I just discovered that "New Adult" is a genre. Let the binge begin!
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Both authors did a good job of capturing the weirdness that is the summer beforeI just discovered that "New Adult" is a genre. Let the binge begin!
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Both authors did a good job of capturing the weirdness that is the summer before college, and I really enjoy the revival of the epistolary (or semi-epistolary) story! Both sides of the story really captured how chaotic and surreal the summer after high school graduation can feel, and the effect that it has on a person's relationships and on their personal development.
(view spoiler)[I may be a bit jaded but I did find the fact that both girls were happily coupled-up at the end of the story a little strange. Not least because I think I know of a grand total of one high school relationship that survived college. I think the idea that both girls found fulfilling romantic/sexual relationships just before this big transition could have been explored in a little more depth-- that as soon as they started emailing each other they started moving toward becoming the people they wanted to be, which in turn allowed them to interact with their boyfriends in a more satisfying way. Then again, the stories had a lot of ground to cover, and I could say the same about the girls' relationships with their parents, the arcs of which seemed a little superficial. (hide spoiler)]
I think my point is that there's a lot going on in this book because there's a lot going on for people between high school graduation and leaving for college. So it all works out!...more
Binged this audiobook in a day while recovering from a tonsillectomy and loved it!
I was so excited to find out that New Adult is a genre, but then disBinged this audiobook in a day while recovering from a tonsillectomy and loved it!
I was so excited to find out that New Adult is a genre, but then disappointed when most of the entries are heavy romance stories. That's not a judgement! Romance stories can be great and lots of people like them! But I don't prefer that stuff, myself. When I found that NA focuses on college years I was all in-- I am extremely sentimental about my own college experience, and I love the vitality and change and finding-yourself-ness that come with those times.
I adore how this story addresses the many parts of Mei and how they are challenged by her first year at MIT. I love the portrayal of kids of immigrants and the particular difficulties they face. Most of all, I really enjoy how nuanced Chao makes her characters-- in most cases, even if you disagree with a character there will be a moment where their good intentions or their own hardships punch you in the gut.
I have to say I also very much dig the portrayal of nerd college, and I think we need more of it! I am not at all biased here (Caltech '04 go beavers). I could have done with actually a lot more, for lack of a better word, worldbuilding-- there's some good stuff about hacks in the latter half, and several cool traditions are mentioned. And again, maybe I'm biased but a school's particular weirdnesses are a great way to get to know the people that choose to go there. I get that Mei by definition wasn't super involved in a lot of those things, but I definitely found myself wanting to know more about the MIT-ness of her life.
Since I am bedbound and wallowing in my own pain, part of me wonders if the story doesn't wrap up a little too neatly, but honestly? That's what fiction is for. The ending isn't totally buttoned up, but it is hopeful. There are some great epic speeches around the climax of the story that, while maybe not likely in reality, are exactly the sorts of things I'd want to be able to say in those situations.
Anyway, highly recommended for cultural (Taiwanese, nerd) and storytelling (great use of first-person narration) reasons....more