ceraphimfalls's Reviews (319)

There is a particular type of author insert fiction that is so undeniably privileged, cis female, and capital w White, that is becomes not just cliche, but indigestible. Like Gwenyth Paltrow's diet, there's not a lot of sustenance here. There is, however, a petulant and perfect-all-along female main who was always compared to others being not enough or "too much"- aka a bigger girl, a secret and secretive rich aunt who leaves her everything when she dies, and a male love interest with broad shoulders. This is a motivational speech disguised as a novel, and you can easily tell because it is repetitive, derivative, and, dare I say it again, wearing its White privilege on its sleeve. (Frankly, I should be more sensitive to such privilege in novels, and I don't want to keep hammering the same point, but it was so overwhelming here, it could not be ignored.) There are unearned apologies and reconciliations galore and no character growth to be found. The last hundred pages felt like everyone apologizing to our main Poppy for... existing? It is clear that this is what the author wanted or wants to hear from her own important family members. While the writing and the pacing was good, those alone cannot save this story.

Also, side note and possible tiny spoiler, Poppy is offered $750,000 for her aunt's home and "business" that she's inherited- one million max. The home is a villa in the south of France. For that alone, come on now. The author couldn't have spent an afternoon on Zillow, yearning for stupid expensive homes in beautiful places they could never afford like the rest of us, just to get a tiny idea of how much houses actually cost? I should have stopped reading at this point because I'll be damned if that didn't completely destroy my suspension of disbelief.

I recently learned the phrase "books that respect your time" to reference books that aren't overwritten and indulgent to the author. This book does not respect your time at nearly 400 pages- it is repetitive and lacking in editing and weak dialogue, despite mostly being dialogue. That said, the characters are fun, the relationships believable, and the sexy times actually spicy. I hope the author grows and learns and the next books respect their readers.

The actual prose of the writing and the characterizations were solid and distinct. However, the actual mystery was less of a web and more like when your earbud wires get tangled in your pocket. A lot of repeating, a lot of nothing, but all of the important points were there as breadcrumbs. I will absolutley read from this author again, and those debut stumbles will hopefully be rectified with more practice and patience.

I love books focused on the experiences of the East Asian diaspora kids. We all hear the immigrant story from our grandparents and the trials to fit in from our parents. But that loss of culture in this second gen world is monumental, and yet trying to forge our new ways is just as traumatizing. It's a lot, but I'm happy that there is a book to explore this journey of going home with different eyes. The magic and the food and the music made the world, and my own yearning for home, come alive. That said, this reads like a debut that needed to meet a page requirement. It can be extremely repetitive- a common tool in the East Asian storytelling toolbox. Yet, even with that caveat in place, it grated, especially when I needed to FEEL the most. But I'm going to try the author's next book because this story was good, but the lack of editing or the surplus of publisher mandate got in the way.

By far the best of the series and an excellent ending to the story.