Reviews

I absolutely love this world that Vo has created. There's no hand holding; she doesn't explain the rules of this magical world, yet they make complete sense. The setting is an alternative version of Old Hollywood, where people fight to earn immortality, hide their true selves beneath carefully curated veneers, and literally become stars. It seems like a simple concept, but Vo has taken it and created something really intricate and beautiful.

jadabelle's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I LOVED this book. I had such a hard time starting this book, because the beginning was kind of slow, but I am so glad I stuck with it. It’s a truly captivating story, similar, yet completely different than The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I also enjoyed. I was left with so many questions, and I think that every good book should leave the reader wanting more. That being said, at times it was hard to follow or keep up with what was going on. All in all, I think this was a wonderful book. Despite taking place in a world so different from our own, Vo did a masterful job of capturing the confining nature of expectations. Furthermore, I loved the fact that this was a book where the main character was an Asian-American lesbian. Not enough books tell the stories of lesbian women, let alone the stories of Asian-American women, finding their way in the world. Ultimately, I could not recommend this book more. I got one am going to send it to my friend to read as soon as I get the chance actually. Again, a truly wonderful story.

kmeadow's review against another edition

Go to review page

idk i could not care about this girl

sophiearaujo's review against another edition

Go to review page

I wasn’t vibing
I didn’t love the main character which is fine but I also wasn’t super interested in her or her motives
The writing isn’t my cup of tea either
I don’t mind magical realism but this want for me

sarahlk's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

historyofjess's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious 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

3.5

There is a lot that I liked about this book, but I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied at the end. I think I would've been much more interested in some of the content from the epilogue actually being expanded in the novel rather than blown through so quickly. I think some of that could have been even juicier than the stories that were included in the novel. I also would've liked if we had discovered some of the supernatural elements along with Luli rather than having her info dump them so much early on. But generally, this was a fan magical take on the old Hollywood studio system.

lextypething's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

More...