A review by jpov
Central Places by Delia Cai

This book was hard for me to read at times for how it felt too personal. It was as if Cai cut parts of my life out and pasted it to Audrey’s. So much of her story differs from mine but the consistent critism from Audrey in her consciousness of thought made me take a literal sigh - it was all too familiar. I really enjoyed Cai’s writing - it was daggers of Audrey’s honesty and sharp judgement mixed with insecurity. She tries to take two steps ahead with all her decisions but she failed to see what she was even skipping ahead for. You can’t change your upbringing or your past but you do have to know when it’s time to leave it behind. I think that’s something Kristen would have said. Overall - I think this was a great debut. Going back home will always leave you with so many mixed emotions. In the euphoric moment when you leave it all behind you tend to forget how the thought of it all disappearing can swivel on you and be crushing. Thank you to Delia Cai, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group.

3.7/5