A review by leahsbooks
Loveboat, Taipei, by Abigail Hing Wen
4.0
Rounded to 3.5 stars.
There were so many aspects of this book that I loved, and a few that I didn't. So as usual, I'm going to start with the positives.
I enjoyed Ever's character, and watching her go through so many changes in this book. She is passionate about dance and choreography, but is torn between standing up for herself and her parents' desire for her to attain financial security by becoming a doctor. When her parents sign her up for a summer program in Taiwan, she finally gets a chance to spread her wings. She starts out by doing everything she can to flout the stifling rules set in place by her parents, and winds up embarking on a journey of self-discovery.
The culture in this book is amazing. The kids in the program talk about the pressures they face as Asian-Americans, balancing their own desires and that of their parents, as well as the stereotypes and expectations they face in society. They get to experience their culture in the country of their parents, and even learn more about what drives their parents, as well as themselves.
The romance felt a bit forced, to me. While I liked watching the characters interact, they felt a bit flatter than I was hoping for, and things felt overly dramatic at times.
However, the pacing was good, and the story was an interesting one. I loved seeing how things worked out at the end, and I definitely enjoyed most of it, although I would have hoped for a bit more character development on the side characters. And the narrator did a fabulous job with this, effortlessly switching between English and Mandarin, and I had no trouble following, despite my complete lack of understanding of Mandarin, because the author did a great job of clarifying the Mandarin terms.
There were so many aspects of this book that I loved, and a few that I didn't. So as usual, I'm going to start with the positives.
I enjoyed Ever's character, and watching her go through so many changes in this book. She is passionate about dance and choreography, but is torn between standing up for herself and her parents' desire for her to attain financial security by becoming a doctor. When her parents sign her up for a summer program in Taiwan, she finally gets a chance to spread her wings. She starts out by doing everything she can to flout the stifling rules set in place by her parents, and winds up embarking on a journey of self-discovery.
The culture in this book is amazing. The kids in the program talk about the pressures they face as Asian-Americans, balancing their own desires and that of their parents, as well as the stereotypes and expectations they face in society. They get to experience their culture in the country of their parents, and even learn more about what drives their parents, as well as themselves.
The romance felt a bit forced, to me. While I liked watching the characters interact, they felt a bit flatter than I was hoping for, and things felt overly dramatic at times.
However, the pacing was good, and the story was an interesting one. I loved seeing how things worked out at the end, and I definitely enjoyed most of it, although I would have hoped for a bit more character development on the side characters. And the narrator did a fabulous job with this, effortlessly switching between English and Mandarin, and I had no trouble following, despite my complete lack of understanding of Mandarin, because the author did a great job of clarifying the Mandarin terms.