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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Dear Wendy,
I randomly picked this galley from my Kindle and I was so absorbed I ended up finishing the entire book in one night.
This book is a heartfelt novel dedicated by the author to the aromantics, asexuals, and aro-aces that is perfect for fans of Sex Education and Perfect on Paper.
DW revolves on story of two aro-ace teens who started a secret relationship advice account in Instagram for Wellesby students. Both Sophie and Jo started their own account to fully express themselves and help their fellow students in whatever situation they are in. The twist is Sophie and Jo became friends in their gender class but they did not know that they are the ones handling the Dear Wanda and Dear Wendy IG accounts respectively.
What I liked the most about DW is how insightful this one is especially in giving information and sharing experiences from the perspective of aromantic, asexual, and aro-ace characters.
Both Sophie and Jo identify as aro-aces and throughout the novel, they found comfort knowing that they have each other to lean on and discuss about their experiences being aro-aces in Wellesby.
I also liked the relationship advice aspect of the book and as a big fan of the Netflix series Sex Education and Sophie Gonzales' Perfect on Paper, I enjoyed reading about the Dear Wendy and Dear Wanda entries that were scattered all throughout the book.
There are also content warnings that may trigger some readers especially the parts about homophobia, identity erasure, and bullying.
Overall, a great YA debut that will be added soon in the ever-growing queer books repertoire. 4stars
I randomly picked this galley from my Kindle and I was so absorbed I ended up finishing the entire book in one night.
This book is a heartfelt novel dedicated by the author to the aromantics, asexuals, and aro-aces that is perfect for fans of Sex Education and Perfect on Paper.
DW revolves on story of two aro-ace teens who started a secret relationship advice account in Instagram for Wellesby students. Both Sophie and Jo started their own account to fully express themselves and help their fellow students in whatever situation they are in. The twist is Sophie and Jo became friends in their gender class but they did not know that they are the ones handling the Dear Wanda and Dear Wendy IG accounts respectively.
What I liked the most about DW is how insightful this one is especially in giving information and sharing experiences from the perspective of aromantic, asexual, and aro-ace characters.
Both Sophie and Jo identify as aro-aces and throughout the novel, they found comfort knowing that they have each other to lean on and discuss about their experiences being aro-aces in Wellesby.
I also liked the relationship advice aspect of the book and as a big fan of the Netflix series Sex Education and Sophie Gonzales' Perfect on Paper, I enjoyed reading about the Dear Wendy and Dear Wanda entries that were scattered all throughout the book.
There are also content warnings that may trigger some readers especially the parts about homophobia, identity erasure, and bullying.
Overall, a great YA debut that will be added soon in the ever-growing queer books repertoire. 4stars
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated
A longer version of this review was published on Lost in a Good Book - https://wp.me/p3x8rS-38j
I am so glad I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I have been trying to diversify my diverse reads and this is such a rare identity in books I needed to read it and it turned into an amazing story! There are many asexual book lists (aromantic even rarer) and so often it’s vague, implied, a throwaway comment that people can hang their hopes on, but Zhao holds nothing back and makes it clear these girls are aroace and are proud of it.
Jo/Wanda is definitely the antagonist in starting the feud between the pair. She takes it as a joke then intentionally antagonises Sophie/Wendy. Publicly too which is poor form. But Zhao balances on the line because I was waiting for it to go too far and become the main conflict but Jo stops right before it becomes too hurtful. For all the different ways this could have played out I really enjoyed how Zhao works this storyline. There’s tension and suspense, while remaining heartfelt, honest, and wholesome.
I love having a book where there are set feelings/identity. The focus is then on a different story and not only on exploring character feelings. Not that having books only about that are bad, I have loved more than my fair share, but sometimes it is nice to have a plot with a diverse character and not have the diverse character be the plot. The aroace representation in books is so low (finding any openly or definitive asexual or aromantic rep in books is hard) and I am glad this one shines brightly with an amazing story and amazing set of characters.
400 pages/10 hours and 70+ chapters makes it feel like the book is slow and dragged out, and sometimes it does, but it is a medium paced story, a lot of little things happen and it fills a range of side elements like exploring characters, plus the culture and community at the school. The complexity of the book world and having each character have their own friends and family around them meant there was a lot to explore and Zhao gives everything the right pace and attention.
This is a great book that gives attention to a little know part of the diversity alphabet and hopefully it’s one people can fall in love with. If not for the refreshing identity exploration, than an amazing rivals plot and finding new intense friendships.
another book added to my long list of favorite books!
i saw "aroace" & "platonic love", and i was sold.
honestly, for someone who values sometimes friendships more than relationships (love ones), i was genuinely happy to dive into the story. it was so cool and alsmost felt like being home, it was so close to me that it made me question myself on asexuality and wether i might be or not? idk how to explain it, but yeah (might as well read on asexuality then).
you should read it. at least once. really.
i saw "aroace" & "platonic love", and i was sold.
honestly, for someone who values sometimes friendships more than relationships (love ones), i was genuinely happy to dive into the story. it was so cool and alsmost felt like being home, it was so close to me that it made me question myself on asexuality and wether i might be or not? idk how to explain it, but yeah (might as well read on asexuality then).
you should read it. at least once. really.
The problem wasn't with the book, it was with me. I felt like I couldn't connect with the writing style and the stakes were very low.
yay!! i finally finished this
so its a biiiit more like 3.5 but thats only because the first 70% is a slog to get through and then the last 30% is only a 4 star so it is not worth it to read.
main issues:
as i said, the first 70% is. so. boring. nothing interesting happens and all of the things they discuss are so basic and surface-level, even when they’re trying to be deep in their women’s and gender studies class, because it’s all things I have heard before 1000 times and isn’t actually anything new.
things im on the fence about:
(SPOILER WARNING!!!)
(BUT NONE OF YOU SHOULD READ THIS ANYWAYS SO IDC)
one of the main characters (ace) is so against her friends dating to the point she believes they shouldn’t and anonymously tells them to not confess to each other.
now the worry of being left out and living the rest of your life alone after all your friends start dating is a very real concern, ace people or not, so on the one hand it is good to show that but on the other hand i dont like the portrayal and that she actually takes steps to stop them from dating instead of just talking to them
however there is character growth after this and the other ace main character isnt this way. so idk it just feels weird
things i like in the book:
platonic partners!!! big fan
you get to know wellesley a bit
…there wasnt that much that i liked, the last 30% is only good relative to the first 70%
so its a biiiit more like 3.5 but thats only because the first 70% is a slog to get through and then the last 30% is only a 4 star so it is not worth it to read.
main issues:
as i said, the first 70% is. so. boring. nothing interesting happens and all of the things they discuss are so basic and surface-level, even when they’re trying to be deep in their women’s and gender studies class, because it’s all things I have heard before 1000 times and isn’t actually anything new.
things im on the fence about:
(SPOILER WARNING!!!)
(BUT NONE OF YOU SHOULD READ THIS ANYWAYS SO IDC)
one of the main characters (ace) is so against her friends dating to the point she believes they shouldn’t and anonymously tells them to not confess to each other.
now the worry of being left out and living the rest of your life alone after all your friends start dating is a very real concern, ace people or not, so on the one hand it is good to show that but on the other hand i dont like the portrayal and that she actually takes steps to stop them from dating instead of just talking to them
however there is character growth after this and the other ace main character isnt this way. so idk it just feels weird
things i like in the book:
platonic partners!!! big fan
you get to know wellesley a bit
…there wasnt that much that i liked, the last 30% is only good relative to the first 70%
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A solid, middle-of-the-road book for me. If you like lighthearted contemporaries that focus on identity, this is a great pick. Plus, it's one of the rare YA books (and actually YA, not adult/new adult) that's set in college!
The strongest element for sure was the aro/ace representation, which is what I came for. It did a good job of capturing the fact that asexuality is a spectrum and normalized it as an identity. Everything else though was a bit more rocky. Most noticeably for me was the voice/writing style. I'm constantly clamoring for YA books set in college, so I definitely didn't want this to sound like an adult book; however, both characters' voices sounded incredibly juvenile. I'm always hesitant to use that word when it comes to critiquing YA because there's nothing worse than an adult reviewer complaining that the teens in a teen book sound too much like teens--doesn't make sense. But in the case of Dear Wendy, the voice bordered on sounding like middle grade. I do think that there's a place for YA books with a younger voice since there are YA books with much younger characters, but for this book, it made it difficult to believe that these characters were in college.
Regarding the plot, I wasn't very invested in the whole Instagram feud thing. I do think that's connected with the juvenile voice thing though. It just felt like such a sudden, unrealistic thing to get so disproportionately mad over. It kind of reminded me of Season 4 of Sex Education (which I love), but with not enough dramatic moments to lead to such dramatic responses. The feud honestly made me really dislike Sophie and Jo, as it brought out a mean side to both of them that I couldn't enjoy (unlike in Sex Education, where everyone is kind of mean and toxic, but I fully enjoy it).
And then the last thing that's probably more of a personal thing but who knows: I wish the Wellesley love was toned down a bit. It became distracting, and it sort of chipped away at the relatability of the book, which I think is important in identity-based YA contemporaries. It wasn't the end of the world and it might not be an issue for other people, but I thought it created distance between the author and the reader.
Despite my long, fleshed-out list of cons, I still thought it was an enjoyable, easy read. If you're looking for ace rep and some bantering, this is a decent pick.
A solid, middle-of-the-road book for me. If you like lighthearted contemporaries that focus on identity, this is a great pick. Plus, it's one of the rare YA books (and actually YA, not adult/new adult) that's set in college!
The strongest element for sure was the aro/ace representation, which is what I came for. It did a good job of capturing the fact that asexuality is a spectrum and normalized it as an identity. Everything else though was a bit more rocky. Most noticeably for me was the voice/writing style. I'm constantly clamoring for YA books set in college, so I definitely didn't want this to sound like an adult book; however, both characters' voices sounded incredibly juvenile. I'm always hesitant to use that word when it comes to critiquing YA because there's nothing worse than an adult reviewer complaining that the teens in a teen book sound too much like teens--doesn't make sense. But in the case of Dear Wendy, the voice bordered on sounding like middle grade. I do think that there's a place for YA books with a younger voice since there are YA books with much younger characters, but for this book, it made it difficult to believe that these characters were in college.
Regarding the plot, I wasn't very invested in the whole Instagram feud thing. I do think that's connected with the juvenile voice thing though. It just felt like such a sudden, unrealistic thing to get so disproportionately mad over. It kind of reminded me of Season 4 of Sex Education (which I love), but with not enough dramatic moments to lead to such dramatic responses. The feud honestly made me really dislike Sophie and Jo, as it brought out a mean side to both of them that I couldn't enjoy (unlike in Sex Education, where everyone is kind of mean and toxic, but I fully enjoy it).
And then the last thing that's probably more of a personal thing but who knows: I wish the Wellesley love was toned down a bit. It became distracting, and it sort of chipped away at the relatability of the book, which I think is important in identity-based YA contemporaries. It wasn't the end of the world and it might not be an issue for other people, but I thought it created distance between the author and the reader.
Despite my long, fleshed-out list of cons, I still thought it was an enjoyable, easy read. If you're looking for ace rep and some bantering, this is a decent pick.
This book was so cute. I found myself smiling so much while reading. Also the Taylor references were A+
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Look I don’t want anyone to think this book is bad. It’s NOT bad. I’m just not the target audience for this book and it wasn’t for me. The writing is fine, the characters are sweet, and I liked how all of the ends wrapped up. I’m just not a fan of novels that rely on long passages of texts/DMs/Internet Messages and that’s on me for not realizing that of course this plot requires many Internet Messages.