A fun web comic meets real world story. A little slow in the beginning but the second half definitely makes up for it. Much deeper elements to this than expected, including grief, childhood cancer, adoption, and a touch of cultural identity.

This story was definitely an interesting one, and for the most part, I liked it. Mina was a fun character to follow and I enjoyed her little mutterings to herself. Though it was never said, she definitely struck me as an introvert who just kept close to a couple of friends. She was definitely resourceful, which proved to be a good thing when she got stuck in her web-comic, and she reacted very differently than I would’ve expected.

The story itself was really intriguing and kept me from putting the book down. There were times when the writing was a little more “tell, not show” than “show, not tell” and it gave me the feel of this being more of a younger YA type of book, which is fine. It was just hard to remember sometimes that the characters were 17 years old rather than 14-15 years old. Maybe it was just me though.

What I really liked about this book was its focus on handling grief and following your passion in life. Mina really loved art and felt like it connected her to her mom, who had died when she was fourteen, and she wanted to pursue it, but of course her dad wanted her to go study something more practical. Mina creates her web-comic thinking that if she can get a solid following on it, she can convince her dad to let her go to art school.

The grief dealt with in this novel wasn’t just in Mina grieving her mom, but also an old friend who died, yet is alive in her web-comic universe. In a way, she has to grieve her friend again when she goes back to her universe. There were a lot of moments when Mina remembered something her mom said to her, or had a dream of a memory with her childhood friend, and they were sweet and emotional. That’s what I felt was the real juice in this story (other than the cool aspect of being sucked into the web-comic part).

The romance felt kinda “meh” to me because I was more focused trying to figure out how the alternate universe thing works, and I mean, hi… everyone had superpowers. Superpowers over romance any day. Plus, you knew it was doomed from the start because, again, they were in alternate universes.

Overall, this was a fun read. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes web-comics, diverse reads, and alternate universes.

Some books are hard to write reviews for. When you either love or dislike a book, it’s usually quite easy to express your thoughts and feelings about it. But the books that just are “fine” are hard. There were times I found myself not caring much for the story, and other times it grabbed my attention. I loved the heartwarming family relationships, and sweet friendships.

But the plot of having the main character Mina Lee being sucked into her own webcomic, and having to navigate an alternative world of superpowers in order to return home had so many cool ideas and was set up for so much action. But most of the time I just found the whole thing a bit slow. This YA contemporary also felt a bit juvenile, at least for me.

I love the concept of this story and how self-aware it is of the use of tropes and their effects on characters and storylines. Having Mina be a writer and the fact that she is revising and editing as her own story unfolds is awesome and I am here for it.

I am going to get to meet Ellen Oh in March at #TeenBookCon24 and I will definitely have a few questions for her concerning that ending!

#NetGalley #TheCollidingWorldsofMinaLee

I enjoyed it. Definitely YA focus. Good Asian representation and issues that generational Asian growing up the America deal with.

I enjoyed the alternate reality.
It was a fun read.

Webcomics, an alternate universe, and a childhood friend brought back into existence…YES please!! Thanks again to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for feedback.

I really got hooked from the description of this book, because A. it’s inspired by A-ha’s “Take on Me” music video (which I had to instantly watch before reading) and B. it takes place in an alternate universe that is a part of a webcomic (which Mina created and has superheroes/villains in it). She also meets Jin, who reminds her of boy she lost at a young age, but he’s older and resembles him in this time…oh, and don’t forget that she’s stuck in this world and has to get back home 😱 This story had all the tropes I like, especially since it kept me guessing and wanting to see more between Mina and Jin ❤️ How this story ends will make you want a sequel (and I know I want one after that ending)!

Side note: I loved that there was a brief mention of a character with my same name and spelling! 🤗 I don’t see it often in books, especially spelled the same way - it just put a smile on my face.

What a fun book to start off 2024 with ✨

When a teenage artist gets sucked into her own web comic she finds herself falling for a boy who strangely reminds her of someone she used to know and fighting against her own protagonist who has turned evil. Inspired by the A-ha's "Take on Me" music video, the story follows Mina Lee, a teenager who dreams about going to art school and pursuing art just like her mother before she passed away. She begins working on a web comic... only to suddenly wake up inside of it! Mina does not expect to be here at all or to be falling for the main love interest she wrote.. except he is based off her own childhood best friend who passed away... and now he's here again and she can be with him.... the only problem is that her protagonist has turned evil and will destroy anyone who gets close to him, did I also forget to mention in this world people are gifted with powers. Mina is trapped in the story she created and has to save everyone, but the real question is, will she go back to her own world if it means losing Jin forever? This was a really fun read and I enjoyed it! It's a unique story and the romance was cute. It's definitely a book I'd rec for anyone who enjoys fun adventurous romances!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I spent New Year's Day reading this sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, romance from Ellen Oh. What a great way to start the new year!

When I found this title on NetGalley and saw that it was inspired by A-Ha's Take On Me video, I knew I had to read it. It did not disappoint.

When Mina is pulled into her webcomic, she discovers that she is in an alternate universe, and that her story has had devastating effects on the people there. She must figure out not only how to fix their world, but also how to get back to her own.

This is a story of grief, healing and finding your own way.

Content Warnings: some language, grief, death of a parent, child abandonment, allusions to sex

I really like Ellen Oh and what she’s tried to do with WNDB, but I’m not sure this book is for me. The premise sounds great; but given how visual the inspiration is, I didn’t get that here.

This was an adventure filled with action, angst, and romance! I have a love-hate relationship with time travel and alternate world romances because you know from the beginning that it won't work out without someone giving something up. At times, some of the writing and pacing were off for me. I don't tend to read a lot of insta-love and cheesy one liners, but it served the plot of the webtoon well. I loved watching Mina and Jin get to know each other as teenagers and fall for one another all over again, and without giving any spoilers, I will say that I hope there's a sequel to tie up some of the loose ends!

This book contains mentions of the past death of a parent and child, and child abandonment so take care of yourself when reading.

This was such a fun and really sweet story! It felt so rooted in nostalgia but also very fresh and modern.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for an early copy of The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee by Ellen Oh. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: January 23rd, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50082039-the-colliding-worlds-of-mina-lee?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=bowwZLp6Yu&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

For a novel that seems action packed in a world of an alternate universe, The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee is somewhat slow in pacing for me. I did enjoy the family dynamics and it was interesting to see Oh's take on parallel/alternate universes, which Mina got so accustomed to quite quickly in my opinion. The romance aspect of the novel was quite so-so for me though, but would recommend this book if you are interested in alternate universes and heartwarming family relationships.

This was such an interesting YA read! I was super intrigued by how the webcomic world collided with real life. There was a lot going on in this book, but it all worked together in a really neat way. I also adored the romance tied into the story as well. If you like alternate universes, superhero action, and stories that focus on family relationships this is one you should enjoy.

I absolutely loved this YA novel! I have read other work by Ellen Oh with my daughters, and this is by far my favorite! My daughters, loved seeing so many of their interests reflected in the book: art, webtoons, fashion, Korean American identity (without it being the central focus of the book), and even super heroes!
I am a fan of Ellen Oh, and when I read that she'd based this book loosely on the Aha video for the song "Take On Me" I was so intrigued.I immediately made my daughters watch the video on youtube, and they were in as well.

Mina Lee is an artist struggling her way through big decisions related to her future. Her family doesn't support her dream of going to art school, and having a conversation with her absent father through the thick fog of grief feels impossible. When a freak storm sends Mina Lee into the world of the web toon she's created, she finds there are unintended consequences to drawing out the lives of teens on her tablet. I love how Oh tackles the world building and negotiating the space/time continuum which can be so, so tricky! She is careful to check in on the rules of parallel universes as the main character, Mina, tries to make sense of how the two worlds exist side by side and how her ability to change details impacts the lives of the people around her. There are super fun aspects like a modern teenage version of _Harold and the Purple Crayon_ when Mina realizes she can draw things into existence in the webtoon universe, but also very heartfelt, touching scenes related to loss and love.

The book is a mix of witty dialgoue, swoony crush moments and kick ass action as well as a good, sci-fi mystery plot!

While we are left with some loose ends, the book is a very satisfying read. We'd become so invested in the characters that it was a joy to try to think up our own next steps for them.

Highly recommend!

One of my favorite YAs I’ve read this year! This was a fun and inventive story. The fast pace and tension-filled plot will engage young readers. Highly recommend this creative story!

I think this is one of those books that will be excellent for certain readers but for whatever reason, I didn't connect with it. I wish there had been more explanation of how the webcomic world collided with real life. I did like the sweet romance. So, who is this book for? YA readers who are intrigued by alternate universes, readers who enjoy stories about family relationships, and of course, readers who want a touch of superhero comic action presented in an intriguing way.

Review based on an eARC received through NetGalley.

What a super cute book! Went a lot deeper than I thought it was going to, especially dealing with aspects of grief. I hope there's a sequel. But it summarized a fun web toon perfectly!