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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
“I couldn't go through life as a shadow.”
I was so so looking forward to this book, though it took me a while to actually read it. I have had a few too many books this year that I wanted to read but which turned out to be duds. Terrible, terrible duds. But I just couldn't wait any longer, I would just handle it if it turned out to be a dud. But OH MY, this one wasn't a dud at all. I loved every page of it. I loved Mei, I loved seeing her grow, I loved MIT, I loved the romance, the culture was fun, it was realistic, it had comedy, it had drama. It was just in one word Fantastic!
From the start we could see how overbearing the parents are, we see how Mei is trying to act like the good daughter, the author sure set the tone from the start right. I was eager to see if Mei would change. Would she be able to stand up to her parents, or would her parents finally see the light?
I loved Mei immediately. Sure, at times I wanted to shake her and tell her that she is her own person, that she is quite brainwashed, that she should make her own choices. That maybe, now that she is 17, she should just tell her parents what is really going on. Because while they want her to be a doctor, we all can clearly see that this isn't going to work out. The smallest bit of blood and this girl is feeling sick, germs and she tries to wipe everything clean. At times I just couldn't help but laugh. I know, maybe not the right moment, but I just couldn't help it. It was quite fun how at the smallest of things she would jump away and try to cover herself in antibacterial stuff.
I loved how she lost herself in dancing, how she even had a few classes that she taught, and how she was able to relax and go to her happy place. I know the feeling, I am not a pro-dancer, oh no, but at the end of a crappy day there is just nothing better than to let it all out by moving to the beat. I adored that her dream was to become a dance teacher and have a school of her own. Wow, that is just such a beautiful dream, and I was rooting for her to step up and let people know about her dream. That she shouldn't be afraid to live her life.
As the book continues, we see Mei slowly realise that maybe it is time for her to grab the reigns, we see her try to reconnect with her brother (in secret as her brother has been disowned by the family due to his girlfriend (we later find out why exactly)), we see her fall steadily in love (and I was rooting oh so much for these two), we see her try to talk to her parents. But as you may imagine her parents aren't the easiest.
At one point shit hits the fan, and stuff get really bad for Mei. It is a good thing she has someone who loves her (even if she pushes him away at one point, but I could understand why), she has her brother who cares about her and tries to help her out, she has her roommate (well, once she opens up to her and finds out she isn't such a bad person). But it is still very hard. She is still only 17, so she has to find a way to get funds and also to be able to make her own decisions without the need of her parents. Plus she has to deal with school and make the decision of her life, not go the route of a doctor, but instead something totally different, she wants to pursue her dream.
Plus she also goes to meet another girl who was disowned by her parents and has a lot of rumours surrounding her. I just loved that show the girl gave, it was just the best.
I was really angry at Mei's family, especially the parents (though I have to say her aunt/grandma were at times even worse). I just couldn't understand why these parents had to push such a lifepath to their kid. Not caring one wink about what she actually wants. Not even wanting to talk about it. Instead opting for arguing and shutting her down as if Mei is a kid and not the almost adult that she actually is. I get this is a culture thing, but really, you can't just force your kid like this. Later on my dislike for the parents shifted a bit more towards the dad, especially after seeing the mom trying her best to at least do something for Mei. Sure, she had a long way to go, but I was already happy that she was more and more accepting of Mei and who she was turning out to be. Not who she wanted to be, but who Mei wanted to be. I also loved the meeting between the mom and Mei's boyfriend. :P
But yeah, the mom was quite frustrating in the beginning. I mean really, every new chapter has a message/voicemail from her, quite literally stalking her kid as she knew the schedule and demanded to be called. And if Mei didn't do that? There was one scene in which the mom came to the university herself along with the police. Yup. Ain't that brilliant? I was just so rolling my eyes at this action of the mom. Please woman, you should give your girl some privacy and time for herself.
Mom also wanted to know everything about who Mei was meeting. Study groups? Tell me all their names, ages, backgrounds, etc.. Not to mention that she kept remarking about Mei's weight. :|
Nicolette sure turned to be a nice surprise. I wasn't sure what to make of her in the beginning, but I grew to quite like her. In the end she turned out to be one of my favs. She is a good case of don't judge by outwardly appearances.
We also meet Mei's other friend, Helen, and I was quite sad we didn't see more of her. She seems like quite the character.
I adored Darren. From the start he was just the sweetest, and I loved how he tried to help out Mei. How he tried to show her that it wasn't right for the parents to do what they did. They had some arguments, but he wasn't afraid to tell his opinion, or how the situation is at his home.
Plus I loved their connection. They had that bond from the start. So I was rooting throughout the book for these two to get together and kiss!
Plus, now that I read the book, I just love the cover even further. It is exactly how I would imagine Mei would look, blissfully drinking hot chocolate (her drink of choice).
Mm, I could probably tell more about my feelings on this (I dare to bet I could talk for hours), but I will just sign off, and let my review be this. I would highly recommend this book. You won't be bored one moment while reading this one. You will be rooting for the characters, squee at the romance, shake your head at the parents, and all in all enjoy this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was so so looking forward to this book, though it took me a while to actually read it. I have had a few too many books this year that I wanted to read but which turned out to be duds. Terrible, terrible duds. But I just couldn't wait any longer, I would just handle it if it turned out to be a dud. But OH MY, this one wasn't a dud at all. I loved every page of it. I loved Mei, I loved seeing her grow, I loved MIT, I loved the romance, the culture was fun, it was realistic, it had comedy, it had drama. It was just in one word Fantastic!
From the start we could see how overbearing the parents are, we see how Mei is trying to act like the good daughter, the author sure set the tone from the start right. I was eager to see if Mei would change. Would she be able to stand up to her parents, or would her parents finally see the light?
I loved Mei immediately. Sure, at times I wanted to shake her and tell her that she is her own person, that she is quite brainwashed, that she should make her own choices. That maybe, now that she is 17, she should just tell her parents what is really going on. Because while they want her to be a doctor, we all can clearly see that this isn't going to work out. The smallest bit of blood and this girl is feeling sick, germs and she tries to wipe everything clean. At times I just couldn't help but laugh. I know, maybe not the right moment, but I just couldn't help it. It was quite fun how at the smallest of things she would jump away and try to cover herself in antibacterial stuff.
I loved how she lost herself in dancing, how she even had a few classes that she taught, and how she was able to relax and go to her happy place. I know the feeling, I am not a pro-dancer, oh no, but at the end of a crappy day there is just nothing better than to let it all out by moving to the beat. I adored that her dream was to become a dance teacher and have a school of her own. Wow, that is just such a beautiful dream, and I was rooting for her to step up and let people know about her dream. That she shouldn't be afraid to live her life.
As the book continues, we see Mei slowly realise that maybe it is time for her to grab the reigns, we see her try to reconnect with her brother (in secret as her brother has been disowned by the family due to his girlfriend (we later find out why exactly)), we see her fall steadily in love (and I was rooting oh so much for these two), we see her try to talk to her parents. But as you may imagine her parents aren't the easiest.
At one point shit hits the fan, and stuff get really bad for Mei. It is a good thing she has someone who loves her (even if she pushes him away at one point, but I could understand why), she has her brother who cares about her and tries to help her out, she has her roommate (well, once she opens up to her and finds out she isn't such a bad person). But it is still very hard. She is still only 17, so she has to find a way to get funds and also to be able to make her own decisions without the need of her parents. Plus she has to deal with school and make the decision of her life, not go the route of a doctor, but instead something totally different, she wants to pursue her dream.
Plus she also goes to meet another girl who was disowned by her parents and has a lot of rumours surrounding her. I just loved that show the girl gave, it was just the best.
I was really angry at Mei's family, especially the parents (though I have to say her aunt/grandma were at times even worse). I just couldn't understand why these parents had to push such a lifepath to their kid. Not caring one wink about what she actually wants. Not even wanting to talk about it. Instead opting for arguing and shutting her down as if Mei is a kid and not the almost adult that she actually is. I get this is a culture thing, but really, you can't just force your kid like this. Later on my dislike for the parents shifted a bit more towards the dad, especially after seeing the mom trying her best to at least do something for Mei. Sure, she had a long way to go, but I was already happy that she was more and more accepting of Mei and who she was turning out to be. Not who she wanted to be, but who Mei wanted to be. I also loved the meeting between the mom and Mei's boyfriend. :P
But yeah, the mom was quite frustrating in the beginning. I mean really, every new chapter has a message/voicemail from her, quite literally stalking her kid as she knew the schedule and demanded to be called. And if Mei didn't do that? There was one scene in which the mom came to the university herself along with the police. Yup. Ain't that brilliant? I was just so rolling my eyes at this action of the mom. Please woman, you should give your girl some privacy and time for herself.
Mom also wanted to know everything about who Mei was meeting. Study groups? Tell me all their names, ages, backgrounds, etc.. Not to mention that she kept remarking about Mei's weight. :|
Nicolette sure turned to be a nice surprise. I wasn't sure what to make of her in the beginning, but I grew to quite like her. In the end she turned out to be one of my favs. She is a good case of don't judge by outwardly appearances.
We also meet Mei's other friend, Helen, and I was quite sad we didn't see more of her. She seems like quite the character.
I adored Darren. From the start he was just the sweetest, and I loved how he tried to help out Mei. How he tried to show her that it wasn't right for the parents to do what they did. They had some arguments, but he wasn't afraid to tell his opinion, or how the situation is at his home.
Plus I loved their connection. They had that bond from the start. So I was rooting throughout the book for these two to get together and kiss!
Plus, now that I read the book, I just love the cover even further. It is exactly how I would imagine Mei would look, blissfully drinking hot chocolate (her drink of choice).
Mm, I could probably tell more about my feelings on this (I dare to bet I could talk for hours), but I will just sign off, and let my review be this. I would highly recommend this book. You won't be bored one moment while reading this one. You will be rooting for the characters, squee at the romance, shake your head at the parents, and all in all enjoy this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
abbehmelinda's review
3.0
3.5/5 stars
As a former pre-med student and Filipina, I saw myself in Mei and her internal struggle to choose between being her most authentic self and following her own heart or sacrificing who she truly was to please her family and follow their plans for her life instead. The romance was cute, to say the least, and I appreciated how the relationship between Mei and her mother improved by the end of the story. However, I’m docking half a star since I got quite bored in the middle of the book. I guess that just goes to show that I’m definitely a plot-driven reader rather than character-driven. Overall, a sweet, relatable story.
As a former pre-med student and Filipina, I saw myself in Mei and her internal struggle to choose between being her most authentic self and following her own heart or sacrificing who she truly was to please her family and follow their plans for her life instead. The romance was cute, to say the least, and I appreciated how the relationship between Mei and her mother improved by the end of the story. However, I’m docking half a star since I got quite bored in the middle of the book. I guess that just goes to show that I’m definitely a plot-driven reader rather than character-driven. Overall, a sweet, relatable story.
ceena's review
4.0
*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This is such a cute story. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and watching Mei grow as a person and individual.
This book is all about character development and growth, so at first I was worried because if this isn't done gradually or well, then the story can fall apart. I feel like Mei's growth is done slowly throughout the book making it more believable. Besides her, the other characters do seem a bit dim, but nothing to complain about. I did wish Mei had more friends, but when she did talk to people the conversation wasn't always about boys and romance, so plus there!
As for the romance, it is insta-love :( How unfortunate....
The author does have them hang out and do things a few times though, so at least their relationship seemed to have a good foundation, even if to me the relationship felt too good to be true. I do really like his character though!! Whenever he showed up, I was excited :)
I have to warn you, this is a tear-jerker, or it was for me at least. The writing had me connected with Mei, so when she wasn't sure what to do or was being criticized by her parents it really hurt my heart! My parents were never this strict and I'm so thankful for it. I mean, maybe I would have done better in school, but that isn't all there is to life!
So, this is a cute, heart-felt, coming of age story that I will recommend to people.
This is such a cute story. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and watching Mei grow as a person and individual.
This book is all about character development and growth, so at first I was worried because if this isn't done gradually or well, then the story can fall apart. I feel like Mei's growth is done slowly throughout the book making it more believable. Besides her, the other characters do seem a bit dim, but nothing to complain about. I did wish Mei had more friends, but when she did talk to people the conversation wasn't always about boys and romance, so plus there!
As for the romance, it is insta-love :( How unfortunate....
The author does have them hang out and do things a few times though, so at least their relationship seemed to have a good foundation, even if to me the relationship felt too good to be true. I do really like his character though!! Whenever he showed up, I was excited :)
I have to warn you, this is a tear-jerker, or it was for me at least. The writing had me connected with Mei, so when she wasn't sure what to do or was being criticized by her parents it really hurt my heart! My parents were never this strict and I'm so thankful for it. I mean, maybe I would have done better in school, but that isn't all there is to life!
So, this is a cute, heart-felt, coming of age story that I will recommend to people.
midsummernightsread's review
3.0
actual rating 3.75
I received this E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! American Panda is a book about finding yourself and standing up for your beliefs despite strict cultural beliefs. It wasn't a contemporary with a cheesy love story thrown in there just for the heck of it, and I definitely appreciated that. I don't know a lot about Taiwanese culture, but I feel like after reading this story I have learned more than I may have without it. The pronunciation guide included at the front of the book was helpful as there is a lot of use of the language and it made me feel less like I was butchering the language in my mind. It was a fun and quirky story that follows Mei, as she makes the transition into college and finding her own path despite her parents strong objections to anything besides what they have planned for her. Mei finds herself in a situation where she realizes she cannot be a doctor like they have planned; her passion of dance calls for her to find a different career. Where I struggled with this book was the way Mei's family treats her. In the beginning her mother is constantly criticizing her and making her feel like she is not pretty enough and her father is a whole other story. After finding out the reason for Xing's disowning I couldn't look at them the same way again. Despite all of this, Mei does stand up for herself and is able to accept the consequences of it. With the help of her brother she comes to find her own path and it made me quite proud of how she far she comes by the end of the story. I don't want to get too much into the story, that might spoil it for those looking to read it when it comes out. Unrelated to the actual story, the chapter headings were the cutest thing, I love how they're going to match the finished hardcover of this book. I will always love books with chapter titles, its so reminscent for me. Overall, I did enjoy this story a lot. It was very informative, but at the same time enjoyable to read. Besides the issue with her parents, I found that it skipped around too much for my liking. It was very much many stories combined into one and it was a bit hard to keep track. Its definitely a book we need more of, the representation of strong Asian women was wonderful to read and I definitely will keep my eyes open for any Gloria Chao books that come out in the future. It has a strong message, that you should do what makes you happy, and not what makes other people happy. Keep your eyes peeled for American Panda when it hits shelves on February 6th. Happy Reading!
I received this E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! American Panda is a book about finding yourself and standing up for your beliefs despite strict cultural beliefs. It wasn't a contemporary with a cheesy love story thrown in there just for the heck of it, and I definitely appreciated that. I don't know a lot about Taiwanese culture, but I feel like after reading this story I have learned more than I may have without it. The pronunciation guide included at the front of the book was helpful as there is a lot of use of the language and it made me feel less like I was butchering the language in my mind. It was a fun and quirky story that follows Mei, as she makes the transition into college and finding her own path despite her parents strong objections to anything besides what they have planned for her. Mei finds herself in a situation where she realizes she cannot be a doctor like they have planned; her passion of dance calls for her to find a different career. Where I struggled with this book was the way Mei's family treats her. In the beginning her mother is constantly criticizing her and making her feel like she is not pretty enough and her father is a whole other story. After finding out the reason for Xing's disowning I couldn't look at them the same way again. Despite all of this, Mei does stand up for herself and is able to accept the consequences of it. With the help of her brother she comes to find her own path and it made me quite proud of how she far she comes by the end of the story. I don't want to get too much into the story, that might spoil it for those looking to read it when it comes out. Unrelated to the actual story, the chapter headings were the cutest thing, I love how they're going to match the finished hardcover of this book. I will always love books with chapter titles, its so reminscent for me. Overall, I did enjoy this story a lot. It was very informative, but at the same time enjoyable to read. Besides the issue with her parents, I found that it skipped around too much for my liking. It was very much many stories combined into one and it was a bit hard to keep track. Its definitely a book we need more of, the representation of strong Asian women was wonderful to read and I definitely will keep my eyes open for any Gloria Chao books that come out in the future. It has a strong message, that you should do what makes you happy, and not what makes other people happy. Keep your eyes peeled for American Panda when it hits shelves on February 6th. Happy Reading!
readingwithrae's review
4.0
this was sooooo adorable while also being totally heartbreaking at the same time. lovely little book that everyone should read.
highamjosh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5