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isabelbrieler's review against another edition
2.0
There are a couple reasons I struggled with this book.
First and most importantly, I found the incessant fat-shaming of our main character pretty triggering, especially since she was a size 8. I don’t understand why Chao felt the need to include that kind of detail and while I understand why she included the comments from her mother, Mei herself made some remarks, which bothered me a lot.
Secondly, there’s nothing really new about this book. And while that’s not necessarily bad, I just read When a Dimple Met Rishi, which features a lot of the same tropes and, in my opinion, did it better. So I wasn’t really enjoying this book too much because it felt like I’d just read the same kind of story.
Overall, this book is mostly fine. Because of my life experience and the books I’ve read recently, though, I personally didn’t like it.
First and most importantly, I found the incessant fat-shaming of our main character pretty triggering, especially since she was a size 8. I don’t understand why Chao felt the need to include that kind of detail and while I understand why she included the comments from her mother, Mei herself made some remarks, which bothered me a lot.
Secondly, there’s nothing really new about this book. And while that’s not necessarily bad, I just read When a Dimple Met Rishi, which features a lot of the same tropes and, in my opinion, did it better. So I wasn’t really enjoying this book too much because it felt like I’d just read the same kind of story.
Overall, this book is mostly fine. Because of my life experience and the books I’ve read recently, though, I personally didn’t like it.
colleens_conclusions's review against another edition
4.0
A review will come later when I am blogging again. (Am taking some time away from blogging.)
ihateprozac's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this. It was a meh 3.5 stars.
The first half is disappointingly underdeveloped. There’s little to no discussion of college life, in spite of the fact that this is a huge adjustment and transition period for a 17 year old girl. It’s treated more as a vague physical setting, like a cafe or bus station, than a transformative period in her life.
The protagonist Mei is passionate about dance, but the author doesn’t spend enough time adequately conveying this passion or even explaining dance terminology in a way that allows readers to connect with her. There’s so much dance jargon thrown around and I couldn’t understand what she was doing, which really pulled me out of the story.
Mei also feels much younger than the 17 years she’s purported to be. While some of this can be attributed to her strict upbringing prohibiting her from experiencing a lot of life for herself, she honestly reads as a naive 14 year old. This is doubly strange if you try to listen to the audiobook (which I abandoned in favour of the ebook), because the audiobook narrator makes her sound like a sardonic 25 year old.
Mei has little to no chemistry with her love interest either, so this book couldn’t even rely on the romance to prop it up.
Admittedly the second act was much stronger, with Mei finally taking a stand against her parents and fighting for what she wants to do with her life. The pacing, build up, and duration of the conflict was a little lopsided, but ultimately the second half of the novel was far more enjoyable. The satisfaction of watching a downtrodden teen finally stand up for herself and get what she wants was GREAT, and though it couldn’t make up for the first half of the novel, it did leave off on a high note.
The first half is disappointingly underdeveloped. There’s little to no discussion of college life, in spite of the fact that this is a huge adjustment and transition period for a 17 year old girl. It’s treated more as a vague physical setting, like a cafe or bus station, than a transformative period in her life.
The protagonist Mei is passionate about dance, but the author doesn’t spend enough time adequately conveying this passion or even explaining dance terminology in a way that allows readers to connect with her. There’s so much dance jargon thrown around and I couldn’t understand what she was doing, which really pulled me out of the story.
Mei also feels much younger than the 17 years she’s purported to be. While some of this can be attributed to her strict upbringing prohibiting her from experiencing a lot of life for herself, she honestly reads as a naive 14 year old. This is doubly strange if you try to listen to the audiobook (which I abandoned in favour of the ebook), because the audiobook narrator makes her sound like a sardonic 25 year old.
Mei has little to no chemistry with her love interest either, so this book couldn’t even rely on the romance to prop it up.
Admittedly the second act was much stronger, with Mei finally taking a stand against her parents and fighting for what she wants to do with her life. The pacing, build up, and duration of the conflict was a little lopsided, but ultimately the second half of the novel was far more enjoyable. The satisfaction of watching a downtrodden teen finally stand up for herself and get what she wants was GREAT, and though it couldn’t make up for the first half of the novel, it did leave off on a high note.
adelevarley's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars
I needed this book. Even though the main character is Taiwanese, and I am not Taiwanese, I could understand where she was coming from, and who she was. I loved Mei, I loved Darren, I loved every other character. This book was so impactful, yet lighthearted. This book is filled with heart, and it was a delightful surprise. There were some sentences that didn't read very well, but the rest of the book was fabulous. I can't wait to see what Gloria Chao comes out with next! :)
I needed this book. Even though the main character is Taiwanese, and I am not Taiwanese, I could understand where she was coming from, and who she was. I loved Mei, I loved Darren, I loved every other character. This book was so impactful, yet lighthearted. This book is filled with heart, and it was a delightful surprise. There were some sentences that didn't read very well, but the rest of the book was fabulous. I can't wait to see what Gloria Chao comes out with next! :)
thisstoryaintover's review against another edition
wow. i have never related SO HARD to a book. obviously a lot my experiences were different than Mei's but STILL. SO MANY THINGS. also i'm convinced her relationship with her mother was the best part <3 loved this to pieces.
purplepinkcherries's review against another edition
5.0
This is officially one of my favourite contemporary novels ever!! I think I especially liked it because some of the family stuff was so personal and I'm not afraid to say I cried.
This is a story I will keep coming back to ❤️
This is a story I will keep coming back to ❤️
sarahtribble's review against another edition
3.0
Another one where I’m torn between a 3 and a 4 star rating. Longer review to come later when I’ve had more time to gather my thoughts.
allison_sirovy's review against another edition
5.0
Smart, funny, witty, heartwarming, heartbreaking . . . Loved this book!!