biblioemily's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. The insta-love between Chase & Ali is a little too much for me (and this concept generally doesn't bother me too much, because teenagers). The second half of the book felt rushed and wrapped up almost too conveniently. When Chase & Ali are reunited, they speak like an after school special. However, I still enjoyed this and love when books are set in Indiana! Will definitely recommend to fans of Sarah Dessen & Becky Albertalli.
angstyp's review against another edition
2.0
Mediocre at best. Generic cover, overwritten and annoying characters, cheesy plot.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
I received this as an eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Ali’s family moved to the middle of Indiana, to allow her college professor father the chance to teach. However, they are the only Taiwanese family around and racism is real. Ali pushes aside the microaggressions to get along, until she can graduate and move away. When new kid, Chase, shows up, he is also Taiwanese and everyone begins shipping them. There is a push and pull within Ali to decide whether she wants friendship and/or something more. She doesn’t want to allow her overbearing mother to separate the two and she doesn’t want to be with Chase to please the ignorant masses. It will be tricky to navigate her new relationship (whatever it may become) with Chase.
I enjoyed this book. It provides a mirror some readers that may not find themselves in books. There were pieces and parts that were dry in this novel, but as a whole, I enjoyed Ali and her connection to Chase.
Ali’s family moved to the middle of Indiana, to allow her college professor father the chance to teach. However, they are the only Taiwanese family around and racism is real. Ali pushes aside the microaggressions to get along, until she can graduate and move away. When new kid, Chase, shows up, he is also Taiwanese and everyone begins shipping them. There is a push and pull within Ali to decide whether she wants friendship and/or something more. She doesn’t want to allow her overbearing mother to separate the two and she doesn’t want to be with Chase to please the ignorant masses. It will be tricky to navigate her new relationship (whatever it may become) with Chase.
I enjoyed this book. It provides a mirror some readers that may not find themselves in books. There were pieces and parts that were dry in this novel, but as a whole, I enjoyed Ali and her connection to Chase.
cwei144581's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
It was amazing and I loved it! Both humorous and tragic.
missprint_'s review against another edition
3.0
This one is hard. I am very happy it exists and very aware I'm not the person who needs this book most. But that said, the story was ultimately really unsatisfying. I liked Ali and Chase a lot even though I found Ali's narrative extremely grating at times. The way the park tied in felt underwhelming and the build up, in general, of some of the family tensions did not have a big enough payoff in comparison.
kasfire's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 Stars
Ali Chu is a young woman of Chinese descent trying her best to be her own person. After meeting Chase Yu, a young Chinese man that recently started at her school, she begins to find out more about her heritage than she previously knew.
This is a beautiful novel that highlights the generational differences in Chinese culture, along with the differences between the different countries. I am one of the whitest people you could possibly know, but I could connect with Ali as she tries to be her own person. And I could be educated by seeing her viewpoint about the casual racism that she endured.
With the inclusion of a romanticized version of a Chinese version, I enjoyed how Ali learned more about her family and the difficult conversations she had to have. The ending was a beautiful step for many of the characters.
I will say that if you do not like puns, this might not be a book for you. Ali and Chase create quite a few of them during their relationship, some that were quite endearing with others being very Dad Joke-esque.
Ali Chu is a young woman of Chinese descent trying her best to be her own person. After meeting Chase Yu, a young Chinese man that recently started at her school, she begins to find out more about her heritage than she previously knew.
This is a beautiful novel that highlights the generational differences in Chinese culture, along with the differences between the different countries. I am one of the whitest people you could possibly know, but I could connect with Ali as she tries to be her own person. And I could be educated by seeing her viewpoint about the casual racism that she endured.
With the inclusion of a romanticized version of a Chinese version, I enjoyed how Ali learned more about her family and the difficult conversations she had to have. The ending was a beautiful step for many of the characters.
I will say that if you do not like puns, this might not be a book for you. Ali and Chase create quite a few of them during their relationship, some that were quite endearing with others being very Dad Joke-esque.
auroraboreowlis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
megs_s's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5