Scan barcode
khirneis's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
plzu's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
giwi99's review
3.75
Pretty good slow at first but it picks up. Although I wish there was a little more meat to the ending. Felt it was kinda abrupt
maggiesasha's review against another edition
3.0
disappointing. none of the characters were particularly likeable and the ending was very random
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
First things first: this book is not a mystery or a thriller in any way. Yes, it is psychological, but it is most definitely not a psychological thriller. The way this book has been classified is, to me, misleading.
That said, it's also one of those books where I'm just not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it kept me reading. The writing is vivid, the author uses quotation marks (THANK YOU), and I was catapulted right into Ivy's world every time I started reading.
And yet. My first real difficulty is with Ivy. I get what the author is doing with her, but she's a cipher. The book details a lot about her family, her situation, and her life, but I never felt like I had a grasp on her at all. I can buy that this may have been intentional--Ivy herself doesn't seem to really know who she is or what she wants--but it made the book a lot less satisfying than it might otherwise have been.
I also wasn't all that thrilled with the plot arc itself. The book has a lot to say and says much of it well in fine, deft touches, but it also tends to dance around some things when it may have been better had the text been more explicit.
That said, it's also one of those books where I'm just not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it kept me reading. The writing is vivid, the author uses quotation marks (THANK YOU), and I was catapulted right into Ivy's world every time I started reading.
And yet. My first real difficulty is with Ivy. I get what the author is doing with her, but she's a cipher. The book details a lot about her family, her situation, and her life, but I never felt like I had a grasp on her at all. I can buy that this may have been intentional--Ivy herself doesn't seem to really know who she is or what she wants--but it made the book a lot less satisfying than it might otherwise have been.
I also wasn't all that thrilled with the plot arc itself. The book has a lot to say and says much of it well in fine, deft touches, but it also tends to dance around some things when it may have been better had the text been more explicit.
readingonmountains's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading about Ivy Lin, a poor Chinese immigrant struggling to fit in with her wealthy classmates. Her mother Nan is hard on Ivy, with high expectations for her daughter to succeed in the American dream. Ivy’s grandmother Meifeng showers her with affection and wisdom, and really made the story for me! Years pass and Ivy, now a school teacher, runs into her middle school crush and feels like it must be fate. They begin dating when another man from her past surfaces to complicate things. This is a coming of age story, love triangle and has some great darker twists as well.
mirandag908's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-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
4.25
missyjohnson's review against another edition
1.0
OMG. No more "reading with Jenna"
A waste of good reading time. Was this trying to be a YA novel? Poorly done all around
Ivy is completely unlikeable, shallow, insipid, and fake. None of the rest of the story background seemed to explain how her personality formed this way except for the petty theft that her Grandmother taught her. That was random
The truth about Gideon was evident early on and then cemented when the monogramed pajamas were mentioned. Ridiculous cliché used.
Roux is another cardboard character. Nothing believable about his story either. The fact that he and Sylvia got together is very far fetched. His story of riches and business success was ridiculous and the the lame descriptors by the author to show his wealth, ick. I especially hated the wooden rice scoop cup that he had gotten from a Tibetan monk. Oh Puleeese.
Scurvy? What was that all about?
The bit at the end about the tranquility of knowing that you could never have family taken away from you. What? How does that fit with any of the rest of the story.
The book club questions at the end of the book described this as a thriller with plot twists and a social commentary as to the "model minority". I don’t know how the thriller descriptor is used because I don’t see that and the social commentary is a bit of a stretch as well. It seemed to me that the author just used generalizations, stereotypes and cliches to describe any minority character and any social pressures were only of their own making. I did not read evidence of where they were expected or required to make any of the choices that they did.
A waste of good reading time. Was this trying to be a YA novel? Poorly done all around
Ivy is completely unlikeable, shallow, insipid, and fake. None of the rest of the story background seemed to explain how her personality formed this way except for the petty theft that her Grandmother taught her. That was random
The truth about Gideon was evident early on and then cemented when the monogramed pajamas were mentioned. Ridiculous cliché used.
Roux is another cardboard character. Nothing believable about his story either. The fact that he and Sylvia got together is very far fetched. His story of riches and business success was ridiculous and the the lame descriptors by the author to show his wealth, ick. I especially hated the wooden rice scoop cup that he had gotten from a Tibetan monk. Oh Puleeese.
Scurvy? What was that all about?
The bit at the end about the tranquility of knowing that you could never have family taken away from you. What? How does that fit with any of the rest of the story.
The book club questions at the end of the book described this as a thriller with plot twists and a social commentary as to the "model minority". I don’t know how the thriller descriptor is used because I don’t see that and the social commentary is a bit of a stretch as well. It seemed to me that the author just used generalizations, stereotypes and cliches to describe any minority character and any social pressures were only of their own making. I did not read evidence of where they were expected or required to make any of the choices that they did.