When Claire is sent by her parents from Shanghai to American to attend a private elite prep school, she is reluctant to leave her friends and boyfriend and has no idea what to expect. Dani is reluctant to host Claire into her home as a host family, and resents Claire's wealth while she herself has to struggle to prove her worth as a scholarship student and for her future as a hopeful Ivy League student. Both girls travel the ups and downs of school life, and despite their differences come up against the same type of barriers and trauma that may unite them.

CW: Sexual assault/rape, grooming, racism

I really liked the topics explored in this book through the eyes of two young girls with very different lives but who are both trying to find themselves and their voice. It's never surprising what happens in this book, as I feel like the behaviour of the men in this book who sexually assault the characters is very apparent and immediately sent alarm bells ringing in my head. Yet at the same time, I could understand Dani, with a lack of a father figure in her life, looking upon her teacher's attention as parent like and not seeing the warning signs the way an older person and reader would have. I think it's important younger readers may also learn about some of this worrying behaviour and if it ever came to it, was able to recognise it in time in their own lives if someone was being inappropriate.

As an older reader, the simple narration of the book didn't do much for me - at times it was like the characters of Claire and Dani were blabbering on in an OMG kind of way which was off-putting for me. But I also 100% recognise that the dramatics that turned me off as an older reader not in the target audience for this YA book, may be exciting and fun for a 14/15/16 year old reading it.

I never knew about 'Parachutes' before this book and I feel like I learned a lot from the pressures these kids are under to the dangers they face coming to America alone and possibly being placed into homes where anything could happen to them. It's terrifying.

This book also had some great examples of female friendships as well as side characters who were lesbians. The main characters also face discrimination and racism at different points in the book - Dani is Filipino-American and Claire is Asian. There is also talk from Claire about Asian beauty standards - particularly around fair skin and the attraction of "double eyelids" and we see some of the pressure she is under from her own mother to be perfect at all times (for example her mother stops her from continuing swimming lessons when young so her arms don't get too muscly).

Again, I didn't gel with the narration of this story but the topics covered are so important and i think this would be an important, informative read for a younger reader without it being traumatic or too detailed. I think fans of Anna K would love this book.