Normally I wait longer than a year to reread a book, but since it was the group book for 2020 Asian readathon and I had recently watched the TV adaptation, the timing seemed right.

And I'm glad that I revisited this one. The miniseries is a fantastic complement to the book: expanding character backstories and social themes by adding new scenes, revising details (some significant, some major), and of course just presenting everything in a different medium. Each has its advantages, and I would strongly recommend both.

Most of my original review (below) still holds pretty true; my only major edit would be that the POV switches were easier to take in stride this time around, knowing what happens and thus the significance of each. The ending still brings a perfect level of closure without cutting off the arcs of the characters' lives, so that they leave an impression as fleshed-out individuals.

content warnings: 

white privilege bordering on racism, microaggressions, elitism/classism, underage drinking, underage (consensual) sex, abortion, miscarriages, mention of past cancer death, mention of recreational hunting

rep: 

Chinese immigrant secondary & minor character (from Canton and Hong Kong, respectively)

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CONVERSION: 12.4 / 15 = 4.5 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 9 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: 5 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5

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[2019 review - 4 stars]

This had its ups and downs, but I connected with almost all the characters very quickly so I was invested all the way through. The constant POV changes were a little disorienting, but once we start getting into flashbacks and longer scenes it levels out.

Partway through, I was reminded that it's been quite a while since I last read a novel about contemporary high school - the requisite red-Solo-cups and grinding/humping-as-dancing loud parties, fixation on virginity and sex, and awful principal and teachers - and honestly I don't miss it. As a college student I know now that most high school experiences don't look anything like that (my own, as a color guard/marching band geek and generally antisocial person, was about as far as it gets), and since I have that experience I no longer see the appeal in that stereotypical HS narrative. And yet I barely rolled my eyes at the peaks of the romance subplots: somehow, Ng made them compelling. (Also, I know this is a 2017 release but I think a lot of YA contemporaries are starting to move away from that specific characterization of high school - or at least I'm learning how to avoid them - which is great.)

My biggest gripe might just be that the ending simultaneously felt complete and left me wanting more, which is of course not at all a bad thing. Basically, this was one of those books where I couldn't explain why I loved it as much as I did - I just did.