Loveboat, Taipei Trigger warning: Racism, internalised racism, stereotyping. Age rating:14+ Overall rating: 5.2 out of 5 Genres: Young Adult, contemporary romance. A spoiler free summary Ever Wong is unexpectedly sent away by her parents to Taipei. She arrives anticipating a strict educational program, but she could not be more wrong. The Loveboat is place where adults are “oblivious” to the continuous nightlife and hook-ups. Will this be Ever’s chance to be who she wants to be and give her the courage to chase her actual dreams rather than her parent’s expectations? Review I loved Loveboat, Taipei so much, there were so many moments where I was really able to connect to the main characters. This book was one I annotated quite a lot [I’m not really an annotating reader] for the first time in a while and I really related to many of the thoughts and feelings of the main character, such as feeling too Asian in one environment and not Asian enough in another. It made my heart swell with seeing so much representation in one novel, it felt as if the author was trying to fit as many different East Asian voices as she could to make up for the lack of representation in the literary world and this novel definitely should receive more hype. It did have some clichés and stereotypes throughout the novel but all of which are unfortunately still binding to Asians in the real world. The author, though her characters really unpacked some of it conveying a message to readers that it is okay to not be part of the stereotypes but it’s also okay to be part of them as well, also expressing sometimes it is not completely the parents’ faults either but rather society’s expectations. The romance gives slight enemies to lovers energy and the friendships were so precious and makes it more heart breaking when something unexpected happens. Even the characters I did not particular liked grew on me and I was able to appreciate their roles in the story. The writing style not insanely complex but it is very well written and descriptive, it is also quite a fast paced novel and has a reasonable amount of dialogue. The main focus of the story is coming to terms with one’s identity and what that means to the main character while exploring romance and finding friends who are like you. It is nice to see that family is not forgotten about, especially since Young Adult novels often do and are mentioned throughout the novel showing the importance of family to the main character even if they hold her back from pursuing her dreams. I also love when authors add a note to the reader whether it is a dedication or in the acknowledgements, but the author added a page giving background information and a thank you to the reader which I appreciate. Throughout the novel she added a random fact perfect to the storyline and I enjoy that you can learn something like that from a novel. I am very much looking forward to reading the second novel but am a little sad to see it is not from Ever’s perspective but of Sophie’s since I grew quite attached to Ever. In other views Sophie will definitely be an interesting character to see her thoughts so I’m sure “Loveboat, Reunion” will be a fantastic read as this one. Overall, I really loved this novel, especially the representation as well as family dynamics and connecting friendships. Quotes “you don’t do anything to draw attention to your asianess,” “my parents would slit their throats for my happiness, and in return my future is their future.” “I don’t know a soul here but, in this moment, the loneliness I feel is overridden by the larger strangeness of blending in.” “even among a horde of Chinese Americans I’m not Chinese American enough.” “I opened my lunch box to shrieks of horrified, “what are those?” and I begged my mom not to pack me any more weird Chinese food.” “we need to take back these stereotypes.” “I’m not the only one taking charge of my identity this summer.” “I used to avoid looking in the mirror with my Caucasian friends, because my eyes seemed small in comparison.” Recommendations Looking to find Asian representation, this book is for you. It heavy explores being Asian and the pressures/stereotypes it comes with as well as growing into the person you are meant to be. Pros Explores family dynamics, finding friends who are the same as you, coming to terms with one’s identity and a “unexpected” sweet romance. Cons Nothing in particular at this moment.
Tag: #reads
My favourite Books of 2021, part six. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.
LEGENDBORN BY TRACY DEONN
Legendborn is an Arthurian retelling. Not only is it a well written fantasy but it also explores heavy themes such as grief and racism. After Bree’s mother dies in an accident, she wants nothing more than to escape her hometown and a perfect chance arises, Bree leaves her home. After witnessing a magic incident everything changes for Bree. This novel follows Bree as she discover a whole another world of magic and how she might even be involved. Legendborn is unlike the usual retelling, instead of having characters who are reimaged or children of well-known tales they are ancestors of the characters of King Arthur. I loved this novel for several reasons, from the fantasy side, the many complex characters, the slow budding romance, the writing style, the BIPOC representation, the LGBTQIA+ rep and of course the overall storyline. I have to say a lot happened in the last couple chapters and it was left on an incredibly exciting cliff-hanger. The sequel, Bloodmarked, is coming out in July 2022. The author also explored grief of a loved one quite in depth and it feels as if many people were\could\have\can relate. It brought together a heavy theme and put it together with an unexpected fantasy which worked comfortably. Overall, a wonderful novel and am excited to see more of the characters again soon.
Trigger warning: Racism, grief, death, anxiety, car crash, attacks.
My favourite Books of 2021, part three. The girl from the well by Rin Chupeco.
THE GIRL FROM THE WELL BY RIN CHUPECO
The girl from the well is paranormal horror story and retelling of a classic Japanese ghost story called Okiku. This novel spins this classic story into an even darker one and it is written is the perspective of the ghost which is something that is not often done. It is exquisitely written in an almost poet way. The chapter names aren’t just numbers, they are names, words and short sentences that foreshadow what’s about to happen. The book is quite graphic and covers multiple sensitive topics. I really enjoyed this novel from the dark storyline to the uniqueness of the way the novel is written, the author wrote certain sections of the book by skipping lines, angling words, etc, to really emphasise a point. It was delightful to see a ghost story I heard when I was younger made into something completely different and I personally have seen barely any Japanese retellings that isn’t fantasy so it’s good to see. Overall, this novel was wonderful in every form and even might have frightened me a little while reading it!
Trigger warning: death, murder, strangulation, injury, graphic scenes [gore], possession, sacrifice, kidnapping, trauma, blood, etc. There may be more so please procced with caution.
My favourite Books of 2021, part two. Emma in the night by Wendy Walker.
EMMA IN THE NIGHT BY WENDY WALKER.
Emma in the night is a psychological thriller about two sisters who disappear. Cass, the fifteen-year-old, the younger sister returns without Emma who is two years older, but her story doesn’t really align. Dr Abigail Winter is a forensic Psychologist on Cass’s case, she investigates Cass’s family and uncovers the truth about her dysfunctional family. This novel is written in two points of views allowing to see both side of the story, it is written well, medium paced and the timeline of the novel is set within seven days with multiple flashbacks that are easy to understand. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and at the time when I read it, I wasn’t able to do a full book review unfortunately due to school exams, etc. This novel focused on narcissistic personality disorder, and it was interesting to see the trauma of Cass as well as Dr Abby’s. There were many unexpected plot points especially at near the end of the book and it truly shows how dysfunctional Cass’s family. I would take caution since this novel covers multiple sensitive topics. Overall, I delighted in this novel and will definitely read more of Wendy Walker’s books in the future.
Trigger warning: Narcissistic personality disorder, kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual harassment, rape, parental neglect, trauma, death, injury, etc. There may be more, please proceed with causation.
Enna Mari 