Overall, I just thought it was really inane and shallow. But credit where it's due: decent prose, platonic relationships, and fairly good character diversity.

The characters and setting of each story come to life, though the plots are fairly simple. Not a bad read, but not exactly my cup of tea.

(Something went wrong in the Kindle-to-Goodreads data transfer; ignore the weird dates on the activity. This review will probably also be a mess, because I have a lot of thoughts about this book and a lot of material to work with.)

I know a lot of people really like this book, but it just doesn't work for me. The story drags on forever - not only is it long, it's excruciatingly detailed; more on that later - and only at the climax did I realize that yes, I actually did care about whether or not Theo would get away with it. In terms of the ending, though, I felt like

Spoiler

everything was tied up too perfectly, with the painting found/returned and the reward money conveniently enough to get Theo out of the other mess he made

- which fits into the themes (whose explicit explanation and analysis makes up the last, like, 10% of the book; another point of annoyance for me considering Boris made some similar points and Theo brushed him off, only to reiterate them like his own original ideas a few pages later.)

So, regarding the details - it seemed like every other adjective was "Asian" or some iteration thereof (Chinese, Japanese, Korean specifically), and in very few (if any) of these cases was it relevant. Truth be told, I think it's just one of the more obvious symptoms of an issue I noticed throughout this novel: because Theo's view is so Ameri-centric (Eurocentric?), everything else - from non-native speakers' pronunciation to the origin of some random background object to Boris' whole character, really - stands out to him as exotic and strange, which is problematic to say the least.

And I'm not very happy with the way minor characters - particularly Boris - were treated, either. He pointed out some very valid flaws in Theo's reasoning and attitudes, only to be dismissed as ignorant and annoying, in large part because he's a "barbaric foreigner" or something; if he's intended as a foil for Theo, this greatly undermines the effectiveness of any views Boris expresses. None of the female characters had any real storyline or agency of their own, either; I get that they're secondary to Theo's storyline, but with the exception of

Spoiler

Kitsey's relationship with Cable, mainly acknowledged because it was a "betrayal" of Theo

they didn't really seem to exist or matter outside of how they affected Theo and the dilemmas he dug himself into.

tl;dr I had little patience for Theo's narrowmindedness and exoticization of all kinds of objects and characters. There are some nice examples of flowery prose, but just as many awkwardly phrased sections. None of the characters seemed dynamic or sympathetic, the narrator included, and overall I just felt the book was far too long.

Considering my rough track record with free verse poetry, I'm honestly impressed that this narrative told in prose not only held my attention but made me feel things. Several of the poems/scenes were difficult to read, in that they were emotionally loaded, and as a fellow child of immigrant parents I could absolutely relate. There's both a generational and a cultural gap, which makes it hard to communicate.

This is relatively minor, especially compared to all the other messages and themes of this book, but I'm delighted with the strong female friendship — especially since the friend is a nice girl named Isabelle. (Totally not projecting or anything.)

content warnings:

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corporal punishment (by parent), sexual harassment (including non-consensual groping), non-graphic sexual content

rep:

Spoiler

Latinx (Dominican Republic) MC & family, gay secondary character (twin brother), minor M/M relationship, Jamaican minor character, diverse secondary & minor characters

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CONVERSION: 11.05 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 4 / 10

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

Writing style made for comfortable reading; characters are relatable and somewhat lovable. I love stories about society in this era, kind of a golden period. Of course some characters were insufferably malicious and petty. And

Spoiler

the faked death

was a little over the top. But a good hook for the series.

I received an advance review copy through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.

3.5 stars.

"Just because you didn't choose to pass doesn't mean you don't have a choice, Nevaeh."

The messages in this book are powerful; I have so much respect for the courage it takes to not only write about such personal experiences, but to put them out into the world.

I really enjoyed the premise, catching Nevaeh in a pivotal period of her life. And I really, really wanted to sympathize with her, because she finds herself in some pretty tough circumstances. Being a teenager — trying to figure out how to be a good friend and family member and person; figuring out what you want to do in life and where you fit into the world; etc. — is hard enough without the social/societal isolation and privilege-based guilt Nevaeh struggles with.

But for the vast majority of the book, she's incredibly judgmental of other people and focuses on how their problems/wants inconvenience her (including

Spoiler

her mom's inability to leave the house while depressed, her best friend Stevie's dream of winning a dance scholarship, and a lot of internalized misogyny towards other girls and women: her dad's girlfriend, her classmates, innocent bystanders at the hair salon

); she actively and repeatedly chooses to do things that are inconsiderate and/or selfish.

This is a narrative about personal growth, so this depiction is understandable and definitely believable, but it was so frustrating to read.

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I'm still on the fence about whether her final grand gesture makes up for it, though it's a clear step in the right direction.

I also wasn't really a fan of Nevaeh's writing. (The preface calls it poetry, but I don't know if it's intended to be; if it is, it's a very free-verse style without rhyme schemes or, as far as I could tell, any kind of meter.) I appreciate these passages' contribution to the themes of identity and of speaking out, but to be quite honest I skimmed them. Same with

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the excerpts from her mom's journal, which felt awkward since they were written in exactly the same style as the rest of the narrative

.

All that said, the #ownvoices rep and social themes of this book come through clearly, and there are some wonderful bonding moments (particularly between

Spoiler

Nevaeh & her cousins, and Nevaeh & Rabbi Sarah

). Nevaeh's personal journey is profound — and I don't think anyone could come away from this book without learning a thing or two.

content warnings:

Spoiler

racism, on-page violence (security guard brutality), depressed parent, mention of (past) rape/sexual coercion, slut-shaming

rep:

Spoiler

biracial (Jamaican & Liberian/Jewish) "white-passing" MC & her family, biracial (Chinese/white) best friend, Latinx (Dominican Republic) love interest, Jewish WLW secondary character

content warnings:

Spoiler

ableist language (incl. "cr*zy"), past bullying, minor self-harm (snapping rubber band on wrist), infidelity, precanon grandparent death (mentioned), underage drinking, weed use, microaggressions

rep:

Spoiler

South Korean-Pakistani-American MC with anxiety [Pablo], biracial Mexican-Welsh-American MC/LI [Lee], South Korean-Pakistani-American major character [Rain, Pablo's brother], South Korean immigrant major character [Kay, Pablo's mom], Pakistani "Muslim-ish" immigrant major character [Bilal, Pablo's dad], Haitian-American major character [Tice], Croatian-Jamaican-American major character [Wyn], Puerto Rican-Dominican-American major character [Miggs], Black major character [Jess], South Korean secondary characters [Mr. & Mrs. Kim], Dominican minor character [Tina], diverse minor characters

"I care about everything equally until I care about so many things I get overwhelmed and care about nothing at all. When it comes to the single thing I want to focus the entire rest of my life on, it's a muscle I don't know how to flex. As if I'm a lightning bug that forgot how to turn its ass on."

Readers who enjoyed [b:Emergency Contact|35297272|Emergency Contact|Mary H.K. Choi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519613921l/35297272._SY75_.jpg|56664122] likely won't be disappointed with Permanent Record; they're similar in terms of theme and tone.

This is very much a New Adult book: the main characters are approximately college-aged and they're technically-but-not-really adults with Adult Responsibilities like bills and careers and "real" relationships and finding a Purpose or Calling in Life. It also thoughtfully addresses issues of socioeconomics, race, identity, and social media (among others). Some of the scenes are heartwarming, though I really wouldn't call this a feel-good or fluffy read.

While there are some tropey and otherwise predictable developments, Choi's execution makes them still satisfying. The characters are all flawed but mostly well-meaning, which makes the narrative easy to buy into even at its extremes. There are real consequences and fallout, but there are also second (even third) chances.

I was particularly surprised by how much I liked the ending — without getting into spoilers, it wasn't quite what I was expecting but it felt well-earned, a good note to end on without being too cheesy or unrealistic.

-----------
CONVERSION: 11.2 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

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

I'm not too sure about Froggy Welsh the Fourth - he really overplays the band geek stereotype. Virginia had voice but debatable personality; I thought she was trying too hard to be a rebel.