FEATURED ON WATTPAD FRESH READS 21/07
Asha has watched pretty much every rom-com to ever exist and read every romance novel to have ever set foot in the world of literature- in fact, she's even written some successful teen romance novels of her own...
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Hi there!
This is probably going to end up being longer than it should, but I would honestly appreciate it if you could read this note to the end because what I'm going to talk about is quite important and it'll give you more context about the book. I'll give you a cookie if you get to the end.
So here's goes nothing I guess...
Growing up I've read countless teen romance novels (to fill the void created by the lack of romance in my life LMAO) and I was genuinely happy reading them in spite of the fact that all the protagonists were white girls and I evidently, am not a white girl. But when I read the To All The Boys series- the first series I'd ever read with an Asian protagonist- I finally realised what I'd been missing out on my entire life: the feeling of truly understanding and identifying with a character. Now, the funny thing is that Lara Jean isn't even 'my kind' of Asian (i.e. she's not South Asian) but at the time it was as close as I was going to get. Although it's definitely getting better, there is (in my opinion) definitely a lack of Asian (particularly South Asian) representation in YA novels. I'm not saying that there isn't any representation, because I can name a few books off the top of my head, but I'm just saying that there isn't nearly enough. What I find even funnier is that I've been writing for a while now and it wasn't until very recently that the thought of writing a story from the perspective of a Nepalese girl (a girl like ME) even crossed my mind. It shocked me how I'd become so used to writing from the perspective of a white person. That was my main inspiration for writing this book I guess. I want girls like me to be able to read a book and see characters who they can identify with and relate to, or at least have the option to. With that being said, please don't think that you can't read this book if you're not from an Asian background! LMAO NO, that's not what I'm trying to say at all. I'm sure (or at least I hope) that you'll still enjoy reading this book just as much irrespective of your background. The main character has been brought up in England and at the end of the day, she's just a normal 21st-century girl (throwback to that song by Willow Smith) so you'll still be able to relate to her! And you'll learn heaps of stuff too, which the next paragraph is going to be about.
In this book, I will try to integrate aspects of my culture into it, which I hope you'll find interesting. Don't worry, this book is a teen romance so that'll obviously be the main focus. This ain't a lonely planet guide book in disguise- I promISE. Oh and for those of you who don't know where Nepal is: GET A MAP YOU FOOLS! I'm joking, I'm joking. It's a small country so I understand. It's in between China and India. Fun fact: it's where Mt Everest is.
On a more serious note: although this book is going to be (mostly) light-hearted, there will be a couple of references to some serious cultural issues prevalent in the Nepalese community and Nepalese society as a whole which may also be present in/relevant to other South Asian countries. Some of the references may shock those of you who aren't familiar with these traditions and or beliefs, but I sincerely hope that you will all take this as an opportunity to broaden your knowledge and cultural awareness. My intention is not to antagonise my own community, to speak ill of it, or to encourage negative attitudes towards it- no community is perfect, all communities have flaws and by acknowledging these flaws, we can challenge these flaws and ultimately move one step closer to securing a better future for our communities. With that being said, there is a multitude of amazing things about Nepal and its people and I am proud to be from such a culturally rich and diverse country- hopefully you'll get a bit of a taste for what I'm talking about in the book!
Okay, I'm going to stop pretending to be Barrack Obama delivering a speech and go back to being myself now lmao.
Another thing that I wanted to mention is that this book is set in England (in a fictional town) so it follows the British education system. If you're a reader who isn't familiar with this system then it might be worth reading the information below this just so that you're not confused as hell throughout the whole book. If you're a fellow Brit or are somehow already aware of how the schools in England work (because you're a smart potato- that's not even a thing.. is it?) then feel free to skip the next paragraph. If you're bored and have nothing else to do then you can read it anyway. Go on- I know you're dying to do it.
Primary education begins in the UK at age 5 and continues until age 11 (between these ages, children attend primary school). From age 11 to 16, students will enter secondary school to start their move towards taking the GCSE's (a set of exams everyone has to take in year eleven). Year 7 (ages 11-12), Year 8 (ages 12-13), Year 9 (ages 13-14), Year 10 (ages 14-15), Year 11 (ages 15-16). Once a student finishes secondary education they have the option to extend into further education to take their A-Levels. Asha goes to a private/independent secondary school which means you have to pay a shit ton of money to go to it and her school has a sixth-form (Year 12 and Year 13) attached to it. Year 12 (ages 16-17) and Year 13 (ages 17-18). Okay, so that was just a summary, hope it wasn't too confusing. If you ever get confused then feel free to comment and I'll explain it better.
A few other bits and bobs: there's quite a lot of swearing (the main character doesn't swear but everybody else does), there's a shit ton of British slang so google/ask if you get confused and there will also be some use of Nepalese words but a translation will either be provided within the narrative or in an author's note at the start of the chapter.
If you've made it this far, you're a star. Well done. Here's a pat on the back (no cookie, I lied sorry I can't bake to save my life). Anyway, I'm going to stop rambling now and just let you read. I really hope you love the book as much as I do because it's really special to me :) Also let's pray that I finish this before the end of September so I can submit it for the Wattys ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
