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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Jasmine is a young Chinese mother in an abusive marriage with a Party aristocrat who gives birth to a daughter who she thinks has died. Years later, she finds out this daughter is not only alive, but has been adopted by an American couple. Her husband wants a son and as a member of the Party elite, he cannot afford to come under scrutiny with the one-child policy. So instead, he sells his daughter to an American couple desperate for a child.
Across the world, Fifi is growing up in an adoring home, with a father who is fluent in Chinese as a prestigious professor, and a mother who is a head editor in a wildly successful publishing house. Fifi has a Chinese nanny who allows her to keep her language and culture, even while being raised around the world from her birth country. Her mother, Rebecca, seems to have it all: perfect marriage, perfect child, perfect job.
Until Rebecca and Jasmine ultimately find themselves on a collision course, when everything both women knew as true is called into question.
This started out so strong, but I really struggled with some of the absurd plot points. A beautiful and heartbreaking tale in many ways but fell short in flat characters who made choices that seemed out of character (even from what little character there was to have).
Across the world, Fifi is growing up in an adoring home, with a father who is fluent in Chinese as a prestigious professor, and a mother who is a head editor in a wildly successful publishing house. Fifi has a Chinese nanny who allows her to keep her language and culture, even while being raised around the world from her birth country. Her mother, Rebecca, seems to have it all: perfect marriage, perfect child, perfect job.
Until Rebecca and Jasmine ultimately find themselves on a collision course, when everything both women knew as true is called into question.
This started out so strong, but I really struggled with some of the absurd plot points. A beautiful and heartbreaking tale in many ways but fell short in flat characters who made choices that seemed out of character (even from what little character there was to have).
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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:
No
From the first few chapters, I know this was a fast read, but I did not expect to power through this book the way I did. The story is pretty unpredictable at first. As you weave your way through the story, it becomes a little bit more complex than you expect. However, I must say that the simplification of the story to foster a fast and easy reading experience left me a bit hungry. Everything was moving so fast that in the end, it felt like the book lacked depth. There are multiple parts of the book where the suspense could’ve been drawn out a bit more. A delightful read nonetheless.
Bravo! Well done! AAPI reads are my favorite so I’m biased. I read this in one sitting, it was so good.
3.5–speedy read, easily skimmed parts and didn’t lose much about the story.
Been a while since I read a book in one day! Fast paced, a couple good twists!
I don't know if I'm just a stone cold b- right now, but this book didn't do much for me. The "romance" between Jasmine and Anthony was not believable. Their backstory/relationship development was non-existent so I felt nothing during the "intense" scenes between them.
The part where Jasmine was going to take Fifi away was also just unreal. I wanted to scream WHAT are you thinking?! The "plan" was 0% thought through.
And then when it's revealed that Jasmine is the birth mom and Rebecca is like "omg wow that's amazing and so sad that I've been suspecting Lucy this whole time when she was just protecting Fifi."
The part where Jasmine was going to take Fifi away was also just unreal. I wanted to scream WHAT are you thinking?! The "plan" was 0% thought through.
And then when it's revealed that Jasmine is the birth mom and Rebecca is like "omg wow that's amazing and so sad that I've been suspecting Lucy this whole time when she was just protecting Fifi."
A short thriller about a young Chinese woman who comes to New York City to reunite with her five-year-old daughter, who was adopted by a wealthy white American couple. Some great plot twists and Jean Kwok ties it all together well, but the thematic points were obvious and lacked nuance and insight.
3.5 stars. I am a fan of Jean Kwok, and this was a fun and interesting read, though a little sad at points. It jumps around, and has parallel storylines, but it all comes together in the end, even if not fully believable. It is a tale of a transracial adoption and the ramifications for all those involved. There is a small mystery element, and the two women telling their stories are both very different and interesting.