Reviews

Xia is a programmer genius that get's into this super exclusive (all-expenses paid) program in California. She gets to spend one year learning more about programming and business in an attempt to build up her revolutionary idea--an AI that provides you advice from the POV of your future self--to a real company. She has an online connection with a ~mysterious but insightful mans and also a flirtationship with a cute boy in her program. Xia learns to navigate the glitzy and cutthroat world of Silicon Valley while trying to find who she is as a person.

This is such a beautiful book told from such a unique viewpoint I rarely see in books. As an Asian student studying business and CS, this book was sooo relatable I was so shook. I was crying two chapters in with Xia's discussion with her mother about her future and duty. Idk why but Asian immigrant stories and family duty vs. passion stories always get me

lillyfei's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

Xia Chan has been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Only twenty students a year are chosen to enroll in The Foundry, an elite high school program designed to support the world’s next tech founders and CEOs. Xia doesn’t know anyone at the Silicon Valley school except for maybe one person, ObjectPermanence. She isn’t certain, but she is pretty confident the boy she’s been instant messaging and falling in love with is also at The Foundry. Xia is thrust into the start-up world hoping to find her mystery guy and win a million dollar grant in the process.

I had a love-hate relationship with this book. It was certainly a creative plot and what better way to give our main character a coming-of-age arc than by making her leave home for the first time and live as an adult. I enjoyed the little glimpses into Silicon Valley as well as the conversations surrounding not only being a woman in a male-dominated career, but being a woman of color in today’s society. The scenes in which Xia experienced micro-aggressions and racism were relevant and representative of many Asian-American experiences.

My main frustration with the book was with Xia and the pacing of her development. The story began to feel pretty redundant with her going back-and-forth on who is ObjectPermanence while also being drawn into the glamorous world of Foundry alumna, Mitzy. The back-and-forth went on for most of the book, with Xia continuing her negative character arc. The resolution was somewhat redeeming, but it felt rushed. Side characters that had disappeared earlier on, returned. Characters and relationships suddenly progressed quickly without much development beforehand. It didn’t feel very realistic. I needed more growth from Xia to really connect.

If You, Then Me is a unique coming-of-age story that might be for you if you are interested in start-ups, tech, and Silicon Valley. It was entertaining and intriguing. I just couldn’t get past Xia’s choices to really love it.

violetstars's review against another edition

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4.0

i loved this book so much :(( the premise is quite interesting - as a teenager who goes to a stem magnet school, the concept of the foundry and the sci-fi aspect really stood out to me. its themes are somewhat similar to the ivies by alexa donne - there's a lot of discussion about elitism & the upper class, and i especially loved how it went into some of the dark sides of the tech field.

i enjoyed the romance aspect so much, especially the mystery regarding objectpermanence. i love how the author sends us on this whole journey toward uncovering each of the clues and keeps us constantly guessing until the end. also i'm nott gonna lie, the messages between them were pretty cute lol.

i didn't exactly love how the ending was executed, as there were a couple parts that felt like they could have been tied up better. i would have loved to see more of what happened to mitzy because the "plot twist" at the end was pretty rushed. we also don't get to see much of the "love triangle" and her irl relationship seemed to resolve itself way too perfectly, despite all that had happened. i'm not gonna lie though, i'm a big fan of happy endings so i was still glad to see that xia found some semblance of happiness in the end c:

magdalenaanna's review against another edition

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3.0

I only liked 2 characters, the others just annoyed me and the story is ok.

meggiijo's review against another edition

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2.0

Usually, I love this kind of story, but I didn't think this was very well done. There was just too much focus on how everybody looked. So it was kind of shallow, even though it tried to be deep. Also, I found a lot of the plot points with the MCs mentor unbelievable. It simply didn't meet my expectations and was something else than I thought it would be. It had its moments, but in the end, it fell through for me.

This scored 4.57 on CAWPILE. That makes it on the higher two-star mark.

baileybooknook's review against another edition

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4.0

A brainy girl gets chosen to be a part of a prestigious program for app developers and has a hard time figuring out who her real friends are, how to make her app work, and which dreamboat to fall in love with. Girls in STEM! This book was very predictable but also very entertaining. Author portrayed poor teenage decision making skills very well with is a huge plus for me when reading YA books. Fun and full of heart! Add it to you YA TBR.

emmgrace's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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