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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
This book made me stop and really appreciate the world I live in now. You can tell how much love, work, and research went into this story.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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:
No
I would have given this book 5 stars, if the scale was based off how boring a book was.
There wasn’t a single part of this book or a single character I found intriguing. The majority of this book consisted of pages and pages of irrelevant details. Do I really need a 3 page description of the characters’ lunches and pageant dresses? It added nothing to the story (if I can really call it that) except for more words. Not to mention there was absolutely no depth to the plot or the characters.
And then the flashbacks to the parents’ story and perspective? I could barely get through it. And it was so insignificant and mind-numbing??? I would have rather taken a nap.
Ugh.
There wasn’t a single part of this book or a single character I found intriguing. The majority of this book consisted of pages and pages of irrelevant details. Do I really need a 3 page description of the characters’ lunches and pageant dresses? It added nothing to the story (if I can really call it that) except for more words. Not to mention there was absolutely no depth to the plot or the characters.
And then the flashbacks to the parents’ story and perspective? I could barely get through it. And it was so insignificant and mind-numbing??? I would have rather taken a nap.
Ugh.
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was such a beautifully written book. I could relate to Lily so much, especially towards the end of the book. I found the book to be more sad than hopeful, but it’s not tragic by any means. I feel inspired by and strangely proud of Lily’s strength at the end of the book in the way she refused to lie about who she is. The ending left me wanting more about Lily and about Kath!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
inspiring
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-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:
No
This was a really lovely and sad and tender and gut wrenching book! I really appreciated the continuous timelines to contextualize where the book is in history and where the characters are. I felt so deeply for Lily - such a unique queer coming of age story set deeply in Chinese exclusion, gay panic, and the red scare.
The book provided glimpses into Lilys family history which I thought could have worked really well, but wasn't consistent nor contextual enough to have fully been done well. But that's my only grievance.
The book provided glimpses into Lilys family history which I thought could have worked really well, but wasn't consistent nor contextual enough to have fully been done well. But that's my only grievance.