Tips for Tuesday - Books: Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream & The Calculation of You and Me , & Movie: Princess Halle & The Jester

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream & The Calculation of You and Me

Me - Cash Delgado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Meija follows the story of the titular character, a single mother who manages a bar in a small town. When her former hookup, Chase, returns to town with plans to open a franchise that will likely put her bar out of business, she must fight to save it, all while grappling with questions about her sexuality when she begins to have sexual dreams about her best friend, Inez.

I thought this book was a romance but it read far more like general fiction with a subplot of romance. The primary focus was on Cash’s struggle to save the bar as well as her exploration of her sexuality. Yes, that exploration was driven by her developing feelings for Inez, but the romance between them barely existed until past the 60% mark. The majority of the romance felt far more told than shown. Cash’s inner monologue went on at length about how attractive Inez was, how much Cash wanted her, and how deeply Cash felt for her. However, the interactions shared did not exhibit those things at all. I never believed that these two felt anything for each other besides friendship. The chemistry and tension were nonexistent and, as I said, the only development between them happened internally. Given that we did not get Inez’s perspective, almost everything we knew about their relationship was just told to us in Cash’s head which made it very difficult to care about this couple or Inez as a character. It felt like she didn’t exist as her own person outside of her role in Cash’s life. 

That said, I did enjoy Cash as a character. Her motivations, desires, and feelings were always clear and she felt like a fully fleshed-out person. I also loved her relationship with her six-year-old daughter, Parker. Parker was sweet and funny and acted believably for a child her age. The mother-daughter relationship they shared was my favorite part of the book. 

This book wasn’t for me, but I think it was well-written. The pacing was a little slow in the middle and, as I said, the romance was underwhelming, but if you’re looking for a very introspective story about a single mother figuring out who she is and what she wants in her 30s, I would recommend giving this one a try

Mom - Today we are recommending The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor.  When Marlowe is almost paired with her ex-boyfriend, Josh for an English project, the new boy, Ashton Hayes comes to her rescue. Soon, Marlowe discovers his love for romance novels and enlists him to help her win Josh back. 

This is an extremely enjoyable novel. At first, the character of Marlowe is rather annoying. It is infuriating how desperate she is to get back a jerk like Josh, who is clearly unworthy of her love in the first place. He makes her think that she is not good enough. 

On the other hand, it is clear from the beginning what a good guy Ashton is. He clearly cares about Marlowe much more than she even realizes at first. Their relationship grows slowly and sweetly. The more it grows, the more Marlowe's confidence grows and she comes into her own and becomes a better person and a more likable character. 

Both main characters in this novel could easily be dismissed as less than worthy, unimportant, or not good enough by many people. Marlowe is neurodivergent. Her brain doesn't work like other people's She is unnaturally obsessed with math, she tends to ramble on about things like mushrooms, and more. Ashton is a gothy teen who dresses in black and wears eyeliner. However, the author fully fleshes them out in a way that takes away their otherness and makes them relatable.  

The book is also full of a lot of terrific secondary characters. They include Marlowe's two best friends, her mom, her dad, her stepdad, and her younger sister. All of them are extremely supportive of Marlowe. Their presence in the story and their great relationships with her serve to make what was already a good book even better and more satisfying to read

Movie: Princess Halle & The Jester 

Today we are talking about Princess Halle and The Jester. In this film, a princess must join forces with a jester to save the kingdom when it is overrun by goblins, and the king is kidnapped on the eve of his remarriage. In the process, she also learns to relate to the plight of the common people.

This film is not put together in the best way.  It often feels like the characters are standing in front of backdrops and not actually inhabiting the story. Also, some of the performances aren't good.  However, it is a unique and interesting take on the familiar tale of the princess and the evil stepmother and the two young leads have good chemistry.

Princess Halle and The Jester is available on DVD or to purchase or rent digitally now.

And that's our view. Due to circumstances beyond our control, Where-To-Go Wednesday will be closed this week. Tune in Thursday for Theater Thursday.

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