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olivialandryxo 's review for:

Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao
4.0
adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This review is spoiler-free. Content warnings for the book are listed at the end.

Although I was a bit skeptical of the story’s quick pace when I started reading, I adjusted without much issue and ended up enjoying Our Wayward Fate immensely.

I really liked Ali and Chase, which I’m quite glad about since I didn’t immediately like Chase. But both of them grew on me and Yun did too, even though he was only significant in the last third of the book. Ali and Chase are an adorable couple, and I loved all of their puns and inside jokes. This was more mysterious than I expected, but it worked. I also liked the integration of the Butterfly Lovers folktale, retelling though it was.

As this is the second book by Chao I’ve read and enjoyed, I can confidently say that she’s one of my favorite YA contemporary authors, alongside Kacen Callender, Rebecca Barrow, Julian Winters, and Sandhya Menon. If you’re in the mood for a quirky love story with plenty of intrigue, Our Wayward Fate is the book for you. This might be the book for you even if you aren’t in such a mood. It’s just that good.

Representation:
• Taiwanese-American protagonist
• Taiwanese love interest
• Gay side character

CW: xenophobia