Will Domenici has two goals: to find a paying summer internship, and to prove he has what it takes to become an editor on his school paper.
Then Jocelyn's father tells her their family restaurant may be going under, and all wishes are off. Because her dad has the marketing skills of a dumpling, it's up to Jocelyn and her unlikely new employee, Will, to bring A-Plus Chinese Garden into the 21st century (or, at least, to Facebook).
What starts off as a rocky partnership soon grows into something more. But family prejudices and the uncertain future of A-Plus threaten to keep Will and Jocelyn apart. It will take everything they have and more, to save the family restaurant and their budding romance.
Review: The recently awarded Schneider Family Book Award, This My Brain in Love is a nuanced look at mental health issues in the communities of color. After years of missing New York City, Chinese American Jocelyn Wu has finally settled in Utica. She’s got a best friend who understands and supports her and is doing well in school despite being constantly be mistaken for Peggy Chen, the popular and only other Chinese girl at school. When her father announces that their family has to move back to the city because their restaurant is bankrupt, Jocelyn is determined to keep her family business afloat and steps in the role of business manager after her parents reluctantly agrees.
Biracial Will Domenici (Nigerian/Italian) is a budding, driven journalist who has been passed over as editor for his school paper due to lack of investigative skills. He was advised to find real life experience to help build his investigative and communicative skills, which is hard for Will who lives with acute anxiety.
Jocelyn and Will's worlds collide as Jocelyn hires Will to help with the restaurants social media marketing. Sparks fly, and what started out as a summer internship becomes a full-blown romance—one that Jocelyn’s father, Mr. Wu, stipulates can continue only if the pair fulfills the terms of a contract that include raising the restaurant’s revenue by thirty percent before the end of the summer.
This is My Brain in Love is told from dual perspective. Jocelyn and Will are equally lovable and fully developed characters. As we watch Jocelyn take on a mission with initially selfish motives slowly develops into a career path, which highlights her strengths. The pressure of the restaurant's success, her own desire to succeed, and her parental expectations start to wear her down and she begins to suffer from her own mental health issues. Though Jocelyn is unable to figure out what is 'wrong' with her, Will immediately notices the signs of depression through years of his own therapy for his anxiety. As he attempts to help Jocelyn, she withdraws. Can their relationship survive?
What I appreciated the most in this book that it addresses complex issues such as navigating interracial relationships and the stigma of mental health with sensitivity and nuance. Will communicates his difficulties of his anxiety honestly and his desire to help not fix Jocelyn is genuine. It is also important to note that Jocelyn's and Will's relationship with their mental health do not miraculously disappear at the end of the story because of their romance, but they have created a supportive network for each other. Readers who are looking for romance may be slightly disappointed as it is really a subplot, but it is sweet and adorable. This is My Brain in Love is the best book that I have read thus far that depicts mental health within a smart romance.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language in the book. Recommended for strong Grade 7 readers and up.
If you like this book try: When We Collided by Emery Lord, Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo
Labels:
2020 Reading Challenge,
4.5 stars,
Diversity,
Family,
Favorite Books,
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Realistic Fiction,
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I plan on reading this one since it won a YMA. I really need to get going on reading those award books! It sounds like a great read.