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A review by aforestofbooks
Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao
4.0
Thank you so much to Simon& Schuster Canada and NetGalley for letting me review this arc!!
After reading American Panda, I just knew whatever Gloria Chao wrote next would be a book I absolutely had to read. American Panda was difficult, and I went into Our Wayward Fate with the same expectation: that I would relate in so many ways, and it would hurt and dredge up old memories and feelings. Despite that, I don’t think I was ready ready? I had to take some breaks, which is fine, because honestly a part of me loves painful books because I feel seen and heard in ways I don’t in other books I’ve read.
There are so many secrets in this book. Like wow, I was not expecting as many twists and turns. I did not see the true intention of the park until it was revealed because I just wasn’t expecting this book to go there for some reason. And when I realized what was happening, I needed to take a break to process it all…
Beginning with Ali…I really loved the distinction between how Americans pronounce Ali (as Allie) and the actual pronunciation. It reminded me of my own middle name, which is also Ali, and how people pronounce it wrong all the time.
Ali is such a fun, messy character. She does and says things that are questionable and sometimes outrageously wrong, yet she has good intentions; she just struggles to voice them appropriately most of the time. Chase’s introduction at Ali’s school was just perfect. I really loved how bold he is and how he stands up against the racism he faces immediately. I loved how he brought out Ali’s spirited side. Seeing Ali change and stand up for herself against her “friends” and her teacher was so inspiring and heartwarming. It’s how I know a lot of kids would like to be, but it can be so scary when you don’t have the support you need from friends or family.
The one problem I had with the romance was that it felt rushed. I think everything happened a bit too fast (though having read the arc and not the finished copy, I don’t know if things are the same). The timeline didn’t span a few months like I was expecting, and by the time Ali is off to China, she hasn’t really known Chase for all that long. But they’re absolutely obsessed with each other in that short span of time, which I guess is totally possible, I’m just picky with romance lol
The other issue I had was with the dialogue. Compared to American Panda, the characters in OWF acted a lot younger, even though they’re only a year or two apart from Mei and Darren. Some of the lines were cringey and the jokes repetitive. It did take me a while to get into the flow because it felt a little awkward at times. Though I think Ali and Chase grow into the characters more and things just fit better by the end?
The Butterfly Lovers…I actually had a friend tell me the story right as I was starting this book. I had no idea that this story was going to be such a major part of the book, so when I finally fit the pieces together I was shook lol. That being said, I really liked the differences in how the story ended compared to the original. I also loved the little snippets we get from the past, where we get to follow along with Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo. And also the flashbacks we get from the park. The park scenes were a little confusing at first, but I think it was done really well because I was surprised when the plot twist was finally revealed.
Ali’s relationship with her family was difficult to read, and honestly seeing what her mother had planned left me pretty angry. It was just something I could relate to on a personal level, something I could see happening to myself, and it was a little scary and triggering. I did love how Ali confronts both her parents and points out their flaws and how she doesn’t back down when they try to explain themselves with their nonsensical excuses. I was really angry at her mother because she’s so selfish. She ruined what she had because her expectations (which she didn’t bother sharing with her husband) weren’t met. She made decisions because she thought she knew best, which is something so common among Asian parents, I was rolling my eyes along with Ali every single time her mom told her that.
The main problem here was lack of communication, which I think is a huge problem in Asian families. We don’t know how to talk about feelings and we also don’t know how to listen to other opinions. And then things become a mess and it just spirals. Communication was a huge theme in this book, from the way Ali skirts around just asking Chase about his past and turns to theft, to her breaking into her mom’s safe because her mom won’t talk to her, to seeing how her father was too ashamed to discuss his feelings with this wife when he lost his tenure, to Ali’s mother making decisions for her instead of talking to her.
It was painful to read. And while I liked how things were on their way to being resolved at the end, I was actually expecting things to go the divorce route, especially considering the things Ali’s mother said to her father and what she almost did to Ali. It is nice for things not to end that way, and it’s nice to see a family try to communicate with each other and solve their issues rather than everything falling apart. But…I don’t know. Maybe I can’t forgive that easily, or having an outside perspective makes me a bit more harsh. But Ali’s mother isn’t great and pretty toxic. And by the end I really hated her a lot. The cultural divide between Ali and her mother and how what her mother says isn’t 100% what she exactly means, was nice to see because it’s a real thing and it really showed how hard and complicated and confusing it can get when you don’t just have lack of communication but a communication divide because of culture. And while we can blame a lot of that for Ali’s mother’s actions, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that what she did was wrong and awful. And I did like how Ali made sure to point that out at the end too. Healing is a difficult process, filled with ups and downs, when one moment you hate everything and are so angry, and the next you feel pity and guilt and sadness. It’s a mess, and I definitely felt like I was a mess at the end.
4/5 stars.
I look forward to reading the finished copy one day, just to see the differences and how the formatting changes. (The epilogue did feel a little confusing because there weren’t any scene breaks in the arc.)
After reading American Panda, I just knew whatever Gloria Chao wrote next would be a book I absolutely had to read. American Panda was difficult, and I went into Our Wayward Fate with the same expectation: that I would relate in so many ways, and it would hurt and dredge up old memories and feelings. Despite that, I don’t think I was ready ready? I had to take some breaks, which is fine, because honestly a part of me loves painful books because I feel seen and heard in ways I don’t in other books I’ve read.
There are so many secrets in this book. Like wow, I was not expecting as many twists and turns. I did not see the true intention of the park until it was revealed because I just wasn’t expecting this book to go there for some reason. And when I realized what was happening, I needed to take a break to process it all…
Beginning with Ali…I really loved the distinction between how Americans pronounce Ali (as Allie) and the actual pronunciation. It reminded me of my own middle name, which is also Ali, and how people pronounce it wrong all the time.
Ali is such a fun, messy character. She does and says things that are questionable and sometimes outrageously wrong, yet she has good intentions; she just struggles to voice them appropriately most of the time. Chase’s introduction at Ali’s school was just perfect. I really loved how bold he is and how he stands up against the racism he faces immediately. I loved how he brought out Ali’s spirited side. Seeing Ali change and stand up for herself against her “friends” and her teacher was so inspiring and heartwarming. It’s how I know a lot of kids would like to be, but it can be so scary when you don’t have the support you need from friends or family.
The one problem I had with the romance was that it felt rushed. I think everything happened a bit too fast (though having read the arc and not the finished copy, I don’t know if things are the same). The timeline didn’t span a few months like I was expecting, and by the time Ali is off to China, she hasn’t really known Chase for all that long. But they’re absolutely obsessed with each other in that short span of time, which I guess is totally possible, I’m just picky with romance lol
The other issue I had was with the dialogue. Compared to American Panda, the characters in OWF acted a lot younger, even though they’re only a year or two apart from Mei and Darren. Some of the lines were cringey and the jokes repetitive. It did take me a while to get into the flow because it felt a little awkward at times. Though I think Ali and Chase grow into the characters more and things just fit better by the end?
The Butterfly Lovers…I actually had a friend tell me the story right as I was starting this book. I had no idea that this story was going to be such a major part of the book, so when I finally fit the pieces together I was shook lol. That being said, I really liked the differences in how the story ended compared to the original. I also loved the little snippets we get from the past, where we get to follow along with Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo. And also the flashbacks we get from the park. The park scenes were a little confusing at first, but I think it was done really well because I was surprised when the plot twist was finally revealed.
Ali’s relationship with her family was difficult to read, and honestly seeing what her mother had planned left me pretty angry. It was just something I could relate to on a personal level, something I could see happening to myself, and it was a little scary and triggering. I did love how Ali confronts both her parents and points out their flaws and how she doesn’t back down when they try to explain themselves with their nonsensical excuses. I was really angry at her mother because she’s so selfish. She ruined what she had because her expectations (which she didn’t bother sharing with her husband) weren’t met. She made decisions because she thought she knew best, which is something so common among Asian parents, I was rolling my eyes along with Ali every single time her mom told her that.
The main problem here was lack of communication, which I think is a huge problem in Asian families. We don’t know how to talk about feelings and we also don’t know how to listen to other opinions. And then things become a mess and it just spirals. Communication was a huge theme in this book, from the way Ali skirts around just asking Chase about his past and turns to theft, to her breaking into her mom’s safe because her mom won’t talk to her, to seeing how her father was too ashamed to discuss his feelings with this wife when he lost his tenure, to Ali’s mother making decisions for her instead of talking to her.
It was painful to read. And while I liked how things were on their way to being resolved at the end, I was actually expecting things to go the divorce route, especially considering the things Ali’s mother said to her father and what she almost did to Ali. It is nice for things not to end that way, and it’s nice to see a family try to communicate with each other and solve their issues rather than everything falling apart. But…I don’t know. Maybe I can’t forgive that easily, or having an outside perspective makes me a bit more harsh. But Ali’s mother isn’t great and pretty toxic. And by the end I really hated her a lot. The cultural divide between Ali and her mother and how what her mother says isn’t 100% what she exactly means, was nice to see because it’s a real thing and it really showed how hard and complicated and confusing it can get when you don’t just have lack of communication but a communication divide because of culture. And while we can blame a lot of that for Ali’s mother’s actions, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that what she did was wrong and awful. And I did like how Ali made sure to point that out at the end too. Healing is a difficult process, filled with ups and downs, when one moment you hate everything and are so angry, and the next you feel pity and guilt and sadness. It’s a mess, and I definitely felt like I was a mess at the end.
4/5 stars.
I look forward to reading the finished copy one day, just to see the differences and how the formatting changes. (The epilogue did feel a little confusing because there weren’t any scene breaks in the arc.)