Reviews

This was a fun book!! I enjoyed the lived-in feel of the setting (even if sometimes it was definitely an excuse for the author to gush about Wellesley), as well as how the variety of arospec and acespec experiences were shown. Even with the two protagonists, although most of their bond was able to happen because of their shared aroace label, their experiences were vastly different. (Sophie’s dealing with the expectations forced onto her as an immigrant child and how that’s made her parents doubt or deny her sexuality, Jo grew up with gay moms and in a good environment to be queer but isn’t as comfortable in her sexuality as Sophie is.)

The screenshots throughout also added a layer of immersion, the accuracy in the rep of pointless online arguments and being terminally online was very amusing.

I do, however, wish there was more development in the characters!! Jo and Sophie’s friendship doesn’t feel organic until around the latter half because a lot of the conversations they have outside of aroace-ness are summarized instead of given on-page time. I wanted to root for them earlier on!! And some of the conversations about relationships and sexuality felt juvenile. I can partially excuse this because of the target demographic and the characters barely being adults, but in other moments it felt a little too silly.

(However!! We still got a platonic version of a dramatic rainy love declaration and I was a little obsessed with that)

Still though, this was a sweet, funny read. I hope all kinds of aspec people get some value out of this. I’m only questioning tbh so I can’t really contribute(not fully aro but under that umbrella), but there were still some lovely feels to feel. So.

stephxsu's review against another edition

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hopeful 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

3.0

DEAR WENDY is a charming debut and a worthwhile addition to the (small) shelf of young adult aromantic/asexual representation coupled with BIPOC issues.

This book will make lots of people feel seen. Sophie and Jo are at slightly different places when it comes to accepting their aroace identity, and their slightly different conflicts will be interesting for readers. Sophie is comforting with identifying as aroace and in general has her life well put together, but struggles with her Chinese immigrant parents’ lack of understanding and acceptance of identity. This was my favorite part of the story, because I can relate so much to having immigrant parents only understanding their children’s choices to a certain extent, but still expecting that this is a “phase” that we will get over, after which we will settle down with an opposite-sex spouse, a mortgage, and 3 children. Meanwhile, while Jo identifies as aroace, she is not yet comfortable with its implications for her future, having grown up in a culture and family in which romantic couplings are the HEA end-goal.

Unfortunately, I think that DEAR WENDY relies too much on conversations to its detriment. Not much happens in terms of plot (indeed, the Instagram feud and the roommates’ dating drama read rather childish), because the characters spend so much time just talking about what it means to be aroace. The book/author also assumes that the reader has a foundational knowledge in women’s and gender studies, life at a historically women’s college, etc. I am familiar with the mindset that most of the characters share about gender and identity, but I felt that there was a gap between who the book is written for (university-age people) and the actual tone/voice of the story (which reads much more middle-grade).

While there is room for improvement, Zhao is a natural writer of characters and dialogue. DEAR WENDY has Zhao staying within her comfort zone as a writer; with more time spent developing a storyline and plot point that has more potential, she has a promising writing future ahead of her.