Reviews - Others Were Emeralds

168 reviews for:

Others Were Emeralds

Lang Leav

3.88 AVERAGE

ddnreads's review

4.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I love the premise and this book exceeding my expectation. The story set in 90s Australia, following a high schooler named Ai.

I grow fond of this book gradually. I didn't put up much expectations on the beginning, as it revolved around the friendship and high school romance drama. However, it's getting more intriguing bcs the "drama" itself created huge misunderstanding and regrets later in the story. There are layers about fitting in, self actualisation, jealousy, and acceptances mixing in their high school life. The dynamics of somewhat complicated friendship is well written.

Ai and her family were Asian (Cambodia) who had to move to Australia to save their lives. There was a huge Asian immigrants and refugees taking shelter in Australia and how they face racism on daily basis. I wasn't aware of this issue before and this book gave me a glimpse on how bad it could be. Yes, it talked about racism, fighting the said racism, and surviving. The unfairness is heart breaking.

I love how this book takes its time to explore grief and loss. And regrets. And shattered dreams. I love how the closure wasn't rushed. It fits the pieces perfectly.

At the end, I grow fondly emotional with the characters and how their lifes turned out.

If you're into hard coming of age, exploring grief and friendship and love, and misunderstanding as well as facing racism, give this book a go.

Thanks so much for the arc 💜🫶🏽🫶🏽

thewickermage's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad 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

ppratz's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

roxyc's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

michaela_coffee's review against another edition

4.0

“I treasured each new epiphany like a jewel in my palm, something shiny and glittering to be admired and examined from every angle and then stored away with the others. Some jewels were more like polished stones. Some were semiprecious. Others were emeralds. At times I felt as though I was unearthing something that was better left buried. But I couldn’t help myself.”

“When you make your mind up about someone, everything they do becomes a confirmation of your bias. That’s how you start to lose your ability to judge what’s real. One minor preconception after another. If you don’t pay attention, it can set you on a completely different path."

“It occurred to me with every stroke of my pen that writing was an act of self-love.”

Situated in the Australian town of Whitlam in the 90s, we meet Ai and her Cambodian refugee family in this story. We also meet her other transplant friends, also coming from Asia, and dive into their world of love, struggle, pain, and gaining independence. Others Were Emeralds had a sweet balance of historical fiction and delicate romance with a sprinkling of coming-of-age, art, and culture.

I enjoyed spending my time with Ai as she traversed the teenage challenges in her life, whilst also dealing with the racism that was spreading in Australia during this time towards Asian immigrants. Lang Leav teaches us about the hardships incurred by the people in the Khmer Rouge Regime, and the struggle to integrate into life in Australia. Beautiful and eye-opening.