Parachutes

I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved the representation in particular, the whole parachute aspect was very realistic as I can attest as a former international student with a significantly large contingent of chinese attending university abroad. This felt a bit like a darker and grittier teenage version Crazy Rich Asians, dealing with a lot more serious topics like SA and corruption of wealthy institutions. The fact that the author was inspired by her own experience makes the book that much more impactful. It took me a while to warm up to one of the main characters who is pretty self-absorbed and spoiled for a majority of the book, serving as foil for the more mature and ambitious Dina. But then both of them make some stupid decisions in this book and I have seen some reviewers focusing on that aspect, as well as the relationship drama. While I do agree with their opinions to some degree, I still think one needs to keep the ages of the characters in mind. They're still in high school and teenagers are just known to be selfish and impulsive in general so I found their flaws actually quite relatable while at the same time being annoyed by their actions. I do wish the author had focuse more on building up their relationship but I did like the other friends introduced in the story and especially the focus on family expectations. All in all, the diversity and message of the novel more than makes up for its flaws and the story is very bingable.

Uhm... I can't believe I've had this book for so long and had it on my Asian Readathon TBR for 3 years and always pushed it away... I was missing out! I didn't think this story would be as deep and touching as it was. It's told from two perspectives - Claire, who is a girl from a rich family in Shanghai whose grades apparently aren't good enough to compete in the extremely competitive chinese school system so her parents send her to California to finish her education in America, and Dani, daughter of a Filipino immigrant mother who are struggling financially. Their stories connect when Claire is sent to Dani's family to live with them in California - giving Dani's family finally some financial security, and Claire a host family to live with in the US. Both girls think the other one has it all and don't seem to see that everyone has their own struggles. And even though they come from completely opposite backgrounds, their problems are more alike than they think. This book is so powerful. It gives an insight into the lives of Asian Americans, of racism and discrimination even inbetween different ethnicities of Asian Americans. It shows classcism, the unfair education system,the expectations to young women from society and their families, and the abuse of power. I definitely think you should check the trigger warning, as it deals with pretty serious topic, but I can only just praise and recommend this book because it deals with it in such a raw and realistic way! trigger warning: rape, sexual assault, grooming, victim/slut-shaming