This book had way too many swear words

I would not recommend this book to young people. Or any adults who are offended by the f word.

10 people found this helpful

Powerful but frustrating

The material is very powerful and the story but I found myself being so frustrated with the two main characters. I wanted so much for them to bridge class gap between them, stop assuming and support one another. Also while this book has LGBTQ characters I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as an LGBTQ book considering that the 2 LGBTQ characters are mainly in the background.

5 people found this helpful

Empathy, Honesty, Complexity, Hope

This is a novel about two young women first, and the flawed world they live in second. I appreciated that the author made me care about the characters long before sending them into the important issues that the book is concerned with. I was able to completely empathize with their decisions and reactions because I was invested in them well before the world came crashing down on them.

I appreciated the honesty of the character portrayals. These are two believable young women and they aren't flawless. Nonetheless, when they do or say things that are unkind or self-involved or self-deluding, I felt for them. I recognized those behaviors. I remembered what it was to be a teenager trying to find my place.

Finally, I appreciated the complexity of the portrayals of all the characters. The author makes it clear that Asian-Americans are not a monolith. There is vast diversity of opinion and differences (cultural, generational, socio-economic, and just plain personal) within the "community", including over sexual harassment. The portrayal of the debates among Asian-Americans was realistic and rang true.

Finally, I applauded the book's notion of what "winning" looks like. Winning meant speaking the truth. Not "my truth", not "a truth", but the simple, unassailable truth that "no means no". In a world of fake news and a seeming worship of the idea that truth is subjective, the reminder that such a fundamental thing is not subject to debate gives me hope.

5 people found this helpful

So glad that women......

So glad that women all over are standing up against the horrible injustices that have been happening for years. May God continue to give them strength to do so.

1 person found this helpful

The impression of the Filipino accent and poor pronunciation of Filipino words almost ruined my attention

Filipino accent is terrible but the story is engaging. I like the switch between chapters for the two main characters

1 person found this helpful

Incredibly moving

I couldn't put out down. Kelly Yang is such a talented writer. She sucked me in with great characters and poignant themes. This is such an important book to read; I'm recommending it to all my friends!

1 person found this helpful

Captivating and frustrating

I was frequently frustrated by the characters, but I understand that they were in difficult situations. The misunderstandings were also pretty plausible, so I couldn’t be too upset. Overall, it was a consistently interesting read, and I really liked the author’s note at the end. It made me appreciate the book even more.

Awesome!

Sooooo goood! Very powerful. I loved it. Listen to this amazing book! Almost made me cry.

Powerful. Strong women. Hard situations

It’s an opening to various realities of life’s challenges, from assumptions to stereotypes to communication to cover ups. I don’t always like the alternating leads chapters but this one kept my seeking more information. Listen or read through the end. Hear the writer’s story!

Filipino accent by the narrator ruined EVERYTHING

I’m sorry but who directing this thought this Filipino accent the narrator did was good enough to use? Why not just have no accent instead??? So freaking offensive. I had to stop listening after I heard it.