#the love match

[shazleen]

My favourite book covers that I've worked on :)

[elizmanderson]

2022 wrap-up, part 2

click here for part 1 | click here for part 3

aaaaaaand we're back for more of a look at this year. today's topic is reading, which is considerably less sparkling than writing for the reasons below.

top reads in 2022

woof I did so little reading in 2022. I really thought I'd do more once grad school was done, but by then I was doing amm and working on book things for my debut, so it just kinda. didn't happen. I read 14 new books, and 4 of them didn't happen until I was at my parents' house for the holidays.

so maybe it doesn't mean a ton since I read so little, but here are my top reads this year, in no particular order:

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

as you know if you followed me when I actually read this book: obsessed. I wrote so many posts like OH MY GOD THIS BOOK until ofmd distracted me. I read this book twice in one month, in one sitting each time, and posted nonstop bullshit on twitter about it, too. super short, excellent forest vibes, folkloric, gay, what's not to love

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

cozy fantasy, sapphic, not too long, exactly what I need from my fiction, and broke a reading slump that lasted most of my year thank god (no literally I read Silver in the Wood twice in march and then kinda cycled between books without finishing any of them until I read this in probably october)

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna

new comfort read, ahoy! again a cozy fantasy, chock full of found family, so goddamn SOFT and again exactly what I need from my fiction, made me cry but mostly in a good way

The Mutantsitters Club by SJ Whitby

finally, a standalone in the Cute Mutants universe!! all the things you know & love about SJ's works, but softer, sweeter, and bite-sized, which is exactly what I need in my old age and also bc I'm a coward who hasn't even finished the original series yet bc I'm so scared of the many ways SJ might break my heart

the Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert (reread)

obviously fantastic bc I reread at least one of them every year and this year went for all three. heartwarming & heartbreaking and digs into various mental health issues as well as neurodivergence (implicitly with Dani Brown, explicitly with Eve Brown) and chronic illness (Chloe Brown)

upcoming books I'm looking forward to

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim

YA contemporary, debut author

Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans

YA mystery, debut author

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell

cottagecore fantasy romance

The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah

epic fantasy, sequel to The Stardust Thief

[smbhax]

Elizabeth Shippen Green She heard him speak to someone below (1907) Illustration for "The Love Match" by Justus Miles Forman Harper's Monthly Magazine Vol. 115. Jun 1907 - Nov 1907. 442.

[desdasiwrites]

— Priyanka Taslim, The Love Match

[richincolor]

Title: The Love Match Author: Priyanka Taslim Genres: Contemporary, Romance Pages: 386 Publisher: Salaam Reads Review Copy: Purchased Availability: Available now

Summary: Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style.

Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.

But life—and boys—can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.

Review: [THE LOVE MATCH is a fairly lighthearted book, so most of these content warnings are not explored in depth: grief regarding the death of a parent, homophobia (off page), discussions of colorism and sexism, fat phobia, and past bullying/racism.]

Priyanka Taslim’s THE LOVE MATCH was a wonderful way for me to start 2023. While the summary focuses on the budding love triangle between Zahra, Harun, and Nayim, Taslim’s debut novel is just as much about the love one can have for family, community, and yourself.

I think THE LOVE MATCH really captures that space of uncertainty after high school, made even murkier for Zahra because her family’s financial situation means she has to defer her college acceptance and work to help her widowed mother support their family. The relationship between Zahra and her mother provides a consistent undercurrent of tension throughout the book, and there were a couple of scenes between them where they discussed Zahra’s parents’ marriage that I really loved. Zahra’s mother’s thoughts about making sure Zahra had a “good match” gave the book a lot of depth.

One of the strengths of THE LOVE MATCH is how firmly rooted it is in Zahra’s Bangladeshi diaspora community. From the tea shop to the Auntie Network to Zahra’s friends, this was a rich world populated with different values and desires. I really enjoyed Zahra’s friendships with Dalia, Dani, and Ximena, especially when things became complicated between them in different ways as they all tried to figure out what their own desires and ambitions were. (Zahra’s writing subplot will have a special place in my heart.)

I can be a bit picky about my love triangles, but I was generally pleased with how this one played out. Zahra’s two potential love interests were on surprisingly equal footing for most of the book. While I don’t want to go into too much detail for spoiler reasons, I appreciated that Zahra ultimately made her decisions regarding Harun and Nayim based on what she felt was best for her, rather than too heavily weighting what others thought was best for her or what they thought she should value. In that, THE LOVE MATCH hit many of the highlights of the great coming-of-age novels.

Recommendation: Get it soon if you’re a fan of contemporary romances. THE LOVE MATCH is a strong debut, and author Priyanka Taslim did a great job of having Zahra navigate family and community expectations while trying to figure out what it is she truly wanted for her life. THE LOVE MATCH has a compelling love triangle, but even more, it really feels like “a love letter from [Priyanka Taslim] to the city and culture [she] grew up in.” I’m looking forward to Taslim’s next book.

Extras: Are You Ready for ‘A Love Match’ With Priyanka Taslim

Q&A: Priyanka Taslim, Author of ‘The Love Match’

Exclusive Interview: Priyanka Taslim Talks The Love Match

[blackpnk]

Andre Braugher as Raymond Holt Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 1

[qquoe]

🪦 To Flapjack. Thank you for finding me. -H.

[catmask]

bf admitted he likes being bossed around which is insanely funny considering 1) my mom always told me id never find a partner bc i can be bossy (just comes built in being the oldest sibling also Literally got it from her. also im a virgo not my fault) 2) i was asking him because i was worried i was doing it unconsciously (i try my best not to be) but then he was like no keep doing it i like it

[tues-dayy]

Pencils Down has already become one of my favorite Game Changer episodes and it hasn't even been out for 24 hours

[viveela]

I change my hair every week and a half dude get used to it

[chloesimaginationthings]

Abby meets Cassie’s favorite FNAF animatronic Roxy!

[slavhew]

hm

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[selenityshiroi]

Zelda travelling around Hyrule after the Calamity and people are tripping over themselves to tell her stories about the Hero because they love that feral cryptid mad man and are so proud of him

'I met him when I was about to get eaten by a Hinox...he jumped off a horse, fired 12 arrows in the blink of an eye and then got smacked in the face with a tree...but then he came back and hacked away at it's legs with this stupidly big sword until it finally died'

'He was wearing this weird patched together mask that looked like a monster but he made enough curry for everyone so we didn't like to ask'

'But...the hero was a girl? She wore these lovely green silks and every time she came out of the Gerudo Canyon she had a bag full of electric safflina to sell to Beedle over there. The Gerudo think she's an amazing fighter, which says a lot, and she always thanked me for looking after her horses when she went into the desert'

'I swear to Hylia that he ran through here wearing nothing but his underwear and a mask shaped like a leaf...claimed he was looking for the Children of the Forest. Sorry, Princess, but I'm not sure he was quite right in the head at the time'

'He used to creep in here silently wearing this grey mask and with enough lizards and beetles that we could make enough elixirs to last for a month. Not sure I ever saw his face without it'

And the entire time Link is stood neatly dressed, three steps away, listening to every word and no one pays him the slightest bit of attention. Because none of them cotton on that 'prim and proper Royal Knight' Link and 'I will defeat this Lynel with a stick, a pot lid and a bucket load of adrenaline' Wild Child Hero is the same man. Especially with how many masks he owned.

When they walk away and are out of sight and earshot Zelda just raises her eyebrow with a smile and he is like '...I can explain...it made sense at the time'

[titsay]

matching holiday pfps

[lijoue]

I'm excited to share my first cas cc collection! These are items I've been wanting for a long time, but I couldn't really find. Despite the fact that I have over 50gb of cc, I surprisingly didn't have these staples in my game. I plan to eventually make a second part to this set, but tbh I want to take a little break from cas cc. My next project I'm working on is a Paris-inspired world mod!

—

10 new meshes, ~20-30 swatches each

"Accessory" pieces can be found in rings and can be layered with top/body item of your choice. (some clipping/layering issues can be expected.)

"Overlay" pieces can be found in rings and only work with the appropriate outfit.

BGC

download

TOU:

Do not claim as your own.

Feel free to recolor.

Please include the mesh in your recolors, but your post should include a functional link to my original page as credit.

You can modify my meshes, but your post should include a functional link to my original page as credit.

I hope you enjoy it! ♡