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laraorner's review
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
loftyace's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide
anely73's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
3.75
scrutiny's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
anthill816's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
sarahanne8382's review
3.0
I was kind of "meh" about this one until it took an abrupt left turn about 90% of the way through. I have little patience for kids living relatively sheltered lives in Silicon Valley, having panic attacks about whether their overprotective parents will catch him sneaking out to an art gallery, which is what this book starts as. However this is a very "show, don't tell" book, and the plot twists are skillfully and miserly doled out across the length of the story with the piece that puts it all together not coming until nearly the end.
The thing that kept me interested were the complicated relationships between him and his friends - the hurt in the wake of a friend's suicide the year before, the even longer simmering tension between him and his best friend. I thought it was going to be the kind of coming of age story where a kid learns how to outgrow his strange parents and become his own person apart from them.
But it turns out his family is the real story and the friends are just the side plot. The story you start with is just a fraction of the story you end with. This book is so many things, and all of them are good, but the sum of their parts is even better.
The thing that kept me interested were the complicated relationships between him and his friends - the hurt in the wake of a friend's suicide the year before, the even longer simmering tension between him and his best friend. I thought it was going to be the kind of coming of age story where a kid learns how to outgrow his strange parents and become his own person apart from them.
But it turns out his family is the real story and the friends are just the side plot. The story you start with is just a fraction of the story you end with. This book is so many things, and all of them are good, but the sum of their parts is even better.
hayleybeale's review
5.0
Kelly Loy Gilbert (Conviction, 2015) has written a perceptive and subtle realistic novel, set in the Asian American community of Cupertino in Silicon Valley, a setting which allows her to explore not just what it means to be second generation Asian American but also other identities within that of economic status, immigration status, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. See my full review here.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This is one of those books that I'll be thinking about for a long time. There was just so much substance to it, and it addressed several important topics from unique perspectives.
The problem is, this is a tough book to review without spoiling things, so I'm going to be very general in my review. Trust me when I say you should just read it for yourself!
What Fed My Addiction:
Covers all the issues.
Without feeling like an issue book. This book touches on so many topics, and honestly, that's hard to do well. Oftentimes when I read a book like this, I feel a little overwhelmed or like I'm constantly being hit over the head with another issue, but somehow Gilbert manages to weave them all in so seamlessly that I almost don't notice they're there. This is because Gilbert focuses so much more on Danny's emotional journey than she does on the issues themselves. I found myself completely connected to Danny, and I was seeing the world through his eyes---so each topic that was addressed felt more like an actual roadblock in life rather than some sort of "life lesson" where I was supposed to take a side.
I started to make a list of the topics that were tackled with an explanation of why they were handled well, but then I realized that almost all of them were spoilers in some way, shape or form. I went into the story completely blind (I hadn't even read the blurb since the book was first offered to me for review), and I think it's better that way, so I don't want to ruin it for anyone else.
Suffice it to say, every topic that was covered was handled in a subtle and nuanced way. There were no easy answers given and very few judgments of right or wrong.
Family ties.
Danny's parents are incredibly important to him, and he is their sun and moon. Their love for each other leaps off the page, which makes it even more difficult for Danny when things start to get complicated.
Friendships you can't help but adore.
Again, Danny and his friends aren't perfect. There are rifts in the friendship, there are strains, there are painful moments---but through it all, Danny has people in his life who love him no matter what. People who will be there for him, even when they want to be mad. It all felt very realistic, and I loved this aspect of the book!
The feels.
Be prepared to cry. Just ... yep.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Slight slow-down in the middle.
First off, I guessed one of the major secrets of the book in the first ten pages, and it wasn't revealed until almost the very end, so I kept waiting to find out the details. I will say, that even though I guessed the general gist of the reveal, those details definitely surprised me. My main issue was that when I got somewhere around the middle of the book, I was having trouble figuring out why Danny hadn't delved in a little bit more and found out the truth. This made the middle of the book lag for me, the tiniest bit, but I thought that the whirlwind of secrets that were revealed in the last quarter of the book totally made up for it.
This book delves into the complexities of family and the lies we'll tell to protect the ones we love. And, of course, sometimes the lies we tell ourselves can be the hardest to uncover. I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
A short note about the names: I happened across a complaint about the non-Asian-sounding names in this book on Goodreads. This prompted me to write a defense (of sorts---not that I'm in a position to defend), but it got long and I ended up turning it into a discussion post. It will be up on my blog on 4/16.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This is one of those books that I'll be thinking about for a long time. There was just so much substance to it, and it addressed several important topics from unique perspectives.
The problem is, this is a tough book to review without spoiling things, so I'm going to be very general in my review. Trust me when I say you should just read it for yourself!
What Fed My Addiction:
Covers all the issues.
Without feeling like an issue book. This book touches on so many topics, and honestly, that's hard to do well. Oftentimes when I read a book like this, I feel a little overwhelmed or like I'm constantly being hit over the head with another issue, but somehow Gilbert manages to weave them all in so seamlessly that I almost don't notice they're there. This is because Gilbert focuses so much more on Danny's emotional journey than she does on the issues themselves. I found myself completely connected to Danny, and I was seeing the world through his eyes---so each topic that was addressed felt more like an actual roadblock in life rather than some sort of "life lesson" where I was supposed to take a side.
I started to make a list of the topics that were tackled with an explanation of why they were handled well, but then I realized that almost all of them were spoilers in some way, shape or form. I went into the story completely blind (I hadn't even read the blurb since the book was first offered to me for review), and I think it's better that way, so I don't want to ruin it for anyone else.
Suffice it to say, every topic that was covered was handled in a subtle and nuanced way. There were no easy answers given and very few judgments of right or wrong.
Family ties.
Danny's parents are incredibly important to him, and he is their sun and moon. Their love for each other leaps off the page, which makes it even more difficult for Danny when things start to get complicated.
Friendships you can't help but adore.
Again, Danny and his friends aren't perfect. There are rifts in the friendship, there are strains, there are painful moments---but through it all, Danny has people in his life who love him no matter what. People who will be there for him, even when they want to be mad. It all felt very realistic, and I loved this aspect of the book!
The feels.
Be prepared to cry. Just ... yep.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Slight slow-down in the middle.
First off, I guessed one of the major secrets of the book in the first ten pages, and it wasn't revealed until almost the very end, so I kept waiting to find out the details. I will say, that even though I guessed the general gist of the reveal, those details definitely surprised me. My main issue was that when I got somewhere around the middle of the book, I was having trouble figuring out why Danny hadn't delved in a little bit more and found out the truth. This made the middle of the book lag for me, the tiniest bit, but I thought that the whirlwind of secrets that were revealed in the last quarter of the book totally made up for it.
This book delves into the complexities of family and the lies we'll tell to protect the ones we love. And, of course, sometimes the lies we tell ourselves can be the hardest to uncover. I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
A short note about the names: I happened across a complaint about the non-Asian-sounding names in this book on Goodreads. This prompted me to write a defense (of sorts---not that I'm in a position to defend), but it got long and I ended up turning it into a discussion post. It will be up on my blog on 4/16.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
fin881's review
emotional
informative
reflective
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
3.0
I enjoyed this book and I think it had some incredible lessons within it HOWEVER for me it was a bit slow and average overall
biblioberry's review
5.0
I am a shell of an empty ghost and klg is officially my favourite author of all time okay bye
OH ALSO massive massive content warning for child abduction and trafficking i DIDNT know and was caught so off guard. also for suicide and I’d actually recommend you check all the cws out before picking this up
OH ALSO massive massive content warning for child abduction and trafficking i DIDNT know and was caught so off guard. also for suicide and I’d actually recommend you check all the cws out before picking this up