The name is apt- it was entirely unexpected how much I'd love this story. I'm a 31 year old lady who teaches for a living- I get enough teen drama at work, thank you very much. But this hit me in the part of my heart that feels the pain of diaspora and other-ing, and put on a big ol' bandaid on it. So can I recommend this without caveat? No. But I will tell you how charming and loveable and joyful I found it.

My parents worked in the travel industry, specifically in a branch that saw many many Hawaiians, Polynesians, SEAsians, and East Asians relocated to a city where we were so much the minority, there was only enough fundraising to build one community center for all of us to share. Everyone ate everyone else's food, did everyone's martial arts, and was auntied to death by everyone. The family dynamics, the bickering, the brand loyalty... it all reminded me of my childhood and finding family outside my own- the matter of actual blood relation something I wouldn't question until I was far too old. This book felt like home, and on this freezing winter's night, I really needed that.