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jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good culture clash story about having the courage to be yourself. Young adults who feel torn between the expectations their parents have for them and their own interests and passions will really get Mei. Young adults who love so much about their culture and yet feel constrained by some of its traditions will really get Mei.
danicapage's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Gloria's debut novel was entertaining and engaging. Mei, like many first-generation Chinese Americans (Taiwanese Americans), feels like she can't escape the weight of her parents' expectations. The author did a great job painting Mei's angst and anxiety in trying to fulfill those dreams with her own dreams. Mei had her own character flaws, but she grew as the novel progressed. I enjoyed the supporting characters and the relationship Mei developed with Darren. The debut shines, and I'm curious to read more by the author. This book mainly focuses on character growth and character progression rather than plot. The plot isn't surprising or shocking, so if you like more plot-centric books this may not be for you, but I enjoyed this one.
I liked how Gloria Chao seamlessly depicted what it means to be Chinese/Taiwanese American, first-gen, and belonging in general.
Content: This is a new adult book with some sexual innuendos and strong language. Some high-level sexual content appropriate for 16+ (ish).
Love,
Danica Page
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Gloria's debut novel was entertaining and engaging. Mei, like many first-generation Chinese Americans (Taiwanese Americans), feels like she can't escape the weight of her parents' expectations. The author did a great job painting Mei's angst and anxiety in trying to fulfill those dreams with her own dreams. Mei had her own character flaws, but she grew as the novel progressed. I enjoyed the supporting characters and the relationship Mei developed with Darren. The debut shines, and I'm curious to read more by the author. This book mainly focuses on character growth and character progression rather than plot. The plot isn't surprising or shocking, so if you like more plot-centric books this may not be for you, but I enjoyed this one.
I liked how Gloria Chao seamlessly depicted what it means to be Chinese/Taiwanese American, first-gen, and belonging in general.
Content: This is a new adult book with some sexual innuendos and strong language. Some high-level sexual content appropriate for 16+ (ish).
Love,
Danica Page
alivaster's review
3.0
I was really excited to read this book when I found it. I understood most of the language and having read so many books not having an Asian main character or family, I could identify with the main character better. Mei ultimately felt pretty realistic, which is probably because it's pretty much the author's story in fictional form. The main character's likeness is even the same as the author - the mole that's off-center on the forehead.
The book was overall amusing, but I can't justify putting down more stars. Ultimately, while it was a fun read, there were some things that needed better explanation or translation so that other readers - who don't know the language - could understand it. If you're going to explain some words and parts of the book, explain them all to make it more consistent for the reader. Additionally, the characters weren't entirely fully formed and more character development was needed. While Mei seems to be well-rounded, her boyfriend, Darren, wasn't. I wanted to like him more, but just didn't know what was so immensely special about him. I didn't love him, and I wasn't entirely cheering for him.
Overall, I give kudos to the writer for capturing a good amount of culture and diversity into the book, I was just disappointed in character development and some realism issues.
The book was overall amusing, but I can't justify putting down more stars. Ultimately, while it was a fun read, there were some things that needed better explanation or translation so that other readers - who don't know the language - could understand it. If you're going to explain some words and parts of the book, explain them all to make it more consistent for the reader. Additionally, the characters weren't entirely fully formed and more character development was needed. While Mei seems to be well-rounded, her boyfriend, Darren, wasn't. I wanted to like him more, but just didn't know what was so immensely special about him. I didn't love him, and I wasn't entirely cheering for him.
Overall, I give kudos to the writer for capturing a good amount of culture and diversity into the book, I was just disappointed in character development and some realism issues.
daumari's review
4.0
Not-entirely-intentional YA stretch continues! First off, I'm glad this book exists. Contemporary YA for Asian Americans is necessary- growing up I can think of [a:Lensey Namioka|26612|Lensey Namioka|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209043915p2/26612.jpg]'s Yang siblings and some of [a:Laurence Yep|14199|Laurence Yep|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1208559025p2/14199.jpg]'s stuff ([b:Ribbons|25284|Ribbons|Laurence Yep|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392175703s/25284.jpg|26028], [b:The Cook's Family|25265|The Cook's Family|Laurence Yep|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1167628964s/25265.jpg|2927742] etc.) but it'd be nice to count authors on more than one hand.
American Panda is a cute debut novel. While we've seen variations on the "Tiger parents" scenario in other stories, have any really addressed what happens when a sibling is disowned? Four years prior to the start of the story, Mei's brother was cut off from family for loving a girl with reproductive issues, so all of the pressure to be the perfect golden child now falls on her shoulders. It's a lot to deal with alongside a first year at college (and while a teenager to boot) and grappling with the idea that maybe germophobes don't make great doctors.
I'm 3rd or 4th generation depending on which side you look at, so I certainly don't have similar pressures as Mei (I've been told it's not a race to have kids lol), but dealing with estrangement from people who love you but are holding you at arms length because of that love? oooh resonance. At least one of my rating stars is for Xing because that is a hella rough place to be in, especially while taking the high road in interactions. I also recall older generations having very negative associations with Japanese people, somewhat justified by personal experience but not a good enough excuse to yell at a pair of 20 somethings in the 90s, so that too has some truth grains for me.
The author is clearly an MIT grad, because there's a lot of very granular detail that's likely understood by people who went there. I went to a talk recently where the speaker said, "It's okay to have multiple identities", and the presence of Taiwanese, dance, and MIT-specific shibboleths speaks to that. I do think the "I'm here a year younger than my peers because I skipped a grade!" thing could've been explored more because teen girl anxiety (or maybe it's for the best it wasn't, because a year off doesn't seem that out of the ordinary?)
American Panda is a cute debut novel. While we've seen variations on the "Tiger parents" scenario in other stories, have any really addressed what happens when a sibling is disowned? Four years prior to the start of the story, Mei's brother was cut off from family for loving a girl with reproductive issues, so all of the pressure to be the perfect golden child now falls on her shoulders. It's a lot to deal with alongside a first year at college (and while a teenager to boot) and grappling with the idea that maybe germophobes don't make great doctors.
I'm 3rd or 4th generation depending on which side you look at, so I certainly don't have similar pressures as Mei (I've been told it's not a race to have kids lol), but dealing with estrangement from people who love you but are holding you at arms length because of that love? oooh resonance. At least one of my rating stars is for Xing because that is a hella rough place to be in, especially while taking the high road in interactions. I also recall older generations having very negative associations with Japanese people, somewhat justified by personal experience but not a good enough excuse to yell at a pair of 20 somethings in the 90s, so that too has some truth grains for me.
The author is clearly an MIT grad, because there's a lot of very granular detail that's likely understood by people who went there. I went to a talk recently where the speaker said, "It's okay to have multiple identities", and the presence of Taiwanese, dance, and MIT-specific shibboleths speaks to that. I do think the "I'm here a year younger than my peers because I skipped a grade!" thing could've been explored more because teen girl anxiety (or maybe it's for the best it wasn't, because a year off doesn't seem that out of the ordinary?)
anaffpereira's review
3.0
This is both a heartwarming and impactful reading: sometimes funny and witty, other times emotional and conflicting.
I’ve heard people that know Chinese/Taiwanese culture better than me saying that some issues seem rather stereotypical and, unfortunately, I’ll have to agree. Even the characterization of Darren, the Japanese boy, was rather banal; I still don’t understand how “spiky anime hair” works in real-life, but okay… That felt a little low effort.
Nevertheless, the pacing was what put me off the most: some chapters felt disconnected, and I could never guess the temporal gap between the events.
Those two chapters where Mei follows the doctor around at the clinic and where she takes part in an anatomy lesson were just ridiculous. You can’t simply blurt out “Can I watch?” and NO doctor in the real-world would say “Sure, come along while I practice medicine”. That little chapter where Mei is at the financial office and accidentally meets the boy that her mother wishes her to date is too unrealistic as well; don’t “Harvard students come to MIT all of the time” me, narrator, it was ludicrous and forced.
I still found the book enjoyable and important though, but there were a lot of little things that made this book a 3 star for me.
I’ve heard people that know Chinese/Taiwanese culture better than me saying that some issues seem rather stereotypical and, unfortunately, I’ll have to agree. Even the characterization of Darren, the Japanese boy, was rather banal; I still don’t understand how “spiky anime hair” works in real-life, but okay… That felt a little low effort.
Nevertheless, the pacing was what put me off the most: some chapters felt disconnected, and I could never guess the temporal gap between the events.
Those two chapters where Mei follows the doctor around at the clinic and where she takes part in an anatomy lesson were just ridiculous. You can’t simply blurt out “Can I watch?” and NO doctor in the real-world would say “Sure, come along while I practice medicine”. That little chapter where Mei is at the financial office and accidentally meets the boy that her mother wishes her to date is too unrealistic as well; don’t “Harvard students come to MIT all of the time” me, narrator, it was ludicrous and forced.
I still found the book enjoyable and important though, but there were a lot of little things that made this book a 3 star for me.
phoenix2's review
3.0
American Panda was an okay read. As I'm not a fan of contemporary YA with romance as the main theme, I was skeptical about reading this one. But, American Panda was not what I was expecting. It concentrated more on the family dynamics and the journey that Mei (the main character and narrator) had to take to find herself, rather than MIT student life and finding a boyfriend. I enjoyed reading about the chinese-american cultural differences (while watching Fresh off the boat) and the age gap and how that was enhanced by the cultural differences between Mei, Xing and their parents. The ending was also kind of realistic. I also enjoyed Darren, who was the perfect love interest for this story, as he was cute and he didn't overshadow the main story. Finally, the pace was quick and the writing smooth and simple, so this is a quick read.
Unfortunately, there were some parts that I didn't like. Mei, even though she was an okay character, was annoying at some point. Also, her big revolution happened very fast for me and it wasn't a smooth transposition. The chinese words were confusing as well, as I'm not really familiar with the language as I'm with japanese. Thus, I felt like I was missing some important details when I had to ignore them. Finally, and this is me nitpicking, the mother was presented at first to have difficulties with english but the author kind of forgot about it (?) as the story progressed.
Unfortunately, there were some parts that I didn't like. Mei, even though she was an okay character, was annoying at some point. Also, her big revolution happened very fast for me and it wasn't a smooth transposition. The chinese words were confusing as well, as I'm not really familiar with the language as I'm with japanese. Thus, I felt like I was missing some important details when I had to ignore them. Finally, and this is me nitpicking, the mother was presented at first to have difficulties with english but the author kind of forgot about it (?) as the story progressed.
amymiller's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
daniber's review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
“I couldn't go through life as a shadow.”
I was so so looking forward to this book, though it took me a while to actually read it. I have had a few too many books this year that I wanted to read but which turned out to be duds. Terrible, terrible duds. But I just couldn't wait any longer, I would just handle it if it turned out to be a dud. But OH MY, this one wasn't a dud at all. I loved every page of it. I loved Mei, I loved seeing her grow, I loved MIT, I loved the romance, the culture was fun, it was realistic, it had comedy, it had drama. It was just in one word Fantastic!
From the start we could see how overbearing the parents are, we see how Mei is trying to act like the good daughter, the author sure set the tone from the start right. I was eager to see if Mei would change. Would she be able to stand up to her parents, or would her parents finally see the light?
I loved Mei immediately. Sure, at times I wanted to shake her and tell her that she is her own person, that she is quite brainwashed, that she should make her own choices. That maybe, now that she is 17, she should just tell her parents what is really going on. Because while they want her to be a doctor, we all can clearly see that this isn't going to work out. The smallest bit of blood and this girl is feeling sick, germs and she tries to wipe everything clean. At times I just couldn't help but laugh. I know, maybe not the right moment, but I just couldn't help it. It was quite fun how at the smallest of things she would jump away and try to cover herself in antibacterial stuff.
I loved how she lost herself in dancing, how she even had a few classes that she taught, and how she was able to relax and go to her happy place. I know the feeling, I am not a pro-dancer, oh no, but at the end of a crappy day there is just nothing better than to let it all out by moving to the beat. I adored that her dream was to become a dance teacher and have a school of her own. Wow, that is just such a beautiful dream, and I was rooting for her to step up and let people know about her dream. That she shouldn't be afraid to live her life.
As the book continues, we see Mei slowly realise that maybe it is time for her to grab the reigns, we see her try to reconnect with her brother (in secret as her brother has been disowned by the family due to his girlfriend (we later find out why exactly)), we see her fall steadily in love (and I was rooting oh so much for these two), we see her try to talk to her parents. But as you may imagine her parents aren't the easiest.
At one point shit hits the fan, and stuff get really bad for Mei. It is a good thing she has someone who loves her (even if she pushes him away at one point, but I could understand why), she has her brother who cares about her and tries to help her out, she has her roommate (well, once she opens up to her and finds out she isn't such a bad person). But it is still very hard. She is still only 17, so she has to find a way to get funds and also to be able to make her own decisions without the need of her parents. Plus she has to deal with school and make the decision of her life, not go the route of a doctor, but instead something totally different, she wants to pursue her dream.
Plus she also goes to meet another girl who was disowned by her parents and has a lot of rumours surrounding her. I just loved that show the girl gave, it was just the best.
I was really angry at Mei's family, especially the parents (though I have to say her aunt/grandma were at times even worse). I just couldn't understand why these parents had to push such a lifepath to their kid. Not caring one wink about what she actually wants. Not even wanting to talk about it. Instead opting for arguing and shutting her down as if Mei is a kid and not the almost adult that she actually is. I get this is a culture thing, but really, you can't just force your kid like this. Later on my dislike for the parents shifted a bit more towards the dad, especially after seeing the mom trying her best to at least do something for Mei. Sure, she had a long way to go, but I was already happy that she was more and more accepting of Mei and who she was turning out to be. Not who she wanted to be, but who Mei wanted to be. I also loved the meeting between the mom and Mei's boyfriend. :P
But yeah, the mom was quite frustrating in the beginning. I mean really, every new chapter has a message/voicemail from her, quite literally stalking her kid as she knew the schedule and demanded to be called. And if Mei didn't do that? There was one scene in which the mom came to the university herself along with the police. Yup. Ain't that brilliant? I was just so rolling my eyes at this action of the mom. Please woman, you should give your girl some privacy and time for herself.
Mom also wanted to know everything about who Mei was meeting. Study groups? Tell me all their names, ages, backgrounds, etc.. Not to mention that she kept remarking about Mei's weight. :|
Nicolette sure turned to be a nice surprise. I wasn't sure what to make of her in the beginning, but I grew to quite like her. In the end she turned out to be one of my favs. She is a good case of don't judge by outwardly appearances.
We also meet Mei's other friend, Helen, and I was quite sad we didn't see more of her. She seems like quite the character.
I adored Darren. From the start he was just the sweetest, and I loved how he tried to help out Mei. How he tried to show her that it wasn't right for the parents to do what they did. They had some arguments, but he wasn't afraid to tell his opinion, or how the situation is at his home.
Plus I loved their connection. They had that bond from the start. So I was rooting throughout the book for these two to get together and kiss!
Plus, now that I read the book, I just love the cover even further. It is exactly how I would imagine Mei would look, blissfully drinking hot chocolate (her drink of choice).
Mm, I could probably tell more about my feelings on this (I dare to bet I could talk for hours), but I will just sign off, and let my review be this. I would highly recommend this book. You won't be bored one moment while reading this one. You will be rooting for the characters, squee at the romance, shake your head at the parents, and all in all enjoy this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was so so looking forward to this book, though it took me a while to actually read it. I have had a few too many books this year that I wanted to read but which turned out to be duds. Terrible, terrible duds. But I just couldn't wait any longer, I would just handle it if it turned out to be a dud. But OH MY, this one wasn't a dud at all. I loved every page of it. I loved Mei, I loved seeing her grow, I loved MIT, I loved the romance, the culture was fun, it was realistic, it had comedy, it had drama. It was just in one word Fantastic!
From the start we could see how overbearing the parents are, we see how Mei is trying to act like the good daughter, the author sure set the tone from the start right. I was eager to see if Mei would change. Would she be able to stand up to her parents, or would her parents finally see the light?
I loved Mei immediately. Sure, at times I wanted to shake her and tell her that she is her own person, that she is quite brainwashed, that she should make her own choices. That maybe, now that she is 17, she should just tell her parents what is really going on. Because while they want her to be a doctor, we all can clearly see that this isn't going to work out. The smallest bit of blood and this girl is feeling sick, germs and she tries to wipe everything clean. At times I just couldn't help but laugh. I know, maybe not the right moment, but I just couldn't help it. It was quite fun how at the smallest of things she would jump away and try to cover herself in antibacterial stuff.
I loved how she lost herself in dancing, how she even had a few classes that she taught, and how she was able to relax and go to her happy place. I know the feeling, I am not a pro-dancer, oh no, but at the end of a crappy day there is just nothing better than to let it all out by moving to the beat. I adored that her dream was to become a dance teacher and have a school of her own. Wow, that is just such a beautiful dream, and I was rooting for her to step up and let people know about her dream. That she shouldn't be afraid to live her life.
As the book continues, we see Mei slowly realise that maybe it is time for her to grab the reigns, we see her try to reconnect with her brother (in secret as her brother has been disowned by the family due to his girlfriend (we later find out why exactly)), we see her fall steadily in love (and I was rooting oh so much for these two), we see her try to talk to her parents. But as you may imagine her parents aren't the easiest.
At one point shit hits the fan, and stuff get really bad for Mei. It is a good thing she has someone who loves her (even if she pushes him away at one point, but I could understand why), she has her brother who cares about her and tries to help her out, she has her roommate (well, once she opens up to her and finds out she isn't such a bad person). But it is still very hard. She is still only 17, so she has to find a way to get funds and also to be able to make her own decisions without the need of her parents. Plus she has to deal with school and make the decision of her life, not go the route of a doctor, but instead something totally different, she wants to pursue her dream.
Plus she also goes to meet another girl who was disowned by her parents and has a lot of rumours surrounding her. I just loved that show the girl gave, it was just the best.
I was really angry at Mei's family, especially the parents (though I have to say her aunt/grandma were at times even worse). I just couldn't understand why these parents had to push such a lifepath to their kid. Not caring one wink about what she actually wants. Not even wanting to talk about it. Instead opting for arguing and shutting her down as if Mei is a kid and not the almost adult that she actually is. I get this is a culture thing, but really, you can't just force your kid like this. Later on my dislike for the parents shifted a bit more towards the dad, especially after seeing the mom trying her best to at least do something for Mei. Sure, she had a long way to go, but I was already happy that she was more and more accepting of Mei and who she was turning out to be. Not who she wanted to be, but who Mei wanted to be. I also loved the meeting between the mom and Mei's boyfriend. :P
But yeah, the mom was quite frustrating in the beginning. I mean really, every new chapter has a message/voicemail from her, quite literally stalking her kid as she knew the schedule and demanded to be called. And if Mei didn't do that? There was one scene in which the mom came to the university herself along with the police. Yup. Ain't that brilliant? I was just so rolling my eyes at this action of the mom. Please woman, you should give your girl some privacy and time for herself.
Mom also wanted to know everything about who Mei was meeting. Study groups? Tell me all their names, ages, backgrounds, etc.. Not to mention that she kept remarking about Mei's weight. :|
Nicolette sure turned to be a nice surprise. I wasn't sure what to make of her in the beginning, but I grew to quite like her. In the end she turned out to be one of my favs. She is a good case of don't judge by outwardly appearances.
We also meet Mei's other friend, Helen, and I was quite sad we didn't see more of her. She seems like quite the character.
I adored Darren. From the start he was just the sweetest, and I loved how he tried to help out Mei. How he tried to show her that it wasn't right for the parents to do what they did. They had some arguments, but he wasn't afraid to tell his opinion, or how the situation is at his home.
Plus I loved their connection. They had that bond from the start. So I was rooting throughout the book for these two to get together and kiss!
Plus, now that I read the book, I just love the cover even further. It is exactly how I would imagine Mei would look, blissfully drinking hot chocolate (her drink of choice).
Mm, I could probably tell more about my feelings on this (I dare to bet I could talk for hours), but I will just sign off, and let my review be this. I would highly recommend this book. You won't be bored one moment while reading this one. You will be rooting for the characters, squee at the romance, shake your head at the parents, and all in all enjoy this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
jackfrostskid's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25