NA recently that I seriously need YA and a snarky and sarcastic protagonist would be the best palate cleanser. Thank you for the awesome giveaways (PH only!!! Less competitors MWAHAHAHA)! <3

    1. Oh, apparently there was a prompt. Haha! I guess I'd write about books because that's what I know. Or or or, funny, jokey horoscopes! Taurus: A spider will fall in your hair. Something like that. :P

  2. YIKES! D: I accidentally hit enter before I finished typing in my address! Is there anything I can do to fix this? (Maybe if I get picked you can e-mail me and I'll give it to you)?

    1. Yes! We will ask for it in case your name gets drawn :D

  3. I love that question! Haha. I was the editor-in-chief of our school paper way back in high school. I have a column name of PEN EXPRESS. I wrote about the major concerns of the students, the things they wanted to blurt out to the whole school but can't, basically everything that concerns and benefits all the students in the campus without getting them also into trouble or any violation. I wrote carefully so as not to violate any school rules and I just love what I did because the things I wrote were given attention as well. ;)

  4. As for the favorite high school memory, it's when my commanding officer (now unbelievably my boyfriend) asked me to prick the pimples of one of my bandmates! It's probably the most disgusting thing somebody asked me to do in my whole life (which of course, I didn't and faced the punishment instead)

  5. I'm sorry I having too many comments. Haha. I did one for each entry. Hek.

    When I was in high school I was probably the most active student since I joined almost all the activities. But the ones I really enjoyed best were joining the National Leadership Training for Student Government Officers in Baguio, and joining campus journalism contests like Division Secondary Schools Press Conference and Regional Schools Press Conference.

    Yes, I really love writing. :D

  6. Awesome review, Sab!! I can't wait to read this book myself. :) If I were given a column in the school newspaper when I was in high school, I'd write REAL advice about college. I don't think no one ever did that before (at least in my high school) and that's why I wasn't prepared for university life.

  7. Well, this definitely looks good
    And who doesn't love humor?
    Your reader,

  8. The most embarrassing memory was when I was when I fell down in a canal near our classroom when I was a sophomore. And it happened while I was eating a sundae. Good thing it wasn't raining and there was nothing inside. (My high school life is so boring.)

    And for the column in our newspaper, I actually want to be sort of part time in our school publication and write, guess what, reviews. :D

  9. I'm excited to read this one- and your review makes me even more eager! ^.^
    I was actually homeschooled during my high school years (as well as some of middle school) so I can't remember doing anything particualarly embarassing in front of my family...Ha! :\ ... How about I just say (being the shy one that I am) that sometimes they embarrassed me? ^.^ Thanks for the giveaway!

  10. Great Review! This looks good especially the one part with humor and sarcasm. I'll pick this up when I go shopping. Hopefully it's available here in PH. :)

  11. I love your review, Sab! I really want to read this book! Well, as for my most embarrassing memory in high school, I think it would be when we were dancing and I actually skipped a step and fell. =)) Anyway, I hope I win this one! <3

  12. If I were to write something in our school newspaper, I'd write something about first loves, and how it wouldn't always last.

  13. Most terrifying moment is when I went to school with colors that don't match!!

  14. One memory at the top of my head was keeping my locker open while I bent down to put books in my backpack and I must have moved forward a bit because once I got up, my head hit the bottom of the locker and yeah there were people around and it hurt.
    Thanks for the giveaway!