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shealea 's review for:
Loveboat Reunion
by Abigail Hing Wen
Xavier deserved better, idc. Galit na galit ako.
Final impressions:
• I think my criticisms would be kinder if I were to evaluate Loveboat Reunion as a contemporary standalone novel rather than a sequel to Loveboat Taipei. Mainly because the latter requires a sense of continuity, which Loveboat Reunion absolutely failed to deliver. (However, I literally reread the first book for the sole purpose of reviewing this as a sequel.)
• My first question is: What happened? As in, what happened to the characters? What happened to the character relationships? What happened to the story's depth? Make it make sense.
- Picking up right where the first book left off (i.e. characters are leaving the glamorous, over-the-top dramatic world of Loveboat and going back into their ordinary lives), it was difficult to miss the staggering discontinuity between the books right away.
- Despite the events in the first book (i.e. Sophie circulating Ever's nude photos not only among their peers but to the schools and dance programs that she applied to), Sophie and Ever are suddenly tight besties again?
- And just... why are all the crucial events in Loveboat Taipei suddenly dismissed without explanation? It felt really cheap and disingenuous to see the characters (except Xavier) walk out of that summer program relatively unscathed.
• The downfall of Loveboat Reunion truly lies in its choice of protagonist. Without any room for argument, Sophie Ha was rightfully positioned as the antagonist of the first book.
- I was never on board with While I was curious to see how the author intended to redeem Sophie's character, practically erasing her actions and allowing her to walk away without consequences was definitely not the route to take.
- In fact, it was quite infuriating that Sophie's key takeaway from what happened was "Oopsie, I guess it's very un-girlboss of me to have been so obsessed with getting a rich boyfriend."
- Speaking of, why is Sophie suddenly a reformed girlboss (or #bossgirl, as used in the book) with a newfound interest in AI and algorithms? What a weird, came-out-of-nowhere development. Especially since she had never even hinted at being interested in STEM. If anything, STEM seemed like a means to an end in her quest to become an ultra-successful millionaire.
- TL;DR: No redemption to be found. And if anything, I hate Sophie even more now.
• Similar to Loveboat Taipei, Xavier is easily the most interesting and most compelling character in this book.
- Forced back to high school, Xavier finally confronts his dyslexia and how it impacts his life, which was marvelous to read about. On top of that, the book shows a deeper, more intimate portrait of the Yeh empire - and the dysfunctional family dynamics that uphold such a legacy.
- My heart was constantly hurting for Xavier and ached to protect him from everything bad in the world.
- Having Xavier as the story's leading man is sincerely the only silver lining that Loveboat Reunion has to offer. Even though it meant having to witness Xavier fall for Sophie for a second time.
• Despite the book's title, the reunion of the Loveboat gang was underwhelming and left a lot to be desired. I was expecting an intimate (but still really fun!) affair - and instead, I got half-baked party planning with invites extended to virtual strangers who shamelessly take advantage of Xavier and his wealth. And of course, all of it is Sophie's fault. By the way,
• A second-chance romance between Xavier and Sophie just does not make a lick of sense at all. The idea was doomed from the moment it was even hinted at. You can quote me on this.
• Fuck Sophie.
Not recommended.
Final impressions:
• I think my criticisms would be kinder if I were to evaluate Loveboat Reunion as a contemporary standalone novel rather than a sequel to Loveboat Taipei. Mainly because the latter requires a sense of continuity, which Loveboat Reunion absolutely failed to deliver. (However, I literally reread the first book for the sole purpose of reviewing this as a sequel.)
• My first question is: What happened? As in, what happened to the characters? What happened to the character relationships? What happened to the story's depth? Make it make sense.
- Picking up right where the first book left off (i.e. characters are leaving the glamorous, over-the-top dramatic world of Loveboat and going back into their ordinary lives), it was difficult to miss the staggering discontinuity between the books right away.
Spoiler
- Despite the events in the first book (i.e. Xavier and Sophie's relationship imploded because Xavier kissed someone else under Sophie's family's roof), we're expected to believe that Xavier and Sophie are not only cordial to each other - but are close friends who confide in one another. And that Xavier still had lingering feelings for her?- Despite the events in the first book (i.e. Sophie circulating Ever's nude photos not only among their peers but to the schools and dance programs that she applied to), Sophie and Ever are suddenly tight besties again?
- And just... why are all the crucial events in Loveboat Taipei suddenly dismissed without explanation? It felt really cheap and disingenuous to see the characters (except Xavier) walk out of that summer program relatively unscathed.
• The downfall of Loveboat Reunion truly lies in its choice of protagonist. Without any room for argument, Sophie Ha was rightfully positioned as the antagonist of the first book.
- I was never on board with
Spoiler
how easily Ever forgave Sophie for leaking her nude photos without consent as an act of revenge - but I chose to somewhat overlook it.- In fact, it was quite infuriating that Sophie's key takeaway from what happened was "Oopsie, I guess it's very un-girlboss of me to have been so obsessed with getting a rich boyfriend."
- Speaking of, why is Sophie suddenly a reformed girlboss (or #bossgirl, as used in the book) with a newfound interest in AI and algorithms? What a weird, came-out-of-nowhere development. Especially since she had never even hinted at being interested in STEM. If anything, STEM seemed like a means to an end in her quest to become an ultra-successful millionaire.
- TL;DR: No redemption to be found. And if anything, I hate Sophie even more now.
• Similar to Loveboat Taipei, Xavier is easily the most interesting and most compelling character in this book.
- Forced back to high school, Xavier finally confronts his dyslexia and how it impacts his life, which was marvelous to read about. On top of that, the book shows a deeper, more intimate portrait of the Yeh empire - and the dysfunctional family dynamics that uphold such a legacy.
- My heart was constantly hurting for Xavier and ached to protect him from everything bad in the world.
- Having Xavier as the story's leading man is sincerely the only silver lining that Loveboat Reunion has to offer. Even though it meant having to witness Xavier fall for Sophie for a second time.
• Despite the book's title, the reunion of the Loveboat gang was underwhelming and left a lot to be desired. I was expecting an intimate (but still really fun!) affair - and instead, I got half-baked party planning with invites extended to virtual strangers who shamelessly take advantage of Xavier and his wealth. And of course, all of it is Sophie's fault. By the way,
Spoiler
can we talk about how Sophie invited near-total strangers to Xavier's private jet without his permission? Or how she planned an extravagant, expensive reunion without consulting Xavier beforehand? Wala na ngang morals, wala pang hiya. Social climber amputa.• A second-chance romance between Xavier and Sophie just does not make a lick of sense at all. The idea was doomed from the moment it was even hinted at. You can quote me on this.
• Fuck Sophie.
Not recommended.