4.5 stars

This was a surprisingly enjoyable contemporary that masterfully blended fluff with discussions of family and culture.

A list of what I liked:
✩ Mei had a unique, distinctive voice that strengthened the story from the start.
✩ The dancing scenes, especially when she taught her first class and met Rose, who has no purpose and has exactly two scenes but is adorable nonetheless.
✩ Darren is a cinnamon roll and the kind of boyfriend I'd want if I was straight.
✩ It was very humorous: full of sarcasm, one-liners, and the occasional scene that made me laugh.
✩ Although she was scarce in the first half, Nicolette was a great friend to Mei and a fun side character.
✩ This is really random, but I liked the chapter title font, as well as her mom's voicemails and the text conversations with Darren throughout.
✩ The emotional conversation between Mei and her mom in the end, which allowed them to reconnect and was possibly the most touching part of the story.
✩ The end itself, because it was sweet and good - something not always found in relevant, thematic stories like this one but nice to read when present.

All in all, I really liked this novel, and will certainly be reading Gloria's work in the future.