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ashleerosereads 's review for:
Shanghailanders
by Juli Min
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting premise, but a lackluster execution. We follow the Shang family, starting with present day and working through each family's POV (and even some people who worked closely with the family) back to 2014. I think this was confusing, as we really only get one or two "chapters" (which are just anecdotal POV's one at a time) per character and no one ever really gets fully fleshed out. They all only have one maybe 2 personal conflicts that are introduced but never feel like get fully resolved. They were interesting enough in their own right, but after I finished reading I felt indifferent. Each short story didn't feel interconnected outside of the fact that they were all apart of, or worked for, the Shang family. I don't think it helped us establish their relationships with each other, and frankly I was bored. I really wanted to like this one but just couldn't. Was going to rate it 2 stars, but I like Juli's writing and just wish this was more cohesive and put together. I think putting the story backwards was the biggest detriment and altogether just confusing.
Thank you to NetGalley, Spiegel & Grau, & to Juli Min for the eArc. I would love to read another of Julie's works if she comes out with something in the future, I think this had promise it just missed the mark. I think could've been a really good story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Spiegel & Grau, & to Juli Min for the eArc. I would love to read another of Julie's works if she comes out with something in the future, I think this had promise it just missed the mark. I think could've been a really good story.