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bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol
booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
savannahtrice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Xenophobia
katielady's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
bbivnca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, and Racial slurs
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Dementia
The MC's motheryuna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Liked Anna's arc, though it felt like she regressed at the end
I mostly liked the Anna-Rory relationship if I didn't think about the age gap. He's a good sounding board and one to speak truths to Anna's biases. His character feels only a couple years older than her, very much in 18-19ish range. But if I stop and think about the vague references to how long ago it was since he dropped out of high school I think he's actually more in the 20-21+ range to her 16. Which...I'm not a fan of. Especially since he's written to seem younger, why not have him be younger? Also felt like their sex "scene" (not really a scene, more like two sentences referencing that they did it) was thrown in there just to be low-grade scandalous? Anna doesn't remark on it at all afterward! A girl who is constantly struggling with being a bad Chinese daughter and got all flushy about riding alone in a car with a boy and then her first time gets a sentence and that's it? I'm not buying it. Felt like the age gap and the sex were just there to be edgy or something without any substance.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization
michelejenn's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization
lily_k8y's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
witmol's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I'm so used to reading about high-achieving Asian girl characters that I was pleasantly surprised to learn Anna was merely mediocre at school and instead had a flair for helping her father's restaurant business.
I won't say too much about the main plot, which follows Anna getting to become herself while different parts of her life are falling apart and coming together – the romance and how it interweaves with the main plot supports the book's themes well too – but I will say that there are a lot of little nods that make this book an insightful read for someone from a diaspora readership, or enlightening for someone outside of one.
My favourites:
- The tension in the idea that you have to 'be better' than your migrant parents because they came to a new country for you; that it is not enough to be the same even if that's what you're good at and what you want to do.
- The intraracial hierarchy where sometimes your biggest bullies are the people from your own racial heritage.
- The conflict between cultural understandings of mental health.
I also liked that the mental health challenges faced in the book were not suddenly fixed with magical medicine but are shown as part of a process of everyday management.
And a big shoutout to my 'hood of Ashfield, which is certainly the home of the best dumplings in Sydney.
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts