A review by meghanlew_
This Place Is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian

emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc copy of this book.

All of my heartstrings, childhood trauma, and inner conflict were touched by this book.  The sisters felt like reflections of me at different points in my life but also the reflection of my friends.  The conflict of how to address racism really hit home and made me reflect on a lot of my life.

Annalie reminded me a lot of my younger self and how I viewed being Asian American growing up, and how I confronted racism.  Margaret is whom I see a lot of myself in now.  And for me this book reminded me of my own growth through the years and how I have become more vocal and bold when confronting people who are racist.  As someone who is half Asian and half white, this book does a good job of addressing how I often feel pulled in two directions.

I also really enjoyed the sister's relationship throughout this book because it was complex and imperfect.  Sometimes, we have to look past our differences to see how much we have in common and that sisters often have a different outlook on life despite being raised in the same home.  By the end of this book, I think they both grew in a way that seemed natural and not rushed.  None of these changes were big things, but little things added up over time. 

This book was beautiful in so many ways and represented a big part of my life for me.