content warnings:

Spoiler

teen death(s), imposter syndrome, classism, racism, model minority myth, bullying, mention of past suicide (jumping off building), drug abuse (unprescribed Adderall), relationships with age gap, student/ teacher relationship, panic attacks, mention of past gang violence, self-harm, suicidal ideation, mentions of child abuse, underage drinking

+ from the author:

Spoiler

depictions of abuse, self-harm, violence, parental neglect, panic attacks, drug use, mental illness, an inappropriate student/ teacher relationship, racism, suicidal thoughts

rep:

Spoiler

Asian American main cast; Chinese American MC [Nancy], WLW Chinese American MC [Jamie], WLW Korean American MC [Krystal], Indian American MC [Akil], brief F/F relationship, diverse secondary & minor characters

In the weeks between finishing this book and writing this review, I found myself frequently thinking about it ... but not in a primarily positive way. Honestly, I don't really consider "murder mystery/thriller with a school backdrop" to be dark academia; although school-related pressure is a major influence on the characters and thus relevant to the plot, dark academia as I understand it usually involves genuine interest and joy in academia, which was definitely not present here. And although the narrative grapples with the model minority myth (Asian Americans aren't "naturally smarter," we have to work for our grades and success like everyone else), it simultaneously perpetuates the stereotypes of tiger parenting and Asian-American fixation on grades and college admissions.

We are told that

Spoiler

the golden trio

has some big secret, which figures somewhat prominently in the plot, but we never find out what it is even though

Spoiler

the protagonist does at the very end

: this is mildly infuriating. On the other hand, the reveals seemed somewhat cliched, and I say this as someone who doesn't read many thrillers because I tend to find them predictable (and because too often mental illness is used as a plot device or to further certain themes; I'm on the fence about whether this is the case with How We Fall Apart). And

Spoiler

the very briefly mentioned F/F relationship

felt like token diversity, since from my own experience

Spoiler

Asian-Americans and our parents often have complex relationships to LGBTQIA+ issues

and there was little to no consideration of its implications or impact; there's a place for casual rep, but I just don't think this was it.

Basically, the premise of Asian-American dark academia was really exciting to me — so perhaps my disappointment was inevitable. But I was not impressed with the execution of either of those major elements, nor with the rest of the book.

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CONVERSION: 5.7 / 15 = 2 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 3 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 4 / 10
Setting: 5 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 2 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 1 / 5