Reviews

Such a tender dual perspective YA romance with depth and heart!! Aspiring fashion designer Serene is reeling when her mom is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and aspiring stand-up comic Lian, is feeling pressure from his Chinese parents to get into Harvard. Two of the only Asian kids at their elite California high school, Lian and Serene bond while spending time together at the Chinese club (of which they are the sole members).

This story tackles some serious issues as Serene has to decide whether to test for the cancer gene her mom has, search for her absentee father and singlehandedly save her mother's fashion empire business. Lian also has hard choices to make, finding the courage to stand up to his parents and fight for both his relationship with Serene and his desire to pursue a career in stand-up.

Great on audio narrated by Natalie Naudus, this was really enjoyable and highly recommended for fans of books like Parachutes by Kelly Yang.

kellydaphne's review against another edition

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5.0

Amazing as usual!

thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

A powerful story about love, loss and family.

hisparks23's review against another edition

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4.0

This was so sweet. Such a good mix of important and serious and fun—the winning formula for any YA.

Lian’s sections were admittedly my favorite. Not only was he hilarious, but is there a more wholesome book boyfriend alive? I think not.

PSA don’t skip the author’s note at the end (like I’m sometimes guilty of!) It adds a personal perspective to the story that really moved me.

celina_666's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

This was so Amazing. I loved it so much! It really made me aware of how lucky we can be and what some people go through.

gracielim's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

4.0

Things I loved about this book: I enjoyed the characters and their backstories, the author's personal connections to some of the main plot points of the story made it very powerful, and the takeaway theme that, as the author notes in the afterword of the book, "Sometimes when you're in the eye of the storm, the best thing to do is hold each other and hang on tight."

rebelqueen's review against another edition

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3.0

Cute. Serene and Lian were great characters to follow. This book tackles a lot of issues: revenge porn, racism against Asians, cancer, grief, fashion, high parental expectations, teen relationships, immigration. Again, it’s a lot. Maybe too much.

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