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Decide to reread this book but finishing it makes me realized something. I don't know if my tastes changed or maybe the perspective that I used to have changed as after I reread the book, I didn't feel the same way the first time I finished it. Worst is I think I like the book less now (and I even owned a physical hardbound copy of it 😅😅😂😂😭😭)

So, I'll tell you some of the things I noticed and disliked about this time that I reread it so Spoilers Ahead.

So, the story opens with Penelope "Penny" Lee who is American-Korean leaving in Texas who just graduated in high school and is finally moving out of her mom's house even though their house is just a few hours away, like she could just drive home from school but instead chose to live nearby her school. And of course basically, she met Sam who is her roommate's (Jude) uncle (although, this is just uncle by marriage and not by blood). Then one thing led to another and our two leads, Penny and Sam became each other's emergency contact, in a sense that they are both so secretive and strangely wary of people (who I think just want to take good care of them).

To be honest, I kinda find Penny a bit annoyingly insufferable and kinda whiny? (or is this just how most YA contemporary romance FL are usually portrayed because they are teenagers, I suppose?) She gives off this vibe like how annoying and needy her mom is (maybe she is but it feels strange to talk so bitchy about your mom if she just want to be close to you and is different than you in a sense that she's pretty popular and well you're neither). I kept racking my brain if what happened to Penny kinda gives her a right to treat people that way. (this bit was overwhelming to read upon but perfectly executed in terms of storytelling. Although, weirdly enough it feels like there was an emphasis that the guy is half-Filipino, plus there's this other remark about a Filipino although that remark she deserves that coz that bitch really didn't care while millions of their people starved). Also, it feels like she's passive-aggressive to her mom sometimes (although i kinda relate on how i think she parents her mom, which is a bit common in Asian household if you're the eldest or an only child of a single working parent). Also, it annoys me so much how she judges people sometimes like she's so righteous or think she's above them. Sure, it doesn't exactly sound like that but the way she loathes herself in a way that maybe just maybe what she really wanted was to be popular, like the people she hates. I even used to agree with her when she hates Mallory (Jude's best friend) who is kinda like the right amount of meanness queen bee but it fells like both Penny and Mallory are kinda bitchy, just in different fonts.

As for Sam, there isn't much to say. I guess I'm neutral for him. Kinda like he's okay but I neither hate nor love him. Also, even though most part of the book covered Penny's thought, it felt Sam's was the one who finally grow to become a better person.

Although, there was a bit in the last few parts of the book where Penny has been opening a little bit but it felt so rushed in a way that we just got a glimpse of it and it felt like she learned her lesson but we are not there to witness it, kinda those kind of vibes. Although, I still like to think that they grew to be who they are supposed to be and like every teen romance, that they did end up together.

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lisa_m's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I was going to give it 5 stars and I probably would have if it had been a few chapters longer. I did not like the ending.

They didn't even speak their feelings, it was just implied. And for the whole book revolving about those too figuring out their lifes and emotions it's quite frustrating to not actually do that with their feelings towards each other.

But other than that I thought the book was really good. I maybe should have read some trigger warnings first because I was quite shocked when the rape scene happened. I did not expect it at all. It wasn't exploitative but in enough detail to make me uncomfortable.

There are definitely some darker themes and important topics but I think they were handled in a great way.

I really enjoyed that Penny wrote a story that we also got to read. I thought it was really good and interesting and I always like 'books' in books and that type of thing.

I might reread this and give it 5 stars in a few years. Who knows.

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thexwalrus's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

3.5

mary h.k. choi's writing is the star here - it's so snappy and fluid and fresh, and i think it adds so much to all the characters. before we even get to know penny and sam, her writing gives us a taste of what their internal monologues are like, and it endeared me to them without me even realizing it.

while i don't necessarily love a few of the characters, they're all extraordinarily well-written and fleshed out. penny and her mother's relationship is rough and beautifully realistic and i deeply enjoyed reading all of their interactions.

my favorite part of the story was reading about penny's thoughts on writing - seeing her formulate a story and go through the different stages of brainstorming and discovering new sides of characters was so fun, and even though that wasn't the focus of the story, i wish we'd gotten more.

all in all, this was fun! i definitely wanna check out more of choi's writing and this was a very encouraging starting point.

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optionalobjectives's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

There are some good qualities here in occasional flashes of the Texas setting, and the dialog could be worse. I do think that Choi does well in capturing some youthful naiveté in just about every character in the book. But the story beats are so regular as to be distracting, big issues are tossed in too lightly for purposes of plot or character development without being pursued, and ultimately, the scenes feel under-described rather than intimate. At least it's a breezy read - nothing challenging here, just a window into the lives of a college-age cast.

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