Book Talk! Lauren Ho's BITE ME, ROYCE TASLIM

About the Book
Acclaimed author of Last Tang Standing and Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic in her YA debut: a sharp yet sweet rivals-to-romance romp through Kuala Lumpur--perfect for fans of Emiko Jean, Abigail Hing Wen, and Kat Cho.

Agnes Chan never expected to be the punchline of her own life . . .

But how else do you explain getting accidentally run over and seeing a lifetime of careful preparation, endless training, and all your hopes of a track scholarship to college destroyed in a split second? Not to mention the only witness to your humiliation being your #1 archnemesis, Royce Taslim.

So, when Agnes finds a new answer to her scholarship predicament in the form of an international stand-up comedy contest for teens, the last person she expects to be up against is also the last person she wants to see: Royce. Because for years Royce has represented everything Agnes loathes: extreme privilege, popularity, and physical perfection (ok maybe she doesn't hate that part so much).

Behind the scenes, though, Royce's flawless façade fades away, revealing someone Agnes never expected--someone who shows her that perhaps the best parts of life are the ones you aren't prepared for--and as the competition heats up, so do things between these two rivals. But will the pressure to win be too much for them to handle--or will Agnes (and Royce) get the last laugh?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John L. Rosove is Senior Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Israel of Hollywood in Los Angeles where he served from 1988-2019, a national co-chair of the Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet of J Street, and a past national chairman of the Association of Reform Zionists of America. He is the author of From the West to the East – A Memoir of an American Liberal Rabbi (Fresno: West to West Center, 2024), Why Judaism Matters — Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to his Children and the Millennial Generation (Nashville: Jewish Lights, 2017) and Why Israel and its Future Matter— Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to the Next Generation (New Jersey: Ben Yehuda Press, 2023 2nd edition). He is an editor of Deepening the Dialogue – Jewish Americans and Israelis Envisioning the Jewish-Democratic State (New York: CCAR Press, 2020). He writes a regular blog at www.rabbijohnrosove.blog and a blog at The Times of Israel. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and has two sons and two grandchildren.

ABOUT THE INTERLOCUTOR

Lauren Ho, author of adult romcoms Last Tang Standing and Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic, is a reformed legal counsel who now prefers to write for pleasure. Hailing from Malaysia, she is currently based in Singapore, where she’s ostensibly working on her next novel while attempting to parent. Bite Me, Royce Taslim is her YA debut. Find her on Instagram and Twitter @HelloLaurenHo.