Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great Read
This was an enjoyable read. This is Lily Chu’s third book that I read and I really liked it. In this book, we meet Dee Kwan, our female lead, who is a people pleaser. She works as a consultant and was tasked to resolve a scandal within the fashion company, Celeste. This book was great. I thought Dee was a great character. In the beginning, I thought her personality was a bit boring, but then she transformed as the story progressed. Gone was the people pleaser, and here arrived a more confident Dee. A person who knows her true worth and that was special to read/listen to. Philippa Soo did a fantastic job narrating this story. I thought Teddy was another great character. I thought that they had real chemistry and it really showed through. I am not wait to read more books by Lily Chu. She writes her stories with lessons that can inspire us. In this book, she tackled misogyny at work, racism at work, and toxic positivity (people pleasing). I cannot wait to read her next book. Overall, a great read.
This was an enjoyable read. This is Lily Chu’s third book that I read and I really liked it. In this book, we meet Dee Kwan, our female lead, who is a people pleaser. She works as a consultant and was tasked to resolve a scandal within the fashion company, Celeste. This book was great. I thought Dee was a great character. In the beginning, I thought her personality was a bit boring, but then she transformed as the story progressed. Gone was the people pleaser, and here arrived a more confident Dee. A person who knows her true worth and that was special to read/listen to. Philippa Soo did a fantastic job narrating this story. I thought Teddy was another great character. I thought that they had real chemistry and it really showed through. I am not wait to read more books by Lily Chu. She writes her stories with lessons that can inspire us. In this book, she tackled misogyny at work, racism at work, and toxic positivity (people pleasing). I cannot wait to read her next book. Overall, a great read.
This book describes exactly my experience conducting a qualitative study in the workplace and leadership’s total disregard of the findings and unwillingness to acknowledge good-sense changes that would help our workforce.
DNF
I spent 4 hours listening to this audiobook, and I truly can’t continue any longer. Admittedly, part of the problem lies with my expectations—I was hoping for a light, romantic comedy to unwind with, but instead, I got a preachy addressing of social justice issues.
While I agree that the topics discussed in the book are important, the execution is so slow and painful. I can’t recall the last time I read about such one-dimensional characters. The "bad guys" are almost cartoonish, and the MC is self-righteous, irritating, and full of opinions on how everyone else should live their lives, yet she can't even stand up to her own mother.
I wanted to DNF the book much sooner, but I said to myself to keep an open mind, hoping that the character development might improve and reveal some complexity. Unfortunately, that's still not happening, and I simply can’t devote 11 hours of my life to a book that frustrates me this much.
I don't even want to mention the love interest, who has as much personality as a lamp in the corner of a room—the MC could have just talked to a mirror and achieved the same effect. The narrator speaks too quickly, but this is easily fixed by slowing down the speed. Otherwise, her performance is excellent, which is perhaps the only redeeming quality of this experience. And it started so good!
I spent 4 hours listening to this audiobook, and I truly can’t continue any longer. Admittedly, part of the problem lies with my expectations—I was hoping for a light, romantic comedy to unwind with, but instead, I got a preachy addressing of social justice issues.
While I agree that the topics discussed in the book are important, the execution is so slow and painful. I can’t recall the last time I read about such one-dimensional characters. The "bad guys" are almost cartoonish, and the MC is self-righteous, irritating, and full of opinions on how everyone else should live their lives, yet she can't even stand up to her own mother.
I wanted to DNF the book much sooner, but I said to myself to keep an open mind, hoping that the character development might improve and reveal some complexity. Unfortunately, that's still not happening, and I simply can’t devote 11 hours of my life to a book that frustrates me this much.
I don't even want to mention the love interest, who has as much personality as a lamp in the corner of a room—the MC could have just talked to a mirror and achieved the same effect. The narrator speaks too quickly, but this is easily fixed by slowing down the speed. Otherwise, her performance is excellent, which is perhaps the only redeeming quality of this experience. And it started so good!
This was my first book by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Dee irritated me in the beginning of the story with her whole “always remain positive” mindset. But she changed as the story went on and she truly opened her eyes.
Her relationship with Teddy was cute and a little forbidden, since they worked together.
I liked how the diversity and racism was handled in this book. And honestly, this was an entertaining read. Seeing the way Dee handled everything and was able to make changes in the workplace was great. Also, I liked that she was able to stand up for herself at work and at home.
Dee irritated me in the beginning of the story with her whole “always remain positive” mindset. But she changed as the story went on and she truly opened her eyes.
Her relationship with Teddy was cute and a little forbidden, since they worked together.
I liked how the diversity and racism was handled in this book. And honestly, this was an entertaining read. Seeing the way Dee handled everything and was able to make changes in the workplace was great. Also, I liked that she was able to stand up for herself at work and at home.
Dee tries to lead a happy life, but lately things seem to be on a real downward trend. When her ailing grandma moves into her house and her parents move in with her to be caregivers, Dee is forced to give up her own bed and sleep on a cot in her office. But that's what you do for family, right? Work is the same: her role as a diversity consultant lands her in the most racist, misogynistic office, and her bosses inform her that she need not do much; it's just for show after all. The one saving grace in her life is her favorite scavenger hunt clue game, Questy. And it changes her life.
Lily Chu has such a fun writing style. I love that her characters are so proud of their Asian heritage and that it isn't just a banal detail used to describe what people look like generically. I love when she talks about Seoul or Tokyo, how she gives glimpses into family life and structure, and how she always finds ways to mention lots of food. In this book, she included Black and Latinx characters who had just as strong of personalities and presence as Dee. I also love when she uses examples of people in every day conversation using offensive terminology; it actually makes you aware of that kind of language and how common it is and how you've become numb to it. It's eyeopening and those things definitely stick with you.
As for the story of this book: another winner! The characters are well developed and generally behave like normal humans instead of like movie tropes (with the obvious bad guys being the exception). I loved the trivia and silliness that Lily always brings to her books. Some of Dee's inner monologues cracked me up!
Lily Chu has such a fun writing style. I love that her characters are so proud of their Asian heritage and that it isn't just a banal detail used to describe what people look like generically. I love when she talks about Seoul or Tokyo, how she gives glimpses into family life and structure, and how she always finds ways to mention lots of food. In this book, she included Black and Latinx characters who had just as strong of personalities and presence as Dee. I also love when she uses examples of people in every day conversation using offensive terminology; it actually makes you aware of that kind of language and how common it is and how you've become numb to it. It's eyeopening and those things definitely stick with you.
As for the story of this book: another winner! The characters are well developed and generally behave like normal humans instead of like movie tropes (with the obvious bad guys being the exception). I loved the trivia and silliness that Lily always brings to her books. Some of Dee's inner monologues cracked me up!
Just couldn’t connect with this one. I found the dynamic between Dee and her parents difficult to read about. Additionally, something about Dee’s self talk and mindsets just really rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I’ll try this one again sometime in the future.
Date approx but right month &/yr
The reader’s cadence often made me think the main character might be a bit autistic whereas none of the text did. I didn’t know if that was purposeful.
The reader’s cadence often made me think the main character might be a bit autistic whereas none of the text did. I didn’t know if that was purposeful.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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