bellabuns's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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? Yes
3.0
cjoshuav's review against another edition
5.0
Yvonne Woon, author of the Dead Beautiful trilogy, again takes us to a boarding school for exceptional young people, but the only supernatural forces at work this time around are wealth and greed. Set in present-day Silicon Valley, If You Then Me follows the story of Xia Chan as she navigates the hyper-competitive world of internet startup culture, while also coming to terms with her own identity as a creator and as an adult.
Identity is a key theme of the book, with Woon skillfully, and sometimes brutally, portraying the layered hostilities of racism, sexism and classism that exponentially complicate the professional and personal lives of Asian-American women working in the tech industry. It is telling that this is not a book about racism or sexism. It is a novel about values, priorities, hard work, and integrity. But when the protagonist is the daughter of a single mother who emigrated from China, the story must also address how racist aggressions (both micro and overt), sexism, sexual assault, and the tidal forces of privilege and wealth all exhaust someone like Xia, long before she even has the chance to start putting in the necessary work to succeed.
The nature of “success” is also a key theme of If You, Then Me. Woon vividly portrays the emptiness and superficiality of a world in which poorly-socialized geniuses receive too much wealth and power too quickly. The novel asks important questions about what is real, what has value, and what sacrifices are too great.
Those questions are not subtle. Xia and her friends are a group of hyper-intelligent outsiders who are both keenly introspective and wryly articulate, a hallmark of Yoon’s young-adult writing. Despite some obviously dangerous blindspots, Xia and her peers are often thoughtful observers of their circumstances and their responsibility for them, an indication of Yoon’s respect for her audience and of the reality that older teenagers are often much more cognizant of the exigencies of their lives than adults give them credit for.
Bright teenagers butting heads against unnecessary obstacles will find much to relate to in If You, Then Me. Likewise adults who want to step fully into a vital and authentic depiction of the world of one such teenager will find much to enjoy, and even learn from, here. There are important ideas here for adults as well, as most of the non-teens in the novel have a parasitic relationship of one kind or another with Xia. The novel asks: When faced with the brilliance and creative vitality of youth, how many of us see at as a resource to exploit rather than as a wonder to nurture and support?
The book moves smoothly and briskly through these themes, driven primarily by sharp dialogue interspersed with sparse exposition. My one real complaint is that I wanted there to be more – more of the daily life at the Foundry, more backstory on the lives and works of the supporting characters, more time to fully digest the relatively predictable but nonetheless satisfying conclusion.
My only other quibble is that the nerdspeak sometimes feels forced or contrived. Those of us who grew up on Usenet or Reddit recognize when an outsider is speaking our native tongue, even when they do so fluently. Woon clearly researched Silicon Valley thoroughly, but this is still a book written about tech nerds, not by a tech nerd.
It is also a book that is well worth your time. Xia Chan is a complex, honest, compelling character whose journey kept me completely fixated for a cover-to-cover read in a single session. Yvonne Woon may not be a tech nerd, but she clearly knows what it’s like to be a smart, young, Asian woman fighting to define herself and her creative voice in a milieu dominated by powerful, white men. We need to hear more stories like Xia’s, and Woon has the skill and artistry to make those stories come alive.
Identity is a key theme of the book, with Woon skillfully, and sometimes brutally, portraying the layered hostilities of racism, sexism and classism that exponentially complicate the professional and personal lives of Asian-American women working in the tech industry. It is telling that this is not a book about racism or sexism. It is a novel about values, priorities, hard work, and integrity. But when the protagonist is the daughter of a single mother who emigrated from China, the story must also address how racist aggressions (both micro and overt), sexism, sexual assault, and the tidal forces of privilege and wealth all exhaust someone like Xia, long before she even has the chance to start putting in the necessary work to succeed.
The nature of “success” is also a key theme of If You, Then Me. Woon vividly portrays the emptiness and superficiality of a world in which poorly-socialized geniuses receive too much wealth and power too quickly. The novel asks important questions about what is real, what has value, and what sacrifices are too great.
Those questions are not subtle. Xia and her friends are a group of hyper-intelligent outsiders who are both keenly introspective and wryly articulate, a hallmark of Yoon’s young-adult writing. Despite some obviously dangerous blindspots, Xia and her peers are often thoughtful observers of their circumstances and their responsibility for them, an indication of Yoon’s respect for her audience and of the reality that older teenagers are often much more cognizant of the exigencies of their lives than adults give them credit for.
Bright teenagers butting heads against unnecessary obstacles will find much to relate to in If You, Then Me. Likewise adults who want to step fully into a vital and authentic depiction of the world of one such teenager will find much to enjoy, and even learn from, here. There are important ideas here for adults as well, as most of the non-teens in the novel have a parasitic relationship of one kind or another with Xia. The novel asks: When faced with the brilliance and creative vitality of youth, how many of us see at as a resource to exploit rather than as a wonder to nurture and support?
The book moves smoothly and briskly through these themes, driven primarily by sharp dialogue interspersed with sparse exposition. My one real complaint is that I wanted there to be more – more of the daily life at the Foundry, more backstory on the lives and works of the supporting characters, more time to fully digest the relatively predictable but nonetheless satisfying conclusion.
My only other quibble is that the nerdspeak sometimes feels forced or contrived. Those of us who grew up on Usenet or Reddit recognize when an outsider is speaking our native tongue, even when they do so fluently. Woon clearly researched Silicon Valley thoroughly, but this is still a book written about tech nerds, not by a tech nerd.
It is also a book that is well worth your time. Xia Chan is a complex, honest, compelling character whose journey kept me completely fixated for a cover-to-cover read in a single session. Yvonne Woon may not be a tech nerd, but she clearly knows what it’s like to be a smart, young, Asian woman fighting to define herself and her creative voice in a milieu dominated by powerful, white men. We need to hear more stories like Xia’s, and Woon has the skill and artistry to make those stories come alive.
jellyfishleila's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shannonreadss's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
As a tech girly of color I really wanted to like this one, but Xia was just too naive. It wouldn’t have bugged me as much if she realized her mistakes a bit earlier in the book, because I personally feel like her growth was rushed. Especially considering how long her naivety lasted for. I also would’ve liked to see some more closure regarding Mitzy.
oba's review against another edition
Idk it just felt kinda embarrassing and she's just goes about finding her online bf in the most convoluted way possible
kdecker1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
4.0
I loved this book. As an adult, I could tell the terrible issues Xia was about to get herself into from a mile away but I understood how she got in those situations from a 16 year olds perspective. But that made it a wonderful coming of age story where a teen learned how to navigate this digital world. I did not grow up in the digital world we have today where everyone is on multiple social media apps, so this book also helped me understand the bullying and social situations that teenagers face today from their point of view and it gives me better appreciation of their endurance in today's social media enhanced environment.
On top of that, I really enjoyed the unique love story aspects of this book and to be honest I would like to see a sequel or at least a blurb on where the future of those relationships go after this book, seeing as Xia is to move back to another state and possibly never see any of them in person again. I was a little disappointed in not figuring that out at the end. I would also like to see her app open to the public and their general reaction to Wiser, which we never found out by the end of the book.
On top of that, I really enjoyed the unique love story aspects of this book and to be honest I would like to see a sequel or at least a blurb on where the future of those relationships go after this book, seeing as Xia is to move back to another state and possibly never see any of them in person again. I was a little disappointed in not figuring that out at the end. I would also like to see her app open to the public and their general reaction to Wiser, which we never found out by the end of the book.
gtraini's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jsherwood's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
janie_books's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
casnv's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0