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lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
I had such a great time reading this book, the concept was great and I loved how it played out!
jhna04's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
5.0
gayathiri_rajendran's review
4.0
If You, Then Me by Yvonne Woon is a YA contemporary set in the tech world. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was an enjoyable read.
Xia is a high school student who is a computer genius. She creates an AI which she names Wiser, who gives advice to Xia which she might give if she was older. She lives with her single mom who is mostly away for work. Xia creates Wiser mainly to keep herself company since she is alone most of the time. She applies to go to the Foundry, a finishing school in California for tech prodigies and gets in. After getting permission from her mom, she moves to California.
The majority of the book is set in Silicon Valley with it's cutthroat companies and start ups. The background given was very detailed. The rest of the story follows Xia and how she navigates in this world. Xia struggles with the classes and when her tech idol Mitzy notices her, Xia starts following her around losing sight of her priorities. This book also focuses on several other themes like work ethics, values and integrity. It also touches upon the gender bias in the tech world.
There's also the underlying layer of a person called ObjectPermanence who Xia messages regularly who also goes to the Foundry. The mystery of who it could be keeps us on our toes throughout he book and the result is somewhat unexpected. Xia makes a lot of mistakes throughout this book but her character was very relatable and her vulnerabilities felt real.
The ending felt a bit rushed but it was a quick, breezy read!
Xia is a high school student who is a computer genius. She creates an AI which she names Wiser, who gives advice to Xia which she might give if she was older. She lives with her single mom who is mostly away for work. Xia creates Wiser mainly to keep herself company since she is alone most of the time. She applies to go to the Foundry, a finishing school in California for tech prodigies and gets in. After getting permission from her mom, she moves to California.
The majority of the book is set in Silicon Valley with it's cutthroat companies and start ups. The background given was very detailed. The rest of the story follows Xia and how she navigates in this world. Xia struggles with the classes and when her tech idol Mitzy notices her, Xia starts following her around losing sight of her priorities. This book also focuses on several other themes like work ethics, values and integrity. It also touches upon the gender bias in the tech world.
There's also the underlying layer of a person called ObjectPermanence who Xia messages regularly who also goes to the Foundry. The mystery of who it could be keeps us on our toes throughout he book and the result is somewhat unexpected. Xia makes a lot of mistakes throughout this book but her character was very relatable and her vulnerabilities felt real.
The ending felt a bit rushed but it was a quick, breezy read!
andrea_author's review
This book is “When Dimple Met Rishi” on acid (minus the romance). Sixteen-year-olds given $150,000 to develop their project, with no supervision and no requirement that they attend class or even remain on campus. Parties with alcohol, hard drugs, and lecherous old men. If you’re a parent, be sure to read this book before allowing your minor child to.
pantsreads's review
3.0
I was slightly horrified by the amount of truth in this book about Silicon Valley and women in tech, being a woman in tech myself (somewhat tangentially), and really wanted to jump into the story to be a voice of reason for the MC, 'cause she made some poor choices.
Full review to come, but you can check out a teaser mini-review over at the Forever Young Adult Instagram.
Full review to come, but you can check out a teaser mini-review over at the Forever Young Adult Instagram.
brenessaroach's review
3.0
it was a good book with a good plot and character development. Also really easy to get through, however I wouldn’t reread it again though
blodeuedd's review
3.0
This one reminded me a bit of When Dimple met Rishi. Fancy school, apps, and falling in love. Well the love part was hard coming here.
Xia is smart, loves coding,and had created this amazing AI. She gets into a 1 year program in Silicon Valley and off she goes.
And then it takes quite the turn. Teachers should really try harder. Xia in her new life totally forgets about the bottom line what she is doing. And no one seems to care. Like at the first night there there is this prank, and again, no one seems to care. Can 16 year olds even sign contracts!?
There is some romance too, she meets a guy, but her heart is already taken by the boy she met online, and she handles it really badly.
But, she is 16 and here I do feel that her age makes all her mistakes reasonable. She is young and want it all. And it all works out for her, which is totally weird. Cos she effs up majorly. With romance, school, friendship and everything.
It was an interesting story. Not the story I though I would get from the blurb. But a story if being swept away in something bigger than yourself, and having no one to reign you in.
Great narrator who got the feel of things and I always knew who was who.
Xia is smart, loves coding,and had created this amazing AI. She gets into a 1 year program in Silicon Valley and off she goes.
And then it takes quite the turn. Teachers should really try harder. Xia in her new life totally forgets about the bottom line what she is doing. And no one seems to care. Like at the first night there there is this prank, and again, no one seems to care. Can 16 year olds even sign contracts!?
There is some romance too, she meets a guy, but her heart is already taken by the boy she met online, and she handles it really badly.
But, she is 16 and here I do feel that her age makes all her mistakes reasonable. She is young and want it all. And it all works out for her, which is totally weird. Cos she effs up majorly. With romance, school, friendship and everything.
It was an interesting story. Not the story I though I would get from the blurb. But a story if being swept away in something bigger than yourself, and having no one to reign you in.
Great narrator who got the feel of things and I always knew who was who.
simoneandherbooks's review
4.0
Having a programming husband, I know way more than I need to about coding and the tech world. However, this book presented me with a completely different aspect; the business side. It was interesting to see how tech looks at these young folks and their apps. There was a bit of snobbery with some of the ideas the kids had while other kids were trying to save the world with their apps. I also thought it was interesting to see who got bought and who got funding. I don't know much about those parts, but it was fun to read about.
Xia was the definition of naive young person. The story followed her more than had a plot that moved forward. Her actions leading her character development felt spot on and her blown up ego at the end made so much sense to me. Although, it did surprise me when the book finally got to the final showcase and everyone was already prepared.
I also really liked her removal from both the tech world (growing up outside of Boston) and from the kinds of privilege and luxury the other kids. She got herself into a lot of messes. At one point, I kind of felt bad for her. A lot of the situations she found herself in were very adult for someone just sixteen to be in. I don't think it was wild that she went off to California on her own (as someone who's traveled across the world at 15, I know that that level of responsibility is possible for someone that age), but the situations she found herself in were so much more than even I want to find myself in. Because as an adult, you can read her situations and can determine right off the bat that something feels scammy or someone's out to get you behind your back, but as a kid, you don't know better. This is all new to you and with that newness comes a level of naivety that you don't develop until you've experienced it.
The situations Xia found herself were rough and with each new experience, it felt like it got worse and worse for her. At one point, I just wanted to give her a big old hug and pull her away from everything. I wanted to save her from what she was going through, but at the same time I understand how important it is to experience these things first hand. That's how you grow and learn.
The characters were great. I thought it was an interesting mix including folks who were super rich and privileged and other folks who didn't have all the luxuries in the world. There was a lot of backstabbing, envy and jealousy, and petty arguments as well given that they're teenagers who were living in boarding school together. It made for some interesting dynamics that played so well throughout the story. I loved Amina, Xia's best friend. She was so confident in knowing who she was, which was just a nerdy tech girl feeling a bit lost in the whole game of things. She provided such good advice and insight that Xia desperately needed (and desperately avoided).
The only issue I had was that there were a few storylines that were dropped towards the end. I wanted to know what happened to Mitzy and I wondered what the kids were doing after they finished their year at the foundry. Also, it felt like Mast dropped off right in the middle of the story and aside from a few glances his way, he didn't have a big part in the story. It made the ending feel a bit weird. It's not a big deal, but something I noticed while I was finishing up the book.
I also loved the whole You've Got Mail vibe going with Xia and her mysterious online friend, ObjectPermanence. I tried to guess who it was (and came out wrong), but pleasantly surprised to find out who it was in the end.
Overall, this was a great story that followed a young person through some heavy trials and tribulations. I really loved getting to know Xia throughout.
I received a copy of this book from the author. My opinion hasn't been influenced by the publisher or the author.
Xia was the definition of naive young person. The story followed her more than had a plot that moved forward. Her actions leading her character development felt spot on and her blown up ego at the end made so much sense to me. Although, it did surprise me when the book finally got to the final showcase and everyone was already prepared.
I also really liked her removal from both the tech world (growing up outside of Boston) and from the kinds of privilege and luxury the other kids. She got herself into a lot of messes. At one point, I kind of felt bad for her. A lot of the situations she found herself in were very adult for someone just sixteen to be in. I don't think it was wild that she went off to California on her own (as someone who's traveled across the world at 15, I know that that level of responsibility is possible for someone that age), but the situations she found herself in were so much more than even I want to find myself in. Because as an adult, you can read her situations and can determine right off the bat that something feels scammy or someone's out to get you behind your back, but as a kid, you don't know better. This is all new to you and with that newness comes a level of naivety that you don't develop until you've experienced it.
The situations Xia found herself were rough and with each new experience, it felt like it got worse and worse for her. At one point, I just wanted to give her a big old hug and pull her away from everything. I wanted to save her from what she was going through, but at the same time I understand how important it is to experience these things first hand. That's how you grow and learn.
The characters were great. I thought it was an interesting mix including folks who were super rich and privileged and other folks who didn't have all the luxuries in the world. There was a lot of backstabbing, envy and jealousy, and petty arguments as well given that they're teenagers who were living in boarding school together. It made for some interesting dynamics that played so well throughout the story. I loved Amina, Xia's best friend. She was so confident in knowing who she was, which was just a nerdy tech girl feeling a bit lost in the whole game of things. She provided such good advice and insight that Xia desperately needed (and desperately avoided).
The only issue I had was that there were a few storylines that were dropped towards the end. I wanted to know what happened to Mitzy and I wondered what the kids were doing after they finished their year at the foundry. Also, it felt like Mast dropped off right in the middle of the story and aside from a few glances his way, he didn't have a big part in the story. It made the ending feel a bit weird. It's not a big deal, but something I noticed while I was finishing up the book.
I also loved the whole You've Got Mail vibe going with Xia and her mysterious online friend, ObjectPermanence. I tried to guess who it was (and came out wrong), but pleasantly surprised to find out who it was in the end.
Overall, this was a great story that followed a young person through some heavy trials and tribulations. I really loved getting to know Xia throughout.
I received a copy of this book from the author. My opinion hasn't been influenced by the publisher or the author.
fscottfishgerald's review
3.0
I was a little hesitant to start this book. I'm definitely not a tech person, so I was afraid I wouldn't understand some things or be able to get into it. But this book is very enjoyable, no tech or finance experience needed. Xia was a frustrating character to follow through, but not in a bad way. At times I did feel like watching a car crash about to happen. But she kept me engrossed and I was rooting for her all the way through. I think she made many mistakes we all make in that age, but hers had probably bigger stakes than my teenage life ever did, I think the friendship between XIa and er friends were very well developed, which I always enjoy in rom-coms. Sometimes I think friendships are used in this genre to move the plot or romance along, but I didn't get that feeling here.
The ending did feel a little rushed. I think it could have been a tad longer. The relationship between Xia and Mast could have been further developed a bit especially after Xia started to change. It would have made me more invested in their relationship. But I honestly forgot about Mast for a good chunk of the book, he pretty much disappeared for most of the middle. The plot line was also a bit predictable, with lots of clues as to what was going to happen. But that didn't stop me from being invested in reading.
The ending did feel a little rushed. I think it could have been a tad longer. The relationship between Xia and Mast could have been further developed a bit especially after Xia started to change. It would have made me more invested in their relationship. But I honestly forgot about Mast for a good chunk of the book, he pretty much disappeared for most of the middle. The plot line was also a bit predictable, with lots of clues as to what was going to happen. But that didn't stop me from being invested in reading.
fscottfishgerald's review against another edition
4.0
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was a little hesitant to start this book. I'm definitely not a tech person, so I was afraid I wouldn't understand some things or be able to get into it. But this book is very enjoyable, no tech or finance experience needed. Xia was a frustrating character to follow through, but not in a bad way. At times I did feel like watching a car crash about to happen. But she kept me engrossed and I was rooting for her all the way through. I think she made many mistakes we all make in that age, but hers had probably bigger stakes than my teenage life ever did, I think the friendship between XIa and er friends were very well developed, which I always enjoy in rom-coms. Sometimes I think friendships are used in this genre to move the plot or romance along, but I didn't get that feeling here.
The ending did feel a little rushed. I think it could have been a tad longer. The relationship between Xia and Mast could have been further developed a bit especially after Xia started to change. It would have made me more invested in their relationship. But I honestly forgot about Mast for a good chunk of the book, he pretty much disappeared for most of the middle. The plot line was also a bit predictable, with lots of clues as to what was going to happen. But that didn't stop me from being invested in reading.
I was a little hesitant to start this book. I'm definitely not a tech person, so I was afraid I wouldn't understand some things or be able to get into it. But this book is very enjoyable, no tech or finance experience needed. Xia was a frustrating character to follow through, but not in a bad way. At times I did feel like watching a car crash about to happen. But she kept me engrossed and I was rooting for her all the way through. I think she made many mistakes we all make in that age, but hers had probably bigger stakes than my teenage life ever did, I think the friendship between XIa and er friends were very well developed, which I always enjoy in rom-coms. Sometimes I think friendships are used in this genre to move the plot or romance along, but I didn't get that feeling here.
The ending did feel a little rushed. I think it could have been a tad longer. The relationship between Xia and Mast could have been further developed a bit especially after Xia started to change. It would have made me more invested in their relationship. But I honestly forgot about Mast for a good chunk of the book, he pretty much disappeared for most of the middle. The plot line was also a bit predictable, with lots of clues as to what was going to happen. But that didn't stop me from being invested in reading.