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So this book was too depressing for me. It was dark but the humour just seemed sad to me and not funny. I had hoped that there would be some hope at the end but the more her world was revealed the more lost I felt along with her. It took me so long to read it but I couldn‘t bail because I was looking for some hope and honestly what was given wasn‘t enough for me. I felt even more sorry for Eleanor by the end, actually for all the characters.

Listened to this one over audio. I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand it‘s a really interesting story about a woman struggling through grad school. Eleanor is struggling with her research & after her mom passes away a lot of her past trauma of her childhood resurfaces. She is the product of immigrant parents that came from Taiwan with nothing. Eleanor was pushed hard especially since her older sister disappeared. I don‘t know if I didn‘t

Chang is a debut author I‘ll read again, but this was a low pick. I wish I had felt more emotional connection to Eleanor.

Eleanor recently lost her mother, left her graduate program, and married a a VERY nice guy. But as she deals with the trauma of her childhood, she makes poor decisions. Her first-person linear narrative is interspersed with third-person sections sharing stories about her parents‘ immigration and Eleanor‘s childhood.

Can I just say - I LOVE when a celebrity is a genuine bookworm? I know SJP has her own imprint now (the tagged book being one) but even before then, all the paparazzi pics of her casually reading around the city just made me love her more. You can just tell how much she truly loves reading (not solely a $ thing). This book seems to be getting mixed reviews, but I'm wishing all the best for her imprint's success! 📚

(She's on Threads too, btw! 🧵)

What I enjoyed about this novel was it was not just Eleanor's story, it was the story of her mother as well, back to the time before she immigrated to America. This complex family story shows the strains we feel on a daily basis, but it also sheds a light on the immigrant experience and how that can add to those problems.

#ARC #NetGalley From SJP‘s imprint this is a debut similar to Chemistry, Joan is A -Okay and Connivence Store Woman. Eleanor was raised by an overbearing mother and mostly absent father, both Chinese immigrants who were consumed with chasing the American Dream. Now Eleanor‘s mother is dead and Eleanor can‘t seem to move on. Told in past & present we learn more about both Eleanor‘s childhood and her parents early days. #MoreMehThanYeah