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whatannikareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
YOOOOO THIS WAS ACTUALLY SO GOOD?
i thought white ivy was such a captivating read. ivy is a very vain girl who grew up fairly poor, wanting to fit in with the rich kids of the white suburb a block over. she has a crush on this golden white boy, gideon, and tries to get his attention. however, her mom catches wind of her liking boys (interfering with her studies), thus sending her to china to spend time with her aunts. this essentially cuts off her chance with gideon and her friendship with roux, a romanian boy who she strikes a sort of friendship with consisting of stealing and lying.
fast forward and a decade goes by before they re-enter her life but in very different circumstances and their storylines get intertwined.
this. book. is. so. addicting. the writing itself is so beautiful and articulate. it raises questions about the characters that made me think as i hadn't noticed the details, and then sort of discussed possibilities and what not after, which i appreciated.
one thing going into this: ivy is not a likable character and i don't believe she is meant to be. but i loved how her and her family portrayed a familiar asian american family but with much more realistic complexities—not just being a fob or a rich transplant like the typical tropes. ivy's personality isn't based solely on her ethnicity, and while she isn't a very good person, you can't (at least I couldn't) stop reading about her, almost like observing a creature in a glass case.
i also loved that the love triangle plays upon typical tropes but also makes each guy's personalities complex as well so it's not obvious who you're supposed to root for. some people like me may enter this saying, 'ugh not another asian girl liking a white guy,' but i think this story couldn't have been done any other way otherwise, as it is a commentary on race and class and is very specific to THAT sort of white generational wealth vs. new money.
I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH i couldn't put it down once i picked it up. each character made me skeptical (because of the questions susie throws in) of their intentions and what was bubbling underneath. i figured out the *major thing* right before it happened and gasped when it actually happened. i also was completely blindsided by the *plot twist* but i loved how it made me sit and have to reevaluate everything i just read. i think some people may not vibe with the ending, but i enjoyed it! it was a sort of sweet release—not necessarily good for you, but you couldn't give lesser of a fuck because yup! life sort of sucks ass and at the end of the day, we're all humans and you're not any better than me! i'm the only one who can look out for myself!
i thought white ivy was such a captivating read. ivy is a very vain girl who grew up fairly poor, wanting to fit in with the rich kids of the white suburb a block over. she has a crush on this golden white boy, gideon, and tries to get his attention. however, her mom catches wind of her liking boys (interfering with her studies), thus sending her to china to spend time with her aunts. this essentially cuts off her chance with gideon and her friendship with roux, a romanian boy who she strikes a sort of friendship with consisting of stealing and lying.
fast forward and a decade goes by before they re-enter her life but in very different circumstances and their storylines get intertwined.
this. book. is. so. addicting. the writing itself is so beautiful and articulate. it raises questions about the characters that made me think as i hadn't noticed the details, and then sort of discussed possibilities and what not after, which i appreciated.
one thing going into this: ivy is not a likable character and i don't believe she is meant to be. but i loved how her and her family portrayed a familiar asian american family but with much more realistic complexities—not just being a fob or a rich transplant like the typical tropes. ivy's personality isn't based solely on her ethnicity, and while she isn't a very good person, you can't (at least I couldn't) stop reading about her, almost like observing a creature in a glass case.
i also loved that the love triangle plays upon typical tropes but also makes each guy's personalities complex as well so it's not obvious who you're supposed to root for. some people like me may enter this saying, 'ugh not another asian girl liking a white guy,' but i think this story couldn't have been done any other way otherwise, as it is a commentary on race and class and is very specific to THAT sort of white generational wealth vs. new money.
I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH i couldn't put it down once i picked it up. each character made me skeptical (because of the questions susie throws in) of their intentions and what was bubbling underneath. i figured out the *major thing* right before it happened and gasped when it actually happened. i also was completely blindsided by the *plot twist* but i loved how it made me sit and have to reevaluate everything i just read. i think some people may not vibe with the ending, but i enjoyed it! it was a sort of sweet release—not necessarily good for you, but you couldn't give lesser of a fuck because yup! life sort of sucks ass and at the end of the day, we're all humans and you're not any better than me! i'm the only one who can look out for myself!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Blood