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lilaceous's review
dark
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
characters - ⭐️
plot - .5⭐️
engaging to read - ⭐️
would recommend -
would read again -
i was not expecting any of the things that happen in this book! i actually went in thinking it was just a romance! it is not :)
the characters were sooo nasty and unlikeable but i had a good time. definitely not for everyone.
i was not expecting any of the things that happen in this book! i actually went in thinking it was just a romance! it is not :)
the characters were sooo nasty and unlikeable but i had a good time. definitely not for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
Look, this is a compelling read but holyyyyyyyyy shit, are these humans insufferable!!!! The text examines topics of family, optics, wealth, classism, racism, being othered, and doing whatever you can to get what you want.
This made me think of how I felt when I was watching the first few episodes of Succession and I didn't realize it was a dramedy(drama/comedy). I was literally sitting there thinking, 'Why are all of these people SO horrible to each other?!' That's how I felt about the characters in White Ivy, but it never got better and it never made me laugh like Succession did.
I don't love the homophobic undertones of your sexuality being compared to an ACTUAL crime .... Other than this, the book did reel me in from start to finish and I finished in one sitting because I was curious how this mess would play out.
Look, this is a compelling read but holyyyyyyyyy shit, are these humans insufferable!!!! The text examines topics of family, optics, wealth, classism, racism, being othered, and doing whatever you can to get what you want.
This made me think of how I felt when I was watching the first few episodes of Succession and I didn't realize it was a dramedy(drama/comedy). I was literally sitting there thinking, 'Why are all of these people SO horrible to each other?!' That's how I felt about the characters in White Ivy, but it never got better and it never made me laugh like Succession did.
I don't love the homophobic undertones of your sexuality being compared to an ACTUAL crime .... Other than this, the book did reel me in from start to finish and I finished in one sitting because I was curious how this mess would play out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
moriahleigh's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Murder, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
White Ivy was an intriguing book, and I enjoyed reading it, but I feel classifying it as a thriller is a stretch. There was little suspense or danger until the end, and even all of that was entirely predictable. However I did really enjoy reading about Ivy's experience and POV as a Chinese-born young woman raised in the US and the pressure she felt to fit in, moving between two different cultures and two different classes. None of the characters were especially likable (I include Ivy), so I was mostly reading for insight into Ivy's POV and experiences as an Asian American young woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Classism, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
painausten314's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
4.0
This book had several twists that I didn’t see coming, all the while being slightly mysterious - creating a combination that made it hard for me to put down.
Ivy Lin is an unreliable main character, and this whole story is warped by her perspective. A lot of the characters seem like bad people, but I found myself constantly questioning how bad of people they really were, because I was viewing all of them through Ivy’s eyes.
The theme of ownership comes up several times in this book. Ivy struggles to change her destiny, take ownership over her own life, but always ends up under the thumb of somebody else.
Ivy Lin is an unreliable main character, and this whole story is warped by her perspective. A lot of the characters seem like bad people, but I found myself constantly questioning how bad of people they really were, because I was viewing all of them through Ivy’s eyes.
The theme of ownership comes up several times in this book. Ivy struggles to change her destiny, take ownership over her own life, but always ends up under the thumb of somebody else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism, and Toxic relationship
alyssa_tauber's review against another edition
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Murder, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
tddaffin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
White Ivy is an INCREDIBLE read. Susie Yang has officially become an automatic buy for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Murder, and Vomit
angstyevie's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Mental illness, Classism, Car accident, and Blood
kelly_e's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
2.0
Title: White Ivy
Author: Susie Yang
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: November 3, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Daring • Vindictive • Modern
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Ivy Lin, moved to America with her family as a young girl and grows up in a low-income complex in Massachusetts while attending a wealthy school thanks to her father's job. Her grandmother, and mentor, has taught her to take what she wants or needs. She is desperate to assimilate with her peers, but her family has other plans for her. When she develops an obsession with golden-boy Gideon Speyer, her overbearing mother steps in. Throughout all of this Ivy develops a taste for winning and wealth, and will go to great lengths to get what she wants. An exploration of immigration, class, race, family and identity.
💭 T H O U G H T S
White Ivy is the immigrant story I was not expecting from debut author Susie Yang. With a cast of complex characters, the real stand out here is the writing. Yang built the drama and intensity in such a way that the reader feels immersed in Ivy's story as she tests the boundaries in order to get what she wants. I also liked the exploration of opposing forces; preserving heritage and tradition, or assimilating. But for me that good end there, and without the help of the audiobook I'm not sure I would have made it through. I definitely have a hard time getting behind such a manipulative, narcissistic, and selfish character, where at times it simply felt the author was going for shock value.
Ivy is definitely a character I won't soon forget, so I guess Yang has succeed there, but this story was just not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like unlikeable characters
• anyone looking for an own voices immigrant story
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"She had long ago realized that the truth wasn't important, it was the apperance of things that would serve her.
Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear."
Author: Susie Yang
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: November 3, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Daring • Vindictive • Modern
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Ivy Lin, moved to America with her family as a young girl and grows up in a low-income complex in Massachusetts while attending a wealthy school thanks to her father's job. Her grandmother, and mentor, has taught her to take what she wants or needs. She is desperate to assimilate with her peers, but her family has other plans for her. When she develops an obsession with golden-boy Gideon Speyer, her overbearing mother steps in. Throughout all of this Ivy develops a taste for winning and wealth, and will go to great lengths to get what she wants. An exploration of immigration, class, race, family and identity.
💭 T H O U G H T S
White Ivy is the immigrant story I was not expecting from debut author Susie Yang. With a cast of complex characters, the real stand out here is the writing. Yang built the drama and intensity in such a way that the reader feels immersed in Ivy's story as she tests the boundaries in order to get what she wants. I also liked the exploration of opposing forces; preserving heritage and tradition, or assimilating. But for me that good end there, and without the help of the audiobook I'm not sure I would have made it through. I definitely have a hard time getting behind such a manipulative, narcissistic, and selfish character, where at times it simply felt the author was going for shock value.
Ivy is definitely a character I won't soon forget, so I guess Yang has succeed there, but this story was just not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like unlikeable characters
• anyone looking for an own voices immigrant story
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"She had long ago realized that the truth wasn't important, it was the apperance of things that would serve her.
Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Mental illness, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Minor: Ableism
depression,alicelalicon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying