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linnaboobooks's review against another edition
4.0
Content warnings for racism, classism, drugs, bullying.
Although not a book in a series, this novel is is connected to The Obsession, set prior to Delilah's arrival at the school. I don't think you need to read either in a particular order, so pick whichever one peaks your interest first.
Although not a book in a series, this novel is is connected to The Obsession, set prior to Delilah's arrival at the school. I don't think you need to read either in a particular order, so pick whichever one peaks your interest first.
emily_wellsandt's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
campbeje10's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emmykay's review against another edition
2.0
I was so excited to listen to this book and the beginning was great. I liked the idea of the scholarship kid at the fancy rich school. I learned a lot about how Chinese/Indonesians view each other. What I didn’t like was that there were no consequences for anybody’s actions. With the rampant drug useI would have thought there would be at least be something showing that it was not ok. I would have liked this book better if it would have had only one or two major social issues, instead it had all of them in one book. What I will take away from this story is that no matter the culture, there is always prejudices.
lynnietakalele's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Looooooved so much about this book! The scenes where the main character was talking herself through something pretty traumatic were SO believable! EXACTLY how I think a person would act! The ending was pretty realistic with the right number of loose ends tied up and/or left dangling. Loved the cultural parts and food references. Finished in a day because I wanted to know what would happen next!
char_s's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this was my first time trying out an audiobook. i enjoyed it.
sarahthevampyrslayer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
ninabyte's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a big fan of Sutanto's Aunties series, and I went into The New Girl thinking I'd be jumping into another mystery along those lines. While I enjoyed the book, I was a bit disappointed; the pacing felt off and the ending was tied up just a little too neatly while also having way too many loose ends for my liking, almost as if the last two chapters were rushed.
Nevertheless, I look forward to reading Sutanto's upcoming books.
Nevertheless, I look forward to reading Sutanto's upcoming books.
venzettareadinjune's review against another edition
4.0
The book was good but I did feel like some parts were dramatic. Lia loves to do too much or overthink.
jessicaredmond8's review against another edition
3.0
This is just a big eh unfortunately. I know these are teenagers so their actions don’t always make sense to me as an adult but the actions of our main character really, truly did not make sense. To the point where one of the main plot points was frustrating because you know the whole thing was over the top and unnecessary.
The pacing was super off in this book too. Starts off great, interesting narrator, meeting other characters. Then a big plot point will take place, lots of suspense and you think, ok things are really going to take off now. But it doesn’t and we’re just reading about her school days for a bit again. Then the pattern repeats like that a few times. You just get a bit of whiplash from that. And the ending was so rushed and felt wholly disconnected from the rest of the book and the plot that had been building.
One thing I did really love and enjoy in this book was the discussions about Indonesian culture and some of the issues of racism our narrator faced because she was native Indo and how she was treated by Chinese-Indo people. It opened by eyes to a new culture I knew nothing about and also taught me a bit about issues they face within that culture. Just a really great addition to the story and the main thing I liked about the book.
The pacing was super off in this book too. Starts off great, interesting narrator, meeting other characters. Then a big plot point will take place, lots of suspense and you think, ok things are really going to take off now. But it doesn’t and we’re just reading about her school days for a bit again. Then the pattern repeats like that a few times. You just get a bit of whiplash from that. And the ending was so rushed and felt wholly disconnected from the rest of the book and the plot that had been building.
One thing I did really love and enjoy in this book was the discussions about Indonesian culture and some of the issues of racism our narrator faced because she was native Indo and how she was treated by Chinese-Indo people. It opened by eyes to a new culture I knew nothing about and also taught me a bit about issues they face within that culture. Just a really great addition to the story and the main thing I liked about the book.