“A story that’s sure to stick with you for a long time.” —BuzzFeed “More than a coming-of-age novel.” —School Library Journal “[An] inventive, deeply heartfelt love story that explores connections of many kinds.” —Booklist
A teen outcast is simultaneously swept up in a whirlwind romance and down a rabbit hole of dark family secrets when another Taiwanese family moves to her small, predominantly white midwestern town in this remarkable novel from the critically acclaimed author of American Panda.
Seventeen-year-old Ali Chu knows that as the only Asian person at her school in middle-of-nowhere Indiana, she must be bland as white toast to survive. This means swapping her congee lunch for PB&Js, ignoring the clueless racism from her classmates and teachers, and keeping her mouth shut when people wrongly call her Allie instead of her actual name, pronounced Āh-lěe, after the mountain in Taiwan.
Her autopilot existence is disrupted when she finds out that Chase Yu, the new kid in school, is also Taiwanese. Despite some initial resistance due to the “they belong together” whispers, Ali and Chase soon spark a chemistry rooted in competitive martial arts, joking in two languages, and, most importantly, pushing back against the discrimination they face.
But when Ali’s mom finds out about the relationship, she forces Ali to end it. As Ali covertly digs into the why behind her mother’s disapproval, she uncovers secrets about her family and Chase that force her to question everything she thought she knew about life, love, and her unknowable future.
Snippets of a love story from 19th-century China (a retelling of the Chinese folktale The Butterfly Lovers) are interspersed with Ali’s narrative and intertwined with her fate.
Ali's mother had one rule for dating - he must be Asian. Being the only Asian kid in town, Ali was therefore, never going to be allowed to date. But, then, Chase showed up, and Ali wanted to resist her attraction to him. Would she be able to resist or would she give in to her wayward fate?
• Pro: I was such an Ali fan. She was witty and snarky, and I especially loved when she was Ali to the Nth degree once Chase came along.
• Pro: OMG, Chase! From his first on page with Ali, I was hooked. He grew up in such a different environment, and I liked that he challenged those around him, and encouraged Ali to speak up for herself. He was not only her love interest, but he was her ally.
• Pro: Chao did an incredible job helping me understand Ali's feelings of isolation. It pained me, that Ali believed she had to give up or hide parts of herself to survive in her hometown. My heart ached for her, and I think that's why I was so elated once Chase became part of her world.
• Pro: Though I did not initially understand the connection to The Butterfly Lovers, it because more clear as I learned what Ali's mother was hiding And, wow! I totally didn't see that coming. The story took quite a turn, and it was an interesting one.
• Pro: Chao gave me what I needed with respect to Ali's family. They were super dysfunctional, and it was painful being in their home. Chao tempered it with some lovely flashbacks, and also some fabulous resolutions. I had a lot of hope for Ali, her mom, and her dad by the end of the story, and that's important to me.
• Pro: This story takes on family dysfunction, racism, isolation, and the downside of family culture, but those who know me won't be surprised to learn it was the romance that stood out for me. Ali and Chase were fantastic together. The banter and feisty exchanges never failed to make me smile. They challenged each other so much, but they got gooey too, and it was fun to see someone like Ali sporting heart-eyes.
Overall: Once again, Gloria Chao delivered a heartfelt and funny tale of east meets west, which featured a complex family dynamic and a really sweet romance.
