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myardumi7343 's review for:
Dear Wendy
by Ann Zhao
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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
This book was so cute. It’s about two rival advice-giving instagrams at Wellesley College, and centers on two aroace main characters (one of whom is Chinese American) in a dual perspective narrative. It was absolutely a YA book, and for that reason it had something of an “intro to gender studies/intersectional feminism” energy, but this book would’ve rocked my world at 16.
I also had never seriously contemplated how aroace people move through the world. As a queer identity, obviously there are many resonances between aro/ace experience and queer experiences, but I was really struck by how themes I might’ve considered in my early lesbian experience also resonant with aroace experiences: not being able to imagine your future, worrying about being lonely as a result of being different, parental pressure to be in the right kind of relationship, and feeling set apart from your friends who don’t share your experience—all of which is of course only exacerbated by Sophie’s experience as a child of immigrants. I had never read anything with aroace representation before, and I felt like I learned a lot. I also loved the idea of these aroace characters guiding their friends through their romantic relationships as an objective, third party perspective.
It’s a true YA book and I don’t think I’m the target audience, but I really enjoyed being immersed in Jo/Sophie’s world and all the Wellesley Instagram drama. It was a playful, enjoyable read with good heart. It made me feel very connected to the gender diverse women’s college I attended, as well as to that 18 year old iteration of myself navigating gender/sexuality/queerness for the first time. It read in many points like a love letter to queerness, friendship, and spaces like Wellesley. I thought the friendships in the text were well developed, and it did a beautiful job of showing how love—in its many potential forms, and perhaps especially in its platonic forms—makes the world a more beautiful place.
I also had never seriously contemplated how aroace people move through the world. As a queer identity, obviously there are many resonances between aro/ace experience and queer experiences, but I was really struck by how themes I might’ve considered in my early lesbian experience also resonant with aroace experiences: not being able to imagine your future, worrying about being lonely as a result of being different, parental pressure to be in the right kind of relationship, and feeling set apart from your friends who don’t share your experience—all of which is of course only exacerbated by Sophie’s experience as a child of immigrants. I had never read anything with aroace representation before, and I felt like I learned a lot. I also loved the idea of these aroace characters guiding their friends through their romantic relationships as an objective, third party perspective.
It’s a true YA book and I don’t think I’m the target audience, but I really enjoyed being immersed in Jo/Sophie’s world and all the Wellesley Instagram drama. It was a playful, enjoyable read with good heart. It made me feel very connected to the gender diverse women’s college I attended, as well as to that 18 year old iteration of myself navigating gender/sexuality/queerness for the first time. It read in many points like a love letter to queerness, friendship, and spaces like Wellesley. I thought the friendships in the text were well developed, and it did a beautiful job of showing how love—in its many potential forms, and perhaps especially in its platonic forms—makes the world a more beautiful place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia