Reviews

I loved the characters in this book, who were complicated, beautiful and intriguing in equal measures. It was the plot that I didn’t quite feel was fully fleshed out and not what I expected, therefore I felt lost at times. I’d still recommend.

warandpeace's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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

3.0

many gripes with this one. i was expecting a more well researched and in depth discussion of museum ethics and collecting because it’s the premise of the book, but no such luck. the most egregious part was will, with only a bachelors in art history and no experience, interviewing for an assistant curator position at the met. very much a first novel. hated that every lily chapter began with a paragraph about growing up in galveston. WE GET IT! the writing felt very clunky and twitter activist-y.

zimm_liz's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

claireviolet's review against another edition

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3.5

this is so fun and charming! the book feels like it wants to be grand and sweeping, in a way that reminds me of the way i felt when i was on the edge of twenty. i think the execution was just okay and that the five povs really bled into one another since every character’s voice was so similar to the rest, but i want more books to be overly ambitious and to swing big as bravely as li does here. i look forward to reading whatever she writes next.

hamtaro's review

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inspiring reflective 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? Yes

3.5

cgnick's review against another edition

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Poorly written, repetitive and self-absorbed. Seems like it's been written by AI, repeating the same foreshadowing thought ("China or USA") in almost every chapter. I did not care about any of the characters.

vagabondophelia's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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