Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
just finished review:
jo was absolutely the one that started the drama. i identified way more with sophie, being diaspora/immigrant-like but nigerian. i enjoyed the diversity of identities in the book. it feels v chill. i like that yes indeed, communication was the solution to the climactic moment in the book. i appreciate the “aha!” moment jo had where the buildup and realization of wanting their relationship to continue for life, cuz it felt earned. overall p good.
i think its higher than loveless for me simply cuz i see more of myself in here? like yh fanfiction is one thing and the whole “kissing gross” yada yada, but i think the familial and socio-cultural aspects sophie was dealing with mirrors my life. i just had the fourth major call with my mom about entertaining a boy and wanting the best for me and that i’ll regret it when im 45 and single so. i picked a great time to binge read it evidently.
theres also the aspect of they both come into it knowing theyre aroace, which is great cuz it gives them room to… explore and discuss the other stuff, including but not limited to discourse.
wish i got to hear more about the falling out with her old friend, wish i got to see more of the office hours w the one teacher that was mentioned by name. i also wonder if sophie’s mom was right about needing to find people different, not cuz i’m interested in turning the charas into debate machines, but i feel like if there was vocal and impactful (and first hand) dissonance it wouldve allowed for more indepth exploration of the themes presented. we’re just told about microaggressions, besides stuff with sophie’s parents. i feel like rlly going to MIT and having to deal w those folk would’ve provided more meat to the bones of the story.
another maybe off-handed point, on one hand there’s the thing sophie says abt feeling comfortable talking to jo abt the cultural stuff she often leaves out of convo with white people, but it didn’t really feel that way to me? but then i also understand change isn’t instantaneous, and you often have to present an idea to someone multiple times for them to really start thinking deeper on it, if at all.
as a comfort book, it succeeds i’d say. even though to conflict was (the charas said it so i dont feel bad at all) very silly.
i definitely hope this can serve as a jumping off point for more stories to be written that explore stuff deeper than ann zhao could. maybe ann zhao could even write more books regarding this. my eyes will be peeled.
i will def have more to say abt this later, and besides a few edits i’ll inevitably make to this review, it’ll prob remain in my head or in text chats w friends. anywho. good read good read
jo was absolutely the one that started the drama. i identified way more with sophie, being diaspora/immigrant-like but nigerian. i enjoyed the diversity of identities in the book. it feels v chill. i like that yes indeed, communication was the solution to the climactic moment in the book. i appreciate the “aha!” moment jo had where the buildup and realization of wanting their relationship to continue for life, cuz it felt earned. overall p good.
i think its higher than loveless for me simply cuz i see more of myself in here? like yh fanfiction is one thing and the whole “kissing gross” yada yada, but i think the familial and socio-cultural aspects sophie was dealing with mirrors my life. i just had the fourth major call with my mom about entertaining a boy and wanting the best for me and that i’ll regret it when im 45 and single so. i picked a great time to binge read it evidently.
theres also the aspect of they both come into it knowing theyre aroace, which is great cuz it gives them room to… explore and discuss the other stuff, including but not limited to discourse.
wish i got to hear more about the falling out with her old friend, wish i got to see more of the office hours w the one teacher that was mentioned by name. i also wonder if sophie’s mom was right about needing to find people different, not cuz i’m interested in turning the charas into debate machines, but i feel like if there was vocal and impactful (and first hand) dissonance it wouldve allowed for more indepth exploration of the themes presented. we’re just told about microaggressions, besides stuff with sophie’s parents. i feel like rlly going to MIT and having to deal w those folk would’ve provided more meat to the bones of the story.
another maybe off-handed point, on one hand there’s the thing sophie says abt feeling comfortable talking to jo abt the cultural stuff she often leaves out of convo with white people, but it didn’t really feel that way to me? but then i also understand change isn’t instantaneous, and you often have to present an idea to someone multiple times for them to really start thinking deeper on it, if at all.
as a comfort book, it succeeds i’d say. even though to conflict was (the charas said it so i dont feel bad at all) very silly.
i definitely hope this can serve as a jumping off point for more stories to be written that explore stuff deeper than ann zhao could. maybe ann zhao could even write more books regarding this. my eyes will be peeled.
i will def have more to say abt this later, and besides a few edits i’ll inevitably make to this review, it’ll prob remain in my head or in text chats w friends. anywho. good read good read
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I had to listen to it all over again immediately, with my partner. Sweet, snarky collegiate vibes and so much QPOC love and Ace Spec celebration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War
Minor: Biphobia, Racism, Religious bigotry
The topics of the content warnings are all within the context of students, teachers, and parents in a college community cooperating to address and overcome these issues. Most of these topics are addressed in a gender studies class or with caring friends, family, and a wonderful professor. Characters in the story all support one another in healing from the effects of these issues, and the overall tone of the book is lighthearted and affectionate.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have very mixed feelings about this book! On the one hand, the more diversity in ace representation, the better, and I loved the two main characters and their relationship. I appreciated the balance of confidence in some areas of identity, complete lostness in others, and sitting in that in-between space of "I don't know and it's okay" that is so hard (for me) to occupy in real life. I loved all the relationship dynamics, both between the main characters and among their friends and roommates, with lots of healthy communication but also an appropriately high dose of good ol' college angst! I also enjoyed the plot mechanic of the competing advice columns. I found all the name-dropping (and/or allusions without explicit names) of a-spec public figures, books, songs, etc. by turns annoying and actually very helpful, lol.
My main pet peeve throughout the book was the college aspect. I also went to a SLAC (though not a historically women's college) and I could relate to that starry-eyed first-year college experience so much... but it's not a nostalgia I enjoy indulging, as my view of my own college did not remain so starry-eyed. So while I was trying to enjoy the story, I was having this whole side conversation with myself. Not the author's fault! But it was hard for me not to interpret the tone of the book as young and naive as a result.
My main pet peeve throughout the book was the college aspect. I also went to a SLAC (though not a historically women's college) and I could relate to that starry-eyed first-year college experience so much... but it's not a nostalgia I enjoy indulging, as my view of my own college did not remain so starry-eyed. So while I was trying to enjoy the story, I was having this whole side conversation with myself. Not the author's fault! But it was hard for me not to interpret the tone of the book as young and naive as a result.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not the most well-written book, but I loved the exploration of what it means to be a-spec. While I’m not a-spec myself, I still found myself relating to the characters—especially for times in my life when I haven’t wanted to date anyone for a stretch. I think friendship is so devalued in our culture, and I wish it weren’t.
Dear Wendy
By Ann Zhao
4.75/5
Genre: contemporary fiction
Sophie, a first-year student as Wellesley university, has a secret. She is the creator of the popular Instagram account Dear Wendy, where she anonymously provides people with advice about their love lives. It is a time-consuming hobby, and Sophie is confused when a new account pops up, clearly based off of Dear Wendy and offering light-hearted jokes for responses. She has no idea that the voice behind Wanda is Jo, her newfound friend. As Wendy and Wanda battle it out, Sophie and Jo grow closer.
I decided to read this one after seeing a lot of praise from @queerkidreads and other bookstagrammers. And let me tell you that it definitely deserves every crumb of praise it receives.
Sophie Chi (she/her) was such a lovable protagonist. She always wanted to do her best, completing all assignments early, putting hours of thought and research into providing the best advice to the questions received on Dear Wendy. She was comfortable with her aroace identity, even with her Chinese immigrant parents not fully accepting that she would never want a romantic partnership with anyone. It was lovely to see how determined Sophie was to be a good friend, especially to her roommate.
Jo Ephron (she/they) was the more outgoing protagonist. Being raised by Queer parents, she knew what being aroace meant from a young age, but still hadn’t met another person with the same sexuality until befriending Sophie. Jo struggled a lot with the fear of being abandoned in the future when their alloromantic and allosexual friends find partners. This was elevated with the realisation that one of their roommates was interested in the other. Jo started her Sincerely Wanda account as a joke, offering silly advice to her friend. Their advice gradually becomes more serious, as their duel with Dear Wendy intensifies.
It was so amazing to read a platonic love story which resulted in a beautiful relationship between Sophie and Jo. It demonstrates exactly how platonic love is equally as important as romantic love, though I find that it is sometimes neglected in books. I loved seeing the two protagonists decide to start a club for aro and ace students, as the a-spec is one of the most unaccepted parts of the LGBTQ+ community, subjected to an endless torrent ignorance and bigotry.
This novel is set as Wellesley university, which the author herself attended. It’s a historically women’s college, containing mostly only women and enbies. This lets the characters feel safe from the threats often posed by cishet men, and encourages them to share their opinions freely. I enjoyed this setting, and how supportive it was towards the many students who were part of marginalised groups. This setting was important to the plot, as the close-knit community of students pretty much all knew about Dear Wendy and Sincerely Wanda.
I liked the way that parts of the story, especially the battle between the two Instagrams, was shown through texts, posts, and stories. It helped me to feel more immersed in the plot, as if I could actually see the social media accounts.
So, what I liked most about this book was the plot and the characters. It fulfilled my expectations entirely. At the start I did think that more side characters should’ve been mentioned, as the protagonists were living on-campus, but this soon changed with the creation of the club and the mention of people through their comments on Sophie and Jo’s posts.
Overall, I adored this novel. If Ann Zhou releases another book, I will certainly read it. I highly recommend it to you all.
Queer rep:
Aroace protagonists
Many Queer side characters
By Ann Zhao
4.75/5
Genre: contemporary fiction
Sophie, a first-year student as Wellesley university, has a secret. She is the creator of the popular Instagram account Dear Wendy, where she anonymously provides people with advice about their love lives. It is a time-consuming hobby, and Sophie is confused when a new account pops up, clearly based off of Dear Wendy and offering light-hearted jokes for responses. She has no idea that the voice behind Wanda is Jo, her newfound friend. As Wendy and Wanda battle it out, Sophie and Jo grow closer.
I decided to read this one after seeing a lot of praise from @queerkidreads and other bookstagrammers. And let me tell you that it definitely deserves every crumb of praise it receives.
Sophie Chi (she/her) was such a lovable protagonist. She always wanted to do her best, completing all assignments early, putting hours of thought and research into providing the best advice to the questions received on Dear Wendy. She was comfortable with her aroace identity, even with her Chinese immigrant parents not fully accepting that she would never want a romantic partnership with anyone. It was lovely to see how determined Sophie was to be a good friend, especially to her roommate.
Jo Ephron (she/they) was the more outgoing protagonist. Being raised by Queer parents, she knew what being aroace meant from a young age, but still hadn’t met another person with the same sexuality until befriending Sophie. Jo struggled a lot with the fear of being abandoned in the future when their alloromantic and allosexual friends find partners. This was elevated with the realisation that one of their roommates was interested in the other. Jo started her Sincerely Wanda account as a joke, offering silly advice to her friend. Their advice gradually becomes more serious, as their duel with Dear Wendy intensifies.
It was so amazing to read a platonic love story which resulted in a beautiful relationship between Sophie and Jo. It demonstrates exactly how platonic love is equally as important as romantic love, though I find that it is sometimes neglected in books. I loved seeing the two protagonists decide to start a club for aro and ace students, as the a-spec is one of the most unaccepted parts of the LGBTQ+ community, subjected to an endless torrent ignorance and bigotry.
This novel is set as Wellesley university, which the author herself attended. It’s a historically women’s college, containing mostly only women and enbies. This lets the characters feel safe from the threats often posed by cishet men, and encourages them to share their opinions freely. I enjoyed this setting, and how supportive it was towards the many students who were part of marginalised groups. This setting was important to the plot, as the close-knit community of students pretty much all knew about Dear Wendy and Sincerely Wanda.
I liked the way that parts of the story, especially the battle between the two Instagrams, was shown through texts, posts, and stories. It helped me to feel more immersed in the plot, as if I could actually see the social media accounts.
So, what I liked most about this book was the plot and the characters. It fulfilled my expectations entirely. At the start I did think that more side characters should’ve been mentioned, as the protagonists were living on-campus, but this soon changed with the creation of the club and the mention of people through their comments on Sophie and Jo’s posts.
Overall, I adored this novel. If Ann Zhou releases another book, I will certainly read it. I highly recommend it to you all.
Queer rep:
Aroace protagonists
Many Queer side characters
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
lighthearted
I appreciate the aro/ace rep and that these characters still got grand gesture moments. However, this book could've been much shorter and had better flow. The characters were flat and somehow the story read like fan fiction. Very meh.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
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