Look, I really really wanted to like this book. Obviously representation for Asian-Americans and WISTEM in YA and mainstream lit is very important to me. But diversity aside, the plot was propped up by tropes and clichés, from the romance to the mean/privileged populars (who weren't even that bad; honestly I thought Rishi and Dimple came off as the real jerks in at least half those confrontations). The romantic scenes were a bit over-the-top, and some of the "plot developments" felt more like drama for the sake of drama. And what I felt were the key takeaway messages were glossed over in favor of drawing out the romantic plot in a way that I didn't find appealing.

To be completely honest, I'm not sure that the diversity/representation completely offsets the other stereotypes it propogates, including the "crazy cat lady" as the worst possible destiny, the rich popular kids being uncultured and spoiled and generally dumb, and other microaggressive turns of phrase.