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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Not really much of a mystery but I liked the protagonist and wanted to follow her through the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This has real 4 star potential but the ending was so so bad.
This book is a perfect five. It quickly absorbs the reader into a mother’s love for her child.
The book has two POVs.
Rebecca lives in NYC and works for a demanding publisher. She’s happily married to a good-looking professor. Her life is hectic with her taxing career but what she really wants is a baby – if she can fit it in to her schedule.
Jasmine lives in a small village of China. At 14 years old, her parents auction her off to a man that is 12 years older. In a country where parents can have only one child, she needs to deliver a baby boy to make her husband happy and proud. Every woman knows that it’s not so simple.
I’ve never heard the term “leftover woman” before which was how Jasmine felt at times. Yet it makes sense to think of how someone could feel unwanted and left behind, “like scraps on the table, uneaten food…of no use to anyone.”
This book was fast moving and exquisitely written with characters that were easy to visualize. It made me pause in parts that were highly suspenseful. The execution of the details and timing was on the mark. It’s an excellent choice for book clubs.
My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of October 10, 2023.
The book has two POVs.
Rebecca lives in NYC and works for a demanding publisher. She’s happily married to a good-looking professor. Her life is hectic with her taxing career but what she really wants is a baby – if she can fit it in to her schedule.
Jasmine lives in a small village of China. At 14 years old, her parents auction her off to a man that is 12 years older. In a country where parents can have only one child, she needs to deliver a baby boy to make her husband happy and proud. Every woman knows that it’s not so simple.
I’ve never heard the term “leftover woman” before which was how Jasmine felt at times. Yet it makes sense to think of how someone could feel unwanted and left behind, “like scraps on the table, uneaten food…of no use to anyone.”
This book was fast moving and exquisitely written with characters that were easy to visualize. It made me pause in parts that were highly suspenseful. The execution of the details and timing was on the mark. It’s an excellent choice for book clubs.
My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of October 10, 2023.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Sexual harassment, Classism
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I thought the metaphors in the book was really well done. I thought some of the plot counteracted with the overall messages the author was projecting. Unfortunately this book has my pet-peeves of when a first person narrative says "I know this because." It also bothered me that in the first person part the narrator says we spoke in Chinese or something like that. Like, early on I've understood that the character is thinking and speaking in Chinese unless we're told otherwise. The author also tends to over explain her main messages even though she writes scenes that explain it perfectly. Both Jasmine and Rebecca frustrated me. Jasmine, I didn't understand her change towards romantic love. Rebecca I tried to be sympathetic towards, but ended up not liking (which I think was the point. Towards the end she starts to redeem herself ). I thought all the men in the book were pretty one dimensional haha. A one point I was confused about the timeline because I caught on to one of the plot twists fast, but then decided to ignore the hunch in favor of having a clear timeline.
Overall an okay book. I chose it for personal reasons as well. Ending in the 2007 chunk was interesting. I wonder if my younger self would have chose what Fiona chose. I often thought it is truly a work of fiction for Jasmine to find her daughter and physically track her down. It makes me wonder.
Overall an okay book. I chose it for personal reasons as well. Ending in the 2007 chunk was interesting. I wonder if my younger self would have chose what Fiona chose. I often thought it is truly a work of fiction for Jasmine to find her daughter and physically track her down. It makes me wonder.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this was a really enjoyable, very solid suspense thriller. I really liked having a POC authored book in this genre, with POC central characters and issues of race and transnational adoption being folded in. Easy to read, and compelling.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
