259 ratings | 43 reviews | avg rating:4.50

Cynthia’s Year In Books

Cynthia’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Cynthia’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Cynthia So’s Followers (216)

Cynthia’s Bookshelves

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803 books | 33 friends

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2025 Reading Challenge

2025

READING

CHALLENGE

Cynthia has read 14 of 20 books.

70%

Cynthia So

Goodreads Author

Website

https://socynthia.wordpress.com/

Twitter

cynaesthete

Genre

Young Adult, Contemporary

Member Since

February 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/cynthiaso

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Cynthia So is the author of If You Still Recognise Me, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the YA Book Prize in 2023. They were one of the new voices in Proud, an anthology of LGBTQ+ YA stories, poems, and art by LGBTQ+ creators, published in 2019. Their short fiction and poetry have also appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Anathema, among others. Cynthia was born in Hong Kong and lives in London with their wife.

Their second novel, This Feast of a Life, will be out on 9 January 2025.

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Cynthia So’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 5,806 ratings · 1,452 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	If You Still Recognise Me 4.02 avg rating — 3,682 ratings — published 2022 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Proud by Juno Dawson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Steve Antony (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Dean Atta (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.22 avg rating — 1,815 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Uncanny Magazine, Issue 23, July/August 2018 by Lynne M. Thomas (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Michael Damian Thomas (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Sam J. Miller (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.87 avg rating — 282 ratings — published 2018	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	This Feast of a Life 4.14 avg rating — 137 ratings — published 2025 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The 2020 Rhysling Anthology by David C. Kopaska-Merkel (Editor), Nisa Malli (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), P.S. Cottier (Contributor) 4.22 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anathema Issue 3 - December 2017 by Michael Matheson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Joyce Chng, Mimi Mondal (Goodreads Author) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Cynthia So…

Cynthia is Currently Reading

Cynthia is currently reading

Nettleblack

by Nat Reeve

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Oct 02, 2024 03:38AM

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All About Romance

by Daniel Tawse (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 16, 2023 06:24AM

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Our Sister, Again

by Sophie Cameron (Goodreads Author)

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Feb 24, 2022 08:42AM

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Cynthia’s Recent Updates

Cynthia rated a book it was amazing The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21 hours, 52 min ago · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia rated a book it was amazing The Fraud by Zadie Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 28, 2025 01:28PM · like
Cynthia finished reading Mortal Follies (The Mortal Follies, #1) by Alexis Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 12, 2025 10:16AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia rated a book it was amazing Kickflip : vol. 1 by L.D. Lapinski (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 03, 2025 01:33PM · like
Cynthia wants to read Henry Henry by Allen Bratton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 03, 2025 01:36AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Henry Henry by Allen Bratton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Henry Henry by Allen Bratton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia is currently reading Mortal Follies (The Mortal Follies, #1) by Alexis Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 31, 2025 02:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia rated a book it was amazing Moderation by Elaine Castillo	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
elaine castillo is a fucking marvel. i have known this since i read AMERICA IS NOT THE HEART (still the best wlw romance i've ever read <3), but MODERATION has cemented her as one of my top five authors. the way she writes romance is unbelievable - i ...more
Jul 26, 2025 01:14PM · 14 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Moderation by Elaine Castillo. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Moderation by Elaine Castillo <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia rated a book it was amazing Something New: Alternative poems for alternative weddings by Caroline Bird	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 19, 2025 07:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Something New by Caroline Bird. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Something New by Caroline Bird <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia wants to read A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 18, 2025 02:50AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cynthia wants to read Idolfire by Grace Curtis (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 18, 2025 02:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Idolfire by Grace Curtis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Idolfire by Grace Curtis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Cynthia So (?)

“Maybe it's the gay friends I have but they're all like... Sex! Exclamation mark exclamation mark! Which is extremely wonderful for them - I'm not saying they should be any other way - but. They're good at casual sex. I can't even imagine having it. I don't think any of my friends could put up with dating a guy who doesn't want to have sex. It's hard enough feeling like you're an outsider with most people because you're gay! And so you have to work harder to find your people. But you do it, you meet other gay guys, you manage to become friends with some of them, and then it still turns out you don't fit in. You're still different. What do you do then?”
― Cynthia So, If You Still Recognise Me

tags: asexual, asexuality

10 likes

“I didn't truly believe it back then. That I deserved to be seen. I do now, though. I do. And being seen requires being open about myself.
Joan looks at me, soft, patient.

I want to be seen.”
― Cynthia So, If You Still Recognise Me

tags: bipoc, lesbian-romance, sapphic, young-adult

4 likes

“There's nothing like meeting someone and feeling comfortable with them instantly. That to me is the closest thing we have to magic in the world. The inexplicable connection that we just feel, right away, to some people, when with the vast sea of humans we have to work hard to get anywhere at all.”
― Cynthia So, If You Still Recognise Me

tags: friendship

4 likes

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Polls

Which book should the YA LGBT Books Group read as our June-July 2023 Book of the Month?

Fake Dates and Mooncakes

by Sher Lee

20 votes 69.0%

If You Still Recognize Me

by Cynthia So

9 votes 31.0%

29 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
YA LGBT Books: * June 2023 Book of the Month - GO VOTE	3	55	Jun 01, 2023 04:43PM
sapphic central!!...: comfort wlw books	12	321	Jun 28, 2023 08:57PM
YA LGBT Books: * October 2023 BotM - If You Still Recognize Me	3	57	Oct 25, 2023 08:29AM

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Cynthia’s Year In Books

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