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bluejaybooks's review against another edition
Picked this up for a book club. Not something I would read on my own but had a surprising amount of fun reading it. A perfect Valentine's Day read. Ever has a strong arc of figuring out what she wants in life and who she is.
alatinaandherbooks's review against another edition
2.0
It's way to long of a book for the gist of the story. It gets good then drags out for a while then gets good then drags out
joel2park's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Main character was surprisingly relatable. I guess deep down, we’re all just eighteen year old Taiwanese American girls.
shannahtan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I have a soft spot for this book because it reminded me of Chinese Youth Camp. I heard a lot about Loveboat! I do think it was odd that Ever was going to Loveboat when her parents were in Fuijian China. Maybe I skimmed over how they are Taiwanese. I do think all the pinyin was odd for Taiwan since we generally learn bopomofo. Also, they used the simplified version of 愛 at points. Maybe that was an accident.
I feel this book was way too dramatic. Jenna’s depression made Rick stay with her until he realized he loved Ever. But, he’s a “good guy” because he just almost kissed her not actually kiss her?! Also, the car accident with her dad before she performs bo staff in the talent show on basically a sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder was ridiculous.
I do love how Ever finds herself and focuses on what she wants in life rather than doing what her parents want or doing the complete opposite. I also appreciate and can relate to rejecting your Asian side growing up in the United States then visiting Taiwan and falling in love with that Asian side of yourself. Also, experiencing life as a majority visually over a minority.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
miasarice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
asreadbykat's review against another edition
3.0
My eternal dislike for love triangles aside (I hated them even when I was a teenager), I did enjoy reading this book! The author's writing style is very enjoyable to read, and I could tell she put a lot of effort into portraying the culture and setting of Taiwan in this book.
I could really feel the struggles that Ever went through during the course of the story. While not Asian-American, I had my own experiences growing up that helped me relate to her situation enough that it legitimately made my heart ache to read about her struggles.
There are two things about the story that keep it from getting a 4 star rating for me:
1. The secondary romantic male lead feels more end-game than the primary romantic male lead.
Now, as this story is a stand-alone in terms of the main character (I know book 2 comes out next year, focusing on different characters), I expected the romance to bloom fast. If I ignore how much I dislike love triangles in general, my biggest complaint with the romance is that Ever has way more interaction and real bonding time with the second male lead. As cute as Ever and her primary love interest are together, by the end of the book, I was honestly wishing she had chosen the second lead because I had seen so many more meaningful interactions between them than between her and the other. The love triangle was heavily weighted in one direction, and in terms of the end game of the romance, it was in the wrong one.
2. The story is burdened with too many heavy topics.
the story is already doing a lot of heavy-lifting by trying to tell the story and hardships of a first generation Asian American. Now add to that a pretty important side plot involving mental health, as well as portrayals of abusive romantic partners, child abuse, sexual freedoms.... Yeah, that's a lot to unpack, and a lot of weight for a single novel to hold. As a result, the only topic that really gets the discussion it deserves is Ever's struggle with her cultural identity. The other's come in, get mentioned, and then disappear again, or are glossed over without really being discussed. And honestly, those topics deserve more than that, particularly for the age group this book is aimed at.
Overall, I did really enjoy reading the book and I don't regret buying it at all, despite the flaws mentioned. I will definitely be buying the next book as well!
TL;DR: I enjoyed and recommend it, but the story is damaged by including topics it has no time to full discuss, and a romance that is more fast-paced than it needs to be.
I could really feel the struggles that Ever went through during the course of the story. While not Asian-American, I had my own experiences growing up that helped me relate to her situation enough that it legitimately made my heart ache to read about her struggles.
There are two things about the story that keep it from getting a 4 star rating for me:
1. The secondary romantic male lead feels more end-game than the primary romantic male lead.
Now, as this story is a stand-alone in terms of the main character (I know book 2 comes out next year, focusing on different characters), I expected the romance to bloom fast. If I ignore how much I dislike love triangles in general, my biggest complaint with the romance is that Ever has way more interaction and real bonding time with the second male lead. As cute as Ever and her primary love interest are together, by the end of the book, I was honestly wishing she had chosen the second lead because I had seen so many more meaningful interactions between them than between her and the other. The love triangle was heavily weighted in one direction, and in terms of the end game of the romance, it was in the wrong one.
2. The story is burdened with too many heavy topics.
the story is already doing a lot of heavy-lifting by trying to tell the story and hardships of a first generation Asian American. Now add to that a pretty important side plot involving mental health, as well as portrayals of abusive romantic partners, child abuse, sexual freedoms.... Yeah, that's a lot to unpack, and a lot of weight for a single novel to hold. As a result, the only topic that really gets the discussion it deserves is Ever's struggle with her cultural identity. The other's come in, get mentioned, and then disappear again, or are glossed over without really being discussed. And honestly, those topics deserve more than that, particularly for the age group this book is aimed at.
Overall, I did really enjoy reading the book and I don't regret buying it at all, despite the flaws mentioned. I will definitely be buying the next book as well!
TL;DR: I enjoyed and recommend it, but the story is damaged by including topics it has no time to full discuss, and a romance that is more fast-paced than it needs to be.
mimichang's review against another edition
4.25
teehee! the way i literally stayed up listening / fell asleep with this book til 5am yesterday! a bit more eye-rolly than when i read it years ago but still very enjoyable :)
chinarose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nicnicreads's review against another edition
4.0
Gave this book a second chance after shelving it for too long and it was a rollercoaster ride with Ever Wong! I am so proud of her for casting aside all the stereotypical Asian bs and just letting herself be her! Also, very timely that I finished this during AAPI month. 4 ballet shoes/5!
joanna1905's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars*
I was so pleasantly surprised by this - I only picked this up when I saw the movie was coming out but I ended up really enjoying it. I think it tackled some really difficult situations and - for the most part - did it with care and grace.
I really loved seeing Ever learning about her heritage but I do wish we got a little bit more that and a little less drama. The love triangle just felt a bit trite but it wasn’t poorly done so it was fine.
My one issue was the way the revenge porn plot was handled - I’m not necessarily against it being in YA but I don’t think this book did a good job at all of discussing it. I’m so over the best friend turns enemy because of a boy and Sophie turned insanely malicious over a guy she was only interested in because he’s rich. Spreading those photos to the school, to the dance school, to her parents was so disgustingly malicious and then it was just completely breezed by…? Like because the guy she was hooking up with was violent we’re meant to just forgive her for violating Ever. Really hated this part and felt it was approached with all the nuance of a 2014 book… which is a shame for a very new novel.
All in all I really enjoyed it, and I’m definitely interested to see what happens in book two especially considering my feelings for Sophie.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this - I only picked this up when I saw the movie was coming out but I ended up really enjoying it. I think it tackled some really difficult situations and - for the most part - did it with care and grace.
I really loved seeing Ever learning about her heritage but I do wish we got a little bit more that and a little less drama. The love triangle just felt a bit trite but it wasn’t poorly done so it was fine.
My one issue was the way the revenge porn plot was handled - I’m not necessarily against it being in YA but I don’t think this book did a good job at all of discussing it. I’m so over the best friend turns enemy because of a boy and Sophie turned insanely malicious over a guy she was only interested in because he’s rich. Spreading those photos to the school, to the dance school, to her parents was so disgustingly malicious and then it was just completely breezed by…? Like because the guy she was hooking up with was violent we’re meant to just forgive her for violating Ever. Really hated this part and felt it was approached with all the nuance of a 2014 book… which is a shame for a very new novel.
All in all I really enjoyed it, and I’m definitely interested to see what happens in book two especially considering my feelings for Sophie.